We are back in the “wet” coast, showers over night and awoke to cloud & showers. They had stopped by 9 AM. We hooked up the Focus & drove to the gas pumps & filled up the RV. Out Fred Meyer @ 10:00 AM @ 152690 km. Arrived at the border at 10:50 with only one car in front of us so 2 minutes to clear. Arrived home, (parked across from school), at 11:40 @ 152802 km. Spent the rest of the day unpacking the RV, doing laundry & organizing stuff at home. Ken was sleeping. When he finally got up about 9 PM we had a short visit with him before he went to work on night shift.
Total distance in the RV was 6023 km – 3743 miles. The RV used 454 USG, which is 1718 litres or 378 CDN gallons. Gas mileage is 10 miles per CDN gallon, 8.2 miles to the US gallon, & 3.5 kilometres to the litre at an average US$ gas price of $3.73 per USG; which started out at $3.30 a gallon in January & went up to over $4.00 by the end of the trip.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Day 94 Sun Apr 15 – Tulalip Casino north to Fred Meyer in Burlington, Sunny, warm. Car temp was 21 C/ 71 F
In the morning Sheila went back to the outlet stores and I went over to Winco. After Sheila returned with more purchases we got ready to go. Out Tulalip Casino @ 152643 km @ 1:45 PM & over to the rest area with a dump station to dump our grey water tank & add a bit more fresh water. Off hwy 2:00 & back on I 5 at 2:15. Into Fred Meyer in Burlington @ 2:45 @ 152690. After parking & settling in Sheila wanted to see the Tulip fields so we got some instructions and a map of the Tulip Route and headed towards the area. We found one of the grower display fields called, “Roozen Garde” and parked. Parking was free, but admission to the fields & garden area was $5.00. I wasn’t that interested so Sheila went in & I relaxed & waited in the car. Though the fields of different coloured sections of tulips & daffodils were striking, what really impressed Sheila were the individual flower beds & gardens. Each one was distinctive with a different type of tree in the centre & beautiful beds of multicoloured tulips around them. One tree even had clumps of tulips growing out of its branches! She felt the gardens were well worth the $5.00 admission—specially since it was such a beautiful day. Sheila dropped me off at the RV in the Fred Meyer lot for the evening & went out shopping at an outlet mall in Burlington one more time. Meanwhile, I found I can get KIRO, (CBS Seattle stn), on the antenna. When Sheila returned, we had a light supper, then I went over to the gas stn & filled the Focus at $3.99 a USG which is $1.05 a litre. We put 869 km – 540 miles on the Focus since leaving home.
Day 93 Sat Apr 14 Wal-Mart, Yakima, WA to Tulalip Casino, Marysville.
It is a bright sunny clear blue sky morning in Yakima. We pulled out @ 152366 km @ 11:00 AM. As we drove up hwy 82 towards Ellensburg we saw a large snow capped mountain to the west of us, looking at a map we think it was Mt. Rainier. Our gas stop is Ellensburg, in @ 11:45 AM @ 152421 km, out @ 12 noon. We pulled into a rest area for lunch 12:25 to 1:30 PM. Going over Snoqualmie Pass the road was bare & dry & the sun was shining. There were skiers on the hills at the summit and lots of snow beside the road, there was a big lake that was still frozen near the summit. Off hwy I 90 to the Seattle bypass Hwy 405 & then onto I-5 which was quite busy & slow-going the last several miles to exit 200 & Tulalip Casino. Arrived Tulalip Casino 3:50 PM @ 152643 km. The parking lots are very full & there are lots of RV’s in the RV parking area. Sheila is off to the outlet mall. Weather here is sunny & warm. I texted Ken, who is in the Seattle area for a Star Trek tournament, to see if him & his friend Kurtis can meet up with us. (He had emailed a day or so ago to say they would be in the area & if we were also maybe we could meet up). They showed up at our RV about 6:30 PM and suggested dinner, so I phoned Sheila. She immediately left the Seattle Premium outlet Mall & met us at a nearby Olive Garden for dinner. Everyone really enjoyed their dinner which includes “all you can eat” breadsticks, & soup or salad. It was good service, considering how busy they were—the restaurant, (which is very large) was packed. We returned to the RV about 8:45, and Ken & Kurtis left to go home almost immediately.
Distance Travelled – 277 km – 172 miles
Distance Travelled – 277 km – 172 miles
Day 92 Fri Apr 13 Oregon Trails West, Baker City, OR to Wal-Mart, Yakima, WA - Sunny & windy today.
We were hooked up & pulled out @ 151995 @ 10:45 AM. We drove over the Blue Mountains Summit pass @ 4,193 feet; there was snow still under the trees beside the road.
We saw a closed truck weigh station so we weighed the RV. Front axel 4,450 lbs, rear axel 11,400 lbs. Our GVWR is 14,050 lbs. The heavier items are: just over ½ tank gas, 30 USG, (180 lbs), 2/3rds tank water, 25 USG, (207 lbs), 2 passengers 390 lbs, plus the generator, the collapsible ladder, a large folding table, & the BBQ grill. Otherwise it’s all small individual items, food, assorted tools etc. We do have Ken’s cards but I have no idea of their weight, probably somewhere over 100 lbs. We need to lighten the rig a bit when we get home.
We motored on stopping at a rest area for a lunch of Sheila’s hamburger soup; we were stopped from 12:50 PM to 2:05 PM. We pulled into the Wal-Mart in Yakima @ 4:05 PM @ 152366. We looked up a movie theatre on the GPS that was only a mile away & drove over but it didn’t have anything on today, – at all – it was closed! It seems to be a venue for live theatre now, but there were no shows scheduled for tonight. Back to the RV for supper. I started the generator to see if we get any TV, I found over a dozen digital channels, all really clear reception. Of course not much is on Friday nights so not much to see. We did watch “The Finder”, a spin off show from a “Bones” episode. I was not overly impressed.
Distance travelled – 371 km – 230 miles
We saw a closed truck weigh station so we weighed the RV. Front axel 4,450 lbs, rear axel 11,400 lbs. Our GVWR is 14,050 lbs. The heavier items are: just over ½ tank gas, 30 USG, (180 lbs), 2/3rds tank water, 25 USG, (207 lbs), 2 passengers 390 lbs, plus the generator, the collapsible ladder, a large folding table, & the BBQ grill. Otherwise it’s all small individual items, food, assorted tools etc. We do have Ken’s cards but I have no idea of their weight, probably somewhere over 100 lbs. We need to lighten the rig a bit when we get home.
We motored on stopping at a rest area for a lunch of Sheila’s hamburger soup; we were stopped from 12:50 PM to 2:05 PM. We pulled into the Wal-Mart in Yakima @ 4:05 PM @ 152366. We looked up a movie theatre on the GPS that was only a mile away & drove over but it didn’t have anything on today, – at all – it was closed! It seems to be a venue for live theatre now, but there were no shows scheduled for tonight. Back to the RV for supper. I started the generator to see if we get any TV, I found over a dozen digital channels, all really clear reception. Of course not much is on Friday nights so not much to see. We did watch “The Finder”, a spin off show from a “Bones” episode. I was not overly impressed.
Distance travelled – 371 km – 230 miles
Friday, April 13, 2012
Day 91 Thurs Apr 12 - Country RV Village, Hayburn, ID to Oregon Trails West RV Park, Baker City, OR
The day started out sunny, clear & calm and we pulled out @ 151536 km @ 10:40 AM, but after we left the wind picked up & I spent a good 2 hours or more driving into alternately a head wind or a side wind. We pulled off I-84 for gas & for lunch @ 1:35 PM @ 151828 km. One advantage to stopping at Flying J or Pilot stations besides lots of room to pull the RV towing the car into & out of the gas pumps is that most of them have a restaurant attached. This one had a Denny’s. I had the 3 egg meat lovers omelette for $8.99 which comes with hash browns & toast. Sheila had a design it yourself stack of pancakes, you pick out type of batter, stuff to add to batter, the topping of your choice and type of syrup. I hope they do that at Denny’s back home. Back out on the hwy @ 2:55 PM and finally the wind died down. We pulled of I-84 into Oregon Trails West RV Park @ 151995 km at 4:40. However, we are now in the Pacific Time Zone so it is actually 3:40. Sheila drove into Baker City to find a Safeway, (easy with the GPS – just type in Safeway & it finds them), and a dollar store. A light supper in the RV, (still full from lunch. Sheila made up a batch of her hamburger soup and then journal, computer & a little TV for the evening.
Distance travelled – 459 km – 285 miles
Distance travelled – 459 km – 285 miles
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Day 90 Wed Apr 11 started sunny, warm, ended cloudy & very windy
We pulled out of the Elks Lodge lot @ 10:50 AM @ 151178 km. We pulled off the hwy for a lunch & gas stop 7 miles short of the Idaho state line @ 1:25 PM. Filled gas up @ 151419 km, had lunch and onwards into the wind at 2:45 PM. The wind has been picking up all day and is now quite strong by mid afternoon. Sometimes it is a head wind & sometimes a side wind which is hard to drive against as it really buffets the RV at times. We arrived at Country RV Village in Hayburn, Idaho at 4 PM @ 151536. The lady in the office said they’ve been getting 40 mph winds & 50 mph gusts. Around 5 PM I got on the internet & the forecast for the evening in Hayburn is 31 mph going down to 24 mph by mid evening. It is also clouding over with showers forecast for later. I guess we are leaving the great sunny weather behind us. I put up the TV antenna, (no cable here), and got several digital stations really clear so we watched our Wednesday shows – Criminal Minds & CSI. Later in the evening while Sheila watched the Dancing with the Stars results show on the laptop the rain showers did arrive. However, the wind did drop so we weren’t sleeping in a rocking RV.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Day 89 Tues Apr 10 - nice day, forecast high mid 70’s, (23 C or so)
We got up, ate breakfast & headed out to visit the Museum of Natural History at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT. It is about a 20 minute drive up Hwy 15. We arrived about 10:30 AM. They have three IMAX movies in 3D, “Dinosaurs Alive”, Flying Monsters”, & “Passport to Panagaea”. Panagaea is the name for the giant continent before the present continents split off, about 250 million years ago. The museum is well set up so you can walk around on a route & not miss anything. The focus of the museum is fossils, dinosaurs & other prehistoric land, sea & air animals. We both felt there was a greater variety of different species of dinosaurs than we’ve seen anywhere else. We started in the museum and came out to do a movie then had lunch in their café, (reasonable prices & good food), then back to the museum with breaks to see more movies. We saw all 3. I finished before Sheila by about a half hour only and we finally left for home about 7 PM. Sheila was going to go up to the Elks bar to watch the DwS Results show, but there didn’t seem to be anyone there just before 8 PM so she came back to the RV. She then talked me into going to a “Sizzler” for supper. Back at the RV it’s computer time & planning time for tomorrow’s run.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Day 88 Mon Apr 9 - From CasaBlanca Casino, Mesquite, NV to Elks Lodge RV Park, Provo, UT
I went into the Casino to get a photo of the neat waterfalls but they don't start the water pumps untill 10 AM. So I went into the casino to try the daily free “spin & win” on my players card, I won 2 free cocktails, so I had a coffee. Back at the RV we got ready to roll; we have about 300 miles to cover getting to Provo UT. We pulled out at 150703 at 9:15 AM, a really early start for us! We pulled off the hwy at 11:50 AM for gas & lunch. At the Flying J there was RV parking space so we could do both gas & lunch in one stop. I did a mileage check and I am getting 8.77 mpg (USG) & 3.7 kms per litre. We are back on the hwy at 12:45. I was getting tired so we switched drivers at 1:45 & then back again at 2:55. We arrived at the Provo Elks RV Park, (they have 5 spots, all with 30 amp power, water & sewer), at 3:30 PM at 151178. Of course now that we are on Utah time it is 4:30 PM. No one in any of the sites so we got in fine, went up to the bar to sign in & pay, $20 a night, which is on the higher side for an Elks but for full services this close to Salt Lake City it is a bargain. There is snow on the surrounding mountains yet we had to fire up the A/C to cool the RV down inside. After cooking supper in the RV we came over to the Elks bar/lounge so I could do WiFi & Sheila could watch DwS on a large screen TV. The bartender even was able to make a very close approximation of a cocktail she really liked that she discovered at Valle del Oro's Tiki Bar. She gave him the ingredients list. He asked if this was our first time there & when Sheila said yes, he said "first drink is on the house for first timer visitors". We spent the evening there before returning to the RV for the night.
Day 87 Sun Apr. 8 Easter Sunday Temps from car – Las Vegas 2 PM 32C (90F), Mesquite NV 4:30 PM 32C (90F)
This morning I drove down to the library & sat outside updating the blog & checking emails. I did a small Wal-Mart shop. Back at the RV, Sheila had gone to the office & gotten us an extension of our check-out time from noon to 2 PM so we could go for one last swim & hot tub and get to TGIF for their breakfast special: $3.99 for 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, hash browns & toast or English muffin. Of course, add in drinks & tax & it’s more, but still a good deal. Interestingly, Sheila’s hot tea & my pop cost more than half the price of the two specials, ($2.59 & $2.78 each)!
We pulled out of Sams Town @ 2:00 PM @ 150577 km. We arrived at Casa Blanca Casino in Mesquite NV @ 3:45 PM @ 150703 km. We parked on the outer edge of the RV lot looking out to the sunset. As we were deciding where to park, we passed a parked rig with Idaho plates and I recognized its occupants—“Idaho” Dave & his wife Yvonne from GVP Hemet!
Casa Blanca is a new casino with an attached hotel. The grounds are especially nice. Outside the entrance there’s grass, trees, waterfalls and a small pond. We got our players cards which came with free $5 in slot play. No deals at the buffet but on a daily “spin & win” I got a free hot dog. They were good, same brand as Costco uses-- Sheila bought one, all of 75 cents. I played for a while and lost the “free” $5 but kept all my own money, Sheila was up $5 when I left to come back to the RV. She eventually came home, had played a lot and was still ahead a few dollars, so lots of free fun. Sheila cooked some carrots & we heated up our leftovers for supper. After supper, Sheila went for a lovely walk in the cooler air & stopped to chat with Dave & another lady from Cranbrook, BC.
We pulled out of Sams Town @ 2:00 PM @ 150577 km. We arrived at Casa Blanca Casino in Mesquite NV @ 3:45 PM @ 150703 km. We parked on the outer edge of the RV lot looking out to the sunset. As we were deciding where to park, we passed a parked rig with Idaho plates and I recognized its occupants—“Idaho” Dave & his wife Yvonne from GVP Hemet!
Casa Blanca is a new casino with an attached hotel. The grounds are especially nice. Outside the entrance there’s grass, trees, waterfalls and a small pond. We got our players cards which came with free $5 in slot play. No deals at the buffet but on a daily “spin & win” I got a free hot dog. They were good, same brand as Costco uses-- Sheila bought one, all of 75 cents. I played for a while and lost the “free” $5 but kept all my own money, Sheila was up $5 when I left to come back to the RV. She eventually came home, had played a lot and was still ahead a few dollars, so lots of free fun. Sheila cooked some carrots & we heated up our leftovers for supper. After supper, Sheila went for a lovely walk in the cooler air & stopped to chat with Dave & another lady from Cranbrook, BC.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Day 86 Sat Apr 7 clear, sunny, forecast high 76F (24.4C)
Slept in again, Vegas is tiring! This morning it’s the Saturday Champagne Brunch, ($9.99 with our Sam’s Town card). We had a great meal; the Champagne & OJ is refillable forever, which is really great!? – I don’t drink & Sheila doesn’t like the dry champagnes they serve, however she did manage to almost finish two 5 or 6 oz glasses of it.
We periodically hear people at home, usually RV’ers, saying things cost more in the US. I don’t bother correcting them but for next time I hear that, I’m going to try to remember the wine/beer price list from Sam’s Town Fireside Buffet: wine – glass $2.00, Carafe $4.00, beer was the same for glass & $4.00 for a pitcher. The only thing I have found pricier here is pop, it generally is around $5.00 a doz.
We are off into Vegas for the 4 PM Nathan Burton Comedy Magic show at the Flamingo and then some wandering around the strip. The show was amazing; he did illusions so fast it was unbelievable. He’d show a transparent box, and then quickly pull a cover up & immediately down and something either appeared or disappeared within it in only fractions of a second! I met him after the show and told him that what really amazed me was the speed at which he did stuff. He replied, “lots & lots of practice”. Getting to his show was a minor problem. The Flamingo lot was full so after going up and down 7 or 8 floors I dropped Sheila off so she could make the start of the show. I headed into traffic, got into Billy’s Casino next door, went all the way to the roof to find a spot. I got into the show room just before Lance Burton came on. The people at the door said that they had lost one parking lot due to construction, anyway I made it OK. After we wandered around the strip a bit, Sheila got a $1.00 frozen Margarita and we watched the “Dealertainers” again at the Imperial Palace. The guy doing Michael Jackson really had his moves ‘down pat’. Enroute home, we stopped for supper at a Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant. They have an $8.49 special dinner menu with about 8 choices. The $8.49 includes your beverage, homemade soup or salad & a homemade dessert of your choice. The food was really good, and the portions so large, we ended up bringing about half of it home. We were home around 9:30, tired & stuffed!
Sheila thinks that the strip is just too crowded to be fun on Easter weekend. The parking lots are too full, and the sidewalks & casinos are so crowded you can hardly move! We watched the Fountain Show at the Bellagio from this vantage point 7 floors up in a parking lot for a few minutes, (not as good when you can’t hear the music). Sheila noted that the people on LV Blvd look like ants streaming out of an anthill!
We periodically hear people at home, usually RV’ers, saying things cost more in the US. I don’t bother correcting them but for next time I hear that, I’m going to try to remember the wine/beer price list from Sam’s Town Fireside Buffet: wine – glass $2.00, Carafe $4.00, beer was the same for glass & $4.00 for a pitcher. The only thing I have found pricier here is pop, it generally is around $5.00 a doz.
We are off into Vegas for the 4 PM Nathan Burton Comedy Magic show at the Flamingo and then some wandering around the strip. The show was amazing; he did illusions so fast it was unbelievable. He’d show a transparent box, and then quickly pull a cover up & immediately down and something either appeared or disappeared within it in only fractions of a second! I met him after the show and told him that what really amazed me was the speed at which he did stuff. He replied, “lots & lots of practice”. Getting to his show was a minor problem. The Flamingo lot was full so after going up and down 7 or 8 floors I dropped Sheila off so she could make the start of the show. I headed into traffic, got into Billy’s Casino next door, went all the way to the roof to find a spot. I got into the show room just before Lance Burton came on. The people at the door said that they had lost one parking lot due to construction, anyway I made it OK. After we wandered around the strip a bit, Sheila got a $1.00 frozen Margarita and we watched the “Dealertainers” again at the Imperial Palace. The guy doing Michael Jackson really had his moves ‘down pat’. Enroute home, we stopped for supper at a Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant. They have an $8.49 special dinner menu with about 8 choices. The $8.49 includes your beverage, homemade soup or salad & a homemade dessert of your choice. The food was really good, and the portions so large, we ended up bringing about half of it home. We were home around 9:30, tired & stuffed!
Sheila thinks that the strip is just too crowded to be fun on Easter weekend. The parking lots are too full, and the sidewalks & casinos are so crowded you can hardly move! We watched the Fountain Show at the Bellagio from this vantage point 7 floors up in a parking lot for a few minutes, (not as good when you can’t hear the music). Sheila noted that the people on LV Blvd look like ants streaming out of an anthill!
Day 85 Fri Apr 6 the very high wind is gone, sun’s out, it’s nice & warm.
We slept in & got up late, like 10ish. We went over to the Sam’s Town Subway for their $3.00 ham n’ cheese omelette sub. Then, in the afternoon we went for a dip in the hot tub & pool. During our pool & shower time, Sheila did two loads of laundry. For supper, we went to Billy Bob’s Steak House in Sam’s Town casino for their $9.99 prime rib special. It included soup or salad, veggies, & a potato dish. The prime rib was a marvellous, a thick cut & delicious, & the green & yellow beans were the tastiest we’ve ever had. We ret’d to the RV to change for the evening before driving into the Strip. First stop was the Flamingo to see if we could get the free tickets for Nathan Burton’s Comedy Magic show on Saturday but they were all gone. However, they gave us an upgrade to an assigned seat on the main floor for $15 each. It sounded like a good deal so we booked it. Then we drove down to Planet Hollywood to see the 9 PM “Vegas the show”. Another great show. Though, there were a few Vegas celebs we didn’t recognize from their portrayal because we didn’t know their signature song. After the show, Sheila suggested to the performers who came out to sign CDs etc. that perhaps they could incorporate some means of identifying the celebs into the show for less knowledgeable audience members such as ourselves. Sheila bought a CD of one of the lead singers who did Sammy Davis Jr., among others. He was really good. After the show we wandered past the “Miracle Mile” stores in PH casino. Sheila had a Lobster Roll at a place called “Lobster Me” that was written up as having the best lobster roll in Vegas. It was pricey---$10.00 for just a 5” sub bun with lobster meat, mayo & spices in it, but it was good. This food stand had lobster everything--soup, margarita’s, slurpees, even popsicles & ice cream! We were not brave enough or hungry enough to try anything else. We arrived home a bit before midnight.
Day 84 Thurs Apr 5 Out Zuni Village RV, Kingman, north to Las Vegas NV
Sunny, but very windy today.
Out of Kingman @ 10:35 @ 150420 km. We got to go over the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge but even with being high up in the RV the cement guard rails prevented us from seeing the Dam or the canyon or anything. There were supposed to be pull off places for parking to walk across, (they have a nice wide pedestrian walk all the way over), but we missed them so onwards into Vegas.
Arrived Sam’s Town Casino RV Park @ 12:40 @ 150576 km. We checked in, hooked up, went into the Casino for lunch and discovered that the old coffee shop that used to have great bargains, especially late at night, has been taken over by a TGIF franchise. They did have some specials. After lunch we headed into town to Tix4Tonite at Bill’s Casino to see what ½ price tickets they had. The wind on the strip was blasting through the casino--you could hardly open doors and then you couldn’t close them. Tonight we are going to “DIVAS, starring Frank Marino and a cast of celebrity female impersonators” at the Imperial Palace. We also got tickets for tomorrow night for “Vegas the Show” it is billed as recreating the greatest moments in Vegas history, from vintage Vegas icons to Elvis to today’s hottest stars. We walked up to the Imperial Palace and got our seat assignments for tomorrow and then we returned to Bill’s Casino, (corner Flamingo & L.V. Blvd), where I left Sheila playing the bar video poker/BJ machines & getting ‘comp’ drinks, while I walked down to Planet Hollywood to get our tickets for tomorrow night. As she played, she listened to a lounge entertainer called “Big Elvis” whom she thought sounded more like Elvis than any other Elvis impersonator she’s ever heard. Unfortunately, due to his size, he wasn’t able to move like Elvis, but he did have a great voice. He performs there on weekdays 3 or 4x/day starting around 3 PM.
When I returned, we drove back to Sam’s Town area & went straight to the Longhorn Casino for their advertised steak & 2 petite lobster tails for $9.99. The lobster wasn’t nearly as tasty as what we had at Red Lobster, but the steak was good. Finally back at the RV, we rested before heading into town for tonight’s 10 PM DIVA’S show. This time, we parked in the Imperial Palace lot. The show was terrific! With some of them, (Mariah Carey, Brianna, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Brittany Spears), we weren’t familiar enough with their style to determine how accurate the ‘tribute’ was, others such as Cher, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Lisa Minnelli were ‘spot’ on. Frank Marino, as Joan Rivers was the MC & after a very funny opening monologue he came out, as Joan Rivers, in a completely different gown after every performer to announce the next one. At present, he’s the longest running performer in Vegas having been on the strip for 27 yrs.! The show was over an hour & a half long.
After the show, we stayed in the casino to watch the “dealertainers”, they are B/J dealers who dress like their favourite entertainer and perform one of his/her songs on a raised platform in the middle of the tables once or twice a day. Free entertainment for us. I was thirsty so I sat at the bar, played Video poker and after getting just 1 or 2 pair for a while, I was back at even so I cashed out & got my free coke. When went to get our car, we entered the parking garage from a different door – bad mistake, we couldn’t find the car! I pushed the horn button & could hear it in the distance but couldn’t tell which direction. The casino parking garages are huge, half a square block. So we finally went back down to Casino level, found the exit we had originally come out of, went in, & found the car easily. Finally, home to the RV about 1 AM!
Distance travelled 156 km, 97 miles
Out of Kingman @ 10:35 @ 150420 km. We got to go over the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge but even with being high up in the RV the cement guard rails prevented us from seeing the Dam or the canyon or anything. There were supposed to be pull off places for parking to walk across, (they have a nice wide pedestrian walk all the way over), but we missed them so onwards into Vegas.
Arrived Sam’s Town Casino RV Park @ 12:40 @ 150576 km. We checked in, hooked up, went into the Casino for lunch and discovered that the old coffee shop that used to have great bargains, especially late at night, has been taken over by a TGIF franchise. They did have some specials. After lunch we headed into town to Tix4Tonite at Bill’s Casino to see what ½ price tickets they had. The wind on the strip was blasting through the casino--you could hardly open doors and then you couldn’t close them. Tonight we are going to “DIVAS, starring Frank Marino and a cast of celebrity female impersonators” at the Imperial Palace. We also got tickets for tomorrow night for “Vegas the Show” it is billed as recreating the greatest moments in Vegas history, from vintage Vegas icons to Elvis to today’s hottest stars. We walked up to the Imperial Palace and got our seat assignments for tomorrow and then we returned to Bill’s Casino, (corner Flamingo & L.V. Blvd), where I left Sheila playing the bar video poker/BJ machines & getting ‘comp’ drinks, while I walked down to Planet Hollywood to get our tickets for tomorrow night. As she played, she listened to a lounge entertainer called “Big Elvis” whom she thought sounded more like Elvis than any other Elvis impersonator she’s ever heard. Unfortunately, due to his size, he wasn’t able to move like Elvis, but he did have a great voice. He performs there on weekdays 3 or 4x/day starting around 3 PM.
When I returned, we drove back to Sam’s Town area & went straight to the Longhorn Casino for their advertised steak & 2 petite lobster tails for $9.99. The lobster wasn’t nearly as tasty as what we had at Red Lobster, but the steak was good. Finally back at the RV, we rested before heading into town for tonight’s 10 PM DIVA’S show. This time, we parked in the Imperial Palace lot. The show was terrific! With some of them, (Mariah Carey, Brianna, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Brittany Spears), we weren’t familiar enough with their style to determine how accurate the ‘tribute’ was, others such as Cher, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Lisa Minnelli were ‘spot’ on. Frank Marino, as Joan Rivers was the MC & after a very funny opening monologue he came out, as Joan Rivers, in a completely different gown after every performer to announce the next one. At present, he’s the longest running performer in Vegas having been on the strip for 27 yrs.! The show was over an hour & a half long.
After the show, we stayed in the casino to watch the “dealertainers”, they are B/J dealers who dress like their favourite entertainer and perform one of his/her songs on a raised platform in the middle of the tables once or twice a day. Free entertainment for us. I was thirsty so I sat at the bar, played Video poker and after getting just 1 or 2 pair for a while, I was back at even so I cashed out & got my free coke. When went to get our car, we entered the parking garage from a different door – bad mistake, we couldn’t find the car! I pushed the horn button & could hear it in the distance but couldn’t tell which direction. The casino parking garages are huge, half a square block. So we finally went back down to Casino level, found the exit we had originally come out of, went in, & found the car easily. Finally, home to the RV about 1 AM!
Distance travelled 156 km, 97 miles
Day 83 Wed. Apr. 4 Out Valle del Oro RV, Mesa & north to Kingman, AZ
Sunny, but quite windy this afternoon—specially in Kingman.
Sheila is up & off to a water exercise class at 8:30. She said that there were lots of people all around the pool sitting in the sun and in the pool – at 8:30 AM! People here start their days early. We pulled out of VDO @ 10:30 @ 150086 km. Our lunch stop was on a pull off on the road side 12:50 – 1:30. We arrived at our gas stop in Kingman @ 3:20 @ 150418 km & out @ 3:40. I put in 50.5 gallons in the 55 gallon tank. The fuel gauge was just on the middle of the “E” empty sign so now I know how much reserve I have--about 35 miles worth. I had a Flying J station in the GPS & I knew I would be low on gas but had enough to get there. We pulled into Zuni Village RV Park less than 5 minutes later @ 150420 km. After getting hooked up to services we went to the Wal-Mart for some supplies. The car dash temp read 23C (73F). Then back to the RV for supper & to relax for the evening. We watched 2 repeat episodes of Big Bang Theory, we’d seen them before & they are funny and great the second time around. We were in site 8 and cable reception was quite fuzzy on several channels and the TV guide channel on the RV Park channel listing gave us a “no signal”.
Distance travelled 334 km – 207 miles, 3 hrs 10 minutes on the road
Sheila is up & off to a water exercise class at 8:30. She said that there were lots of people all around the pool sitting in the sun and in the pool – at 8:30 AM! People here start their days early. We pulled out of VDO @ 10:30 @ 150086 km. Our lunch stop was on a pull off on the road side 12:50 – 1:30. We arrived at our gas stop in Kingman @ 3:20 @ 150418 km & out @ 3:40. I put in 50.5 gallons in the 55 gallon tank. The fuel gauge was just on the middle of the “E” empty sign so now I know how much reserve I have--about 35 miles worth. I had a Flying J station in the GPS & I knew I would be low on gas but had enough to get there. We pulled into Zuni Village RV Park less than 5 minutes later @ 150420 km. After getting hooked up to services we went to the Wal-Mart for some supplies. The car dash temp read 23C (73F). Then back to the RV for supper & to relax for the evening. We watched 2 repeat episodes of Big Bang Theory, we’d seen them before & they are funny and great the second time around. We were in site 8 and cable reception was quite fuzzy on several channels and the TV guide channel on the RV Park channel listing gave us a “no signal”.
Distance travelled 334 km – 207 miles, 3 hrs 10 minutes on the road
Day 82 Tues. Apr. 3 VDO temps, 9:15 AM 65F (18C), 11 AM 70F (21C), 2 PM 80F (26.5C), 5 PM 78F (25.5C)
A quiet morning in the RV doing some prep for leaving tomorrow, (dump tanks etc). Since I’d taken the screen off the rear Fantastic Fan vent in order to replace it with one with clips that is a lot easier to remove & replace, (for cleaning), than the old one with its 8 screws; Sheila decided to clean the blades & the area around them. Unfortunately she couldn’t reach the dirt on the vent cover above the blades.
No breeze at all today. After lunch we went up to the pool for our last water volleyball game. Then I relaxed on a comfy cabana lounge in the sun while Sheila did lengths in the lap pool. Back to the RV to change & head out to a local Red Lobster--it is Lobster Fest time! They have a lobster bisque soup that is thicker than the Boathouse’s but every bit as good. And they have it year round not like the Boathouse that only has it at Lobster Fest time. All we had was the lobster meal and a shared bowl of lobster bisque & we were both stuffed--no room for dessert! We returned to the RV for a quiet evening of TV before tomorrow’s pack up & leave routine. Earlier today Sheila asked about monthly rates here--a month is $675 + tax = $686.11, plus electricity @ 0.11 /KW, (at GVP it was about $25 a month), plus a City of Mesa trash & recycling pickup charge of $29.65. It adds up to more than GVP by over $100.00.
No breeze at all today. After lunch we went up to the pool for our last water volleyball game. Then I relaxed on a comfy cabana lounge in the sun while Sheila did lengths in the lap pool. Back to the RV to change & head out to a local Red Lobster--it is Lobster Fest time! They have a lobster bisque soup that is thicker than the Boathouse’s but every bit as good. And they have it year round not like the Boathouse that only has it at Lobster Fest time. All we had was the lobster meal and a shared bowl of lobster bisque & we were both stuffed--no room for dessert! We returned to the RV for a quiet evening of TV before tomorrow’s pack up & leave routine. Earlier today Sheila asked about monthly rates here--a month is $675 + tax = $686.11, plus electricity @ 0.11 /KW, (at GVP it was about $25 a month), plus a City of Mesa trash & recycling pickup charge of $29.65. It adds up to more than GVP by over $100.00.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Day 81 Apr 2 Temps @ VDO 9AM 62F, about 72F (22C) in the afternoon and a bit windy (10 to 15 mph) – not a problem for the awning.
Sheila went out shopping in the late morning while I puttered around in the RV. At a CVS Pharmacy Sheila found Coke Zero, 4 doz for $10.00--finally a reasonable price! That’s about the only thing down here that is more expensive than at home. Then about noon I went to the pool for the noon water volleyball game, that’s when the better players play a more serious game, i.e. not as much fun. They played till 1:45. After the game I got one of the Cabana recliner lounges and sat in the sun. They are really comfortable. Then about 3 PM they started the second volleyball game so I joined in that one too, Sheila arrived a bit after we started & joined in. We played till 4 PM. After the game one of the double Cabana lounges was free so we got it. With the nice soft mattress and the reclining back they are great to lie on, you could easily take a nap on one. They have drapes you can draw to shield out the sun, or get privacy, after all this is an “active” 55+ resort. However, since none of the curtains were closed no one was availing themselves of the "opportunity".
Back at the RV we made supper & Sheila will watch D. w. S. and after that we’ll both watch Castle. Then Sheila wanted to vote on-line at D.w.S. but we couldn’t get a WiFi connection at the site so she went up to the clubhouse to get on line.
Back at the RV we made supper & Sheila will watch D. w. S. and after that we’ll both watch Castle. Then Sheila wanted to vote on-line at D.w.S. but we couldn’t get a WiFi connection at the site so she went up to the clubhouse to get on line.
Day 80 Sun Apr 1 Temps @ VDO 2:30PM 80F (26.5C),
Up & away to the Mesa Swap Meet, arriving by 9 AM. We had breakfast there and then went up & down 4 long rows with booths on both sides checking out the items. We bought stuff for the RV, and for family. We didn’t get back to the RV until 2:30 and then it’s time for R & R after shopping. It is a bit cooler today and there is a breeze, by 5 PM the temp was down to the low 70’s. Sheila went up to the pool for a swim but just relaxed in the sun in one of the cabana couches instead. After supper in the RV she went back up to the clubhouse to investigate a couple of card games that were supposed to be on, “500”, (a form of Euchre), & “Pass the Trash”, which wasn’t on. She played the “500” game for 3½ hours. Even though she has played Euchre once before, she found it very challenging trying to relearn the game & play it quickly. She didn’t win any prizes, so she lost her 50 cent buy-in.
Day 79 Sat Mar 31 VDO Temps 9AM 74F (23C), 1:30PM 90F (32C), 4:30PM 92F (33C)
Temp going up today to around 90 so as of 10 AM we have the RV A/C going. Phoned Sam’s Town Casino in Vegas & booked our 3 nights for 2 deal from the coupon we picked up at “The Rally” in Phoenix. After lunch in the RV we headed out to see “The Duttons” at their own theatre in East Valley High School. They put on a marvellous show, makes us want to see them in Branson even more. The young people we saw many years ago at the PNE are now adults with families of their own, some of whom are performing with them. One neat technology development that I discovered there was that “I-Phones” have an app where you can use them as a credit card charge machine by just entering the numbers on the phone screen keypad, and they even have an electronic pen to sign on the screen with. I was amazed. When we left the theatre I had to get cash so asked GPS for nearest bank & got one ½ mile away. It was a Chase branch and it did not charge me anything to take out money. I had run short of cash because a Wells Fargo ATM in a grocery store wanted $5.00 per transaction and the ATM here at the VDO would only dispense $200.00 and wanted $2.50 for a service charge, so the no-charge at the Chase Branch was a nice surprise. Driving back about 4:30 PM the car dashboard said it was 33C, at the RV, the outside thermometer said 92 so they are in sync. After getting home we changed & went up to the pool for a dip before the dance tonight stating at 7. We went in sometime after 8 & found a seat. It was quite crowded, most tables were full but it is a huge room so there was always room on the dance floor. The group that was playing, “Junction 86”, is very popular wherever they play according to a couple we sat across from. And they were good, they didn’t play too loud to be able to have a conversation and their music selections were great.
Day 78 Fri Mar 30 VDO temps 8:30AM 70 F (21C), 10AM 78F (25.5C), 3PM 90F (32C) *VDO = Val Del Oro
Sheila left early to go to an on-site TOPS Meeting & then to water exercises. She returned & left for a nail appointment at 10:30. I turned on the A/C & left it running all day set to cool to about 75F (23C). I went up to the clubhouse to upload to the blog & check emails etc. When I came out I saw a sign for “Taco Salad Friday” so I went over to the ballroom where the kitchen is and got a nice big taco shell filled to the brim with taco salad ingredients – lettuce, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, guacamole, shredded cheese, & salad dressing, a good deal for $5.50. Back at the RV we got ready for the Hawaiian Sunset Pool Party with dinner at 5 PM. Sheila is making the frozen berries in cool whip, lemon pie filling and vanilla yogurt dessert for our pot luck dish. She put it in the fridge to keep cool as it was 85 to 90 F outside. I went over about 3:30 PM to save a space at a table as the area was already filling up. I forgot the camera so went back and then waited & drove up with Sheila so she had the car to quickly go back & get the dessert when dinner time came. About 4:50 I reminded her & she shot out to go get the dessert. She returned about 5:20, I already had my meal & the line up at the food table was l-o-n-g. Turns out she had to mix in the Cool Whip & frozen berries & it took longer than expected. However there was lots of food & after everyone had gone through there was still lots of food left. It was a great selection, one large plate & I was full so I only had 3 pieces of dessert plus a cookie! Sheila bought one of the Tiki Hut special drinks plus had 2 glasses of the free wine. They had a group playing and they were quite good. The entertainment was Hawaiian & Tahitian dancing plus a fire dancer. By now it was getting dark so it was hard to see the dancing plus we were a ways away from the dancers at the end of the pool on the patio. They were OK but I’ve seen better. It all ended a bit before 8 PM. In talking to people at the party we found out that the swimming pool is heated to 94F (34.5C), the lap pool is a bit cooler, probably in the high 80’s. We had some of our dessert left to bring home.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
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