Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 39

Final day at the school and then off to the desert. Friday morning was met with a moving van full of equipment to be used at the staging areas for each leg of the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race. Don & Vicki Leith and Steve & Vicki Terra have traditionally taken on the task of dividing up all the gear and issuing it to the RVer's who work the different stages. Last year I joined them in this endeavor. This time Joanne plus Lew & Dottie Anderson helped us out and we got it done in a couple of hours. After this tasks was complete we had some free time to relax before dinner. Each year on Friday evening one of the classes at the school has a spaghetti dinner as a fund raiser. After the dinner us and the Leith's, Terra's and Anderson's loaded up and headed for our stage out in the desert. (If we had waited until Saturday morning we would have had to be out of the school parking lot by 7:00am to be ahead of the race. We decided to go out early, like we did last year, so we did not have to roll out so early on Saturday.) After we got set up out their we all sat around and visited until well after dark and then turned in in anticipation of the next days race.

On Saturday morning we were out bright and early to help set up the equipment for our stage of the race. Using rebar and plastic tape we formed a "chute" for the incoming runner to come in, exchange the baton with the next runner, and for the next runner to take off. Each team has a chase car that follows directly behind their runner. From the start line to us (Stage 2) it is just over five miles. The entire race is 120 miles broken down into 20 stages. The second stage is the longest at just over eight miles and is almost all uphill. The almost 250 teams were broken down into eight flights, leaving the starting line an hour apart, starting at 9:00am. The teams with the slowest average times start first with the fastest teams starting last. This is, hopefully, so they will all be hitting the finish line on Sunday morning. The race ends at 10:00am sharp on Sunday. Any team not past the finish line, at the Las Vegas Hilton, by that time is eliminated and is disqualified for next years race.

Since the runners of the last flight left the finish line at 5:00pm our portion of the race was over by 5:45pm. We then broke down all the equipment and stacked it for the truck to pickup. The truck came by within an hour or so. Also all the other volunteers broke down their areas (Timekeepers, medical staff, traffic control, etc.) and departed. By late evening all that were left were the Leith's, Terra's and us. (Lew & Dottie were working at a location well down the race route, very near to Las Vegas.) The six of us pulled up our lawn chairs and had dinner together.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 37

Everything got settled in Laughlin and then off to Baker. In the last post we told about the problems our friends were having with their Corvette and their motor home. All is well. Don returned with the Corvette all fixed before the tow truck was finished hooking up the motor home last Monday. The coach was towed to Kingman with Don & Vicki following in the Vette. By mid-day Tuesday they were back with everything all repaired. Early Tuesday morning we headed west for Baker, California, our primary destination. By this time we were now up to four coaches. In addition to the Leith's we now had Jack & Jane Dale and Lew & Dottie Anderson with us. We arrived in Baker around noon yesterday and got our rigs set up. Actually it did not take much setting up since we are "dry camping" here in the parking lot of the Baker High School. Dry camping means we have no hookups: water, sewer or electric. It is on occasions like this that these things are self contained. We came in with our holding tanks empty and our 100 gallon fresh water tank full. Also will have to run the diesel generator a couple of times a day to keep the four batteries charged up to run the appliances and lights. Here is a picture of us lined up with some of the other RV's that are here to support the race this Saturday.

Today was a slow day, a time for everyone to visit and relax. Our group did go into town for lunch at The Mad Greeks. This is a great little restaurant that is famous in this area. Baker is approximately half way between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Interstate 15. Today it is a good stopping point for people making the trek in one direction or the other. It is a very small town but the main drag is loaded with eating places, including most of the usual chain fast food places. At one time, before the Interstate was completed, it apparently was a place for people to get their cars taken care of that had overheated trying to climb the mountains. The picture to the left is Joanne with Dottie & Lew Anderson at The Mad Greeks.

This evening we had a pot luck dinner in the school gym. As is normal at any pot luck there was plenty of food. Afterwards we had ice cream provided by one of the school's classes as a fund raiser. The Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay is a major fund raiser for this small school. (The senior class will usually have between 8 and 12 students each year.) In addition to the ice cream social tonight they will have a bake sale tomorrow morning, a spaghetti dinner tomorrow and a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning prior to the race. Since they have all these people camped in their parking lot they need to make the most of it. Also, each RV couple donates $10.00 to the school for their scholarship fund for allowing us to use their parking lot as a staging area for several days. After dinner tonight we returned to the coach to a beautiful sunset behind the mountains. Due to all the rain they have had out here in the desert this year it is a great time to be here. This is as about as green as we have ever seen the desert southwest with almost everything in bloom.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 34

More days of beautiful weather and then watching our friends get the hook. The weekend saw more of our friends arrive prior to heading out to the race in Baker. Jack & Jane Dale pulled in on Friday and Lew & Dottie Anderson arrived on Sunday. In addition some of the Dale's kids came over for the weekend to play on the river. We spent a lot of time going out to eat with all these folks including at the Saltgrass Steakhouse in the Golden Nugget Hotel/Casino on Saturday night. The guys also attended a car show that was being held at the Tropicana Hotel featuring 1955, 56 and 57 Chevy cars and pickups. They also had a version of the n2a (for no two alike) versions of the 789. This is a new car, built on a Corvette frame, using the front of a 1957 Chevy, the center of a 1958 and the rear of a 1959. This is a very unique vehicle. This car is titled as a 2007 N2A 789.

When our friends, Don & Vicki Leith, arrived here last Wednesday they were experiencing trouble with the engine in their motor home. They called all the necessary repair facilities and the emergency roadside assistance to arrange for the coach to be towed to a facility in Kingman first thing Monday. In the meantime they also experienced problems with their Corvette, which they had brought with them in a trailer. On Thursday we had taken the Vette to the local Chevy dealer in Bullhead City for repairs but the part that was replaced came disconnected over the weekend causing a loss of steering. So this morning they had two tow trucks, one for the Vette and one for the coach. Fortunately the the Vette was a quick fix and Don was back before the driver had completed hooking up the motor home. Around 11:00 they were all headed out for Kingman. Hopefully the motor home problem will not be major and they will return back to the RV Park here in Laughlin very quickly. Although they took Don's dog, Tess, with them we are cat sitting with Vicki's cat, Furby. Furby has settled in and he and Buddy Joe have decided to coexist if not actually become friends.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 30

Laundry chores, friends arrive and a boat ride. Yesterday was a day for doing chores, mainly the laundry. First we decided to explore along the Colorado River and some of the casino's we had not been in. This was mainly to hit their gift shops looking for logo golf balls. Some years ago a cousin got me interested in collecting logo golf balls so now I seek them out with logo's from places we have visited. We did a lot of walking and was able to score two, one from the Edgewater Hotel/Casino and one from Aquarius Hotel/Casino. In the afternoon Joanne bundled up all the laundry into two large baskets and we headed off to the RV Park laundry facility. This endeavor took most of the afternoon.

Toward the evening Jo was getting ready to fix dinner when we received a call from one of the couples we were to meet up with here. They originally were not due in until Friday but were ahead of schedule, were refueling in Kingman and would be at the RV Park within the hour. The food went back into the fridge and we waited for Don & Vicki Leith to drive in and then went to dinner at the Edgewater Casino buffet. We will spend the next few days with these transplanted Californians, who now live in Arkansas, while waiting for two other couples to arrive.

This morning was spent lining up repair schedules for the Leith's motor home and their car. The car is now at the Chevy dealer and the motor home will be taken to Kingman on Monday for repairs. It seems there is always something on these rolling houses to be fixed. After lunch at the In-and-Out Burger we headed over to the Riverside Hotel to take their boat ride up and down the Colorado River. This was about an hour and one-half tour that went all the way north to the Davis Dam and then back down to the south end of Casino Row. It was a fun time with an interesting narration about the City of Laughlin and the area.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 28

A trip to the RV hospital and up in the hills to feed the burros. We really had not done much since our trip to Chloride last Friday. It was a relaxing weekend with our only real excitement was the Easter Buffet Brunch over at the Tropicana Hotel/Casino. On Monday we contacted a local RV repair service we had been referred to for some repairs on the coach. They are located in Fort Mohave just south of Bullhead City on the Arizona side of the river. I made arrangements to take the coach in at 7:00am this morning. The repairs were estimated to take about 10 hours so we had to find something we could do that included taking Buddy Joe with us.

Although we had been to the town of Oatman before we decided it would be fun to go back. After a stop for breakfast in a diner by the RV repair facility we headed off. Oatman is on the original U.S. Route 66 about 13 miles east of Fort Mohave. From Oatman the old road winds up and over a mountain to Kingman. We arrived in Oatman around 8:30am and almost everything was still closed. With that we decided to go on over to Kingman. This is a 25 mile drive over a two lane, mountain road with many switchbacks and no guard rails.

Though this is one of many trips out west over the years we had never stopped in Kingman for anything more than stopping at the Flying J for fuel. It has always been interesting that one of the main roads through town is Andy Divine Drive. Kingman was Andy Divine’s hometown and the town’s favorite son. We stopped at what had originally been a power generation plant but are now home to the tourist information center and a really nice Route 66 museum. The museum had a rather large section devoted to the plight of the migrate workers that made their way to California during the Great Depression looking for work. These people stories were told in John Steinbeck’s book “The Grapes of Wrath”. We did enjoy the museum but with Buddy waiting in the car we needed to move on.

After a stop at the Flying J for gas, since it is cheaper to buy fuel in Arizona than in Nevada or California we headed back to old Route 66 and the trek back over the mountain to Oatman. By the time we got back all the shops were open and the town was full of tourist. As a matter of fact just after we drove through and got parked they blocked off the street to stage an old western gunfight. We took Buddy with us as we made our way up the street but Joanne wound up carrying him most of the way because he did not like the crowds, the burros nor the gunfire. Oh yeah, the burros. Oatman’s claim to fame is not just being an old mining town that has since become a tourist attraction, the wild burros roam freely up and down the street allowing the tourist to pet them and feed them carrots. There are plenty of signs warning that these are wild animals and sometimes will bite or kick but many of the shops sell bags of carrots to the tourist. They do caution everyone to not feed the baby burros because their systems are not fully developed and they will choke on the carrots. They have even placed a “no carrots” sticker on the forehead of the babies.

By having Buddy with us we were unable to go into any of the shops or eating establishments. Finally, around noon, we took him back to the car. That gave us a chance to do a little shopping and then stop in at the Oatman Hotel for lunch. They were very crowded and we had to come back twice before we were able to get a table. Like the place we ate lunch in Tortilla Flats, down in the Phoenix area, they have allowed guests to sign dollar bills and staple them to the walls, poback to Buddy and headed back to Fort Mohave. The pleasant surprise was that the coach work was completed so we were able to return to the RV Park st, beams and anywhere else they can find to put them. This place was pretty much completely wallpapered with dollar bills. After lunch we got in Laughlin by around 3:30 this afternoon. Overall this was a good day. Got needed repairs on the coach done plus had a great day of sightseeing.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 25

As previously mentioned Laughlin is a mini version of Las Vegas. The hotel/casino’s that line Casino Drive along the Colorado River are just as lit up and glitzy as any a person would find in Vegas. We are staying at the Riverside RV Park, directly across the street from Don Laughlin’s Riverside Hotel & Casino. This park is built up the side of a very large hill in tears. We are at the very top level so we have a commanding view of the strip down below. Here are some pictures taken from up on the hill of some of the lit up hotel/casino’s.

Don Laughlin's Hotel & Casino

Tropicana Hotel & Casino

Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino

Aqurius Hotel & Casino

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 24

We arrived in Laughlin around noon after an uneventful trip from Lake Havasu City. Laughlin is an unusual town built around a casino. In 1966 Don Laughlin had a vision of a gambling Mecca on the Colorado River immediately across from Bullhead City, Arizona. At that time there were no bridges crossing the river so he set up free boat rides so the folks on the Arizona side could come over to the casino. Since that time several hotel/casino’s have been built up along the river and Laughlin has become a mini-version of Las Vegas. Although there are some residential areas of Laughlin the main non-casino growth has been across the river in Bullhead City. There are now bridges connecting the two towns and Bullhead City has become a good size city.

For our first excursion out we decided to take in what is described as a ghost town, the town of Chloride, Arizona. It is about 50 miles northeast of Bullhead City. This is not actually a true ghost town in that it has a current population of around 150. The town does have the longest U. S. Post Office in the area, dating back to the 1880’s. There are also a few shops in town along with a very nice cafe/restaurant. Also, one section of town is the old western main street. On one side of the street are original, historic buildings while the other side has a series of false front structures to give it the look of a western movie set. This is where local re-enactors hold gun fights at high noon on Saturday’s during tourist season. Since we were there on a Friday there were no gun fights.

There are some unusual sights in town. Up on the northeast side of town are numerous houses that have what could be called “yard art”. These are collections of antiques, rocks and junk that has been lined along the street in front of houses in a decorative mode. In one of the houses a lady actually does operate an antique shop but the others appear to have just put up the decorations for their own and the tourist amusement. The lady who runs the general store and tourist information bureau suggested we check out their town cemetery. She indicated there were many very unusual tombstones since Chloride had many unusual people living there. All in all this was a good day trip.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 22

Due to a pending storm that was due to hit the Phoenix area on Wednesday we decided to head out a day early. They were predicting rain and high winds for Wednesday and all day Thursday. After our experience in West Texas on the first day of this adventure we decided we did not need to be driving in heavy winds and although we were paid up through Wednesday night we decided to head out that morning. As it turned out this was a good choice. We headed west on Interstate 10 to Quartzsite, Arizona, and then north to Lake Havasu City. By doing this we skirted below the storm and missed it completely.

We spent Wednesday night at DJ’s RV Park in Lake Havasu City. This is a nice park where we spent a few days a year ago on our way home from the Baker to Vegas Race. This also gave us a chance to hit Wal-Mart to stock up on groceries and to do a little maintenance on the coach. The plan is to head out mid-morning on Thursday for Laughlin, Nevada. No need to get an early start since we’ll only be going a little over 60 miles.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 21

Today was a day to explore, overeat and shop. First stop was over in the town of Buckeye to see the Hobo Joe statue. This came from the list of odd and unusual sites that are not on the tourist maps that we get from the website Roadside America. (To see this wonderful site go here.) We have sought out many of the places from this website in our travels around the country. Have not been able to get confirmed information as to who Hobo Joe was/is or why this huge statue is standing on the east side of Buckeye, Arizona. One story is that it is an oversize version of a statue that used to stand in front of a chain of restaurants called Hobo Joe's that was owned by Barry Goldwater's brother. The only information is a plaque at the bottom of the statue that says "Built by and stands in memory of Marvin Ransdell (1928-1988) by his good friend Ramon Gillum, July 1989".

After leaving Buckeye we got back on the Interstate and headed east to Chandler, Arizona. We had decided to have lunch at the Heart Attack Grill. This is a fun place that had been showcased on the Food Channel's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" TV show. Their menu is limited to cheeseburgers and fries, with the fries cooked in pure lard. The only soft drink offered is a 500ml bottle of "full sugar" Coca Cola. The fries are in a self serve buffet and you can take all you care to eat. The burgers range from the "Single Bypass" with one 1/4 pound of meat patty all the way up to the "Quad Bypass" (four 1/4 pound patties) which includes a ride in a wheel chair to your car if you eat it all. Also, any person who weighs at least 350 pounds gets to eat free any day and every day. (They do have a set of doctor's office type scales and you must allow the Doctor (Manager) to weigh you to verify your weight.) The entire decor is based on a medical theme. The Manager is dressed as a doctor, the cook staff are in hospital scrubs and the waitresses are in very skimpy nurses outfits. With your menu you are provided with a hospital wrist band and gown that every one is expected to wear while in the place. This works out well since the food is covered in grease and the gown keeps your clothes clean. When I did not immediately put the gown on the waitress/nurse kindly bent over the counter to assist me with it. To see more on this place you can go here. Their site says they also have a location in Orlando, Florida.

After lunch Jo wanted to shop at her favorite store, Bonworth's. We put that name into the GPS and it brought up two stores within a few miles. We also found a Beall's Outlet store, one that I enjoy shopping when we find them. We hit both Bonworth's and the Beall's and came away with some good bargains. It turned out to me a good day of fun and shopping.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 19

A tea party in Phoenix. The Tea Party Express III made their appearance of their current tour this afternoon on the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol. They kicked off their tour in Searchlight, Nevada, yesterday of a 45 city tour. We were able be at the Oklahoma State Capitol last November when the Tea Party Express II made a stop there. Our good friends Ron & Kay Rivoli are a major part of the Tea Party Express experience.

We arrived a little early to see where everything was and look over the Capitol grounds. In a plaza across the street from the Capitol are a bunch of memorials to Arizonians from all walks of life. Their memorial to the Vietnam War was very well done. In addition to this statue they had all the people from the Phoenix area listed on black marble walls.

Once the three Tea Party Express III buses arrived the action really got underway. The people who make up the Tea Party Express are professional entertainers, authors, and speakers. This is the third incarnation of the Tea Party Express. Each of these people give up a month of their time to volunteer to ride the bus, stop at two or three places per day and put on a couple of hours of entertainment promoting the conservative movement. An extra person of the tour this time around was Joe the Plumber. This is the guy who had the "audacity" of coming out of his house to ask then candidate Obama a question about taxes on the working people of this country. He has become an accomplished speaker and is definitely not politically correct.

Although the different folks did a number or gave a short speech Ron & Kay Rivoli are definitely the stars and carry the bulk at each stop. They have written the theme songs for each of the three Tea Party Express tours. This tours theme is "Just vote them out". We always enjoy their music and have many of their CD's in the motor home. We will see Ron & Kay again in May when they preform at the Monaco America rally in Hutchinson, Kansas. After their performance Ron came down to where we were sitting on the ground to visit for a few minutes before he joined Kay at the vendor tent to sign autographs and sell a few CDs.

After the Tea Party Express folks finished up their part of the rally the local politicians took over. That was our cue to head out. After saying our goodbyes to Ron & Kay we headed out to eat Sunday dinner. Since we were in the middle of downtown Phoenix we decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat. Since it was early in the evening and a Sunday the place was not very busy so we got right in.