Sunday, April 27, 2008



Photos from the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive and our hike to Calico Tanks!
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Moving on to Beautiful Red Rock Canyon (BLM Land)

Apr 21 – Apr 27, Mon-Sun ... On Wednesday, we drove to Las Vegas. The original plan was to go directly to the Red Rock Canyon Campground about 17 miles West of Las Vegas. However, it was necessary to take the mh to a Caterpillar repair place so they could fix the oil pan leak that was discovered when Mike had the oil changed recently. They had to keep it overnight so we decided to look for a hotel room on the Las Vegas Strip. After going online, we found a good deal at the Stratosphere hotel on North Las Vegas boulevard. That afternoon, we drove to the Bellagio Hotel hoping to see the world famous water fountains. However, the wind was too strong and it never happened.
On Thursday, after arriving at the Red Rock Canyon Park, we started looking for Mike’s Golden Age Passport card so we could enter the park at no charge. It was then that we realized that both sets of car keys were locked in the car which was attached to our motorhome. The only thing to do was call AAA. The guy was there in about 30 minutes and had the door unlocked, in kid you not, in about 5 seconds.
A little later, we got settled at our site. The camping area has many sites for tent camping but only 5 for RV’s, and those have no hook-ups what-so-ever. Friday, we visited the Red Rock Canyon visitors center and then went on what was advertised as a “moderately” strenuous hike. It was that and more; 2.5 mile in length and a climb of over 450 ft through rocks and crevices. Once we reached the top, the view of the Las Vegas basin was spectacular to say the least. The round trip hike took us just over 2 hours. From there we completed the 13 mile scenic drive enjoying the beautiful colors in the canyon.
On Saturday, the plan was to again take one of the several interesting hikes within the Red Rock Canyon Park. We started out walking a 3.3 mile hike and had walked about 1 mile when Mike started not feeling up to par. Although we had plenty of water, it was hot and we had not had much to eat for breakfast. The prudent thing to do was to turn around and head back down to the trailhead where we had lunch that we had brought along. Mike felt much better after eating and drinking lots of water.
That afternoon, we drove in to a suburb of Las Vegas and went to a Costco store and a coffee shop. We used the coffee shop complimentary WiFi internet connection to catch up with email and do some research on flights to Montana that we plan to take on Monday. Sunday was travel day; this time to St. George, UT, a trip of about 150 miles. We will overnight here, put the mh in storage and fly to Montana tomorrow. We are going specifically to attend our nephew, Levi’s Confirmation on May 6th (we are his Godparents)!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mike with a 35 Ford, similar to one he had in the 60's
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Rock formations from our hike in the Grapevine Canyon
A colorful blooming catus from our hike
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Activities in & around Bullhead City & Laughlin

Apr 14 – Apr 20, Mon-Sun ... This has been a week of Dr. visits and shopping; Dixie for physical therapy on her arm and Mike for a routine check-up and physical.
We’ve been taking short hikes in and around the rv park this week but on Friday, we ventured out by driving to the Grapevine Canyon area. We hiked about two miles through the desert mountain canyons where we saw some very unusual rock formations and desert plant life. While at the highest point of the hike, we could see in the distance, the Colorado River, Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ.
After coming back, we went to a park along the river in Bullhead City where we ate our lunch we had brought along. It was nice being near the water. The weather was sunny and the temp was about 75 degrees. Fortunately, there were not many jet skiers or loud boats on the water while we were there. There are several activities planned for the area this weekend and our plan is to attend some of them.
On Sat. we went to a local Burro Barb-b-que in Bullhead City. (it wasn’t really Burro that they barb-b-qued). Then we drove to the Avi Casino to a large Car show. There must have been close to a hundred classic cars/rods there & also some motorcycles. From there we moved down to the Laughlin casino strip to the Chili Cook Off and to listen to some music. Mike had to try his hand at the video poker – it didn’t take long to realize that he isn’t a real good gambler!
Today, Sun. we are going to the Riverside Casino for brunch! The wind is still blowing, however it is not going to be as hot today. We have 2 more days here and then on Wed. we move on to the Las Vegas area.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

18th Wedding Anniversary - 4/7
View of part of the Laughlin Casino Strip from our motorhome site
Night time view of the casino strip
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On to Bullhead City, AZ / Laughlin, NV

Apr 7 – Apr 13, Mon-Sun ... This week has started out just like last week; very quiet. Monday was our 18th wedding anniversary so we searched far and wide to find a suitable restaurant for an evening of fine dining. The winner was the Sunshine Grill in Blythe, CA. The food was ok but the ambiance left a lot to be desired. Oh well, we’ll add this one to some other anniversaries celebrated in obscure locations across the nation.
Wednesday was move day. This time to Bullhead City, a town across the Colorado River from Laughlin, AZ about 130 miles from our current location. Before we get on the road, the plan is to make a stop at the Flying J Service Center here in Ehrenberg for an oil change and lube. We made it to the Ridgeview RV Park shortly afternoon. We are parked on the ridge so we can overlook the Laughlin Casino Strip and the Colorado River. The view is great but the wind has blown everyday. Dixie is going to physical therapy every other day for her elbow/arm as it is not getting better. Danny drove his motorcycle up from Palm Springs on Friday evening so we decided to check out some local music at the casinos. The couple of band we heard must have been good as we never made it home until 1am. On Sat. we drove the short distance to Davis Dam & Lake Mohave where we walked across the dam and read info on how it was built & how it actually produce electricity. While leaving the Lake Mead Natl Preserve Mike was going a bit fast and the Park Ranger pulled us over but luckily just gave us a warning. We busy looking at the boats and didn’t see the 25 mile an hour speed limit. Later we went to dinner at the River Palms Prime Rib Buffet and then to listen to another country band. Danny left on Sunday around 10a as he had tickets to take Lexi to the Circus! We spent a little time at the pool but the sun was too hot and the water was too cold!

Monday, April 07, 2008

A view of the Colorado River with the mountains in the background. Mike took this from the rooftop at our site at Ehrenberg Colorado River Oasis. The river is actually just several yards away from the motorhome. It is moving very fast and rises a bit each day!
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Sunday, April 06, 2008

This is the 'Pioneer Cemetery' that is across the road from our RV park. It was first used in 1862 and last used in 1988.
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A quite week in Ehrenberg, AZ

Mar 31 – Apr 6, Mon-Sun ... We had a very quite week. Dixie went to “Walk Away the Pounds” exercise class in the mornings and Water Aerobics in the afternoon. Mike even went to exercise class a couple of times. We drove to Quartzsite one day but it’s pretty much a ghost town this time of the year. Blythe, CA is about 5 miles from here so we made the trip there a couple of times for groceries and the hardware store. Buy Saturday we were getting a little stir crazy so we went back into Blythe and went to the movie ‘Leatherheads’. It was pretty funny! Sunday we walked a couple miles to the Flying J and then into Ehrenberg hunting for a Sunday paper. We didn’t have any luck...we really are in a remote area. We have a few more days before heading to Bullhead City on Wed.