Win River Casino RV Park and Home

Tuesday morning Jim announced that his hip and back and foot were just hurting too much, and it was time to head home.  Our reservations at El Chorro in San Luis Obispo, Santa Margarita, and Laguna Seca in Monterey needed to be cancelled.  It was time to head north, 892 miles to Jim’s home in Camas.

Jim got us on I-5, and then I drove for a while.  The highway is rough down here, lots of trucks, and fairly scary.  Notice I did not comment on this when Jim was driving!  But I got us safely to a rest stop where we had lunch, and then hen we continued north.  The drive up I-5 in the spring is a pretty one, with fields full of wild mustard.  We stayed at Win River Casino in Anderson, where they shuttle you to the casino from your campsite, which is a lined-off spot in a parking lot.  We had a nice dinner in the pub there and managed to avoid the gambling in the casino!  Once we stayed at a “free” spot in a casino south of Tucson.  We had a buffet dinner, which ended up being $22 apiece, then went into the casino and each lost our $20 limit.  So since we had that $82 campsite, the most expensive we have ever had, and with no hookups at all, we do not gamble!  But it was a learning experience!

Wednesday we continued north on I-5, Jim driving, and he drove the rest of the trip.  This either shows compassion toward me, a lack of confidence in my driving, or a wish to get home as soon as possible!  We got back to my house, I unloaded my stuff and fixed dinner, and Jim headed north to home.  It felt good to be home in the green country, but sad to have our trip end.  We both really enjoy being in the motor home, like the simple way of living, without all our stuff, and the sunshine in the winter!  And the two of us!

Kern River County Park

Day 56, 57, Sunday, Monday, March 19, 20, Kern River County Park, Bakersfield, California

We made it over Tehachapi to one of our favorite spots, Kern River County Park, and found a great pull-through spot by the river, which has lots of water this year!  We went on a bike ride down to Hart Park, with ponds, along the river, and on Sunday, lots of people with their families!  The peacocks are still there.  We saw a Black Phoebe perched on a bush by the trail.  Then we rode up to Ming Lake, but could not ride around because there was a big boat race thing there this year!

High water in the Kern River.  Nonscenic, but convenient, trash can at every site!

Handsome wood ducks by our campsite!

No egrets or herons along the edge in this wild water!

On the bike path to Hart Park

Monday we went on a bike ride up this paved path through a canyon, up a big hill, then down a road to the Alfred Harrell Highway, back to the park.  14 miles, but a nice pull up the hill.  As we rode along the highway, Linda rode right by a rattlesnake without noticing it!  Sharp-eyed Jim saw it and got a nice picture.  It did not seem concerned about our presence!

Warming his cold snaky body on the asphalt!

Then we drove up to Lake Isabella area, up a beautiful rock canyon, to Kernville, where we had a great lunch at a little café.  Then we headed up into the mountain pass, finally locating a campground where Jim had stayed on his first trip south in 2006.  Now it was all rutted with water flow on the road down and Closed!  We continued down the mountain, winding around through beautiful areas with cows grazing and farms in hilly valleys, finally making our way home to our campsite and a hungry girlie!

Kernville was moved to this area after the Lake Isabella dam covered the old Kernville!

Green California rolling hills in the springtime!

Calico Ghost Town RV Park

Day 55, Saturday, March 18, Calico Ghost Town RV Park, Barstow, California

Jim has been doing all the driving.  That makes both of us feel safer, I think, and he does drive faster than I do!  We got to the RV Park and got settled, then went back down to Home Depot so Jim could make more repair purchases.  There are lots of wildflowers around this park, and I took a walk up the wash to get pictures of the Mohave Desert bloom.  This has been a wet year for the west coast, which is good for everybody!

Our campsite.  The town is in the hills to the left.

Lots of blooms in the Mohave Desert this year!

In the morning before we left I walked up to the Ghost Town to get postcards for the kids.  I have sent bunches of postcards to all 8 grandchildren on this trip, trying to make sure that the postcards for each house were unique.  I brought the postcard stamps from home, but sometimes it has been a challenge to find a place to mail them!

The old mining town of Calico was restored and turned into a tourist spot by Walter Knott, creator of Knott's Berry Farm.

Preferred RV Resort

Day 52-54, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, March 15-17, Preferred RV Resort, Pahrump, Nevada

Preferred is another RIP resort, in the middle of Pahrump.  Also recommended by the Weigants.  We did some hardware and RV errands after we arrived.  Jim bought the 2005 Bounder last May, and he continues to do repairs and updates on it.  Replaced the kitchen and bathroom faucets on this trip, replaced a toilet water connection that was leaking.  He is always making something better on the motor home.  We probably know where nearly all the hardware stores are in these small towns we stay in!  There was a great hardware store in Pahrump, with home decorator items, art supplies, lots of fun stuff!  I bought a hand made cutting board for the motor home, which I will sand and oil.  We bought little rubber feet to screw on it.  Wednesday night we went to a dinner at the resort, Greek salad and gyros.  Tasted great!

Thursday we went to Death Valley for the day.  We came up through Shoshone, to the Badwater area, then to Furnace Creek Visitor Center, where we ate our picnic lunch.  We got lucky, and they had just re-opened a side road that went to Artist’s Point, a short hike to a view of colored hills.  On the way back we drove up to Dante’s View, which overlooks Death Valley from 5,475 feet.  The salt flats are all that is left of an ancient lake now called Lake Manly, that was an average of over 1000 feet deep and surface area of 620 square miles.

Blooming desert on the road up from Shoshone

Ashford Mill ruins, 1914 mine processing

Ancient lake that filled this valley up to 1,000 feet deep

Bad guy by the Badwater sign

Always to the west we could see the Sierra Nevada mountains with snow on top, Mt. Whitney at 14, 496 feet, being the highest point in the continental United States.  Badwater, in Death Valley, is 85 horizontal miles away, and at -282 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in the continental United States.  Badwater is almost 3 vertical miles below Mt. Whitney!

Trail our over the fragile salt flats

Even some water here in this wet year!  Pretty salty!

On the road to Artist's Point

Looking back down at the parking lot from the trail at Artist's Point

Chromatic hills at Artist's Point from top of trail

Nobody likes drones!  Jim has not been flying this trip!

Salt flats from 5,000 feet up at Dante's View

Wild animals in the desert

Linda at top of Dante's View

Zoomed in to show me better!

Looking down at Badwater from Dante's View

Friday we went to Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, an area of springs with water that comes from underground.  This area was planned for development at one time, with a resort, golf course, and community of 30,000 homes.  Much more population than the water could ever have supported.  With lots of people working very hard, including the Nature Conservancy, this was avoided and the area protected.  It is a very unique desert environment. 

We went to see Devil’s Hole, a place where the water comes up out of the ground.  When there are earthquakes in Mexico, the water in this hole sloshes around!  We saw a film in the Visitor Center that showed this!  Kind of makes you feel like you are living on a thin crust!  There is a unique species of pupfish that lives in Devil’s Hole, and the projected extinction of this species gave some impetus to the process to protect the area.  We did get a picture of a different species of pupfish, in one of the springs at the main Refuge visitor area.   As the waters of Manly Lake dried up, pupfish got separated into various springs and evolved into different species.  Jim bought an Ash Meadows T shirt to support the refuge.  The visitor center is all staffed by volunteers.

Pond at the Visitor Center area.  We could see pupfish in this pool.  They were named pupfish because they dart around like puppies playing.

A model and a photographer on the boardwalk at the Refuge.

Devil's Hole, goes way, way, down!

The weather in the last couple of weeks has been warm for us, getting into the middle 80’s during the day!  But we just look in Accuweather and see what the weather is at home.  Then we feel better!  If has been a cold, rainy winter in the Pacific Northwest!

Ridgeview RV Resort

Day 49-51, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, March 12, 13, 14, Ridgeview RV Resort, Bullhead City, Arizona

Ridgeview had been recommended by the Weigants, so we decided to try it.  It is also RPI.  It is on the ridge above the river, with Laughlin, Nevada and its casinos on the other side.  A very interesting pool and activity center!  And nice views!

Our campsite by a blooming tree

View of casinos at Laughlin, Nevada, from our campsite

Casinos at night

Unusual pool shape, and great view of Laughlin from the Activity Center above

Monday we drove our bikes down to the Heritage Trail in Laughlin, just across the river.  The trail took us up a gradual paved bike path to Davis Dam, and we rode to the top of the dam, continuing on the other side of the dam until we came to a road.  Then we rode back down, and up a long, railroad-grade road (no cars) Davis Dam Road, until we came to the Laughlin highway, then back down to Laughlin, along a cement ditch by a building (!), until we came to a bridge back over the highway, then to the trailhead!  About 18 miles.

Top of the dam.  The paved bike path circles around the hill down to the right, along the river.

Looking back down Davis Dam rode

Crossing back over Laughlin Highway on the bike bridge

After lunch we went for a drive up to Mohave Lake, which extends 57 miles up the Colorado River from Davis Dam.  We went to Katherine Cove, visited the Marina there, then drove up along the lake for a ways.  All undeveloped land, dirt roads, past the campgrounds at Katherine Cove, and lots of desert wildflowers blooming.

Desert wildflowers on a hillside

Tuesday we went for a boat ride on Mohave Lake!  We rented a ski boat for 4 hours, went much farther up the lake than we could ever have gotten with our kayaks!  We saw only a few fishing boats and a lone kayaker.  I am sure this lake would be full of water skiers, jet skis, etc., on a warm weekend in the summer!  We pulled into coves a couple of times and Sarah got to play stick.  The first place we stopped, as we pulled into the shallow cove and Jim got out, Sarah jumped right out of the back of the boat!  She does love the water.

The captain wearing his boating captain's hat.  Hee hee!

Guard dog watching out for sharks and sea serpents

A reflective moment

Heading up into a magic cove

Happy Sarah fetching in clear water

Interesting rock formation.  We say the kayaker paddle through the arch.

Cottonwood Cove, marina and campground, lots of houseboats

First mate, also wearing her nautical cap.

Blooming desert along the lake edge

There is not a ridge with water behind it.  This is a mirage!

There is not a section of entirely still water.  This is a mirage.