Travel Day to Las Vegas and Random Thoughts

Location: Duck Creek RV Park (el. 1,700 ft); Las Vegas, Nevada

(click pictures to enlarge)

Freedom and Liberty hitched and ready to go.

The electricity clicked off around 6:00 am yesterday morning which meant the ceramic heaters stopped. I had propane and battery power so I could have used the furnace but it wasn't too chilly, so I decided to just take my time hitching up and stop for my coffee on the way. The picture above is from the Wikieup campground. I had just finished hitching up and performed my walk-around. The last thing I always do is to shut and lock my storage bay door. Then it is time to climb into Freedom, put her in gear and see what is down the road. I've done this close to 100 times now and each time is just like the first. It is exciting to know that I will be heading into new places and sometimes see things I haven't seen before. It is wonderful to be cruising down the road and knowing something amazing is going to be just over the next hill or around the next curve. Those are the "wow" moments. When you top a hill and and the landscape screams out with its beauty and uniqueness. At times like that, all I can say is "wow". I used to just say it in my head since nobody is there to hear me. After awhile, I just said to heck with it and say it out load. Saying it out loud makes a big difference. It may be a sign of craziness, but, oh well, everyone needs to be a little crazy about something. 

Truck stop just east of Kingman, AZ

  
The picture above is from the truck stop along the way. I like the snow on the mountain tops and the trees with their top-knot branches. I didn't need gas, but I did need a cup of coffee. Once inside I had two choices, Dunkin Donuts or the Iron Skillet restaurant. Hmmmmm, I figured I had time to waste since I left early so I chose the Iron Skillet with plans to get coffee and maybe a light breakfast. Ut oh!!!!! they had a breakfast buffet. OK, OK, the light breakfast turned into a heavy breakfast, but the coffee was good (so was the bacon).

Just a little north of Kingman, AZ

 I've gotten pretty good at predicting when interesting things are about to come into view. It gives me time to get my cell phone ready to snap a few. If I have enough time, I can let traffic get ahead or to pass me so I can safely take the pictures. The picture above is right as you top the mountain north of Kingman on U.S. 93 and begin to go down into the valley. To me, the picture shows what it is all about with me traveling around. I have an almost empty highway, on a beautiful day, traveling in a reliable vehicle, towing my home and with the promise of something new ahead. It is a combination of excitement and contentment all rolled into one package. Freedom and Liberty at their best. :)

The long valley between Kingman, AZ and Boulder City, NV

After the mountains, there always seems to be a valley. I guess this is true of life and on the road. This valley, between Kingman, AZ and Boulder City, NV is long and flat. I'm glad I crossed it with temperatures in the low to mid 60's. I would hate to be here in the middle of the summer with 100+ degree days. The weather made for an easy crossing.

Approaching Boulder City, NV

The above picture is after crossing the valley. It is the first view of the rugged landscape of this area. This was in stark contrast to the lower valley where every mile was the same as the one before. Up here, each curve and hill brought something new. Hoover Dam is just ahead but you can not see it from the new bridge crossing the canyon. Traffic increased dramatically as I approached Boulder City, which seems as though it is a subburb of Las Vegas. There were some good views, but I couldn't take any more pictures due to the traffic. 

I found the campground and moved in. The campground participates in Passport America (PA) which means I get the campsite for half price. Each campground can establish restrictions on how many, and which days they offer the half price. This campground limits it to 7 days which is longer than any other PA place I've stayed. I decided to take advantage of their 7 day offer and if I get too bored in this little desert town, I can always move on even if I have to forfeit some money. 

After getting set up in the campsite, I went to find a place to eat and cruise the town a little. I found two interesting sights before returning to the campground. 

Pawn shop from the Pawn Stars TV show

 The pawn shop is small and located in a crowded area. The TV show represents the location as being something entirely different. I didn't go inside, maybe another time.

Now this is truth in advertising. The "Heart Attack Grill",,,,"over 350 lbs eats free". 

I thought I was getting back to the campground around 6:00 pm but it was really 4:00 pm. I'm still not used to this Pacific Time Zone. The only time-piece I have with accurate time is my cell phone because it resets itself based on my location.


Ya'll take care of each other. I'll Cya down the road.