We had a great time in Vegas

Thirty nine years ago we made our first PCS (permanent change of station) move from Wichita, KS to Las Vegas, Nevada. I was PG with baby #3...now known as Sarah Breen...we were very young....We were pretty preoccupied so did not do much we did the Hoover Dam and bike rides and had a baby. Elvis was at the Hilton...Sinatra was on stage somewhere too! This was the Vegas of the Rat Pack ...not all that sophisticated or polished...the food was cheap and good and so were the drinks. Playing the slot machine was easy, back then...We went once, each of us had $10.00 we could loose. And we did.
I've been back several times for the Tea Expo...but that was business. Paul had not been back since we left in 1974. What a difference.
We stayed at the Nellis AFB Fam Camp, which was very nice, and at $19 a night, we had the best room in town. We went to the Bellagio for the dinner buffet...

 

mine👆

 

His👆

 

 After dinner we enjoyed a walk around the hotel...

 

The lobby is simply gorgeous

 

My camera cannot do this ceiling justice.

 

Then we went outside to see the fountains put on their show...

 

A perfect night.

 

 

 

 

 

 On Saturday we took a bus tour

 

 

 

 Had a ball...saw neat stuff and learned much about Las Vegas

 

 

Fremont Street

 

 

Fountain outside the Wynn

 

 

 Of course the Grand Canal!

Then, Saturday night we saw....

Great show!

So...we enjoyed our time in Vegas!

 

Tally ho,

Cathy

 

A bit of desert love

Phoenix is home to a most amazing botanical garden. Paul and I spent an afternoon oooing and ahing over succulents.

 

But first...we had lunch!

 

Mine 👆

 

 

His👆

 

Then we began our journey. I took almost 100 photos...no, you cannot see them all...maybe later?

But, I will share some highlights

 

 

 

 

Then these

 

 

 

And more

 

 

 

 

 

If one picture is worth a thousand words...well hard to describe the beauty...but hope you enjoy.
Tally ho,
Cathy

 

 

 

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A BATTERY MAKES

Thanks to attending the Boondocking Rally sponsored by RVDreams Journal we discovered our battery was the problem. Now, we had the battery checked by Casita and they said it was 100%A OK...but it wasn't...so we bit the bullet and bought an AGM no maintenance battery. That, along with our 90Watt solar keeps our little MiniPearl going full speed without needing any electricity! So we can enjoy staying at places like this....

 

 

OWL CANYON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, that's what I call excellent location!

We are so glad we have the ability to access these spots. We enjoy seeing the "sights" but the night sky at Owl Canyon rivals the lights of Vegas!

Tally ho, Cathy

 

 P.S. http://shop.rvsolarnow.com/90-watt-folding-portable-RV-solar-system-Economy-Series-SLP090F-12S.htm

 

Just thought you would like to see our solar system (play on words???)

Just had to share

 

We are VOYAGERS!

 
…A QUOTE FROM STERLING HAYDEN’S BOOK, WANDERER
To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.”
What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it.
But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Tally ho,
Cathy

Do you ever wonder???

...if you made the right choice? I think it is healthy to question, anything and everything. It is good mental gymnastics. Took me at least two years to choose our traveling home. During that time I followed a fellow's blog who was full timing in a Lazy Daze class C rig. I really liked that rig. REALLY. But the price was very high, the class c is big and I discussed the driving with a DAR friend of mine who had a class c and had driven it coast to coast. While she said she had a fabulous time, she did say the rig was top heavy and tended to sway with the wind...scary. So...money, size and handling helped to move me away from the Lazy Daze. (are you wondering where Paul is during all this??? I kept him updated on my findings, but, I really think he was humoring me at this time he didn't believe we would actually do this!) Even though I moved on, I always was curious to actually see a Lazy Daze. They are made in CA and you don't see many out east...so, we were within an hour's drive of Montclair where the factory is located....we took a trip over to have a look!

 

So here it is...we got there right at lunch time. The guy who showed us around was less than enthusiastic. The office was old, dingy and messy...not a good first impression and quite the opposite to the Casita showroom. Their production was really primitive and I saw just 3 rigs being built...again, far from the factory in Rice.

 

 

Lots of Casitas here

 

 

 

 

Every model Casita makes is proudly displayed in their spotless showroom where you are able to freely inspect each one on your own, or get all your questions answered by a friendly and knowledgeable sales associate. Quite a different experience than the one we had at Lazy Daze.

 

After the trip to see the Lazy Daze I was well-convinced that we made the right choice for us....Paul agreed!

 

Tally ho,

Cathy

Forgot to mention...

While we enjoyed the beautiful beach at San Onofre and had our meet up with Mickey...we also visited the Richard M. Nixon birthplace and library. Enjoyed the library and learning more about this President. He came from very average surroundings, worked very hard and was always an achiever. He was well liked and a good son, husband and father. He loved his country, served honorably in the Navy during WW II. He was a master statesman and a consummate Politian. The library was very comprehensive in covering his public and personal life. Much detail was given on Watergate, which I found impressive for several reasons. No excuses were made, just details and facts. He was not made a victim or exonerated. History will decide. Lots of memories of his time in office and all his achievements, which were many. We have been to several Presidential libraries and this one is right at the top along with the Truman Library. Five stars folks.

 

Outside the Nixon Library

 

 

 

Always impressive...The Great Seal

 

 

 

 

Paul stands among statue of great world leaders during Nixon's tenure

You can click on the photos for larger pictures and more details.

 The library is located in Yorba Linda and it took a while to get there, we had gone to church first, and after church we stopped for lunch here...

 

 

How cool....had a delicious chicken pot pie! Love that Marie!

 

Tally ho,

Cathy

 

We have a PLAN

We have a PLAN for our travels. The PLAN is vague because we might hear, see or read about some place we need to see and so we detour but we are always mindful of our PLAN. Here it is...We will spend middle of May to middle of June in North Carolina, we will spend time in PA from there we will head north back to Acadia and on to Nova Scotia for our second year attending the Vintage Fiberglass rally which will be in Cape Breton on the Cabot Trail. From there we will head west again hoping to get all the way to Seattle by Sept. From Seattle we head south and spend some time in the southwest...since we loved the Sonoran Desert we hope to do a lot more boondocking there. So, that's the PLAN. What actually happens will be faithfully reported here, promise.
Now, for a picture

 

We are staying at Owl Canyon BLM close to Barstow, CA

 

 

 

 

Beautiful view, lots of Joshua trees

 

 

Friday morning we woke up to SNOW!

 

We took a walk, it melted fast, by noon it was all gone.

Our solar kept working even through a dense cloud cover and some rain. What a change from beautiful warm sunny beach to....in just a short two hour drive! Barstow is a bit depressing. Even the Walmart is bleak...not much going on in town, but we sure are enjoying Owl Canyon. The desert is beginning to get green with all the moisture lately and I bet the flowers will start showing soon. We hope to be back in Arizona to enjoy the floral show!

Tally ho,

Cathy

 

MICKEY SAYS, "Hi"

I finally got to visit Disneyland! I was not disappointed. The cost of entrance was steep...$89.00 a piece, a military discount no less. Cost $15 to park. But after that we could spend, or not spend as much as we chose. We opted for the "no memorabilia " plan, which saved as hundreds of bucks and also our self respect as we saw many adults looking mighty silly in all kinds of get ups...of which they were not employed to wear. If I am going to look silly I'll do the "Single ladies" dance and then my daughter will post it on FB for all to see...over and over again....
But I digress.
We entered the Magic Kingdom

 

 

 

First ride of the day...

 

 

The Matterhorn

 

 

Beautiful and impressive

 

 

I AM NOT SCARED...

 

You ride in a bobsled type thingie, Paul sat in the front seat...his hair was standing straight up when we got off. It was a lot of fun folks.

Then we walked right over to the Nautilus which is a submarine you take under water (right). Paul remembers this ride from 50 years ago...now we "Find Nemo" A rather dull ride mostly for the kiddies.

 

 

The staircase into the sub.

After the ride we took the train over to New Orleans and

 

Adventureland. We had read not to miss the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and also the Indiana Jones ride, so that was where we were headed....but first, LUNCH

 

 

Mine....corn chowder

 

 

His...red beans and rice with sausage.

Not bad, not great....sufficient....

 

 

This ride was wonderful

 

 

Captain Jack showed us a good time

 

 

Wait time for almost all the rides was less than 20 minutes. One reason for that was park attendance. We were told by a Disney crew member that there were only 20,000 folks in the park that day. Average attendance is around 65,000! We picked a good time!

 

We worked up a sweet craving, so we each got one of these

 

 

Hot fudge sundaes with two chocolate chip cookies

 

 

I mention the cookies because Paul ate all 4!

 

We found Indiana Jones and enjoyed that ride too, then rode the African River boat ride...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting close to 5pm and we knew the traffic going home would be awful, so we decided we had seen enough and had our fill of a great time...so we bid Disneyland farewell

 

 

 

 

Tally ho,

Cathy