Mach 8 Or Less?

 I think I irritated a truck driver today. That wasn’t my intent as I like to be safe and not impede anyone’s travels.

It was on a long stretch of Arizona highway 389   There was a one lane construction stop because the road snake crew was out laying down fresh road snakes, and that operation utilized one way traffic and a pilot car, and backed up traffic pretty good. 

The giant pickups that were ahead of me at the flag stop zoomed off into the distance after the pilot car turned around. I picked the van with a name speed up to 65. That was the speed limit, and that speed cuts down my mileage. 55 is better for my fuel mileage. 

Only two vehicles passed me, which was surprising, and the vehicle behind me for most of the way was  far back . We were east bound and Highway Patrol had a customer west bound and then everyone behind me got further away. Vans cruise  control was still  set on 65, we just went along.

Finally at my junction at highway 89 I pulled over to make sure my GPS route was spot on and to take a stretch and breathe air that is snow free. That is where the truck that was quite  a ways back behind cars that were not in my sight  gave me the look, like all his troubles in the world were caused by me because he couldn’t do Mach 8 and pass everyone, driving his semi faster than a very fine Austin Healey could go.

You Only See Tail Lights From This Car

My question to the world is how fast should you go once you go  over the speed limit???

I Would Show Them I Would Do 6 MPH

Further along on highway----the road passes through the Navajo Reservation and the makeshift trinket stands line just about every  level spot on the right of way. Gone are the days of the one stop Curio shop where a traveler might be able to use the washroom before buying authentic Navajo trinkets that are made in China.

Shacks In The Right Of Way Have Replaced Stone Curio Shops

The van with a name and I are heading to Cottonwood Arizona  for a couple of night stay. I got a  spot at a RV park for residents. There was full hookups but no amenities like a pool or shower or a laundry. . it wasn’t until after I paid for the spot I remembered that I have been to Cottonwood before and stayed at the very nice State Park, that had hookups, and showers and cost less than this spot. Oh well no matter as my pals Huckleberry and Kevlar  are driving down tomorrow so we can make a proper  assault into Jerome in their car and tour the famous  Gold King Mine & Ghost Town

My last attempt in the van to tour the mine resulted in not being able to find parking,  anywhere in Jerome, as the town was full up. Standing room only. 

We left early and found the Miners Café.  Parked right out front. Nice owners but my breakfast the hashbrowns were rock hard. My scrambled  eggs looked like some were missing, but the bacon was excellent, and the sourdough toast was tasty too. I probably won't be going back. The breakfast wasn't that great but the deal breaker was when Huckleberry and Kevlar tried out the the "Rock Em Sock Em Robots,  they were busted, and the owner didn't care. 

A Proper Pair Of Rock Em Sock Em

Next it was up to the mine. Again, parking was not a problem, and even though we were a little early for the 10:00 am opening, they let us in and didn’t seem to disappointed when we declined the extra entry fees that included feeding the chickens and goats.

The mine proved to be a excellent place for photos…

A Very Classic Corbitt 

Who Dosen't Love A Tree Truck?

A Classic Chevrolet Wrecker

 

 

 

 

Austin - Texas Or Nevada?

 Well  after some awesome soaking at the Crane Hot Springs I headed south on 95 and ended  up rolling  out of Oregon at McDermitt. On my map McDermitt looks to still be in Oregon, but when I pulled into the filling station no deaf guy, like the one in John Day,  who talked as loud as he could at me the whole time he pumped my gas, appeared. I was clearly back in the land of Self Service.

I Had The Feeling I Was Being Watched

Highway 95 ends or starts in Winnemucca, depending if you are north or south bound. Also, I discovered that alone in the van with a name traveling to Winnemucca, you can make up all kinds of rhymes using the notorious F work, and Winnemucca.  Go ahead and give it a try.

I thought about staying in Winnemucca, but I was running out of rhymes, so I headed east to Battle Mountain, the town with a giant BM painted on the side of the mountain and has conflicting stories if the town was named after a actual battle with the 18 century locals and white settlers. Or after the mountain range.

I ended up staying at a RV park I have stayed at before and was treated to a second night of temperatures in the teens.

It was south bound in the morning with a heading to Austin Nevada, a town that could be just about in the center of Nevada. It is also on highway 50, and in these parts, it’s called the “loneliest Road” I used to live on highway 50 high in the Sierra Nevada at Lake Tahoe. Not very lonely there.

Austin Fire Alarm. It Should Work?

Lots of new pavement on this section of Highway 50.  It made for some smooth running.

At Ely I turn off 50 and head south on 93.My destination is Cathedral Gorge state park. What a great little park, with excellent camping spots. I selected on with electricity and settled in to go explore the rock formations. 

From The Top Looking In

Across From The Campground

I’m returning to civilization tomorrow with a stop in Saint George. It seems to soon to go in I haven’t even gone feral yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Couple Of Chairs

I bought a couple of chairs, and after a couple of hours sitting in the first one I wanted to get up and go outside. I couldn’t as the chair was  fastened to a Boeing. Even in high zoot section you don’t want to be sitting there as long as the flight  as those seats get more uncomfortable  the further you fly.

Atmost Fired Beethoven

My first chair had a pedal. I think it’s for in a emergency if the plane is skidding off the runway the driver will ask you to pump it like a brake in hopes of slowing that sky carriage down.

Seated Here You May Be Asked To Help In A Emergency

The first leg of my travels was also interesting as the woman across from me remained covered un in a flirtation cape, blanket  and coughed occasional like she had tuberculosis or her lung was loose. Fortunately, she wasn’t contagious to me.

My second seat on  a older 737 east bound for GEG was  way back on the edge of the high zoot section  and had no  pedal. Those senior jets must have had better brakes and needed no assistance stopping from the riders.

My first order of business once  the door was open was to get around the woman on the most forward seat, who on boarding fussed and fussed with her carrion bag, as she had to have blankets eye masks, head phones moisturizer, special hydration,  and who knows what all for a 45 minute  fright from SEA to GEG, and you guessed she had  to put all that stuff back in her bag to be able to pack it off the sky  carriage.

I said excuse me rather loud and she scampered back into her area to fuss with her stowing and not impede me and who knows how many hundreds  of humans that  were behind me cramed into the most popular  for airlines jet in the sky.

Once in the terminal I needed to use the restroom and did so.  I hadn’t been on the ground very long and was still adjusting to seeing no snow, and thinking that the light jacket I had worn from home where it was negative 27 when I left ,was going to be to warm when I had the misfortune of spotting a felon 47 cult member   in full regalia with a felon 47 hat but what really said I am a racist was the big red T shirt with printing large enough for the blind to read that boldly stated “ I’m charlie kirk, jesus and guns. “

Where Ice Gal lives, racism is wrong. Celebrating a racist is wrong. And being a racist is wrong. If you feel different then this probably isn’t the blog for you.

Stop With The Racism & Fascism

The van with a name roared to life once the battery cables had been connected to the battery. This disconnecting the battery seems to be working out.

With the van loaded and stocked up it was time to head out. But first I had to fill up with water, and doing so discovered that my water heater was now a artesian well. This was not good because with all the water leaking out the water heater, I had no water for flushing the toilet, washing dishes…

I Might Need A Water Truck For My Leak

I didn’t quite know what to do but down the road in Pasco I passed the Blue Wave RV shop. I had a really good experience with replacing the house batteries at their shop in Liberty Lake, so I thought why not stop and see what they could do.

Only one person in the service department, but he dropped his other jobs to come out and take a look at the van with a name.  Yes, the water heater was history, but Joe knew where the valves were to bypass  the heater, and after removing a panel under the refrigerator he closed the valves and now the rest of the plumbing is working great.

And the hot water not to worry, I found an new hot spring just a little ways past Burns Oregon called Crane Hot Springs. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood. It even has a RV Park

Van With A Name At The Hot Springs RV Park

 

 

 

 

Anaconda

 

Years and years ago while watching tv with some friends, and probably using substances that were illegal then , but now you can buy at the corner pot shop.

The TV was showing Marlin Perkins Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show, and they were deep in the Amazon. Now we weren’t really watching the show out of choice, it was the only channel we got.

But there was Marlin deep in the Amazon walking along with another guy and they came to a puddle that on tv didn’t look large enough to hold a catfish after a hurricane. When Marlin said “The only way to capture the giant Anaconda is to jump into its natural habitat  and wrap it around your body” the other fellow striped off most of his clothes jumped in and completely disappeared into the puddle. Soon the water was splashing about and the fellow crawled back out with a giant anaconda wrapped around his body

Now since we were using substances that were illegal then . We thought this was hilarious, we were ROTFL before it was a thing.

Marlin And A Anaconda

 Fewer  years ago, when I was meeting a motor bike compadre in Montana,   I saw the sign for the road to Anaconda. I thought it would be cool to see the huge mine, and the road  going  there was better than riding on  I 90.

The bike I was riding was the snake venom one. . It was bran new, but for some reason the heated grips quit working on this ride. No heated grips were not an issue until I turned down the road to Anaconda and the light rain turned to snow. No worries, the snow wasn’t sticking.

New Bike No Heated Grips Whats Not To Like

 Pretty soon the snow was sticking and by the time I got turned around Raynaud's Syndrome had made my hands dead. Luckly I had a pair of heated gloves in the saddle bag and I got those hooked up and got the hell out of there only stopping at the motor company outpost in Butte, where they took pity on me and pulled the parts off another bike so I could go along my way with heated grips.

For today’s run to Anaconda.

It Was Slow Going Getting Out Of The RV Park

My starting point was  Dillon Montana , where I went about my morning enjoying  my koffee , and then set about making the van ready for the road.

It wasn’t long before I had the interior temperatures perfect, had my jacket put away, and I started out.

This was not the way I had previously traveled, but highway 278 northbound was a welcome relief from the interstate, and I discovered some unique things to the area.

The gates were the first thing I noticed. I have not seen gates like these anywhere else.

Unique Gates Of Montana

Another interesting thing I spotted and  might be local  to the area are  giant catapults. ( you can’t be too careful living next to Idaho)  but I think they are used to load  hay that is not bailed

Giant Catapult

I saw a tractor pulling a wagon with a huge mound of hay, that’s why I think the catapults are used for that…

The mine at Anaconda is off limits. You can’t go there. It is more toxic than Chernobyl, and its surrounded by mountains of tailings, but no one seems to pay it any mind.

The only thing you can see of the mine is the stack that spewed toxins into the air everywhere.  But that was a long time ago.

Remains Of The Smelter

Memorial To The Miners

Anaconda, the town, is a great little town. Gas is inexpensive, the downtown was nice to walk around in. I never saw a espresso shop but there were lots of bars, and I’m okay with that.