Day 42 - Not Las Vegas! Laughlin, NV!

After looking at the atlas, it's shorter for us to to Laughlin than to Las Vegas.  AND we don't have to cross Hoover Dam.  It takes awhile to have your RV searched.

Before we left the campground, we had a quick breakfast.  All of a sudden the trailer brakes go on!  We're not moving!  I HOPE!  I look at David and he looks at me.  No idea.  Twenty minutes later it happens again.  Still not moving.  Not sure what's going on with the brakes!

Gas here was $3.59, but we decided to wait.  We had plenty of fuel. Really!

It's getting hotter here, too!

Early morning desert:

Off to Nevada...sort of.  GPS is losing it's mind and sent us out a road in Bullhead City, AZ that didn't exist.  Oh yeah, state sign.  We also have our passports--just in case!

We're on a two lane road leading into the mountains and I know the campground is back on the Colorado.  Not only that, the engine is overheating.  Drive 4 miles and stop awhile, repeat.  David decides to turn the Airstream around on this road!  He backs up and moves forward.  I'm directing.  At one point he almost got me!  I've watched too many episodes of CSI to know how you can end up in the desert!  Finally, we get turned and head back.  Sir Garmin is about to learn to fly....out the window!

It takes awhile, but we get to the KOA next to a casino in Nevada.  Twenty dollars!  WOW!  We did laundry and tried to stay cool.  It's 111 degrees now.  90 degrees inside the RV.  We're all tired and hot.  About 8:00 p.m. we visit the restaurant in the casino.  Fairly inexpensive and we know why...it wasn't really good. Might have been if we hadn't been so tired and hot.  Couldn't find the valet to take us back to the campground in the golf cart.  We walked.

Off to bed.  We're getting up at 3:30 p.m. and planning to leave by 4:30 p.m.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 41 - Probably the worst day of the trip!

We got up and had a tremendous breakfast!  Leftover steak, eggs, mushrooms, onions, cheese, folded up into a tortilla.  YUM!  Time for a few more photos from the campground:

Look closely and you'll see Woody Woodpecker in the tree!

Look closely and you'll see grapefruit growing in the tree.  Right in the campground.  There was also a great swimming hole.  Rather than dazzle all the Southern Californians with my glowing WHITE legs, I chose not to show them off there! I know they were glad!

Now it's noon and it's time to go.  Sad to go as we've had a great three days here with family.  Off to Barstow and the desert.

Nothing really remarkable about the ride.  It began to get a lot warmer as we got to the desert area.  We got on I-40 where it begins and saw this sign:  Wilmington, NC  2,554 miles!  It would take awhile to get there!

We passed Borox Road and Twenty Mule Team Road.  We passed hundreds of wind turbines.

We can't find our campground in Barstow!  It's a KOA and they gave us coordinates, not a street address.  We finally located a street address, but the Garmin didn't like it either.  We decided to go to WalMart and shop and call the campground for better directions.  NIGHTMARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN!

We pulled into WalMart about 6:30 p.m. and a woman in a security vehicle told us we could not park in the parking lot.  She told us we had to go to a dirt parking lot and showed us where it was.  Not happy, but David complied.  We left the lot and pulled back around to where she wanted us to park.  THERE IS NO WAY TO PULL INTO THE DIRT LOT!  There is a huge curb you'd have to"jump" up and then down to get out.   David pulled on back into the parking lot.  We weren't going to park in the dirt.  It would tear up the trailer and truck to try and jump that curb twice! 

Well, here she comes again and David is waiting for her.  He told her we were planning to shop and call the campground as we were lost.  She told us we couldn't spend the night there!  We hadn't planned to.  We could park long enough to shop, but had to leave as we were taking up parking space for customers.  Now, I'm really mad!

We called the KOA and they guy tells us he has six people in line and he'll have to call me back later.  Did that make me any happier?  NO WAY!   We got out the campground book and found a new RV park down the road in Newberry Mountain.  The KOA guy called us back after we got setup in the other campground!

I haven't had the chance, but fully intend to call the manager of the WalMart.  I ended up buying several SD cards for the camera and a movie at the next WalMart.  BOYCOTT BARSTOW WALMART!

It's beginning to get dark and it's quite warm.  Look!  Ahead!  Is it a mirage?

No, it's the campground.  It was next to I-40 and a train track.  Didn't hear a thing all night!

Chrissy was so tired when we got there, she went right to bed!

Tomorrow is Las Vegas...oh wait, that's out of the way.  Laughlin, NV!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 40 - Kings Canyon National Park, but first... Part Two

Off to Kings Canyon.  It's now after lunch time and we're just leaving.  Kings Canyon and Sequoia area adjacent to each other and you can drive through one to another, but we didn't want to take that road that again.

Here are some really large trees from here:

Notice the pickup and how small it is compared to the trees.

Off to the visitor's center.  We stopped in the gift shop for the postcards and other stuff you never use again and then to the restrooms.  Why would I mention restrooms?  Kathie and I went into the ladies room and there were two open "seats."  She started laughing about a sign that was in her area.  I didn't have a sign, so I passed the camera under the door to her.  Here's the sign:

Now you know there must have been a need for the sign.  Go figure!

Not to be outdone, Cassie got some mud on her foot and flip flops and had to take care of it.  I'd do good to get my hands in the sink!

We asked the man behind the counter in the gift shop about what to see with a short amount of time.  He told us about Panorama Point behind the gift shop and about General Grant.  He said the Point  area was a short hike with a few switchbacks and said not to miss the Grant Tree.  Soooo, off to Panorama Point.  Short drive up the hill and then we see the trail.  Straight up!  I decided I could do this and that I was a big girl.  I took my time and stopped when I needed to....frequently!  It was so worth going to visit here!

I really like this photo that Cassie took:

Cassie proved to us how strong she was by holding up a tree and a boulder:

Down the hill was so much easier than going up this one, but so glad I did it!

The march is on to General Grant.  This tree is the 3rd largest in the world and is the Nation's Christmas Tree!

Our official photographer, Cassie, wanted to make sure she properly caught us enjoying this tremendous tree:

Wow!  What a tree!  David Hoffman, David Ellison, Jenny Ellison, Kathie Hoffman

 

 Look how tall it is!

 Kathie and I couldn't control ourselves!  WOW!  What a tree!  What a trip!

Well, we're tired and it's getting late, so we decide to head back to the campground.  But first, we need someone to tell us what these plants are.  We saw fields and fields of them:

It took awhile to get back to dinner, but what a dinner it was!  Two kinds of steak marinade, veggies, etc.  But all too soon it was time for bed and for packing up for the next move.  David and his family are headed back to Huntington Beach, and we're headed to Barstow/Calico and the Mojave Desert the next day.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 40 - Kings Canyon National Park, but first... Part One

Put a water pump on the truck.  It's making noise and leaking a little, so my brother David brought one with him for us and asked his friend, Jim, to come and help put it on.  Normally you can't work on a vehicle in a campground, but we were granted permission to work on it on our site.

After a great breakfast, they started working and Jim came to help.  I was working on postcards as I had accumulated about 50 or so that needed to be written and mailed.  I spent the morning working on those.  My brother asked for some water to rinse off a spider that had gotten into the antifreeze.  I would have left it there...don't like spiders.

After the water pump was installed and working, we rode down to the Kaweah Post Office down the street from the campground.  It was built in 1890, but a newspaper there said that it was the 100th anniversary of the post office.  The building is in bad repair and they can no longer sell stamps.  It's home to a lot of mailboxes of the local residents and home to a mama bird in her birdhouse!

Stamp Window:

Outside:

And feel free to post on the community bulletin board:

Kathie and I went behind the post office to see what the back looked like.  The place is really in bad shape.  We peeked through the window and saw a man!  It was a mannequin dressed like a postal employee and was standing at the stamp window.  Creeeeepy!

We were almost ready to go to Kings Canyon, so back to the campground!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 39 - Into Sequoia National Park

After a GREAT breakfast cooked by some of us (not me!), we headed out to Sequoia National Park.  It's the home of General Sherman, the world's largest tree.  Everyone is in--including Chrissy--and off we go!

One of the more interesting signs we've seen coming into a national park!

The road into Sequoia is a long and winding road.  Unfortunately, they were working on the road, and it was one way for a long time with traffic held up for a long time!  I took this picture from the top of the mountain where we were stopped.  Look at the road winding all the way down:

But an even better view was this one from almost the same spot:

Gorgeous!

On further into the park!

We stopped at the visitor's center and museum.  Here I found cards that identified the local flowers.  Kathie and I could be seen matching flowers to the ones on the card!

The trees here are huge!  Here are The Sentinels:

Notice the guy in the picture?  Didn't know him, but it does give you some idea of how large these trees are.  Yet...these aren't the largest!

On the ground is a series of metal tiles every 10 feet.  They are marked as if you were walking on the tree and it was felled.  Cassie went from the start to the finish and we couldn't see her.  These trees are really huge!

Husband David asked me if I had taken a picture of the gnome and the elves.  I thought he was pulling my leg, so I didn't go in search of them.  Wish I had.  A guy with an orange cone on his head and a fake white beard tied on passed me with several guys with dreadlocks dressed as elves.  So strange!

On up the mountain!  We see a viewpoint and get out to check it.  Here we found some great flowers!

It looked as if it were carpeted in pink.  We also saw pussypaws, lupine, cow parsnip, mountain pride, baby blue eyes, and many others we couldn't identify.  It was beautiful here, but I kept thinking about bears.  I'd been warned by friends about bears.

Here was mama and her two babies!  She never would move into the sunshine, but I enjoyed watching them with the ranger who kept a careful eye on us and mama.  You could park and watch, but couldn't block the road.  I won't say how many times my husband circled a picnic area up the road, but he could give guided tours!  The ranger told us they haze bears near the road to keep them protected, but they don't haze female bears with cubs--too many variables with that!  She could run or attack.  She didn't seem to mind us watching from a safe distance.  I noticed that an asked the ranger if she was away of us.  He said she was.  At one point, she growled at the cubs and they started up a tree, but didn't stay long.  Mama got tired and laid down and the cubs were having a great time climbing up and over her.  She didn't seem to mind.  More trees to see!

We drove right through one tree!

And walked through another!  That's my brother David and his wife, Kathie.

And played on the rocks and trees!  That's Cassie - grand-niece.

And hid in trees!  Brother David and Cassie.

But here is what we came to see.  The largest tree in the world and over 2,200 years old - General Sherman.

This tree is huge and beautiful!  Imagine...it was alive while Jesus walked the earth.  Mind boggling!

We were getting hungry, so we started down the long and winding road.  It sopped near the top, so we got out and started taking pictures of the rocks and flowers.

Here is Mono Rock.  There were people on top!

Here are other flowers we saw:

Possibly common St. John's Wort.

Mariposa Lily?

Long ride back, but we cooked out again.  GREAT MEAL!

Tomorrow is water pump day!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 38 - Sequoia National Park/King's Canyon

Not a whole lot happening today.  It's a drive day to Sequoia RV Ranch and camping with my brother, David, and his wife, Kathie, and their oldest granddaughter, Cassie.

No pictures, just images from the road...

Selma, California - Raisin Capitol of the World

Gilroy, California - Garlic Lovers of the World!

Miles and miles and acres and acres of food growing in irrigated fields.

Beautiful lake skirting the edge of the road.

Turning onto the road to the campground.   Absolutely beautiful entry and park.  Parked just across from the river.

Waiting on the Hoffmans to arrive.....and they're here!  Getting to know Cassie, getting to know David and Kathy better.

Dinner together outside on a picnic table with the bugs and the yellow jackets.

Long day, but a good one!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 37 - Last day in Yosemite

Heat still on this morning, but the night seemed to be a little warmer than the one before.

Back to the park!

Bridal Veil Falls

And another first for me!  I walked Swinging Bridge!

Community Church and still in use!  There were having Vacation Bible School and had plenty of kids there!

There was a big flood here in 1997.  David is standing next to two different makers.

Walked out to the meadow for this shot of Half Dome.

Yosemite Falls reflected in the Merced River.

We tried to stop in the Village to grab a bit, but couldn't find a parking place, so we decided to watch the climbers a bit and head back to the RV for a late lunch.  There weren't as many climbers today, but we sat in the shade with a cool breeze on us and enjoyed two climbers on their way to the summit.

Back to the RV!  But wait...slow down where we saw the bear yesterday.  Now it's sort of blocked off by cones and barriers, but the bear is back and so are the tourists who don't know any better!  Yeah, me included, but I was wary!

There were two guys yelling at the bear so he'd put his head up for a better picture. At this point I realize he might want to have lunch, so I start making my way back to the truck.  Yes, I'm outside the truck and several feet away from it.  I'm trying to figure out who is the person I have to outrun so they are the bear "snack."  The rangers arrive and we leave!

David makes pizza for late lunch and then it's nap time for him and Chrissy.  Since I'm behind on the blog, I'm spending my nap time typing!  LOL

Tomorrow - off to Sequoia!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 36 - Yosemite with Jan and Mike

Still using the heater!  A little chilly this morning, but a great day!

It was laundry day and we needed to get it done before Jan and Mike got here at 10:00 a.m.  Also needed to vacuum and mop the floors.  I got the cleaning and David got the laundry.  He left me still needing a shower and the cleaning to be done.

Did the dishes, fought the vacuum cleaner, mopped the floor, dusted, etc.  Time for a shower!  My hair is really thick and is difficult to wash in the shower.  We have a six gallon water heater.  You get wet, turn off the water, soap up, turn on the water to rinse off - Just to take a shower.  Then try washing your hair twice and using conditioner!  Hot water runs out before my hair does. 

Finished my shower, got dressed and my hair was a disaster.  Not combed yet and wild!  Then....I hear Chrissy barking at the door.  Jan and Mike are here!  Just before 10:00 a.m.   I'm so glad they don't care about wild, wet hair!  LOL   Jan and I planned our vacation makeup perfectly!  NONE!

Chrissy finally let Jan in, but it took a bit to get Mike in and for Chrissy to leave him alone!  She was her usually loud barky self!  Didn't matter that Jan brought us treats!  OH NO! 

Where is David?  He finally showed up with the dry clothes.  Jan even helped load the clean clothes on the bed.  What a gem!

We get settle and off to Yosemite.  Mike drove their SUV which worked out great.  Our truck is really long and difficult to park in Yosemite.  Jan took great care of me by making sure my seat belt was buckled (100 times!).  I couldn't get it to work.  I told her I felt like my mother as we always hook her seat belts, too!

First stop of the strange tour....tunnel view.  If you drive into the long tunnel at Yosemite, there is a "tunnel viewpoint."  You walk halfway into the tunnel and make a turn to where there is an opening in the rock.  You need a flashlight!  It opens into a barred viewpoint.  I won't show the pictures I took of the person who climbed over the fence just in case one of us was recognized and would get in trouble!

The orange light is from the tunnel entrance.

 Here is the view we were rewarded with!

Jan and David walking in the tunnel.

The only reason we knew this viewpoint existed is that the last time we were here, we saw what we though was a "homeless" man entering the tunnel on foot.  David was going to give him a bottle of water, but he had disappeared!  Then we saw the tunnel entrance and decided we'd do it this trip!

On to the park!  We could see Half Dome ahead from the viewpoint.  Climbers come from all over the world to climb Half Dome and El Capitan (El Cap).  Not to be outdone, Jan and I decided to climb Half Dome while we were here.

Here's Jan climbing and conquering Half Dome.  Since she's much more agile then me, I didn't quite make it all the way up. 

Here's the real viewpoint:  El Cap to the left and Half Dome to the right:

Next stop:  Somewhere in Yosemite Village!

Here's the view of Half Dome from ,the Merced River.  Notice the strange clouds?  A professional photographer, Joe Park, www.joeparkweddings.com, was there and doing time lapse shots of the same clouds.  He even took our picture for us!

Next up on the agenda:  The Ahwahnee Hotel!  We've seen it several times on the Travel Channel, but hadn't been here before.  After waiting patiently for a parking space, Mike got us inside!  It was awesome!  Here's their website for more info:  http://www.yosemitepark.com/accommodations_theahwahnee.aspx

We were getting hungry so we decided to grab a bite to eat in the hotel.  Jan and I enjoyed crab and artichoke dip and the "boys" had boysenberry pie and apple pie.  Oh, our guest!

Squirrel!  I don't want squirrel at lunch and I certainly didn't want one up my pants leg!  He roamed in and out of the restaurant.  Mike kept an eye on him for me.  I kept thinking of Ray Steven's Song "Mississippi Squirrel Revival."  If you want a good laugh, check out the video:  Ray Steven's Video

After our break we decided to see the hotel.  Look for views you've never seen before!

Well, why not someone else?  I've got the camera!

After this sign, we decided to take our tour outdoors!

We can take a hint!  So where do we go?  The Wedding Lawn!  White chairs are arranged!  Just in time for a wedding!  No wedding going on, so we decide to sit and talk and take in the view.  The guys decide to do "men talk."

We "shot" them, so they shot us!

Don't we look comfortable?

We'd spotted really large chairs by the creek, so Jan and I check it out!  Only problem is - we're toooo short to get out.  Someone suggested a crane, but our husbands did pull us out.  I think one of them chuckled!

Here was a last view of the Awahnee Hotel - notice the waterfall!

Back to the park!  There is so much to see and it's crowded here and we still have to cook dinner.   We start off to the next viewpoint on our list.  El Cap and the climbers.  The next series of photos are climbers we could see on the granite.  They were probably settling in for the night at this point.

 Here's El Cap and what they're climbing.

Three climbers

 I could not do this!!!!

Here's is the end of the day view of Yosemite:

We watchribeyes and Jan and Mike brought fruit, lemon dessert squares, broccoli salad, corn, and I'm not sure what else.  So, back to the campground over an hour away!  But wait!  BEAR!

Mike spotted it and let us stop for a quick photo.  Here's my view of the bear: 

Not much, but it's truly a bear!

We get back to the RV and start getting dinner ready.  David is marinating the steaks with Moore's Marinade and garlic.  Jan and I shuck the corn.  I take it inside and start cutting it off the cob - fried corn.  Jan and Mike aren't too sure about it, but they are such good sports.  Better than picky me!  LOL  David and I disagree on how it's done, so he "fixed it' his way.  It still turned out great!

We ate outside on the picnic table and it was all great!  I even worked through the broccoli salad with"stuff" in it.  Aren't you proud of me?  LOL

Then it was time for them to go.  I told them they should have brought their PJ's, but Mike possibly had jury duty the next day.  It's a two hour drive home for them.  I hated to see them go!

We cleaned up after they left (just a few minutes) and watched a little TV and read a little.  Back to Yosemite tomorrow!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)