Viva Las Vegas

Today was a sad day for us as today was the day we were to part company with Andy and Jackie. I have never seen Andy pack up so slowly - normally he is running around with a spring in his step eager to get to his next location- not today! He was really struggling as he was not looking forward to going back to the cold weather of Canada. We decided we would have a farewell breakfast at the Hacienda Casino - $5.95 for a smorgasbord - always good value at the casinos!

Our farewell breakfast



Breakfast done, farewells said and it was only 11.00. Our next stop was a mere 20 miles away into Vegas and we could not book in till around 2pm. In the car park of the casino they were advertising $29 helicopter flights and as Rose had never been in a chopper before we decided to make some further enquiries. Ten minutes later we were heading up to the landing pad. It was only a short flight but is designed to allow people to tick the experience off their bucket list. Rose was so nervous and as luck would have it there was only two of us for the flight so she sat in co pilot's seat. I have never heard Rose so animated as she was when we landed - it made me laugh - she talked about it for hours!

From RV Co pilot to helicopter Co pilot


Our truck and trailer from the air


Flight done we headed into Vegas to the Sam's Town Casino RV park. Sam's Town is not far from the strip and offers a free shuttle bus to various locations on the strip on a regular basis.

We were allocated a site right near the entrance of the park which gave us the opportunity to watch the daily RV parade as people arrived and left. We have been here five months now and I am still amazed at the Motorhomes and fifth wheelers we see. Of course the other advantage of being at the entrance was that everyone who came in the park knew we were Aussies due to our flag flying from our annex.

No one was going to miss us right at the entrance!


Motorhome towing a truck loaded US style


One of the great things about RVing is the people you meet. On our last trip to the US we hired a 24 foot motorhome and whilst at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon we met a lovely couple Betsy and Keith from Las Vegas. We have kept in contact with them since then so of course arranged to catch up this time around. We went to their place for a BBQ on the Saturday and out shooting to their regular shooting spot about 15 miles out of town on Sunday.

Betsy has some nice "pink" guns and Rose managed to coordinate her outfit with them!

A pink packing Rose


Now that' s a shotgun



Shooting done we headed back to Keith and Betsy's place. Keith is an avid car enthusiast and he owns what we in Australia would call a "drag" racing car. This car does the quarter mile in nine seconds, is registered and he can drive it on the road! So we jumped into this amazing drag car and went for a drive around the burbs with the police just watching us drive by - what an experience!




We have been travelling for over 5 months without meeting any fellow Aussies - we sort of figured that Vegas may change that. We were sitting inside the 5th wheeler having a lazier than normal day when we heard a knock on our front door - opened it to an Aussie voice asking "where are you from?" Introductions done - Bill and Sue are also from Brisbane doing a similar thing to us - just not for a full year. Needless to say we had lots of things to talk about and travel tips to share. Two days later there was another voice at the door "Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi" a couple from Melbourne again doing a similar journey to us. We swapped stories with both couples and believe that depending on who you get at immigration when you enter the USA depends on the length of stay that you are granted. We arrived in the USA with all the documentary evidence proving that we could support ourselves for the 12 months etc but the officer we encountered was not interested in any of it - 6 months was all we were getting! it seems to be a lottery and no consistency. Other people we have spoken to have been given extended entry. Cant figure it!

Our week in Vegas slipped by quickly - so quickly in fact that we didn't even venture into the strip. We will no doubt rectify that when we return in 3 - 4 weeks time.

- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Las Vegas

Lake Mead National Park

We headed to our next destination of Lake Mead in Nevada. We crossed the state border using the new bridge which by passes the Hoover Dam - a great fuel and time saver - a marvellous piece of engineering.

This park was a great step up from our last one - well kept and clean and we had fantastic views of Lake Mead.

Great views



As the weather was nice and warm and there seemed to be a lot of things to do and see in the area so we booked in for 6 nights. We often wonder if we will ever get tired of the desert but sitting there the first night overlooking the spectacular sunset we knew the answer was no - how could you tire of this.

Just beautiful



As always Rose and I were keen to do some walks and Lake Mead offered a few. The longest one followed the railway line that was built to support the building of the Hoover Dam in the early 1930's . The trail was 6.5 miles long with five tunnels to walk through. We set off early to beat the heat and also enjoy the sunrise.

Looking back to our RV Park


Sunrise on the huge rock formations


A view of the tunnels


The views of the surrounding area are majestic. The walk terminates at the Hoover Dam and the new bridge. A walkway was included in the construction of the bridge which allows you to truly appreciate the size of the dam. 35,000 men worked for years to complete it - watching the historical film at the visitor information centre really makes you appreciate what the workers and their families endured.

View from the new bridge


We loved this walk and if you ever get the chance it's well worth the effort.

Through Facebook we found out some Aussie friends of ours Angie and Michael were also holidaying in the USA and were staying in Las Vegas. It had been quite some time since we had heard an Aussie accent so invited them to our place for a BBQ. It was great to catch up with someone from home. Thanks Angie and Michael!

A good "Aussie" BBQ was had



The Valley of Fire State Park is approximately 30 miles from Lake Mead and we had been told by some other campers just how beautiful it is. So at their advice and with Andy playing tour guide we headed off. Along the way we stopped at Red Rock and Blue Springs ( a natural hot spring). Amazing country!








Our tour guide Andy (and Jackie)



The Valley of Fire road meanders 10.5 miles through the park. There are a number of stop off points along the way including some hiking trails. We weren't quite prepared for hiking so just followed the throng of cars winding their way through the park. Just spectacular.











Our stay at Lake Mead was to be where we would part company with our very good friends and travelling companions - we were heading into Las Vegas and they were returning to their home country of Canada. It was going to be tough being on our own again after nearly a month of great company and fun. Our parting however was delayed as the RV park we were anticipating on booking into in Las Vegas didn't have any available sites for our big rig. So rather that looking any further afield we extended our stay at Lake Mead for an extra 3 days. Unfortunately this meant we had to pack up camp and move about 10 sites down as our sites had been booked. A small price to pay for a few more days of drinking, eating and skip Bo championships!


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Lake Mead Nevada

Crazy Horse RV Park

After a week at Yuma and a few dollars spent on 'improvements and must haves' for the 5th wheeler discussions were had over the dinner table on where to next. Andy and Jackie had heard a bit about Lake Havasu and as it was heading back north to Canada for them and it was also heading towards Las Vegas we decided to join them. By this time we are working well together as a team and really enjoying this companion camping gig. We shared every evening meal together, taking it in turns to cook - small correction there - Jackie cooks and Andy makes sure there is enough beer!

Prior to leaving Yuma Rose did her usual and found a park right on the shores of Lake Havasu which seemed to have pretty good reviews. Crazy Horse RV Park here we come! We arrived, booked in and headed for our site. The closer we got to our site the less impressed we were becoming. The park was littered with rubbish and the gardens overgrown with weeds. Our site had a concrete pad with a picnic table which no one would be game to sit on - the timber seats were bowed and someone had lit a fire on the table top. There was also a fire pit dug into the sand in the middle of our site still with half burnt timber pieces in it. And then to top it all off was the amount of rubbish and rotting dirty carpet -yes carpet. We found out later on that a local carpet layer drops carpet off cuts and carpet he has removed from his jobs at the park as it appears that people staying there don't like the sand! That would be ok except the carpet is just left when people move on. Rose called the office straight away to complain and was told that they would send someone from maintenance down to clean it up. We waited for a while but soon came to the realisation that we were on our own so we cleaned it up ourselves. Seven days later maintenance still hadn't shown up!

Andy and Jackie arrived, the look on their faces said it all - they were not impressed! To add to their displeasure they were charged $42 extra for their two small dogs for the week.

There were even bits of carpet down to the water edge, but the view was great






All parks have a list of rules that make living in such close proximity with other campers an enjoyable experience. The rules for this park seemed to be just words on paper - no one seemed to abide by them. We watched people park on the picnic slabs (they are not weight rated), we had mini bikes riding around at night with no lights - the list just goes on. Being close to the waters edge at any park in the USA means that you don't have sewerage hook up at your site. Instead they offer a 'honey wagon' service where a truck comes and pumps out your grey and black tanks for a $5 fee. Reasonable enough however not so good for Andy and Jackie - the contractor didn't hook them up properly which resulted in the contents of their tanks being sprayed all over the operator and the side of their motor home! A not so happy call to the office resulted in the elusive maintenance man appearing to clean up the mess!

We did consider moving on but unfortunately we had paid for a week's accommodation with a no refund policy so we decided to just make the best of a bad situation.

Another happy hour or was that a champagne breakfast!


Lake Havasu is famous for the London bridge - a stone bridge which was brought from England stone by stone and re erected in Havasu. The Lake itself was created with the damming of the Colorado river by the Parker dam and has become a water playground for boaties.

Hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes


Plenty of powerboats too



We were there for the Easter long weekend and it was also "spring break" so the number of high powered boats on the lake was amazing - there was a constant parade of power boats idling out of the river channel. Once they got past the "no wake" area the testosterone kicked in and all you could here was the roar of 400 hp as they took off. The economy is obviously not so bad at Lake Havasu.

Spring break brought the added bonus of young tanned men and bikini clad young girls walking around the streets. Just like schoolies in Australia however the majority of the Spring Breakers are 21 years of age - the legal drinking age in the USA. Celebrate their break they did, with the doof doof music from the night clubs floating across the lake until the wee hours of the morning.

One thing that the Crazy Horse RV park did have was its position - right on the lake and walking distance to London Bridge, the local shops and water craft hire places. One of the cheapest ways to see the lake however is to catch a ferry across the lake to the casino - a mere $2 return. So we boarded the boat along with a long line of casino patrons. Arrived, had a quick beer and caught the next ferry back.

London Bridge


We also did a day trip to the Parker dam and the surrounding areas.
Parker Dam creates a desert oasis





Our stay at the Crazy Horse will certainly be one that we will remember and talk about for many years to come.

Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Lake Havasu Arizona

3.10 to Yuma

One night as we sat and talked around the table the subject came up on where we were off to next, I said Phoenix, Andy said "what's there" of course my usual reply of "no idea" it's just a place on the map. A beer or two later Andy asked if we wanted to follow them back to Yuma, I looked at Rose she looked at me and we said why not. Andy and Jackie had spent 4 months in Yuma so they were very familiar with it and the clincher was a market for RVers. All i knew of Yuma was there was a movie called "3.10 from Yuma" and that was it.

Yuma is not far from the border with Mexico and in the winter approximately 90,000 snow birders from North America and Canada call it home. Now think of this, if there are two people for every RV, Motorhome or fifth wheel then that's 40,000 RV's!! We have read that 1.7 million people head south for the winter every year, that's a lot of RV's!

Rose was given the task of finding a park for us sounds easy but there were so many and getting the right priced one was difficult. We settled on a park that had 500 sites! And there were lots this size. We had a pool, hot tub and water aerobics plus many other activities this was serious snow birding! We arrived at our park and did the usual setting up including having Andy's motorhome facing us.

Our Yuma Desert Oasis



One of the things about Yuma is that it caters for the snow birders that is the many services it has to offer. You can get anything you need for your RV or fifth wheel. I was interested in a couple of things and of course Andy was keen to see me part with my money, it a bloke thing, gadgets. Our first item was some slide out toppers so we arranged for some quotes, then I wanted the trailer washed and waxed. After a late night of playing skip Bo I awoke to Andy saying he saw a motorhome being washed not far from us and he had teed up they blokes to do our trailer, that was washed and hand waxed for $90 now that was cheap and they bring there own water. These two Mexican guys worked flat out for two and a half hours I gave them a hundred they deserved it.

Now you may ask why do they bring their own water, well the water in places like Yuma is high in calcium and lime so if you wash you RV with it you end up with white crap all over it when it dries. It's most noticeable in the shower as it builds up on the screen or if you splash water on the kitchen bench. You can drink it but they say it is "medicinal" and will clean you out quick smart so just about on every block is a water station, take your 5 gallon container fill it up for a $1 that's your drinking water. Most houses here have some kind of filtration system.

We were really getting into "doing" nothing except putting shorts, T shirt and thongs (flip flops) and of course the odd game of skip Bo

Just love this card game



The Yuma markets we were keen to see, they only exist in winter to cater for the snow birders so we ventured to them on several occasions. The quote for the toppers was to expensive so we let it go but we did but a sun shade that attaches to our awning plus some other little goodies.

Another attraction for Yuma is its close proximity to the Mexican border and we were keen for another visit but this time with someone more seasoned than us so the four of us drove to the border parked the car and walked across. Now this was a border crossing and with so many people in Yuma it was busy. There were hundreds of cars parked on the US side and a constant stream of people walking across.

First thing I needed was a hair cut, to easy Andy new a place $5.50 very cheap, I gave here $10 and she was very appreciative.
Best haircut in Mexico



One of the main attractions for snow birders both from the USA and Canada is the cheaper medical stuff. I reckon we walked past at least 50 dentists and they are all touting for work, then there is the optometrist they do the same and finally prescription medicine. We felt like we were in Bali again.
I have never seen so many "dentists" in one area.
Felt like Bali without humidity and the smell


Of course no trip across the border would be complete without a lunch and another margarita so we stopped at a place familiar to Andy and Jackie for some lunch. As always great value Coronas were only $2 a stubbie and there could be nothing more authentic than a Corona in Mexico. Lunch done we headed back to the border to cross back not the USA, another bar stop for a refreshment then onto the long line to cross back over. Getting into Mexico is takes as long as it takes to walk through a gate getting back can take hours so we lined up with all the others for the wait to get back across. Our time was relatively short just 90 mins but it can take much longer. Of course the street sellers don't miss the chance for one last sale to such a captive audience so the words "no thank you" resonate down the line
The line to cross back over



We arrived home just in time for "happy hour" and to watch other RVers come in to the park. As we watched I was amazed to see this "rig" pull in. Commonly called a double tow and this a very common site here, I mean how else are you going to get your toys to your camp site.
Note the quad bike in the truck bed



We had a great time in Yuma and it was great to just sit back and do nothing. You would think with all this time on my hands my blogs would be up to date? Our time in Yuma has been fun and always a leaning experience Andy showed me how to replace the anode in the hot water system, this is a rod that attracts all the minerals from the water, ours was pretty bad and was quite corroded even after such a short time. It just shows how much minerals are in the tap water.

Our week is up and it's time to move on to the next destination.



Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Yuma Arizona

Learning to "Snow Bird"

As we settled in, and over the next few days we started to slow down, for a number of reasons. Firstly it was warm, 30 degrees Celsius with about 5% humidity so the days were just perfect, we even had our two air conditioners on! Two weeks ago we were regularly getting below zero at night now it didn't go below 10 c. The warm weather allowed us to finally be able to sit outside, relax and use the 'man cave'! Secondly Andy and Jackie, as full timers, are in no rush to get any place soon - other than back to Canada within their 6 month time frame. As crazy as it may sound - the days just seemed to fly by.

Andy and Jackie have taught us a card game called Skip Bo (Beryl, Neil and Janice be prepared for a few card nights when we get back!) which we are totally addicted to. Most afternoons we tend to spend many hours in the sun with a beer or wine, and of course the occasional water, challenging each other to a few games.

Our community dinner and card playing table



When not playing cards we sit and chat and chat and chat. Amazingly we never seem to run out of something to talk about.

Prior to coming to the States we had purchased a Rand McNally GPS. The selling point of this particular GPS is that it is made specifically for 5th wheelers and motor homes with a feature which allows you to record the length, height and weight of your rig. When the GPS calculates a route this information is taken into consideration making sure that we don't come across any low bridges etc. Mr Gadget Man, Andy, was so impressed with the features he just had to have one for his motorhome. As luck would have it there was a Camping World store in Tucson so the next day we went to spend some of Andy's money and of course have a look ourselves - there is always something to buy in a Camping World Store!

One 'tip' that Andy passed on to us was the usefulness of a 'Californian Mop'. In the desert your truck does not get dirty it just gets covered in dust so the Californian mop is great for keeping it clean. I must admit I did laugh the first time I saw Andy 'dusting' off his motorhome but I soon learned that this mop is very practical as water is scarce so it makes good sense.

Yep I am really "dusting" the truck!



As we had booked to stay in Tucson for the week we had plenty of days to do nothing, apparently this is what snow birding is all about!

Rose had read about the Sabino Canyon National Park and, as we had been idle for a few days, we thought it would be a great place to visit. We arrived to find that a lot of people must also have read the same article - the car park was full! There is always a fee payable when entering a National or State Park in the USA. We used our National Parks pass (which we had purchased before we arrived in the USA as we knew we would be visiting a large number of parks during our 12 month holiday) saving us the $20 entry fee.

The canyon is 3.2 miles deep and visitors have the option of either walking into it or paying $8 to ride the trolly bus which makes 5 stops along the way. We opted to ride the trolly bus up to the end of the canyon and walk back. It was a very warm day so we made sure we had adequate water - we are constantly amazed at the number of people we have passed on many of the hikes we have done who don't carry water!

The journey included a commentary about the canyon and the desert fauna. There is a watercourse that's runs down the canyon which comes from the melting snow further up the mountain. It is a true oasis in the desert.

Ready for the walk down the Canyon



It was an easy downhill walk but still hot. Halfway down there was a waterhole where people were swimming so we stopped for a break and a paddle in the water. The water was freezing due to the fact it came from melted snow, but people were swimming in it. As we paddled in the water Jackie remarked on my swollen ankle, it was like a balloon and a spot above my knee was very sore, so sore it hurt each and every time my shorts touched it.

The water was freezing


Andy and Jackie



Shoes back on we continued on out of the canyon - a bit of trivia - The Little House on the Prairie was filmed in the canyon (for those old enough to remember it). We were fascinated how the Segonia cactus could grow in the places it did, ie in the cracks of rocks.

View of the canyon


One of the first trees we have seen with leaves on it!



Walk completed we headed home for a well earned beer and some dinner. Jackie (a retired nurse) had a proper look at my now swollen leg which was now very painful. Confirming what she thought she recommended that I started a course of antibiotics. Prior to travelling anywhere overseas we visit our local GP and get prescriptions for general medications which of course includes antibiotics. So I started a course that night.

In our travels we had noticed that a number of people had a stick on map of the USA on their rigs. The idea is that you peel off and stick each state that you have visited onto the map. We saw one at Camping World so thought we were justified in purchasing one given the number of states we have, and will visit. As we travel we will continue to add or colour in the states we have visited.

Our "been there done that" map


Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Tucson Arizona

The Bone Yard

As we drove to Tucson, Rose my trusty co pilot found an RV park for us to stay at. This time however there was added pressure, it had to suit both us and Andy and Jackie's 38 foot motorhome. Mission accomplished we pulled in and we were met by the most lively lady who was only too pleased to have us stay.

We drove to our sites and as usual surveyed them before actually pulling in. As we were "companion camping" we decided to site ourselves with our front doors facing each other. Simple concept but results in all the hook ups being on the wrong side. Also the standard electric and water fittings were too short to reach the hook ups. We had an extra water hose but no 50 amp extension. Andy came to the rescue producing he an extension lead out of his very well stocked 'basement' - problem solved. Awnings out, a beer in hand and a beautifully warm 33 degrees - perfect!

Doesn't get any better than this


A little bit of Australia - Yes a Gum tree!



The Tucson area in Arizona is famous for the Saguaro cactus plant, the ones they are in all the western movies. These cacti are protected, ie it is illegal to remove, cut or destroy them - and they do not grow their 'arms' until they are at least 75 years old. Not sure why they grow so prolifically in the Tucson area and not other desert areas but the hills were covered in them.

They can grow to 60 feet, granted Rose and Jackie are short but this cactus is huge!



As we have been on the road for four months now, and most of that time we have been in colder areas, it was great to actually be able to sit outside in shorts. As the weather has been gradually improving we have started to stay longer at some of our destinations. We are often surprised where the time goes, as crazy as it sounds we are always busy doing something, some days we just sit and talk or do a bit of shopping, but the days do seem to go fast.

The main reason for the Tucson stop was to visit the military aircraft bone yard. Tours of the 'bone yard' are conducted through the Pima Air Museum. As the planes are on a military air base security is tight and providing a government issued ID is essential. We arrived at the museum two hours early so we could get on the 1pm tour - we had our passports but Jackie had left her bag at home not realising that ID was required. No amount of talking would persuade them to sell her a ticket without her ID so it was back to the truck and the 25 min drive back to the RV park.

Take 2 - we arrived back to the museum to learn that the 1pm tour was booked out! Fortunately there was one at 3 pm so we booked that - we were envisaging that we were going to have to book another night s accommodation - we weren't leaving Tucson until we had seen the bone yard!

The museum comprises of a number of buildings and air craft hangers and also an outside area filled with every type of plane imaginable. To actually see a B52 bomber up close was amazing. The show piece in my mind was the Stealth Plane which the US government denied its existence for decades - to be able to see and touch it was incredible.

The Stealth Plane



The B52 Bomber, how did this even get off the ground?


Rows upon rows of planes which can be put back in service if need be


Of all shapes and sizes


Enough to modernise the Australian Air Force ten times over!



The bone yard is located in Tucson because of the low humidity and the make up of the soil in this region. The soil is so dense it can take the weight of the planes with little or no preparation.

Bone yard tour completed - another thing ticked off the list.




Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Tucson Arizona