Tonopah, Nevada: Half Way To Vegas

Actually, a better title would be "Tonopah, Nevada: Half Way To No Where". This is a high desert small town that appears to be barely hanging on. Just a few stores, a hotel/casino/diner/RV park/donut shoppe. Who knows what other businesses lurk inside those dark wooden walls?

We left Reno today after saying goodbye to Marcie & Terry last night. The ride here was through the desert which is not surprising since all of Nevada appears to be desert. There may be some exceptions however they must be small and on the edges of other states.

Loved the weather in Reno and the lack of bugs. It appears to have a perfect climate most of the year; all except for the winter which gets pretty cold.

Passed a few lakes including a lake lies along side of US-95 as you descend from a mountin pass. Great view of the lake and of a large Army weapons storage facility. Amazingly large number of sheds, buildings, and bunkers all supposedly filled with munitions of various sorts. The bunkers appear to have been designed to minimize the impact to adjacent bunkers if one of them blows up. Of course the Army says that could never happen but if it did, the bunkers will minimize damage to adjacent storage areas and would hopefully limit any destruction to a single bunker.

We drove through a huge desert storm. Beautiful in its own way: huge dark clouds sprinkled with the occasional lightning, high winds blowing a wall of sand before the storm, a thin wall of heavy rain visible as it move along the ground plus a few of those little dust tornadoes. The winds were the worst we've hit yet, tossing our RV around like a bathtub toy. Always interesting on a high speed two lane road....

As mentioned we are in Tonopah for the evening: no TV signals, slow Internet connection, and the occasional wave of wind/rain blowing through town. Should be an interesting night. I'll let you know...

Tomorrow we finish the drive to Vegas, which is ~200 miles away. We'll be there for a couple of days and then its off to Phoenix where we'll meet the girls on the 6th. Can't wait to see them.

See Ya!

Reno, Nevada: Pyramid Lake

On Sunday Terry & Marcie, MLA and I drove out to Pyramid Lake. It's an amazing sensation to be driving along in the desert and come over a small rise in the road and 'viola', there in front of you lies a beautiful sparkling blue lake. Surrounded by desert, this lake has a small island just off shore that, sure enough, looks like a pyramid.


Not a lot going on at the lake. Small number of boaters, especially wake boarders, use the lake. It perfect for water skiing or wake boarding since the weather is warm to hot, very little rain or clouds, and mile after mile of shoreline.


After enjoying the view we headed back downtown to catch the last remnants of Reno's Street Vibrations. The vendors had to be off of the main drag, Virginia Street, by 5 pm. Since we had parked on Virginia Street, we too had to be gone by 5 pm when they opened the main thoroughfare to traffic once again.


Since we had to move the bikes we decided to head back to our respective homes and meet up again for dinner at Terry & Marcie's house. We brought the steaks that had been marinating for a couple of days and they provided the salads and a great potato dish.



After dinner we relaxed in their backyard around a gas fire pit. At some point we cooked a few "som'ores" and enjoyed the stars in the clear sky. The weatherman is calling for rain this evening however Terry said to take it with a grain of salt. They have over 300 days of sunshine here in Reno and most of their precipitation comes during the winter.


We'll see. Just to be safe I loaded the motorcycle on the back of the RV before dinner. Don't like loading and tying down the bike during the rain.



The tough part was saying good bye to Marcie & Terry. They are such good friends and we miss seeing them more often. Whenever you get together with them they open their heart and their home so wide you can't help but feel special.


As always the time with them flew by. One week is never enough. Hopefully we'll see each other over the winter when we are in Arizona. They might be able to come down and see us as well as Steve & Cindy who live just outside of Phoenix.


I have to tell you a quick story. On Friday's ride out to and around Lake Tahoe I observed Steve and Cindy taking a 'big swig' of clear liquid from one of those flat flask bottles that hold liqueur. It was clear so I figured they were having a taste of Vodka for the ride. I quickly decided to make sure they were in front of me rather than behind me since I didn't want anyone who had been drinking to run into me.


Well, Steve and Cindy flew home today and asked Marcie & Terry to give MLA & I a little gift. Know what it was? Yep, a flask shaped bottle filled with clear liquid. Except on closer inspection I find out that it's water that Harley Davidson sells in these flask shaped bottles. Suddenly the truth of what I saw on Friday was clear. It was a really hot day and they were taking big swigs of water from Harley Davidson. I felt like a real fool thinking they had been hitting the sauce at 11 am in the morning.


Turns out, like MLA & I, they hardly drink at all. I owe them a big apology the next time I see them. They probably thought I was some kind of nut on Friday always making them go before me. Oh well, not the first time someone thought I was a little nutty...


Tomorrow we leave for Las Vegas. We'll spend the night on the road about half way to Vegas tomorrow evening and then arrive in Vegas Tuesday afternoon. At least that's the plan. As usual, we reserve the right to change our mind if something better comes along. You never know.


See Ya!

Reno, Nevada: Street Vibrations

On Saturday, September 27, a group of us rode out to the Mustang Ranch, home of two of the most famous brothels in Nevada, the Wild Horse Saloon and the Mustang Ranch.

The group was comprised of our friends Terry & Marcie, Steve & Cindy, John & Lisa, plus MLA & I. Several of the brothels were offering 'tours' of their business and we had decided to satisfy our curiosity. I was going to say "especially the women" but truthfully, the men were just as curious.

We ended up at the Mustang Ranch almost by accident. First we tried to enter one of the five brothels that was part of the "Cat House Poker Run". Little did we know this poker run was sponsored by the Hells Angels with proceeds going to some charity. Since we did not buy tickets for the "Cat House Poker Run" the Hells Angels member at the gate turned us away. While tempted to fight our way in, we decided it was just to hot to get into a fight with 40 or so Hells Angels. Didn't want to embarrass them.....

Where do I begin? Picture four middle-aged couples walking into an incredibly dark lounge area of one of the brothels, standing around, trying to look cool and unaffected while in fact we looked totally out of place and uncomfortable. Several scantily clad women quickly looked us up and down and judged us for what we really were: tourists.

None the less, a young lady named Cynthia (incredibly short dress and high heels that looked much to tall to walk in) offered to give us a tour of the facility, which we quickly accepted. Quite an education followed for all of us. All the while we were laughing and joking and in general having a great time.

Across from the Wild Horse Saloon, on the same compound, was the world famous Mustang Ranch. So we walked across the parking lot to the Mustang Ranch where we found the facility and ladies even nicer. Two ladies gave us a great tour. In addition to showing us the various rooms of the facility they both provided a lot of information on the history of brothels in Nevada and on the Mustang Ranch in particular.

Quick example. Turn out the man who established the Mustang Ranch bought several trailers and placed them where three counties come together. When the sheriff for one county came out to the ranch he would push the trailers into a different county. When the county sheriff came out he would push them into another county and so on. You have to love human creativity that comes into play when someone is committed to providing a service to the community....

We really enjoyed our time at the ranch however, all good things must come to an end so we headed back into Reno to explore the rest of the Street Vibrations exhibits. Everything and anything that has to do with motorcycles was on display and most of it was for sale. Plus all the excitement of Reno's casinos spills into the streets. Bands playing live music, lots of vendors, incredible custom motorcycles, and tournaments at almost every casino aimed at separating attendees from their money.

MLA and I spent some time in the casinos and I'm happy to say we are slightly ahead. That said, just look around at the number of casinos, the size of the casinos and the number of people the casinos employ, and its clear most people lose more than they win.

All in all a great day even though we didn't get back to the RV until almost 10 pm. The dogs bladder must have been ready to burst; she was very happy to see us when we let her outside.

See Ya!

Reno, Nevada: Street Vibrations

What a great couple of days. We have been here in Reno with our good friends Terry & Marcie and their good friends Steve & Cindy.

On Thursday we went to Virginia City & to Carson City. Those of you old enough to remember the TV show Bonanza might be interested to know that the Ponderosa Ranch, home of the Cartwrights was just outside of Virginia City & Carson City, up in the Sierra Nevada's. Very cool area to ride in; the Ponderosa Pines are massive and the views are spectacular.

Virginia City still has much of the same character & ambiance it was famous for, and some of the same business (brothels), for which it was infamous. We had a terrific lunch and then wandered through some of the old buildings. Most have been converted from saloons & brothels to retail stores: cowboy clothes, leather goods, tourist trash, etc., however you could still much of the original details: large mirrors found on the wall behind the bar, the bar itself, an area set aside for the honky tonk piano, gambling table, and the infamous stairway to the rooms upstairs where a hard working miner or cowboy could find a little friendly companionship.

The 'friendly companionship' business is both legal in Nevada and apparently going strong.... hard to believe but its true. In fact there is a poker run on Saturday called the "Cat House Poker Run" which apparently has participants go from business to business. From what I've heard, participation in that particular Poker Run is extremely high...

On Friday we participated in a Poker Run that travelled mostly around Lake Tahoe and Carson City, Nevada's state capitol. Another great day for riding and the views, especially of Lake Tahoe, were incredible. That said, I'm bushed. We've been going non-stop for several days.

In fact, MLA decided to take today off to rest. She spent most of her time reading and relaxing around the RV although she did manage to throw in a load of laundry into our combo washer/dryer. Does a great job of washing a small load of laundry however some items (my shirts especially) come out of the dryer looking like they have been slept in. The wrinkles look like the skin of a 80 year old women who spent a lot of time in the sun. Ouch.

Tonight we had a great dinner out with our friends and made it back to the RV around 10 pm. I wanted to put up a few comments on the blog since I was too busy/tired yesterday.

Tomorrow will be another long day of riding and participating in the various activities of Street Vibrations.

I left the camera in the car and its late so I'll post some pictures from Thursday/Friday on Saturday.

Until then, God Bless!

See Ya!

Lake Tahoe, California

Today we drove up the mountain into California to Lake Tahoe, which is one of my favorite places on earth. Today was a little hazy so the pictures don't fully show just how beautiful the lake is however you can get a feel for the lake's setting.

Surrounded by mountains (snow capped for much of the year), the lake is exceptionally clear. They keep careful controls in place to keep the lake as pure as possible and measure the clarity on a regular basis. Not sure exactly how they measure clarity however current you can see to a depth of 67 feet. Not bad.

Later this week I expect to get picture from a little higher elevation that should the lake and its beauty a little better.

MLA did get a little excited when we passed a sign for Donner Pass. We didn't go through there today but she was pretty excited. The story of the Donner party and what they did to survive being stranded in the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada's is truly a story of what humans will do to survive.

Later we drove to the small town of Truckee to have lunch, Lots of great places to eat and shop. MLA bought a spinner to hang from our mirror. We wanted something that is both decorative AND keeps you from walking into the mirror as you round the corner of the RV. I'll get you a picture of the spinner tomorrow AND I'll let you know what MLA is taking out of the RV in order to allow the spinner to come in. She told me today she would find something of mine to remove but I told her it had to be something of hers (or the dogs). I'll let you know how this turns out...

Tonight we drove into Reno with Terry and Marcie on the motor cycles. Great weather and several of the streets are blocked off to allow for all of the motorcycle events and exhibits. Very cool. Followed by dinner in one of the casinos.

So great to see Terry & Marcie again. We have forgotten just how much we enjoy their company and how easily all of us get along. Same interests, same relaxed style, and similar sense of humor. What more could you ask for?

That's all for now. See Ya!

Reno, Nevada: $4 Million Dollars of Taxidermy at Cabella's

MLA and I spent most of today taking care of a few 'administrative' issues and as a reward decided to stop at the enormous Cabella's located a few mile from us in Verdi, Nevada, off of I-80. If you don't know, Cabella's is a huge outdoor hunting & fishing emporium. They bill themselves as the World's Outdoors Outfitters. And they are not kidding.

Hunting equipment & clothing, fishing equipment & clothing, archery, guns and ammo, fishing boats/kayaks, hiking equipment, exercise clothing and equipment, food court, archery range, shooting arcade, etc. It just goes on & on.

However the most amazing part of the store was entirely free, at least free to Cabella's customers. They have assembled a huge collection of stuffed animals. No, not the fabric ones stuffed with cotton, these were (once) real live animals that had been processed by taxidermists.

One whole collection was on African animals: elephant, lion, rhinoceros, zebra, water buffalo, wildebeest, hyena, etc. They had several prong horned or twisted horn animals I've never seen before, even on television.

One whole collection on animals from North America: deer, cougars, black bear, grizzly, mountain goats, Dall sheep, musk ox, fox, lynx, moose, etc. And all kinds of birds from all over the earth scattered around the store.

The animal exhibits were very well done. Supposedly Cabella's spent ~$4M for the exhibits. Not sure if that's true or just an urban myth in these parts however it's clear Cabella's spent a lot of time and money collecting animals for the exhibits. Wow!

Plus a huge aquarium with lots of big fish that people fish for in this part of the country.

I mentioned the deli. You know how they advertised the deli? A sign pointed out they had Elk, Bison, Ostrich, Wild Boar and other standard deli meats. Couldn't get MLA to sample any of the more exotic meals. In fact she went with her standard pulled beef BBQ. So boring.

In any case, MLA and I have been searching for a couple of those 'zero gravity' outdoor recliners and we found them at Cabella's. Set them up this evening and one of them works flawlessly: I feel asleep in less than 3 minutes. I'll have to test the other one tomorrow....

Perfect napping environment, looking up at the mountains, listening to the birds and other wildlife, comfortable recliner and bingo, perfect nap.

BTW - I was having serious sushi withdrawal pains since I have not had sushi for well over a month. Found a sushi store while shopping so I let MLA shop at Coldwater Creek (one of her favorite stores) while I slipped out for a little sushi. Awesome.

Tomorrow we will meet Marcie & Terry and ride the motorcycles to Truckee, which is up the mountain about an hour from here.

See Ya!

Reno, Nevada: Terrible's Casino & RV Park

This is a great location. The picture is the view out the front of our RV. About two miles up the road is the Nevada/California state line. About 20 miles later is Lake Tahoe. Awesome.

So the first thing we did once we arrived in Reno, Nevada this afternoon was to contact Marcie to let her know we are (finally) in town. I say finally because Terry & Marcie have been trying to get us to visit them for the last two years. I did manage to visit briefly when I was travelling in the area for business about a year and a half ago.

Marcie and her daughter Mallory came over to see the RV and then we went to to dinner. Just something quick at the restaurant attached to the casino where we are staying. We then rushed over to Marcie's house to surprise Terry. He had a business meeting in San Francisco and was driving back to Reno this evening. It's about a 4 hour drive depending on traffic, which is never good during rush hour. Marcie did not share the fact that we would be here in Reno this week.

In any case, we arrived at their home just minutes before Terry. What a great expression on his face when he walked into his kitchen and found MLA and I there waiting for him. Talk about surprised!

You know you have some great friends when you find yourselves talking to each other as if the gap in seeing each other was measured in days/weeks rather than years. Terry & Marcie are special friends and we will be seeing a lot of each other this week as we enjoy Reno's motorcycle event called Street Vibrations.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the custom motorcycles here as well as seeing the new Victory Vision touring motorcycle. It's an awesome V-Twin based motorcycle with futuristic styling cues. Hopefully there will be a Victory exhibit that allows demo rides.

By the way, if you have been involved in motorcycles for any length of time you know the name of Arlen Ness. He was making custom motorcycles long before it became fashionable or popular the way it is today. He started in the 60's fabricating his own designs. Today, he and his son Corey run a motorcycle empire providing first class design and high quality products ranging from easy to install bolt-on accessories all the way up to and including custom motorcycle.

They have been heavily involved in the styling of Victory's motorcycles. In any case, Arlen usually stay across the street from Terry & Marcie so maybe we'll bump into him 'in the neighborhood'. It would be nice however we want to respect his privacy.

Terry & Marcie have a lot of rides planned for us this week and I really looking forward to spending time with them. They are truly special people and we are fortunate to have them as friends. We plan to go to Lake Tahoe, Virginia City, Pyramid Lake, and something called the "Cat Houses Poker Run". What's that all about? I'll let you know.

See Ya!

Winniemucca, Nevada

Woke up in Boise and the weather was cool and cloudy. Not a terrible day however not a great day. So we packed up and put Boise in the rear view mirror headed to Reno, Nevada. Drove about 100 miles across the southeast corner of Oregon before getting to Nevada.

While some of Oregon is beautiful and green this corner is beautiful in it's own way however everything is in shades of brown and black. We stopped for lunch in Oregon just before entering Nevada. Simply pulled over in a turnout, turned off the RV, and fixed lunch. Very relaxing. No having to locate a place to eat, ordering and paying for a fast food lunch crammed with lots of other people. Just MLA & I enjoying our sandwiches and the view in each other's company.

And oh, by the way, my sandwich was just like I like it: turkey, tomato and mayo on whole wheat bread with a few shakes of Old Bay. Perfect! Try to get that at your local deli (OK, you could get that in Maryland since many sandwich shops have Old Bay on hand however once you get a couple of mile away from Maryland they don't know what Old Bay is).

We wanted to distribute the drive to Reno over two days so we drove another hour to get to the town of Minniemucca, which was about half way. Didn't really matter if it was half way or not, in this part of northern Nevada there are not many towns to choose for spending the night. In fact, this is just about the only one of any size. Not that's it big by any means...

Never been to Minniemucca before? Imagine a mini Las Vegas. No Make that a micro Las Vegas. It has one main drag about a mile long all lit up with neon, just like Vegas.

Not to mention I feel like I should precede the town's name with "Camp". I mean, doesn't that sound more appropriate? Camp Winniemucca -- I think it has a nice ring to it!

In fact, everywhere you go in Nevada there is a casino. Even gas stations have have converted their service bays into casinos. Gas, snacks, soda, and beer in one half of the gas station and slots machines and video poker in the other half. Too funny.

Tomorrow we'll head out early and get to Reno in mid afternoon. Looking forward to getting the bike off the RV and setup for riding all week at Reno's Street Vibrations.

See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Dreaming of Alaska

MLA & I spent the day by the pool, enjoying the great weather before a front moved in with high winds and a little rain. Really enjoyed the day after running around the last two days getting the ac fixed.

We are considering a trip to Alaska next year with a group of fellow Tiffin owners. Not sure if it will work out or not but it sure would be fun to go back to Alaska.

Well, for me, its going back to Alaska. It will MLA's first time there. I lived there for two years when I was kindergarten age. I remember bit & pieces of our trip to Alaska and our time 'up' there.

We towed a loooong trailer behind our car (a station wagon I think) all the way from Maryland to Alaska. A distance of ~4300 miles. This was in 1960 before the Interstate system was complete. And roads through the mountains were steep, narrow, and poorly maintained. How my parents did it I'll never know, but maybe that's where I caught the 'travel bug'. Who knows?

I also (vaguely) remember my sister Dana climbing up a ladder and getting on top of our trailer at some point during our time in Alaska. That would make her about 3 years old.

No one saw her up there but me. My Mom came outside to investigate why I was standing just outside the door yelling "Jump! Jump!". When she looked up and saw that I was yelling for my sister to jump off the roof she quickly got Dana down the ladder and proceeded to swat my behind... more from nerves than for any other reason, I'm sure. What did I know? I was only five. And I'm sure I was planning to catch her. At least I think I was planning to catch her...

Anyhow, I've wanted to return to Alaska almost since we got back to Maryland in 1963. Maybe next year I'll get the chance to take our motor home to Alaska and stay for a couple of months. MLA would prefer a cruise however I can't see taking a cruise and being in Alaska for a week or so Vs spending the same money and being able to stay in Alaska for a couple of months.

Actually, MLA just afraid the weather will be too cold for her now that she is a 'snowbird'. After all, when you ask someone from Alaska how long they have lived there, they typically respond with the number of winters. It's a badge of honor for Alaskans. I myself lived in Alaska for two winters. Very cool.

Remember I said I washed the RV yesterday and as a result I expected it to rain? Well guess what? While MLA and I ran to Sam's Club for a few items it rained here at the campground but just a little. That would have been OK but immediately after it stopped raining, while those big raindrops hung on the side of the RV, a dust storm blew through. Only lasted a few minutes however the RV is covered in dirty spots. I mean, it looks ridiculous because its clean and shiny in between the dried raindrops of dust.

Oh well. It's always just a matter of time before it gets dirty. When we leave here Tuesday the windshield, at a minimum will get covered in insects. Somehow bugs fight each other to be first to throw themselves at that big window going down the road.

See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Finally, We Have Air Conditioning

You'll be glad to know (well, I'm glad to know) we have two functioning air conditioners. All ready to blast us into the deep freeze of bliss if/when we encounter the hot, hot weather down south in Nevada and/or Arizona.

The second capacitor ordered yesterday did not fix the problem however the dealer, Seventh Heaven, was able to both troubleshoot and fix the problem today. Took all afternoons but they got it resolved. What a relief knowing we can enjoy more of the Boise weather and hospitality without moving the coach back and forth to the dealer.

It appears the original repair company wired the motor incorrectly and fried the controller in the bedroom. MLA said from the beginning she didn't think the folks in West Yellowstone had a clue and it appears she is right.

Seventh Heaven also worked with us to minimize the cost to us for the two separate capacitors, each with $40 overnight shipping charges. They worked hard to both fix the problem and ensure we were satisfied. Definitely recommend their service department -- they were great to work with.

And now that we don't have to break camp, move the RV, and then set-up camp again tomorrow, MLA will finally be able to enjoy the whole day at the pool if she so desires.

After picking up the RV from the dealer late this afternoon I took the RV to a truck/RV car wash where they hand wash your vehicle for $1.00 per foot (rounded up to the closet 10 feet). So our 38 foot RV was washed for $40, a real bargain. Having washed the RV by hand all by myself on several occasions I will tell you I had no problem paying $40.

Of course, washing the RV today means that it will rain at some point tomorrow however I don't care. We'll still be able to get in plenty of sun & fun.

Oh, almost forgot to tell you about our little excitement while setting up the RV after getting it washed. I was outside connecting all the utilities when MLA came out and let me know I did not put the can of dry lubricant used for the RV slide-outs away properly. When she opened the slides the can was caught between a fixed wall and the slide-out causing it to explode.

The aerosol can not only exploded making a loud bang, apparently it became a flying projectile inside the coach. MLA is sure the can was chasing her around the RV. Just my luck I was outside; I would have loved to have seen her expression and antics of running around. Come to think of it, maybe it was better I was outside. Needless to say this scared MLA quite a bit and she might have verbally abused me... Fortunately it did not make a huge mess.

Also, needless to say, I was in the doghouse. Cost me dinner at Perkins to get back in her good graces (don't tell MLA we had to leave while we aired out the coach anyway, she thinks we went out just for her).

See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Another Close Call

Spent the day trying to get the RV AC unit for the bedroom repaired. Received a call from Seventh Heaven letting us know that the capacitor arrived today and, if we brought the RV over to the repair facility, they would install the capacitor and we would be 'good to go'.

We 'decamped', and arrived at the dealer around 1 pm, just as the service techs returned from lunch. They took the RV into one of the bays right away.

So MLA & I had a little time to kill. No problem, we'll go take a look at the new RV's they have on the dealer's lot. Next thing I know MLA is saying we should have bought the Allegro Bus like we originally planned. Suddenly I could feel my wallet starting to levitate and try to escape.

A few short minutes later the salesman was telling us what an incredible deal he could get us on a demo unit. On top of that he would give us 'top dollar' for our trade-in.

Fortunately, the demo unit he has is not the one MLA has her heart set on so we dodged another bullet. Another close call....

Seriously, we know we will upgrade to another unit better suited to 'full-timing' since we have determined we really want to do this full time. And given the current market difficulties of the RV industry it's only a matter of time before the right unit loaded with the right options aligns with a great price.

And I know that when that happens, and MLA is convinced this is the unit she wants, I'll have a difficult time protecting my wallet. It's just a matter of time.

On another front I spoke with our friend Marcie who, with her husband Terry, moved from our old neighborhood to Reno, Nevada. We told them we would visit when we were anywhere close to them. So I called Marcie to see if they would be available next week. Not only are they around, there is a big bike event happening in Reno next week. Given that, MLA and I will leave Boise next Tuesday and should arrive in Reno Wednesday afternoon.

Oh, Marcie decided she would not mention we were coming in to Reno to Terry; MLA and I will simply show up and surprise him at one of the biker events in town. Too cool.

See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Another Beautiful Day in High Desert Country

Another perfect day in Boise. The weather is warm with clear blue skies and the pool water was just the right temperature. MLA & I ran a few errands in the am before spending a little 'quality time' at the pool swimming and reading.

This afternoon, we met my good friend John H, who gave us a terrific tour of Boise and gave us some great ideas for side trips in the Boise area. This evening we had dinner with John & Lorraine plus four of their 6 children at the RAM in downtown Boise. Lots of great food and good story telling. Three of his children are competing in an Irish Dance competition this weekend.

John & Lorraine lavish lots of attention and love on their family and it shows. Despite they ages (three teenagers and one pre-teen), each is engaging and an able story teller. What fun to listen to their stories and see the world through the eyes of youth and possibility. The whole family has a terrific way of making you feel welcome and like a member of the family within minutes.

We hated for the evening to end and say our goodbye's, however I know we'll be back to explore more of this great state. Next time we'll be able to explore more of Idaho, especially Northern Idaho, which has some of the most spectacular wilderness in the US. Another of those rare states where almost every road is a scenic drive.... Awesome!

Remember I said I needed one part, a capacitor, to complete the A/C repair on our bedroom A/C? First thing yesterday morning I called a left a message with a mobile RV service company; apparently a husband and wife team. He does the repairs and she books the appointments/runs the office.

Well she finally called us back this morning about 9 am to see why we left the message yesterday morning. I explained what we need and she said her husband would call back to discuss the repair. Just before lunch he calls, we discuss the repair & I explained we are only in town one week and we have already lost one day. He tells me he needs to come 'inspect' the unit before ordering the needed part. Except, he can't schedule the call. He tells me his wife will call me back to schedule an appointment.

All day we wait for her call & guess what. Never heard from her.

So about 4pm I call the service department of Seventh Heaven, a local RV dealer, and explain the problem to the service manager/writer John. He takes the VIN#, model # and S/N of the A/C unit and says he'll check with his parts department. He calls me back to tell me they have ordered the part, requested expedited delivery, and think the part will be in by 11 am tomorrow. If not tomorrow, certainly on Thursday. Hows that for customer service? Excellent.

Meanwhile, two days have elapsed with the Mobile RV Service and we don't even have a time scheduled for them to look at the a/c unit before they order the part. How's that for customer service? Terrible.

I mean, is business so good they can afford to just ignore customers? Many RV'ers would be staying less than a week. What a shame. And believe me, I'll share my thoughts with them if & when they finally call to schedule the inspection.

In any case, I let you know what happens with both of these companies.

Looking forward to another great day in Boise -- See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Great Friends

We spent the day relaxing by the pool and enjoying the spa. They call it a spa although it looks like a hot tub to me. Maybe the spa is when its built into the ground? In any case, beautiful sunny and cloudless day here in Boise.

This evening we got together with several friends from my days at HP. John & Lorraine, Andy, Alan & Jan, MLA & I all had a great time at Joe & Lori's, who were kind enough to open their house to us all. What a great time. They have a perfect backyard for entertaining and we took advantage of the cool evening air supplemented with a special sitting area, complete with a fire ring.

Lori prepared a delicious grape/broccoli/bacon/cheese salad along with several vegetables while Joe cooked out on the grill. We sat and enjoyed each others company for hours. Really great people. Always fun to meet the spouses of friends from work and in this case we hit it off right from the beginning. I've always said that what I miss most about HP after retirement is the interaction with the special people of HP and their spouses.

Boise is having great weather now and it is allowing us to get caught up on some of the RV maintenance activities we put off while in colder weather. And did I mention there is a pool & spa here at the campground? Perfect.

Tomorrow we will spend some time with John & Lorraine seeing the sights of Boise and having dinner.

I know I want to see the World War II Airplane Museum and we both want to see the World Center for Birds of Prey. Plus a lot more.

A little late so I'll keep this short however just want to say what a great time we are having in Boise.

See Ya!

Boise, Idaho: Enjoying the Heat

We spent last night at a US Forest Service campground without any hook-ups (no electricity, no water, and no septic) . RVers call it boon docking; MLA calls it no fun what so ever. In addition (or would it be minus?) we did not have cell phone coverage or Internet connectivity; hence no blog for Saturday.


Saturday started early with a free eggs and pancakes breakfast at the Mountain View RV Campground in Arco, Idaho. The best; really hit the spot. And did I mention it was free? We left Arco and drove a short distance to the Craters Of The Moon National Monument.


Wow, what a sight. It really is just like those lava fields you see of Hawaii on TV, except it's no longer flowing here in Idaho. Miles and miles of lava field. We hiked to two of the lava spouts. Even though it was hot out today and throughout the summer, one of them still had snow inside. Apparently lava is a great insulator plus the snow was about 20 feet down inside the lava spout out of direct sunlight. Still very cool (no pun intended) to see snow here.


In another part of the park we hiked back to the lava caves, which are really lava tubes. The park service has a paved path you hike on to get to the lava caves. The path is there for two reason: 1) believe it or not the lava is fragile and 2) the lava is so sharp it destroys even the best hiking boots in short order. Talk about hot. Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by black. Black rocks, black sand, even the path, which is made of asphalt, is black.


It was actually a relief to crawl down into the lave tube. MLA was a little apprehensive about scrambling up, over and around all of these lava rocks, however she hiked through the longest lava tube, about a tenth of a mile. Doesn't sound like much however there's no Park Service installed path. You just work your way through, trying to see where others have gone before you. Oh, did I mention you needed a flashlight.


They suggested helmets however, in light of the fact we did not have helmets, we wore our hiking hats. They offered at least a small amount of protection. Actually, according to MLA the hat didn't protect your head all that much. Remember these are lava tubes and the ceilings dripped molten lava. Once the lava source 'dried up', the lava emptied from the tubes leaving these tubes behind. And of course the lava dripped from the top of the tube which left the 'ceiling' covered in 1-2 inch drips that acted like spikes.




At the very end you had to crouch down and crawl through a narrow tunnel. MLA explored another smaller tube and when she turned around, she forgot the tunnel was now only about 4 feet tall. Ouch!

This place is the largest lava field o fits type in the continental US. It was created because of a rift in the earth's surface. Without the gas pressure of a 'normal' volcano that ejects lava high into the air, you get lava that flows out of the ground for miles. In fact this rift stretches ~50 miles. There are ~60 of the lava cones.


Craters Of The Moon National Monument was soon in our rear view mirror (camera actually) as we headed towards Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho. Sun Valley is where the rich and famous come to relax; many own homes in the area and locals talk about seeing Bruce Willis, Arnold Swarcheneggererererer (OK, you spell it), Demi Moore and many others in the small town. We didn't see any stars in town however we did see four para-sailors take off from the mountain top and drift down into the valley. Very cool.


We camped just outside of Sun Valley, Idaho. Many of the campgrounds in the area have shut down for the season, especially the public campgrounds, however we found a US Forest Service campground. It was a beautiful spot with great views of the Sawtooth Mountains.

My friends in Boise suggested we take the scenic route to Boise through Ketchum, Sun Valley, Stanley, Idaho City and then down the Ponderosa Pines Scenic Byway into Boise.

This morning we left early and went up the mountain to Galena Pass and down into Stanly Valley. Spectacular! Around Redfish Lake and Stanley Lake, the Salmon River, and then the Payette River. Wow.

It amazes me that we were 800 miles from the Pacific Ocean and yet here was the beginning of the Salmon River. And yes, some of the salmon do swim 800 miles upstream to spawn. The Salmon River was labeled the "River of No Return" by Lewis & Clark when they realized no single river flowed from the heart of the country into the Pacific.

The scenery is beyond my feeble attempts to describe: vast flat valleys sprinkled with clear sparking streams and rivers; mountains that erupt from the flat lands and soar far into the sky, so far up portions are above the tree line. Foothills and mountains covered in some type of bright red bush, similar to the Burning Bush shrubs we have back home, but smaller. The hills covered in reds and browns and pine greens.

And switchbacks, followed by switchbacks, with a few switchbacks in the middle just to keep things interesting. Almost four hours straight of switchbacks. About 20 miles outside of Boise MLA had had enough. "Don't they have any straight roads in Idaho?" she asked (more like shouted however I'm too much of a gentlemen to mention that). It was a lot, especially trying to wrestle a 58 foot long package of RV + Motorcycle+ Car. Some of the drop-offs took my breath away, especially those without guard rails; and there were quite a few without guard rails.

Still, Idaho ranks among the most scenic states we've been to so far; right up there with Colorado. It's amazing how much diversity and beauty this country holds. And few people never get to see just how beautiful. A shame. So MLA and I are committed to seeing as much as we can in our travels. It's a tough job however some body's got to do it!

We arrived this afternoon in small town near Boise called Caldwell. We are staying at the Ambassador RV Park which (to MLA's delight) has a pool, hot tub, and great weather in which to use said facilities. Looking forward to seeing some of my friends from work who live in Boise. And exploring more of the spectacular scenery Idaho has to offer. We'll stay at least a week. Then maybe head down to Reno to see some more friends.

See Ya!

Arco, Idaho: First American City Lit By Atomic Power

Well, the title of this blog post says it all. We are in Arco, Idaho which is the first city lit by atomic power. It's just up the road from the grounds of the Idaho National Laboratory, which is a restricted area and highly secretive.


Sushhh, don't tell anyone because it's a secret, however I think they do work in the energy field. It's not oil, solar, wind, hydro-thermal, rubber bands, etc so it must be ..... that's right, they work with nuclear energy.


Actually, the fact they do work in the nuclear arena is not a secret; how they do what they do that is secret.


They have two missions: 1) develop clean, affordable, abundant, safe .... nuclear energy and 2) protect the country from nuclear threats. Today's missions are important stuff however originally they were mostly focused on research at the atomic level.



Why are we in Arco? Well, it's just down the road from the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Not familiar with that? Well, neither am I so that's why we will be spending time there tomorrow.

I do know it's the site of three relatively young lava fields that cover a half million acres. Not as young as those pictures you see of Hawaii where the lava is still running to the sea, but young in geologic terms. On the drive here we saw areas of lava in the fields along the road. In some places it covered huge areas, measured in miles.

In other places you would only see a roughly round patch of lava, maybe 100 yards in diameter.

Like a great big 'drop' of lava had been thrown a great distance up and away from a volcano and landed beside the road. That's probably not what happened but that's what it looks like. I'll know more tomorrow.

Before we arrived in this area we travelled through Rexburg, Idaho. Just a few miles outside of Rexburg is Yellowstone Bear Park.

Actually it's a lot more than bears however that's what bring people in, the chance to see bears in their natural environment. You drive through the park which had a few grizzlies, 38 black bears, an albino elk (reportedly one in six million odds), wolves, a moose, bear cubs, etc.

Pretty cool driving through the park; they warn you to keep the windows up, stay in your car, and keep moving so the bears do not climb on top of your vehicle. Seemed like good advice so we did as instructed.

Well, most of us did as instructed. I won't give her name but her initials are Mary Lynn. When she wanted a picture of a bear she would open the window of the RV. She said she felt pretty safe since the RV was so high off the ground. I wasn't too worried about having the window open briefly but when she started hanging out the window, yelling "hey bear, hey bear; bet you can't catch me", well I had to reel her back into the RV.


She didn't like it but hey, who's going to navigate if she gets eaten by a bear? I mean, who?



Tomorrow we will explore Craters of The Moon National Monument and then head north to Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Stanley; some of the most majestic scenery in this country awaits...


See Ya!

West Yellowstone

Well, the parts we were waiting for finally arrived and the repairman arrived around 9 am to install. Almost an hour later we went for the big test to ensure the heat pump was now working.


Except, the big test was more of a small fizzle. The heat pump worked but no fan. You need the fan to distribute the warm air and we have no fan, therefore no AC or electric heat in the bedroom. We still have a gas/propane furnace for heat for the bedroom. And we have all AC/heating options in the living room. No biggie unless we hit a real hot spot.

So, after another hour of diagnosis, we have the proverbial good news/bad news situation. The good news: we know what the problem is. The bad news: we do not have the part we need to finish the repair. We determined that the capacitor controlling the fan was 'fried' when the fan blades disintegrated the other night.


That said, we have already delayed our departure several days and both MLA & I want to get moving. So we asked the repairman to order the part (covered under warranty) and send the part to us when we get to another campground where we'll be staying a few days.

So while it's a frustration, in the scheme of things, if this is the biggest problem we face while travelling in our RV, we are far ahead of the game.


Tomorrow we leave and head toward Boise. Not sure how far we'll go because I'm not sure how much we'll be stopping to explore our path. There's a grizzly discovery center that MLA wants to explore. I think you tour the wild environment in some type of large vehicle. We'll be sure to take pictures.


See Ya!

Seeing Stars In West Yellowstone

No, not the celestial stars, Hollywood stars. Actually, a Hollywood Star - one and only one.

You should have seen us at the local grocery store (much too small to call a supermarket) today. As we got out of the car MLA stopped to admire a couple of enthusiastic & friendly dogs inside an old, beat up SUV. Three dogs, including a huge St Bernard were having a great time inside the SUV -- and you know what an animal lover she is, especially dogs.



Anyhow, we went inside and, as we turned to go down the first aisle, I see a guy with a very familiar face. I was unable to immediately put a name to the face. I knew I had seen that face in the movies and/or on TV. However, wanting to respect this person's space, I simply smiled and walked by.


MLA on the other hand, OMG! Her face went through about six different expressions in 1.2 nanoseconds: shock, surprise, recognition, pleasure, shyness, and excitement. Probably a few others that I missed but her face was a real delight to watch. This Hollywood star, who was only 4 feet away, enjoyed watching her reaction. He quickly grinned, as if to say, yeah, it's me. And then he said "Hi there" and gave her a big electric smile as he walked by. I thought MLA was going to pass out right there.

Both of us stopped and tried to remember who it was we had just (partially) recognized. He asked the cashier a few questions and then went outside and jumped into the SUV with the three dogs and was gone.

Finally we realized it was William Devane. We heard he owns a house somewhere near here. In any case it was very cool to see him and MLA was excited all afternoon.

William Devane (2005, image courtesy of Wireimage.com)






BTW - I missed providing a blog update several times this week. It seems my insides and I have had a small difference of opinion and the insides won. However, I went to see the doctor and I'm back in the saddle.

Sorry for missing a couple of blogs entries however I just wasn't feeling all that well. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and I should be good to go from here on out.


Tomorrow we move from West Yellowstone, Montana to Jackson, Wyoming where we will explore Grand Teton National Park for a couple of days.


See Ya!

Take It To The Max: IMAX That Is

Since I wasn't feeling well over the last few days we stayed in West Yellowstone and explored the town a bit. It's not a very big town however it does a great job of catering to the needs of Yellowstone Park explorers. Lots of lodging, diners/cafes, two (very small) supermarkets and lots of shopping.



Everything is expensive here, I guess because West Yellowstone is so far from any major city plus everything has to be trucked in for the stores. While there are some things to do here in West Yellowstone, the real draw is Yellowstone Park itself.

Consequently the town is pretty empty during the day when everyone is exploring Yellowstone's unbelievable sights. Towards evening it fills again as people return from a full day in the park.



Apparently it's also a big winter destination as well, with a strong emphasis on snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross county skiing. Anything that benefits from a lot of snow finds a happy home here in West Yellowstone.

I can see the appeal of snowmobiling in this great wilderness expanse although I understand it's somewhat controversial. Dang things make too much racket although, to me, they are ideal for exploring this vast area when it's covered under several feet of snow.

I'd like to do a snowmobiling vacation here sometime but MLA tells me I'll be doing that alone. She has no desire to spend any more time in cold environments.

One thing we did here which was a lot of fun was view several IMAX movies. They have a great big IMAX theater here which has a gift shop attached. Or I should say they have a great big gift shop with an IMAX attached. People have to do something while they wait for the movie to begin.

Again nothing is inexpensive however they offer just about anything your little heart could desire: Clothing, Popcorn, Clothing, Wildlife Art, Clothing, Milk Duds, Clothing, ... well you get the idea.


We did enjoy the movies: Lewis & Clark Expedition, Bears, and Yellowstone. Each about 40 minutes in length and of course, magnificently displayed on a 6 story high screen. Wow!



Hopefully I'll feel well enough tomorrow to finish up our exploration of Yellowstone. We drove through the Mammoth Springs portion of the park when we entered the park however we could not stop since we were in the RV towing the car. Much too long to fit into Yellowstone's parking areas. In any case, I hope to go there on the motorcycle tomorrow.


See Ya!

Yellowstone Park, WY: Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

Woke up to a beautiful morning so we decided to pack a lunch and get into Yellowstone Park while it lasted. As always, lots to see and do in Yellowstone. Saw several very cool waterfalls today as well as more wildlife.

In fact, only ten minutes into the trip on the way into the park we hit another bear jam. Another black bear up on the hill, working his way through the woods. Very visible since he was wandering in one of the sections that burned in 1988.


Turns out the ~50 fires of 1988 caused extensive damage in the park as it burned some 150,000+ acres. That year there was a terrible drought that kept everything bone dry. Then the 'storms' started. In the mountains you can get the storm without the rain, usually referred to as dry lightning. If that lightning hits the ground you have an instant forest fire.


Apparently fire is a natural part of the cycle here in the wilderness. The fire clears out the underbrush and some of the older, taller trees, making room for new growth. In fact, the Lodge Pole Pine, the most common tree in the park, has a seed cone that stays closed until the heat from a fire causes it to open, effectively reseeding the forest.

So the fire of 1988 happened 20 years ago (notice my incredible way with mathematics) and you can see the reseeded forests and at the same time you see the remains of the burnt out forest sticking up above the reseeded forests. It's been twenty years and the fire damage is still evident.



After a long day of exploring more of the park's waterfalls, geysers, mud pots and an area called the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" we started towards home. On the way we hit a Bison back-up. There were about 25 Bison along the road and two of them were fighting. Lots of head butts, throwing up clouds of dust by pawing the ground, and a making strange grunting noises.


After losing two fights one of the Bison started heading our way with a strange look on his face. Soooo, we decided to take off before he decided to pick a fight he knew he could win -- with a car.


These Bison really made MLA's day. She loved watching the Bison give themselves a dust bath by rolling on the ground. And she enjoyed watching the Bison fight each other. Lots of fun watching several tons of muscle head butt each other. And the horns looked especially sharp on these bulls.

We heard the elk are just starting to fight as a part of their rut so we will try to locate them tomorrow evening. The rangers warn you not to get too close; every year a tourist's car gets gored by an angry elk out to show everyone he's the boss. We will definitely enjoy from a distance.....


See Ya!

Yellowstone Park, WY

We spent most of the afternoon in Yellowstone despite the cool, overcast weather. This park is huge. I know it's 2.2 million acres in size although I can't quite get my mind around what that really means. Even out here in the West, where everything is larger, this is a big,big place.


It's difficult just to explore all of the park accessible by the Grand Loop which is actually two loops that form a rough figure eight. Yet alone explore the areas of the park that are only accessible via over 1000 miles of back country trails.



Today we saw geysers and paint pots and fumaroles and steam vents and bison and elk and coyote and chipmunk and more birds than you could count.

Oh, and we saw a bear.

That's right, we saw a bear. Not up close mind you, however we did see a black bear in his natural environment. Slowly wandering across the side of a hill, munching a few berries and taking time to look under rocks for whatever it is that lives under rocks and bears find so appetizing.


Across the valley and partway up the side of a small mountain, you could see this bear with your unaided eyes although you could see much better with binoculars. Pretty exciting. And nothing stops traffic in Yellowstone like a bear. In fact, the rangers call them Bear Jams. This one was a classic Bear Jam. Can't imagine how crazy it gets during the summer and/or the bear is closer to the road.

People pulled over wherever they could and tried to see what everyone else was looking at. Once they heard everyone was looking at a bear they would stand there until they too could see the bear. That bear has no idea how many people were watching him go about his business nor does that bear have any idea how many people were thrilled by simply seeing a bear walk across a hill.

Firehole Canyon is one of the few places where they allow swimming and we saw a couple swimming there. It was only 49 degrees outside however you could tell these two were determined to go swimming no matter what.

Actually, this swimming hole is downstream from a number of the geysers whose superheated water flows into the river, so the water temperature is warmer than a normal river.


We did see Old Faithful erupt. I mean, you have to go see Old Faithful. Somewhat anticlimactic after seeing all the other geysers and steam vents earlier in the day. Of course, the fact that it erupts so predictably is a large part of its appeal. The rangers post the next time Old Faithful is expected to erupt, plus/minus 10 minutes. We went to the Old Faithful seating area ten minutes before the predicted eruption and sure enough, about 5 minutes later, Old Faithful sent up a great shower of steam and spray. Very cool.

This really is a strange and wonderful place. The sights are amazing today; one can only imagine how other worldly this place appeared to Native Americans and early explorers.

And you also can't help think that if we could only harness the geothermal energy from deep inside the earth we could easily power the entire country.

How do we do that? Don't know, but I'm sure somewhere, some of our best and brightest minds are working on utilizing this endless source of power. I hope so.


See Ya!