Colorado River Trip - Part 3 - Tecopa Hot Springs, Pahrump, Red Rocks, Las Vegas, Snowbird Mesa.

After leaving Laughlin, I headed to Tecopa Hot Springs which is near the east side of Death Valley in California.

(I have links to places I stayed overnight at the bottom of this blog.)

Alien Fresh Jerky!?!? 

I wondered how Alien Jerky tasted, but I declined to try it. This store is in Baker, California next to where I filled up with gas before heading into the gas-stationless land between Baker and Pahrump. In the background on the left side is the biggest thermometer in the world.

Tecopa Hot Springs Resort in Tecopa Nevada

Below is Google Photosphere looking over Tecopa.  Use your cursor to move around the 360 degree view.

Views: Tecopa, CA by Greg Kendall

Tecopa is in the middle of nowhere.  It has about three or four mineral hot spring places.  I planned to pick one of the RV resorts to stay the night and soak.  I first stopped at Delight's.  I parked and went into the office to get the scoop.  The guy in the office seemed a little busy and I felt like I was disturbing him somehow, but then he took me for a quick tour.

They have about five enclosed hot mineral tubs.  The water is suppose to be great, full of minerals and very healing.  They are all private and enclosed with walls.  Some have roofs, some do not.  They looked nice.  If you stay in a cabin or in the RV (with hookups) area, you can use the tubs.  You wait in a courtyard for the next tub room to open up.  You get 30 minutes to soak and then you have to get out and start over, if you want more time. (Does someone have an egg timer set for 30 minutes?)

Delight's seemed busy.  There were people waiting for tubs, but was nice enough.  Next, I decided to check out the other major hot spring resort, Tecopa Hot Springs.

Tecopa Hot Springs Resort has a set of indoor tubs up on a hillside.  I checked in at the office and they told me I could go check them out.  Again, there were people waiting to get into the tubs. Tecopa HSR also has RV sites with full hookups or boondocking sites. It seemed OK.

Tecopa HSR also has Pastel's Bistro that is highly regarded.  Apparently Chef John Muccio left the big city to create a restaurant in a small relaxed location.  With 150 residents, Tecopa is small.  I checked out the restaurant and it looked good, but I wasn't very hungry at the time. We will try it next time, for sure, as I've heard amazing things about this restaurant.

Next, I wanted to find the hot spring pool on BLM land due east and half a mile out of town.  I had a satellite photo and GPS coordinates (35.872772, -116.219336).  I figured out where to drive and found it. It's not hard to get to and the road is a pretty good dirt packed road that a large RV could handle.

There were cars already there as I arrived and about four naked guys where in the pool.  I took a look at the small pool and decided five was a crowd.

It looks like you can boondock nearby this pool on the BLM land, if you wanted to.  You have to be a designated distance from water sources so you can't camp right at the pool site. (I think it's 300 feet away from water sources.)

If Karen was with me, I would have gone back to Delight's and stayed in an electric RV site. But, I was by myself and just didn't want to hang out in the waiting area alone waiting for a pool to open up while groups of people stood by watching me take a tub room for myself.  I felt it would be awkward. If Karen was with me, it would have been a tolerable proposition.

Karen and I will definitely return and enjoy this place at some point, I am sure.  I bet the stars at night are just amazing!  (Tecopa HSR has telescopes and does star-gazing on moonless nights, I was told.)

It was lunch time.  I headed down the road and pulled off near some muddy ponds.  Lunch was grand sitting out there in that flat gravel desert and enjoying the incredible desert, pond and mountain views.

There is a nearby "China Ranch Date Farm" that is suppose to be a really cool "oasis in the desert" and fun place to visit. Their date shakes are suppose to be the bomb!  Next time.

Tecopa has a county run hot spring mineral pool.  It has two gender-segregated pools, where nudity is mandatory in order to keep the water clean.  You can read stuff on the web about why this is and all the management upheavals that have recently occurred at this place.

The local Indian Chief gave the pools to the city long ago and required that they remain free for all to use forever.  Well, not long ago, the county hired a company to run the place and a fee was instituted. There was a lot of gnashing of teeth and major bellyaching caused by this development.

If I was the local Tribe Chief. I would demand the return of the springs for violation of terms, open a nice hot spring resort / casino and live comfortably ever after.

There is an RV park that the county runs across from the county run hot springs pools.  There is also another private RV park on the northwest side of town with indoor hot spring tubs. I've read a blogger review about it and they liked it - Tecopa Palms RV Park.

In general, I prefer hot mineral pools that are not inside buildings.  I love to soak while enjoying an expansive view and cool night air with stars.  It seems that in the oldern days, mineral pools were generally enclosed and gender segregated.  Tecopa seems to have stuck with the restrictive older ways.

I sure wish these Tecopa places would tear down the buildings and build pools that were more open and not segregated.  I'd like to be able to sit with my wife and enjoy the views while I soaked.  If they did, I am sure this place would be a lot more prosperous.  Some enterprising person will buy one of these places and make the changes, I just don't know if it will be in my lifetime.

If you've been to Orvis Hot Springs near Ridgeway CO, then you know what I am thinking of for a design update.

Shoshone RV Park Warm Spring Pool

Shoshone RV Park

Up the road about eight miles north is the little town of Shoshone.  Shoshone RV Park has a warm spring pool.  I took a look and it seemed very pleasant.  I definitely shall return with Karen.  The RV spots are in a relaxed, grassy area.  It looks like a great place to spend some time.  There is a well regarded restaurant / saloon in town that looks like a really fun spot.  This would be a good base to explore the eastern Death Valley area.

Lake Side Casino RV Resort

Nugget Casino Pahrump

Heading on to Pahrump, I decided to spend the night at the Pahrump Nugget Casino.  It's a nice medium sized casino with a lot of parking.  The photo shows another guy who was doing the same. (Out in back there is a dirt area that might also make a good overnighting spot.)  There is a big pay RV park next door.

There was a lot of street noise, but I slept fine.  There is no buffet here but there is a restaurant in the casino as well as in another casino directly across the street.  There is also a big Smith's grocery on the northwest side of the casino.

Before I settled in at the Nugget, I took a look at the nearby Lake Side Casino RV Resort.  It's very nice.  It's has super pleasant surroundings with a small lake, grass and many trees and nice winding roads through the sites. If looks very family friendly.  I thought that Karen would like it when we are finally out in our future C Class in a few years.

Red Rocks near Las Vegas

Red Rocks near Las Vegas

I headed out early the next morning and stopped just outside of Las Vegas at Red Rocks Canyon. Wow, this is a super gorgeous area.  My Mom told me that when she lived in Vegas as a child, her family never visited this area. That seems a shame. It is amazing!

There are a lot of vehicle pull-offs that were being used by hikers and bicyclists. I pulled over and took a nice hike up to the base of the mountains.  You have got to check this out if your in the Vegas area. It's national park level scenery!  There is a national conservation area scenic loop drive here that I am sure is a great drive.  There is a low fee charged for this drive.

My hike was fantastic. I definitely want to come back and really explore this area further with Karen. There are many great hiking trails in this area and it's popular with bicyclists. Rock climbing is a major activity in this area.

Nice BLM Campground near Red Rocks Canyon

Further down the road is a BLM campground, "Red Rocks Canyon Campground," that is apparently fairly new and not on many maps yet.  It is pretty large with many sites, but there was a sign that said it was full.

Being the end of a weekend, I noticed many of the sites were now vacant. I could have gotten a spot if I wanted one.  I will definitely stay here at some future time.  There are no trees, so it will not be in the summer, in fact they close it down during hot summer months. There was a shade structure at every site. It is dry camping and there are no showers, but it has vault toilets. It's $15 a night.

There were about five RVs in the camp host area of the campground.  It was around noon and it's a wonder that none of the camp host could be bothered to take down the "campground full" signs.  I'm not kidding, five host RVs!

Dry blacktop-docking behind Bally's

On to Vegas.

After two orders of fries at In-N-Out, I made my way to the parking lot behind Bally's, where I have overnighted before.  My favorite parking spot is next to the Bally's / Paris casino employees parking area entrance. There is a security shack right there that is staffed all night.  I felt this was a fairly safe place to park with all the employees driving in and out at all hours of day and night. The security people hang out a few feet away, at night.  My van was parked there for multiple days during this trip and no one bothered it.  Other RVs could be seen in the area.

I was told a story by one guy that there had been a bad heist of an RV in that back parking area recently. A family was moving cross-country and stopped for a stay in a Bally's Casino hotel room overnight. The RV was pulling a big trailer with all their worldly possessions inside.  When they came out the next morning to continue their trip, the whole rig and trailer were gone!  The heist was big TV news all over Nevada for a few days, the guy told me.

Next, I headed to the newer Aria Casino to enjoy their fantastic spa.

The spa at the Aria is great.  It costs $45 to get in but worth every penny.  You enter the separate men's and women's area first.  There are co-ed areas with a outdoor covered huge balcony jacuzzi that is very enjoyable.  I soaked there for a long while, enjoying the balcony view and the jets on my back muscles.

In the co-ed area is a "salt block" room with relaxing vibrating chairs and new age music. You recline and zen out.

The very best thing in the co-ed area is a dark room with large black stone slab beds. The stone slabs are heated. You lay down and absorb the heat. Talk about relaxation!  I have never experienced anything like it. You lay there on your back in a supplied robe in the quiet dark soaking up the heat.

Finally, in the co-ed area, is a lounge room were you can sit, read and relax. There are fruit, nuts and lemon water available along with a big screen TV room.

Back in the men's area (and I assume the women's) there are lockers, a well stocked sink room with every item you could possibly need, combs, brushes, pre-paste loaded tooth brushes, shaving razors and cream, towels, everything!  Also, you will find a very comfortable shower room with plenty of private space and rainfall shower fixtures.

Ahhh, it was great to be completely clean and shaved again!

The men's and women's spaces have four indoor jacuzzis, a steam room and a sauna room.  It's all very fancy, clean, calm and pleasant.

After my spa afternoon, I went for a nice walk around the strip to people watch and see the sights.  I stopped at Chipotle to have a burrito bowl for dinnner.  After my walkabout it was back to the van where I had a snack and setup for bed.  I slept well that night knowing security was just a few feet away.

I have been to Vegas many times.  My impression this trip is that parts of the Strip are going down hill. I felt that Caesar's Entertainment Corporation was neglecting some of their properties. The Strip gave me the same feeling I felt when Reno started going downhill in the late 80's. It seemed the walk-ways have been infested with a lot of panhandlers, guys playing music and weird characters dressed up like transformers, dancers, snowmen or what not from popular movies.  These characters try to make money by getting you to take a photo with them.  That is OK in itself, but I saw some of these people taking breaks without their costumes on and I don't think I would want my family members being near them, in any other situation.

The whole place just seems a lot more grimy and gritty than it was in the past.

The hotels have basically just given up trying to keep the sidewalks clean and the cops have given up trying to keep the over-street walkways clear of pan-handlers, freaks and hustlers.  I wonder if it's because of the fierce competition from Indian Casino's like the Avi that are just so nice these days.

But there are still nice casinos.  The Bellagio, the Aria, the Venetian, the Wynn, they are all still really nice inside, I just can't justify the cost to stay in them.  It's while walking around that I felt this feeling of creepy crudeness and desperation. Maybe it's always been that way and I am just now really noticing it.

I had a few more days until Karen was going to show up at the airport and I wanted to check out the Lake Mead area RV opportunities and the Snowbird Mesa boondocking area, so the next morning off I went.

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Tecopa Hot Springs, Tecopa, CA MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tecopa+Hot+Springs,+Tecopa,+CA+92389

Shoshone RV Park (with Warm Spring Pool) MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/35°58'48.8"N+116°16'18.7"W

Pahrump Nugget Casino MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°12'35.4"N+115°59'03.6"W

Red Rocks Canyon Campground (BLM) MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°07'49.5"N+115°23'08.3"W

Bally's Las Vegas Casino back overnight parking area MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°06'42.3"N+115°09'57.4"W

Colorado River Trip - Part 2 - Yuma Arizona to Laughlin Nevada

In the previous blog I was leaving Yuma.  Well, I didn't get far when I saw an In-and-Out burger joint. I am trying to eat less meat and I have a problem with gluten, but I know that In-and-Out makes their own fries on the spot using only whole potatoes, salt, oil and without wheat coatings (like evil McDonald's does).  I stop and had two servings of fries!!!!  OH so good!

(There are links to places I camped at the end of the blog.)

The Naked Guy at Reader's Oasis Book Store in Quartzsite Arizona.

It was on to Quartzsite, Arizona which is famous for all the snowbirds that boondock out in the desert in the area.  There are designated long term boondocking areas where you can pay $180 for an entire six months near Quartzsite.  I saw a lot of large RVs just off the highway as I passed through the area.

That will be us someday, I thought to myself!

The Reader's Oasis Book Store is a must see stop in Quartzsite.  The naked guy was there doing his book organizing thing.  Boy is his skin leathery!  I even found a good sci-fi paperback to purchase as I roamed his stacks of books.

As I was leaving the bookstore, I spotted an RV place that had propane.  I wasn't sure how much propane was in my BBQ tank and I wanted to fill it up for the rest of the trip.  It ended up that my tank only needed about $3 worth of propane.  Luckily the guy filling it was a nice dude and didn't care how much propane my tank took.  (I've heard about propane guys who get pissed if your tank isn't close to empty when they fill it.)

The guy was excited describing how he loved to collect gems out in the desert.  I guess there are a lot of cool rocks in the areas around Quartzsite.  He hoped he could crack them open and find valuable gems in some of the rocks he found.  He described how he thought he could buy some of the rocks from local dealers and chisel out some of the gems and sell those for much more than the original purchase price.  He was very passionate about rocks and gems!

My fireworks viewing area on state trust land just adjacent to Lake Havasu City.

My site near Lake Havasu City.

Before the trip, I had scoped out a site that was very close to Lake Havasu City. It was described in my source as BLM land with free camping.  As I approached the site there was a sign that designated the land as Arizona State Trust Land and noted that you needed a permit to travel and camp on that land.  I didn't have a permit. (Later on the internet I found permits cost $20 for a year.)

I was surprised to see that there were hundreds of RVs on this trust land area.  I pulled off and stopped.  I asked some folks camping there about the trust permit, they said that there was a huge Lake Havasu fireworks show that weekend just across the street and they were all there to camp and enjoy the show.  They said no one there likely had a trust land permit.  I figured that no trust land cop would bother to check so many RV campers for permits.  I drove further into the area and found a nice spot in a gully that had been used before for vehicle camping.

I talked to a couple in a nearby VW bus camper who told me that Lake Havasu put on a huge fireworks display at the SARA park across the highway that weekend in order to fill hotel rooms.  (It was Valentines, Presidents Day and Mardi Gras weekend.) [Update: The fireworks show was put on as part of the Western Pyrotechnic Association convention held yearly at Lake Havasu.]

I was excited that I would get to enjoy fireworks that night from my campsite.

The VW couple had been to Faywood Springs years ago and were excited to learn that it was operating under new owners.  They made plans instantly to head back that way. They had helped do some work at the springs years ago in exchange for some camping and soaking.  They hoped to do that again.

That night I sat next to my great propane fire ring and enjoyed the best fireworks I have ever seen in person. It was a "New York 1976" level show.  I was told by the VW couple that the people firing off the fireworks were crazy and lit a lot of the fireworks by hand with torches.

I've helped setup firework shows in Los Alamos and there is no way I would light them by hand. It's usually done with electronic fusses and computers these days.  Plus, these were very large fireworks!

During the show I Google+ video chatted with Karen and showed her the fireworks show.  It was spectacular!  What an unexpected treat!  Thanks Lake Havasu City!!!!

A miniature lighthouse at Lake Havasu.

Below is a Google Photosphere.  Use your cursor to move around in this 360 degree view.

Views: Lake Havasu - London Bridge Island. Split Rock Replica Lighthouse by Greg Kendall

The next morning I was off again headed toward Laughlin, Nevada with a stop at the Avi Casino at the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.

But before leaving Lake Havasu, I crossed the famous London Bridge and enjoyed the view of the lake from the Island.

Heading up the Colorado past Parker you see a LOT of nice looking RV parks right along the river. This must be explored further!

Buffet late lunch at the Avi Casino.

The pretty Avi Casino swimming lagoon on the Colorado River.

Enjoying the Avi Swiming pool and hot tub. Ahhhhhh!

Below is a Google Photosphere.  Use your cursor to move around in this 360 degree view.

Views: The Avi Casino lagoon by Greg Kendall

It's not a long drive to the Avi Casino from Lake Havasu. The road is fun in that it undulates up and down across the desert washes like a kiddy-land roller coaster.  "Hands in the air, everybody!!!" Woooo.

Upon arrival, I parked in the dry parking lot of the Avi Casino.  I've stayed at the Avi many times before.  It is a great stop along highway 40 near Needles.  They have a large free (3 day max) dry parking dirt lot, a KOA RV pay resort with full-hookups, a golf course, a great buffet, a cool swimming beach lagoon, a boat ramp, a dock on the Colorado, a multi-screen movie theater, a nice hotel and a food court.

The pool area is pretty darn sweet.  There are usually a few kids running and splashing about, but that doesn't bother me.

During the summer, the pool area is available to the dry RVers for a $10 day use fee.  During the winter there is no one around to collect that fee.  You have to have a card key to get into the pool area, which I didn't have, so I stood around looking shifty next to the locked gate until a family came out and that was my que to stealthily sneak in past the family.  (I tried to pay at the casino rewards desk but nobody wanted to take my money.)

It was a nice afternoon of swimming, reading and soaking in the nice big bubbly Avi hot tub.  After a very refreshing swim / reading session, it was off to the Avi buffet.  I got there in the nick of time to pay the lower lunch rate.  They have a very nice buffet and I filled up on a lot of good food, sans the meat & wheat.

The Avi is a great stop.  I highly recommend it.  For a photo-sphere of the Avi Lagoon click HERE.

After my late lunch, I decided to head on up to Laughlin and spend the night there after a good long walk.  It was only about 15 more miles north.

Mardi gras music in Laughlin Nevada.

A mock riverboat casino in Laughlin, Nevada.

The Riverside Casino classic car museum is worth a visit.

RV parking area at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nevada.

MONKEYS on the River Walk!!!!!!

Laughlin is on the Nevada side of the Colorado River, right across from Bullhead City, Arizona.  I've been to Laughlin many times.  It's known as the poor man's Las Vegas.  It's a pretty cool place. There are many casinos along the river.  I'm not a gambler, but I love to walk the river walk and people watch.

Laughlin's river walk is about a mile and a half long and passes a lot of casinos.  There are water taxi's that zip around the river taking people to different casinos and across the river to Bullhead City, Arizona.

It was Mardi Gras time and there was a celebration with food and music going on at the riverboat themed casino (Colorado Belle).  A New Orleans band was pretty good with a crowd really enjoying it.

Down towards the south end of the walk, I came upon a row of big monkey statues holding up light torches along a quiet stretch between two casinos.  The monkeys had seen better days, but they are still unique and interesting.

The Riverside Casino has recently started allowing RV's to dry overnight park in their main parking lot, even though they have a very popular RV park directly across the street.  I read that the casino had banned RVs from their lot a few years ago and RVers were up-in-arms about the ban and had raised a huge ruckus in many RV groups.  The Casino reversed course and has welcomed RVs back. There were at least 50 or so RVs in the lot. They were all packed into one area.  There was still plenty of room for other customers to park their cars in the lot.

I talked to one RVer who told me he had been parked there for four months, even though there was a limit of something like 7 days posted on a light pole.  No one from the casino had ever once bothered him to move.

The signs on the light poll were very contradictory.  One sign said overnight parking was not allowed by the city. One sign said the casino had a limit of so many days parking in the lot.  It appears the town of Laughlin has an ordinance against overnight parking in parking lots, but it appears not to be enforced unless a property owner calls the cops on an RVer.  The Riverside Casino is clearly not calling cops out on any RVers at this time.

I did see five cops surrounding a guy who looked somewhat wasted in the area of the RVs.  The guy was yelling out, "my dad's an f'in millionaire!"  Not sure what that was about, but it seemed a minor interruption to the general quiet peace in the RV area.

I suspect that at some point the casino will once again get pissed off at the RVers and ban them because of the people who abuse their length of stay.  I have to say that the RVs that were there were all pretty clean looking and didn't have all kinds of stuff strewn outside, like BBQs and chairs. Nothing was leaking on the ground that I could see.   It seemed that the RVers were respecting the property and not making it look junky.

After I walked the river walk and then toured the really cool classic car museum in the Riverside Casino, I returned to my van and had a good, quiet, restful night.

There are other casinos in Laughlin that have RV parking areas.  The rules are constantly changing so you might have to look around a bit.  The Gold Nugget and the River Palms both have an area and they are both on my Blogger Reviews Map.

In the morning, I programmed my GPS for Tecopa Hot Springs in the desert near Death Valley and headed out.

Next: Tecopa Hot Springs, Pahrump, Red Rocks, Las Vegas, Snowbird Mesa.

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Lake Havasu City SARA Park - State Land Trust area MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/34°27'03.8"N+114°14'38.5"W

Avi Casino Dry Camping Lot MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/35°01'04.9"N+114°38'30.4"W

Riverside Casino designated RV parking area MAP:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/35°09'56.2"N+114°34'21.9"W

Blogger Reviews MAP.

Colorado River Trip - Part 1 - Los Alamos to Yuma

Karen was to meet me in Las Vegas after I traveled south to Faywood Springs - Hot Springs and then over to a BLM free camping site called Synder Hill, just southwest of Tucson.  I was then going to head to Yuma and follow the Colorado River as best I could up to Las Vegas, after a couple of detours.  My objective was to visit some of the boondocking sites I have read about in order to scope them out our future RV travels.

(I have put links and maps to all the sites I talk about at the bottom of the blog.)

It was February and New Mexico was having really nice warm weather.  I don't like to take the Nissan NV van out in winter weather because it does terrible in snow, but the weather was good and the long term forecast called for more great weather.  (That changed later on during this trip.)

Entrance to Faywood Hot Springs Resort near Deming, NM

Hot Spring pools near the RV camping area.

Faywood Hot Springs Resort is a rustic place a bit north of Deming and South of Silver City, New Mexico.  Faywood is very near the City of Rocks State Park (a wonderful place to camp, hike and visit). Faywood was purchased a few years ago by a new owner and has been slowly making a comeback from it's premature demise.

Faywood is a nice place to escape to during the cold northern New Mexico winter in order to warm up and soak.  There are about 20 tent/RV sites with many that can accommodate large RVs. Faywood has RV hookups. It costs about $38 bucks for a site with hookups (for two people). That price includes soaking. As an overnight guest you can soak all night if you like. There are also private pools for an extra fee.

There are about 15 hot soak pools on the property.  I find it extremely relaxing to be out in a hot pool late at night when no one else is around.  The stars are amazing at Faywood.  There is an high mound in the middle of the property where the hot water source is found.  You can walk up there and follow a path around the source tanks.  There are great views of the area from atop the source mound.

Silver City is maybe 30 miles away.  It's a fun trip to visit Silver City with it's walk-able historic downtown, a nice natural foods store and good restaurants and dessert places.

Our Faywood RV site  #6  (from a previous trip)

My spot at Synder Hill BLM boondocking site

Using my new propane camp fire pit.

Synder Hill BLM area from the top of Synder Hill.

Below is a Google Photosphere.  You can use your cursor to move around in the 360 degree view taken from the top of Synder Hill.

Views: Synder Hill, BLM Boondocking site by Greg Kendall

After an evening of soaking, I was off to Synder Hill BLM area.  Synder Hill is popular with boondockers as it feels remote, yet is near Tucson.  I took a hike up the hill to get a nice view of the entire area.  There is a popular desert botanical zoological park nearby that I have yet to visit, but it's on my list!

While I was enjoying my new propane fire pit, a guy walked up.  He had parked his station wagon nearby.  He told me he was in Tucson for the big gem show held every February.  It's a huge event with venues all over town.  He had purchased many thousands of dollars worth of gems and stones and planned to resell them back home in Wisconsin.

He was sleeping in the back of a station wagon and described a ten degree night in Colorado during his trip.  He claims he slept fine in that cold under a huge pile of blankets, but he noted that at one point he "missed" his pee bucket during the night and had a wet bed for a while.  I've been there.

I recently purchased a Camp Chef Portable Fire Ring.  This was my first chance to use it while RVing.  It worked great.  It's easy to light up.  I brought our propane tank from the BBQ at home.  It's pretty easy to setup and easy to light up.  The ring puts out a really nice hot flame that is adjustable.  I am really pleased with it.  It comes with a nice bag to pack it up in after each use.  It contains lava rocks so it's lighter then you would think.  I can toss the whole bag into the back of the van when I am ready to pack up and go.  It's so much less of a hassle than firewood and my clothes don't smell like smoke after an evening enjoying it's flames.

My spot at the Quechan Casino large RV lot.

A cool Greyhound bus RV conversion.

Folks headed back from Algodones, Mexico

Next, I headed to Yuma to check out the Quechan Casino.  The casino has a huge dry boondocking RV dirt lot that is near the casino entrance.  There were about 200 RVs in the lot.  It was pretty full.  I found a spot on the edge of the parking area where it appeared smaller RVs were parking.

I always check out the casino buffets.  I was hoping that Quechan had a good one.  I was disappointed to learn they had removed their buffet not long ago.  They did have a walk up cafe with a lot of choices.  I had them make me a nice chef's salad that I took back to the van and gobbled up.

In the morning, I met an older gentleman who was walking his cute little dog.  He told me he was in one of the 40 foot monster motor homes nearby.  He learned to play a mean game of poker during his RVing years.  He described how he regularly won about $100 a night playing in casinos.  He has RV friends who can clear $5,000 a month playing poker, he claims. He recommended I get into it. Sounds good except for all the smoke.

After a nice walk into the desert near the casino, I set the van up for travel and drove down the road from the casino a short ways to view the Mexican border.  RVers love to go down to Algodones, Mexico to have cheap dental work done.  You can also get cheap booze, prescription glasses and prescription drugs. Most people park in a big pay parking lot next to the border and walk on over.  I read that the casino has a bus that takes you to the border.

Next up, I headed north up the Colorado basin to Lake Havasu with a quick stop to top off my propane and see the naked guy at the Reader's Oasis Book store in Quartzsite, Arizona.

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http://www.faywood.com/
Faywood Hot Springs
Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Faywood+Hot+Spring,+New+Mexico
The springs have both clothing and clothing-optional areas.

Synder Hill BLM Boondocking site MAP: https://www.google.com/maps/place/32°09'24.3"N+111°06'56.0"W

Quechan Casino
MAP: https://www.google.com/maps/place/32°44'23.5"N+114°43'20.7"W

Camp Chef Portable Fire Ring

All these sites are on my RV Bloggers Sites Map.

Super Dreams

Road to Los Alamos in winter

As we have said many times, we are very lucky to live in Los Alamos. We have lived in snowy climates for almost twenty years, thus the countdown to our full-time, chasing the sun lifestyle.
But, there is beauty in fresh snowfall on a mountainside.

Like the rest of the Country, we are planning our yummy treats for Superbowl Sunday. We are taking dinner over to Greg's parents place and watching the game together.

When we are in the thick of work and winter and unable to get out in our camper - reading the fulltimer blogs helps sustain, entertain and inspire us. Thank you to all you bloggers out there reminding us of what is in our future!

We have seven inches in our backyard that has fallen
between late Thursday night and Saturday morning.

Greg discovered a new blog by a couple who have just a little longer than us until they retire. Check them out. 

Full Time RVing - The Journey to Our Dream

344 weeks

Destinations

Maui sunrise

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Maui and Oahu. We were in Maui to attend my niece's wedding. I'm told that "destination weddings" are very popular these days. Sarah and Kort limited the invitees to immediate family and a few friends. They also are planning a bigger reception in March back in California for extended family and friends. We love Hawaii! Such fun swimming, hiking, exploring and hanging with family. We have been very lucky to go to Hawaii as a winter escape every couple of years for awhile now. We plan to continue this tradition when we are living full-time in our RV.

Part of my family (not everyone made the trip)

Greg has been busy adding sites and links to reviews/resources to his Campsite Review Map. As I look at each new place he adds and dream of our future - I can't help but wonder - how on earth are we going to decide where to go? Greg has added 364 spots to our map and there are literally thousands of options he hasn't found yet. So many choices!

I recently read Amanda's (Watsons Wander) post about planning for their upcoming travels. I like spontaneity, but I also LOVE to plan future trips. A friend and I were talking at work about upcoming trips. We both agreed that the planning and looking forward to future trips is a big part of the joy of RVing. At least for us.

Greg and I have talked and dreamed about how we will decide where to go. We have a BIG list of places we want to see and explore. We have lived in snow country since the mid 90's. We lived in South Lake Tahoe, Salt Lake City/Park City, Twin Cities of Minnesota and Los Alamos, New Mexico. We will be ready for a change. Like a lot of full-timers - we plan to avoid cold weather and snow. But, beyond following the sun, we also have destinations that will drive (pun intended) where we go.

We want to see

• Music Festivals
• Rodeos
• Airshows
• Shakespeare Festivals
• Hot Springs
• Astronomy Gatherings
• Orienteering Events

Group fire with music stage in the background at High Mountain Hideout
Music Festival this summer. We stayed in our van right next to the music
venue at Taos Ski Valley

Looking down from our hike at the temporary camping area at Taos Ski Valley 

Greg hamming it up on the set of The Tempest in Boulder this summer

Greg is continuing to build and expand our Campsite Review Map. I am working on gathering resource sites for our destination goals. We are going to add a destination page to keep links for our areas of interest to make it easier for us to find and track all these festivals and destinations we want to experience. 

Greg on one of our daily walks along the beach

Turtle Bay on Oahu

When we travel now, we always look up great hikes and any festivals/rodeos and definitely hot springs in the area.  After our family time on Maui, we went with my Aunt and Uncle (who I lived with from eleven to eighteen) to Oahu. We were staying at the Hale Koa on Waikiki. Greg discovered that there was a high school rodeo the week we were visiting. So, we rented a car and drove to the other side of the island. We stopped first at the Byodo-In Temple. What a stunningly, beautiful location. We then spent a few hours watching the high school rodeo. 

Waikiki from the air

Byodo-In Temple

Our sock monkey friend also enjoyed the peaceful grounds at the Byodo-In Temple

High School Rodeo at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu

Floating about with my Aunt

Can't beat swimming in January. Diamond Head in the background.

Pueblo Canyon Hike

"Hiking is the answer. Who cares what the question is." - Pacific Crest Trail Assoc.

Hiking in Pueblo Canyon

In Nov. 2013, we simplified our exercise regiment. We walk or hike for 1.5 hours per day. We track it with quarters (each one equals 15 min.). If we miss a day - we save the quarters and make it up on the next day or on the weekend. This simplified tracking has worked well for us.

Last Sunday, we went on a hike down into Pueblo Canyon and up the Hamilton Trail to the Los Alamos Co+op and back home. It was a beautiful day even with the cold weather. 

Hoodoos in Pueblo Canyon

We haven't had much snow this year

Fresh animal tracks in the snow

Los Alamos is made up of numerous mesas and canyons

After walking along the canyon floor, we head to the point to Greg's right up the Hamilton Trail

Beautiful Los Alamos looking toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains 

Greg enjoying the beautiful vista

The cliff side sprinkled with snow is the road up the "main hill" to Los Alamos

We heard this bird gathering before we spotted them in the tree.

Happy New Year every one!
Wishing you an adventure filled 2015