Kansas Bound--Day 1

We are back on the road after a respite at the house in Oklahoma. We started our around noon for Hutchinson, Kansas, and the Monaco America RV Club Spring Rally. After a stop in Guthrie for lunch we sailed right along. We did hit come construction areas in northern Oklahoma and then again on the Kansas Turnpike south of Wichita. We arrived at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson about 4:30. It appears they had received some rain last night but the sky is clear now so maybe it will stay this way.

When we arrived there were already a half dozen coaches already here. A couple had come in yesterday and the rest arrived earlier today. We have 50 coaches scheduled for this rally but have already had a couple of cancellations (due to illnesses) and possibly have another cancellation due to mechanical problems with their coach. Always hate when we have folks who have to cancel at this late date because we miss seeing our friends and it is too late to give them a refund of their rally fee since those monies have already been obligated in the expenses of the rally. Here is our coach at the head of a row of the coaches already here. Once the rows fill up we'll be in about the middle of this row.

George & Maskell Stone--73rd Wedding Anniversary

Today our family gathered to celebrate the folks 73rd Wedding Anniversary. They got married on May 15, 1937 in Byars, Oklahoma. From that marriage they produced four sons: George W. , Jr. (Bill), Chester, David, and Richard (Rick). We met at the Assisted Living Center in Purcell, Oklahoma, where they now live, for this monumental occasion. A cake was served to all the residents at the center.

Here are a few pictures of my parents over the years.

Pictures: 1942 in California, 1952 at Niagra Falls, 1966 in Colorado, 1972 in Colorado, 1984 in Hawaii and 2008 in Oklahoma City.

Was on TV today

Oklahoma Legislature pass a bill and sent to the Governor to allow Oklahomans to "open carry". This would allow people to carry their firearms out in the open. Currently people with a concealed carry permit are allowed to carry a firearm but it must be kept concealed. While at the gun range today a local news station was doing a story on this issue and asked me to interview. Above is a copy of the news report.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 47--Home

Another day of driving in the wind and now at home. We pulled out of Amarillo around 9:00am this morning for our final day on the road. The local weather report there indicated that the storms that had generated all the wind had moved out and we should have a calm day. Unfortunately, that did not happen. About 30 miles out the north winds picked up and hit us broadside all the way home, although not as bad as what we experienced yesterday.

Other than the wind we had an uneventful trip and arrived at the house around 1:30pm. Everything appears to be fine here other than the house having that "all closed up" smell. That will go away as we get the air conditioner running and get everything aired out. We unloaded the essential stuff from the coach and then locked it up for the night. We'll take a couple of days getting it unloaded and definitely will give it a good bath. After nearly two months out in the desert with weather from everything from wind to rain to snow the coach really looks bad.

Always good to return home but we are already starting our planning for the next trip, which will be in about three week from now.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 46

Wind, wind and more wind and then a big steak. After having a relative easy drive yesterday we were not prepared for today. We left Albuquerque around 9:00am and got back on Interstate 40 heading east. After a stop in Tucumcari for fuel and lunch we headed toward Texas. That was when the wind picked up. The closer we got to the state line the harder the wind blew. Once we crossed into Texas the wind was so strong we were having trouble keeping the coach on the road. We finally pulled off into a rest area about 60 miles short of Amarillo. We had talked about driving all the way into Oklahoma today but that was not going to happen. After visiting with another Monaco coach owner we decided to press on but only at about 50mph. Around 5:00pm we arrived at the Overnite RV Park in Amarillo. By this time I was exhausted from fighting the wind. This was when we decided to go down the street to The Big Texan steakhouse for dinner.

The Big Texan is famous for the "Free" 72oz steak. This thing is huge and is free if you can eat it, a scrimp salad, a baked potato and rolls in one hour. If you take the challenge they sit you at a table on a stage in the center of the place in front of a timer. If you fail to consume all the food then you are presented with a bill for $72.00, $1.00 for each ounce of steak. Of course, anything left after the hour is up you are allowed to take home with you. Tonight there were two young men taking the challenge. Neither were successful but went home with enough food to make several meals.

This area is a good stop over for travelers along Interstates 40 and 25. To make it easier for these folks to get to The Big Texan they provide a fleet of limo's that will pick you up at your hotel or RV park. (We chose to drive our own car since Joanne wanted to make a stop at Wal-Mart on the way back.) In addition to the steakhouse they also have a large gift shop, an adjacent motel and a horse motel for people traveling with their horses. While we were there Grandma Jo found a rocking chair she could relax in. Of course, like many things in Texas it was way over sized.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 45

A bridge in the sky, a dam and then some snow. We finally have started the trip back home to Oklahoma. This should make our grand daughters happy since we've been told they are ready for us to come home. Before we could head out of Las Vegas yesterday morning we had to have one last visit from the Las Vegas RV Doctor. They had previously put on a new main awning and retraction motor, resealed all the seams in the roof and had removed the slide topper (a large piece of material that protects our slide when it is out) from our largest slide. The slide topper was ripped and they had taken it in to be sewn. They had to return to put the topper back on before we could leave.

We finally pulled out of the RV park around 10:00am and after a stop for fuel we got on the road toward Hoover Dam. Since the 9/11 bombing traffic has been restricted over the dam. Large vehicles were prohibited from driving across the dam. Although commercial trucks and buses are still restricted RV's are now allowed to cross. We did have to stop for a quick search of the coach. While one agent walked through the coach another had me unlock all the storage bays so he could look inside. Obviously they were looking for explosives. As we wound our way around the mountain and down toward the dam we saw the new bridge that is being built. This bridge, when completed, will divert all traffic away from the dam. The bridge is being built much higher than the dam and appears to be suspended in air. This has been a major undertaking and has been under construction for several years. It is scheduled to open around the end of this year but that is not guaranteed. There is still much work that needs to be done on the approaching road on the Arizona side. The first picture here was taken through the coach door as we drove down toward the dam. (The picture is a bit distorted because of the screen on the window.) The second picture was taken showing the level of the bridge and of the dam. Not sure I want to drive a large motor home over that bridge once it is finished.

After the dam we climbed back up the mountains on the Arizona side. This was a slow route with the many switchbacks in the road and the road construction going on. (Our friends Lew & Dottie had come through here the previous day and they got held up for a couple of long periods while blasting was going on opening up sections of the mountain for the new road.) We finally reached Kingman, Arizona, and Interstate 40 around noon. Soon after leaving Kingman we ran into a snow storm. The road was completely covered in snow and traffic was going very slow. Traffic in the west bound lanes was backed up a long distance as a long string of motorcycles, heading to Laughlin for Bike Week this next week, were having problems. We saw at least two bikes that had been "laid down" due to the slick roads. The snow lasted for a while and then we were in sunshine, but not for long. All the way to Flagstaff we drove between sunshine and falling snow. We did stop at Seligman, Arizona, for lunch at the Road Kill Cafe. We've enjoyed this great diner on previous trips through this area. It is located off the Interstate on old Route 66.

Around 5:00pm we made it to Flagstaff and Black Bart's RV Park. This is an older park with limited amenities but it is inexpensive and works fine for a one night stop over. It was snowing very heavy flakes when we arrived and were hooking up the coach. Within a few minutes of getting back in the coach the sun came out. What a way to end the day. We did get more snow during the night and the coach and car were covered the next morning. We didn't leave Flagstaff until around 9:00am this morning and by then the snow had melted off our vehicles.

Today was a fairly uneventful day of driving through Arizona and into New Mexico. We arrived in Albuquerque around 4:30pm and checked into the Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post. This is a very nice park with full hookups with, obviously, WiFi. Our friends, Lew & Dottie, arrived here earlier today and are staying a couple of days. They came by the coach for a visit and then needed a little help leaving. Lew had left the lights on his car and ran his battery down. Since I had not unhooked my car from the coach he decided to just push his car over next to mine so we could jump start his. When you live a life out on the road you must always be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 43

Plenty to eat and a jackpot. Some people may think the biggest thing we do on these trips is eat and lately it seems like that. Last night several of us headed downtown to the Main Street Station Hotel/Casino for dinner in their brew pub. After a great meal most of us headed out to Fremont Street to see the light show, the Fremont Street Experience, that plays above the street. Last nights show was a tribute to the band The Doors. This show is on the huge portico above Fremont Street that runs four blocks in length. The do a show each hour after dark and until midnight. Some in our group had never seen the show before.

While here in Las Vegas we learned some other of our RV friends were in town so we met up with them this morning for breakfast at Arizona Charlies out on Boulder Highway. We've seen Arizona Charlies advertisements and have heard this is a very popular place but we had never been there. We had most of the group we've been with the past few days (Leith's, Anderson's and Roe's) and were joined by Wilbur & Phyllis Ply and Nancy Wolfe. Nancy's husband Dick had flown back home to Florida and was do back in town this evening. The buffet breakfast was exceptional and we all had plenty to eat. This was Lew & Dottie Anderson's last day here and they got off before the picture was taken.

The afternoon was a time for everyone to relax. I decided to walk over to the small store that is attached to the office here at the RV park and try one of their older slot machines. Most of the slots out here no longer accept coins but only paper money. They also pay out with a voucher that must be paid by the cashier. These still take quarters and dispense winnings with real quarters. Earlier in the week I had won 15 quarters on a three quarter bet on one of these machines. Today I hit a jackpot, again on a three quarter bet, and wound up winning $118.50. There were not enough coins in the machine to pay the jackpot and the machine emptied before half of it was paid out. They had to call the company that services the machines to come in and reload it and pay me the balance of the win. We've had a good time out here but all things must come to an end.

Later this evening, after a happy hour at the Leith's coach, our group headed back downtown to the Four Queens for a prime rib dinner in their Magnolia Restaurant. It has become a tradition with Joanne and I to have prime rib at the Magnolia every time we visit Las Vegas. We had the same group from breakfast, less the Anderson's, and were joined by Dick Wolfe direct off his flight from Florida. After dinner we took a shortcut back to the car through the Golden Nugget. They have completely revamped their swimming pool area and it now includes a shark tank. They have a large tube slide from the upper deck to the pool that people can slide through. The portion that goes through the tank is clear so people can see the sharks and other fish as they slide through. All good things must come to an end and that is true of our stay here in Las Vegas. Sometime tomorrow morning we will load up and start our trek east back to Oklahoma.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 42

Some coach repairs, visiting with friends and even meeting some Stars. Pawn Stars that is. The last two days have been spent mostly running around Las Vegas getting some chores done. We made arrangements with the Las Vegas RV Doctor to complete the repairs they started while we were in Laughlin. We now have a fully working main awning, although the wind is blowing too hard today to be able to extend it and get the hot desert sun off the coach.

While Joanne and Vicki did some shopping Don and I tooled around town in his Corvette Z06. We did find time time to visit the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the home of the History Channel TV show called The Pawn Stars. This has become a very popular show and has made stars out of the three family members: Richard Harrison (The Old Man), Richard junior (Rick) and Rick's son Corey along with Corey's long time best friend Austin Russel (Chum Lee). They told us at the shop that prior to the TV show their business was relatively slow. Now they often have 1,000 visitors per day. We try to catch the show every Monday night and enjoy each of these characters. On our visits we were able to meet The Old Man and Chum Lee. I had a good conversation with The Old Man in that he is, like myself, retired from the Navy. We also got to see his pickup truck that is often seen on the show when he stands in front of it while giving a monologue about the happenings in the shop.

Westward Ho--Spring 2010--Day 40

Viva Las Vegas! We woke up Sunday to the sound of gun fire. Don & Steve were out in the desert trying out Steve's new rifle. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my Henry Repeating Rifle and joined them. After expending a few rounds we loaded up our coaches to head out. The Terra's returned to their home in Southern California and the Leith's and us headed for Las Vegas. We arrived at the Oasis RV Park on the far south end of Las Vegas around 1:00pm on Sunday. After getting settled in and hooked up we relaxed awhile before heading to the Southpoint Hotel/Casino for their buffet dinner. The promoters of the Baker to Vegas race provide each of the RV Volunteers with a voucher for the Sunday night buffet at the Southpoint. The six of us (Leith's, Anderson's and Stone's) were joined by Ray and Glenda Roe for dinner.

Afterwards only Vicki, Glenda and I wanted to keep going so as everyone else returned to their respective coaches the three of us headed for downtown Las Vegas. I'm always amazed at the changes that have taken place in between our visits to this town. I've always preferred to spend my time in the downtown area than out on the "strip" (Las Vegas Boulevard). This year we saw many changes in the different casino's that are down there with the biggest change at the Golden Nugget and the Gold Coast. Both of these casino's have added space by moving into portions of the old Pioneer Casino, which has been closed for many years. Additionally, the Golden Nugget has added a third tower of rooms for their guest.

Happy Birthday to my Dad!

Today is my father's 91st birthday. He has always been my hero and is my best friend. I am proud to be his son. I hope he had a very special day and was very sorry that we could not be there with him to celebrate. Being out in the middle of the California desert we had no cell phone coverage to even give him a call. We love you Pop.