2016 Trip -17) Virgin, UT to Las Vegas, NV

 

Sun. 7/24…  (Virgin, UT)  Last day in Virgin.  Bryce Canyon is 95 miles from our park.  We know the road and that it’s at least a 2 hour drive one way.  Even if we spent two hours at the park we felt we would be gone too long for Bailey so we chose not to visit there this time.  We offered to take care of Daisy and Little Bit but R&J didn’t want to go either.  So this is just a hangout day.  I will catch up on my races and Lydia and I will watch the last day of the Tour de France together. Janie and Rick talked with some folks in the spa last night and they steered her from Sam’s Town RV to Oasis Resort.  So we looked it up online and decided to call there and see if we could get in.  We will actually save as Oasis is Passport America (for 3 nights).  Plus Oasis has grass and concrete whereas Sam’s Town is asphalt.  All they could promise us was afternoon shade and we’re not sure how if they have no trees!  So we will stay there one night and then move to Oasis.  More on this as we get there.   

We decided to eat in tonight.  We drove into Hurricane (about 8 miles) and went to a supermarket to pick up some cold cuts and buns for dinner.  We made deli sandwiches and had potato salad and pistachio salad. We had cantaloupe for dessert.  It was easy and very good!  We hit the pool and spa for a while.  Rick and Janie came over just as we were leaving.  I finished up my races and we went to bed early.  Bailey got a head start....

 

Mon. 7/25…  (Las Vegas, NV)  We know that Nevada is on PST so we will gain an hour when we get there.  So we left at 11:00am and drove the 166 miles to Sam’s Town KOA (tl$43.).  

Thank God it was downhill almost all the way from Virgin. Temps were 104°-110°.  I felt sorry for those climbing those long steady pulls!  We missed the turn to the registration but are good now.  The sites they gave us are ok – pretty much what we expected.  This park is 90% asphalt with very little shade.  We got satellite and good 50amp so we’re good.  Wifi is suspect – the one they give you at the office has poor signal but there is another one labeled Sam’s Town RV with a bad certificate.  So I’ll use my mobile hotspot if/when I need it.  Because we changed reservations yesterday, we are now going to stay here only one night.  After getting set up we finally got the coach cooled down a bit.  Bailey does not like the ride plus the heat so she got sick again. We have learned to put towels down so easy cleanup!  She’s ok now as long as we can keep the air going!  We called long time friends Lee and Lyn Hand and will be getting together with them in a few days.  Later, we drove around town to check things out.  We’ll eat leftovers tonight but we still needed Walmart for water and other things.  Both Lydia and I got haircuts while we were there.  Janie and Lydia stayed at Walmart while Rick & I found The Ram's Head Bar at Sam's Town.  They gave us 1/2 price happy hour tickets at check in so we went over and had a few beers each. Lydia and Janie found us and had drinks themselves!  We went back to the rig and fixed dinner and then headed out. We have two places to go for will call for our Terry Fator (The Mirage) and Blue Man Group (The Luxor) tickets so we stopped at both and went in a picked up both packets. We came home and walked the dogs and called it a night.

 

Tues. 7/26…  (Las Vegas, NV)  Today we had a 9 mile trip to the new park so we didn’t have to check out until 11:00am.  Lydia took some towels over to the laundry before we left so that’s done. We are now at Oasis RV Resort (pa$30x3 tl$50x2).

Now this park is nice!  They have a lobby like a five star hotel!  Plus a great pool. Actually, two pools – one just for adults! Plus an adult spa, not that we need the hot water with these temps but it’s in the shade!  R&J made dinner tonight.  Rick got his bbq out and cooked burgers.  Very good. We drove over to Petco for dog food and then back to the rig and then to the pool again.  We do want to go back to the strip for the evening (Lydia wants to hit the M&Ms store there) but we will wait till tomorrow.  
  

 

2016 Trip -16) Beaver, UT to Virgin, UT

Thur. 7/21… (Beaver, UT)    Not much going on today so we slept in, had breakfast, walked Bailey and then took off about 11:00am, and drove to Cache Valley Cheese,

 

located just up the street from our campground.  We were there looking forward to the tour.  Problem was they gave no tour! We walked around the store for a bit and sampled some of their cheeses and bought small chunks of baby swiss and gouda.  We took them back to the rig and then headed out to Shopko, again just up the street.  This is like a Kmart and was really clean.  We found some 40% off items and bought a few things we couldn’t pass up. We came back and went in the rig and when I went out to empty the trash, the motorhome door wouldn’t open!  I had to call Rick over to open it from the outside. I took the inside latch apart and found a broken link clip.  Good luck finding that!  Rick and I went to Napa Auto and guess what! I found some! I was able to get it all put back together and spray lubed so it actually works better now.  Plus I have extras just in case!  Lydia had fixed a pasta salad earlier this morning and I cooked cube steaks on the grill and we had steak sandwiches.  Very good and an easy meal.  Later, I walked Bailey, or actually she walked me, past the goat/chicken pen so she could visit her new little buddy!

  

 

We settled in and caught up on America’s Got Talent except that it started late due to the GOP convention running long.  So we didn’t see the results.  We’re hoping they will show it again on Friday. Tomorrow we leave for the next stop!       

 

Fri. 7/22…  (Virgin, UT)    This morning we had another really short drive so we decided to go to breakfast first.  The park owner recommended El Bambi’s as the best so we headed there around 8:30am.  The food was really good and we were glad we went.  After that we broke camp and drove the 109 miles to Zion River Resort RV Park (tl$60x3) in Virgin, UT. 

 

 

Now this park is nice!  Not worth the high rates they charge but close.  We are here for three days.  We had stayed in this area back in 2002 when we went to the St Paul national square dance convention. Our plans are to go out tomorrow to Bryce and then to Zion on Sunday. So today we gathered up info and planned for those day trips.  We have to be careful because we have the dogs to consider. Okay – revised plan – our park has a shuttle ($7ea) that will take us to Zion.  But they only drop you off.  We have to get info on the tram tour within the park.  We rested awhile and I walked Bailey and found the Zion River just a few yards from the campground (they even had a nice little path), and Bailey wasted no time.  Did I mention it was hot! 

 

 

Temps topped out today at 106°!  I know its hot today at home but we’re over 5,000 ft here so I expected it to be cooler!  Oh well, the water was comfortable and warmer than I expected.  Later, Janie had prepared beef stroganoff which was very tasty.  We talked a bit and then headed back to the river for Bailey and then came back and hit the pool and spa for us. 

We talked about tomorrow.  The shuttle leaves at 9:00am but the first one back doesn’t leave until 3:00pm. We decided to just drive there ourselves and leave around 8:30am.  We found out you park and then board the tram which takes you through the park.  You can get off at various stops for mini hikes or food and drink and whatever.  We don’t plan on many hikes so we will leave early and see what that does for our day.  We think we can get back before the shuttle so that way we won’t be leaving the dogs at home all day. 

 

Sat. 7/23…  (Virgin, UT)  We ate in and left for Zion about 8:30 as planned. We did the 20 mile drive and enjoyed the scenery very much.  Our national senior park passes got us in for free (yaay!). We drove in and thru the park, going through the tunnel, which was fun!  We continued all the way to the east entrance and through it!  We realized we missed the visitor center which was the first right after the west entrance!  But we got some great pictures…

 

and saw these bighorn sheep!

 

 

We stopped at the museum, which is the second stop on the tram and easily parked right across the street and caught one on the way back to stop #1.  Good thing.  It was just starting to warm up plus it was Saturday so there was a crowd there early.  The line at the visitor center was super long and we were already parked and on the tram!  We made our way all the way to stop #9 and got out there for a really short walk down the trail.  Most folks were headed back to the visitor center all the way on the trail. We took some pics

 

and then boarded the tram for the ride back to stop #2.  By then they were waiting for parking spots. So we lucked out.  We drove back to camp and kicked back for the afternoon. We decided to go out to dinner but couldn’t decide whether to stay in the park for their luau chicken or go back to The Fort for ribs. 

We chose the ribs. They were just ok. Not a place I’d go back to.  We watched tv and I walked Bailey one last time before we went to bed.     

 

 

2016 Trip -15) Gypsum, CO to Beaver, UT

Sun. 7/17…  (Gypsum, CO) Today was a lazy day.  We hung around the campground and let Bailey run and swim a bit. The river is pretty fast in some places and they have rafters coming down past our campground beach. We also spoke to Rick & Janie.  Seems they lost power late last night. They have already moved once to a site with power but had to move again. They came over to tell me they again have no power.  I’m not sure what is going on but I found the main breaker was tripped.  I reset it and we cycled everything back again.  It’s wait and see for a while.  We watched tv and hiked around the campground with Bailey but like I said - it was a lazy day.  Janie fixed a chicken casserole and peas and carrots and later we drove into Gypsum for ice cream.  There is NOTHING in this town so we went to the grocery store and bought ice cream sandwiches, and then settled in for the night.       

 

Mon. 7/18…  (Green River, UT) Today’s drive was 213 miles so we left about 9:00am. The drive was probably the most scenic to date. Plus getting to Gypsum was all uphill and this drive today was almost all downhill. 

 

 

We made it to A OK RV Park (pa$17, tl$34), in Green River, UT.

 

The park is ok.  They are doing work but they don’t have too many 50 amp sites so far.  Only one was available so we took a 30amp and gave R&J the 50amp site. We are doing dinner tonight so our rig will warm up a bit but no worries. Lydia fixed a ground turkey/noodle casserole which was very good. We got a red flag warning and the winds came up.  Our breaker on the power pole outside tripped once but we know where to look if it happens again.  I walked Bailey and talked to a few neighbors (who are here long term) and then went in to finish watching the Tour de France and then call it a night.    

Tues. 7/19…  (Green River, UT)  This morning we went to find a place for breakfast. We found Tamarisk Restaurant, a fairly new place in town adjacent to a new hotel. The food was ok, not a place I’d go back to though. We drove around the town a bit and checked out the grocery store for later and then went back to the rig to gather up all of the laundry.  No one was in the laundry room so we got a chance to get everything done pretty quickly.  Later, we were watching tv and resting and our power kept going out. We put up with it for a few minutes and then moved to the 50amp site that was vacated earlier this morning.  We had to use the remote satellite dish but at least we now have clean power and can run both airs. Later, Janie fixed lasagna and green beans and garlic bread for dinner and we walked the dogs twice more before settling in and watching America’s Got Talent and then going to bed.  Tomorrow we head out again. 

Wed. 7/20…  (Beaver, UT)  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RICK & JANIE!  We had 189 miles to drive today.  We left about 10:00am and got back on I70 and headed to I15 and then down to Beaver Camperland (tl$38x2) in Beaver, UT. 

 

 The drive was cool and very picturesque.  We climbed a bit on I70 and Rick got a warning light so we pulled over.  Shutting off and starting again cleared the light but I think he needs to add oil again.  We are lucky – our coach doesn’t use oil.  We stopped again at Walmart in Richfield, UT and got some things we needed for dinners coming up.  The park is ok for a couple of nights but it does have good wifi plus trees for shade but we were lucky and got a satellite signal. No plans for here as of yet except to go to Cache Valley Cheese Factory tomorrow. We have plans to go to Bryce and Zion but the next park is closer so we’ll plan from there.  Janie wanted to go out for their anniversary so we looked up restaurants in the big town of Beaver!  They chose Mexican so we went to Kan Kun Mexican, which was excellent! We got this quick shot of 4 deer at the edge of the campground pool on the way to dinner!  Three males and a doe.  One of the bucks was pretty good size with a nice rack. We walked the park and then sat out for a while and drank some wine with R&J before coming back in to watch a bit of the Republican Convention and then the Tour de France and then calling it a night.    

 

  

 

2016 Trip -14) Colorado Springs, CO to Gypsum, CO

 

Wed. 7/13…  (Colorado Springs, CO) Last day in Colorado Springs.  We decided to go to the US Olympic Training Facility for a tour.  It was a GREAT decision! This place is fantastic.  The training center is open to train both summer and winter as well Paralympic athletes.  We started with a video talking about the end result – the Olympics.  We saw past Olympians and their achievements.  Then they went back to the beginning and told us about the facility. 

 

We then walked through many of the training venues, including shooting, wrestling, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, and weight training. 

                                            
                                             Olympic corporate sponsors

 

Everything was first class.  The facility also can help athletes who have injuries and can do almost everything short of surgery. After that tour we drove out to seven falls.  But we found that they only do escorted tours now so we passed.  On the way to Costco we drove by the Broadmoor Hotel.  Truly a five star hotel! We stopped once more at Safeway and got everything we needed for salad, ravioli, and garlic bread. Very good.  It sprinkled a bit but Bailey and I went out anyway for her evening walk.  We came back and cleaned up the rig a bit to get ready to leave tomorrow. Later that night, an EMT unit came in to tend to another rver in the park who was having some issues. They had her on a gurney and I suspect that they transported her. It makes you think about staying healthy while on the road and in a remote location!     

 

Thur. 7/14… (Golden, CO)  Today’s drive was really short so we left around 11:00am.  We made the 89 mile trip back up through Denver and then a bit west to Dakota Ridge RV Resort (tl$63x2) in Golden, CO. 

 

 

This park is definitely not worth the high price! People are rude, sites are not the best. We’ll check out the amenities later.  But we wanted to be close to the Golden/Denver area for a couple of days so we’re good with it.  Our plans around Denver included a trip to Benny’s, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants so we wanted to take R&J there.  This place is in south Denver so it was a chance to see the city on the way there.  Of course I had to drive by Mile High Stadium to salute my champion BRONCOS! We also passed by Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.  Not my team but their field is really nice looking. The meal at Benny’s was good as always and we were glad we went. We got back and I took Bailey out for a good walk then we settled in to watch our tape of the latest America’s Got Talent.     

 

Fri. 7/15…  (Golden, CO)   Today’s plan included a lot of eating and drinking! We wanted to catch an early tour of the Coors Brewery. We left at 9:00am and got to the tour center and on a tram to the facility for the 10:30am tour.  The Coors facility is the largest one site brewery in the country.

 

The tour was fun and we got finished around 11:30.  The tasting was even better. I knew I would be enjoying this more than Lydia so I turned over the car keys to her even before we got on the tram!

 

 

Lydia drove us to old town Golden and then to Woody’s Wood Fire Pizza for lunch.  We found Woody’s when we were here years ago with Bill & Treasa.  For one price you get a salad bar plus you order whatever pizza you want. They put it out at the pizza bar and you take a slice or two and then everyone else can as well.  You can help yourself to any slices on the table.  Pizza is good too!
 

 

The next stop was Celestial Seasonings, one of our favorite spots. We toured there some years ago but it was a day when they weren’t working so we wanted to go again.  Plus Lydia likes their tea! I got some shots outside and before the tour but they don’t allow pictures on the tour.
 

                                           all made from teabags, even the shoes!

 

But guess what? They were out on some kind of awards break or something during our tour so we missed out seeing the operation again! 

Don’t you just love the hairnets!

After the tour and going to the gift shop and stocking up on teas, we headed home.  We fed and walked the dogs and rested a bit then drove to The White Fence Farm in Lakewood CO. This is a place very similar to Mrs. Knott’s Chicken at Knott’s Berry Farm.  They have a country farm like atmosphere with things to see and do especially for the kids.

Afterward, on the way home, we drove by places we visited when we were here in 2012.  The area has changed a bit. It seems like there is more new housing now. We got back to the rig and pretty much crashed from all the food and drink today!  I think we’ll have to skip a few meals for the next couple of days!

 

Sat. 7/16…  (Gypsum, CO) We have another short drive today so we didn’t want to leave too early.  So we took our time and cleaned up the rig a bit and finally got on the road around 10:00am.  We drove the 119 miles to Aunt Sara’s River Dance RV Park (tl$35.x2) in Gypsum, CO. 

We are here for two nights.  We booked this place as an interim stop and probably should have only stayed one night.  No laundry and no pool and no sewers.  R&J had to move from their original assigned space because the power didn’t work.  But they’re good now. The Eagle River is only about 200 yards away and the water is crystal clear.  Bailey wasted no time in jumping in!  

The town doesn’t offer much so we’ll take advantage of the beauty of the location while we’re here. We were going to eat in but Janie heard that its Gypsum Days this weekend.  So we drove to town.  Well, Gypsum Days shuts down the main street and you have to walk in which was a ways so we checked out what we could see and then drove 7 more miles back to the town of Eagle where we found several restaurants to choose from.  We picked Moe’s Original Bar B Que for dinner. 

Janie and I tried their crabcake sandwich.  I had mac and cheese and banana pudding. Rick and Lydia had pulled pork sandwiches.  All in all, it was pretty good.  Some of the folks with cars from the Gypsum car show came by for dinner.

 

Afterward, we drove back to camp and Lydia and I walked Bailey back to the river for another swim

and then back to the rig to dry her off and settle in and catch up on some shows. We don’t have much of a signal out here but I was able to get my mobile hotspot to work for a while but loading pictures on the blog took forever so I won’t post until Monday.  Tomorrow we will kick back and relax.