For the past 17 days or so, I've either not been connected to the Internet or my connection was not good at all. As a result, I've not been able to post much to the blog. I hope that will change now.
Donna and I arrived in Big Spring, Texas, this afternoon after a 900 mile journey from Laughlin that began yesterday morning. We saw some wonderful country, and I will post something about the trip as soon as I can catch up.
We will stay in Big Spring for a few days visiting our daughter and her family. We will leave here next week and travel to East Texas to take care of some business there. We have no plans at this time beyond East Texas. It will be good to see the colors of fall there.
Please bear with me as I try to catch up.
This blog follows Keith and Donna Cameron as they enjoy retirement. 01/24/05
Friday, October 12, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada
We spent the week of September 24 through October 1 at Sam's Town RV Park on the Boulder Highway in East Las Vegas, Nevada. We had been to Las Vegas twice before about ten years ago. The first trip we stayed at the Excalibur on the South Strip, and the second time we stayed downtown at the Golden Nugget. Of the two locations, I think we like the downtown experience better. You can still see glimpses of the old Vegas downtown, and there are much better gaming and eating opportunities there.
Las Vegas is a big town, and it's a busy place. Sirens sounded around the clock all up and down the Boulder Highway. I don't know if they were ambulances, fire trucks, or police calls -- probably a mix of all of these -- but we heard them at every hour of the day and night.
We spent our time gambling at Sam's Town and the nearby Boulder Station. We enjoyed both casinos. We were lucky enough to hit a jackpot while at Sam's Town playing the full pay deuces wild machines there. We scored enough comps that we were able to eat free for the last several days we were there. Getting around on the Boulder Highway was easy enough, and there were various dining and shopping opportunities in the area. In fact, there is a Super Walmart right across the street from Sam's Town. Other RV parks are located nearby as well.
The weather was fairly mild by Vegas standards while we were there. The temperatures were basically in the lower 90s during the day while dipping to the lower 70s or higher 60s at night.
One aspect of gambling in Vegas I don't like is the presence of children in the casinos. Dining options and hotel access are usually located off the main casino floor at local casinos, so children have to pass through the casino to get to these places. I hate seeing these children on casino floors, exposed to smoke and drinking. And because casinos like Sam's Town offer arcades, bowling, movies, and other child-oriented entertainment, there are lots of families here.
But we liked Sam's Town and would consider returning here if ever in Vegas again. It has plenty of eating options, including chains like McDonald's, Subway, and TGIF, as well as the usual assortment of casino options like buffets and delis. There is something happening almost everyday at Sam's Town. While there, we participated in a slot tournament as well as several drawings for various prizes.
Las Vegas is a big town, and it's a busy place. Sirens sounded around the clock all up and down the Boulder Highway. I don't know if they were ambulances, fire trucks, or police calls -- probably a mix of all of these -- but we heard them at every hour of the day and night.
We spent our time gambling at Sam's Town and the nearby Boulder Station. We enjoyed both casinos. We were lucky enough to hit a jackpot while at Sam's Town playing the full pay deuces wild machines there. We scored enough comps that we were able to eat free for the last several days we were there. Getting around on the Boulder Highway was easy enough, and there were various dining and shopping opportunities in the area. In fact, there is a Super Walmart right across the street from Sam's Town. Other RV parks are located nearby as well.
The weather was fairly mild by Vegas standards while we were there. The temperatures were basically in the lower 90s during the day while dipping to the lower 70s or higher 60s at night.
One aspect of gambling in Vegas I don't like is the presence of children in the casinos. Dining options and hotel access are usually located off the main casino floor at local casinos, so children have to pass through the casino to get to these places. I hate seeing these children on casino floors, exposed to smoke and drinking. And because casinos like Sam's Town offer arcades, bowling, movies, and other child-oriented entertainment, there are lots of families here.
But we liked Sam's Town and would consider returning here if ever in Vegas again. It has plenty of eating options, including chains like McDonald's, Subway, and TGIF, as well as the usual assortment of casino options like buffets and delis. There is something happening almost everyday at Sam's Town. While there, we participated in a slot tournament as well as several drawings for various prizes.
Friday, October 5, 2012
On the Road: Beaver, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday, September 24, 2012
We awoke while it was still dark out this morning; we wanted to get an early start. Since we did not unhook yesterday, it didn't take us long to pull out of the RV park in Beaver. We drove over to the nearby McDonald's and had a light breakfast.
After breakfast, we drove through Beaver. Like most other Utah towns we have seen, this one was neat and orderly and very attractive. The residents of the state have done a wonderful job of making the desert bloom.
After hopping on Interstate 15, we headed south. The first part of the trip was through a rich agricultural valley dominated mostly by hay fields. The valley was probably 3 - 5 miles wide in most places, though I've discovered I have trouble estimating distances accurately in this big country. The drive through this section was easy and over fairly level terrain.
As we approached Cedar City, UT, we climbed out of the valley into more rugged country, but nothing like what we experienced the previous day. From Cedar City on to the Arizona state line, we remained in an urban setting, dominated by St. George, UT, the major city in this part of Utah with a population of over 70,000 citizens. Because of its mild winter climate, Brigham Young selected the area for his winter home.
We crossed the Arizona state line as we left St. George, and soon entered the most scenic stretch of our trip today -- the Virgin River Gorge. The Virgin River has sliced through the mountains of Arizona that separate Utah from Nevada, and the road follows the river as it winds its way through this rough country. Below are some pictures Donna snapped as we wound through this scenic setting.
The Nevada state line is just a few miles west of the gorge, and the growing town of Mesquite is right on the border. You know you are in Nevada because the casinos begin at the first exit. We detoured through Mesquite for a closer look at this community, which is attracting growing numbers of retirees with its casinos and golf resorts. It is a tidy place with a good variety of businesses.
Back on I-15, we set our sites on Las Vegas. We are plainly in the desert now. It is sunny and hot. For the first time since we left Big Spring, Texas, in mid-August, we have temperatures in the high 90s. The land is baked, and very little grows here.
We enter Vegas on the northeast side. After exiting the interstate, we pass Nellis AFB and turn south on Nellis Boulevard. Our destination is Sam's Town RV Park on the Boulder Highway. We will spend 1 week here.
We awoke while it was still dark out this morning; we wanted to get an early start. Since we did not unhook yesterday, it didn't take us long to pull out of the RV park in Beaver. We drove over to the nearby McDonald's and had a light breakfast.
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| Our route today is 227 miles |
After hopping on Interstate 15, we headed south. The first part of the trip was through a rich agricultural valley dominated mostly by hay fields. The valley was probably 3 - 5 miles wide in most places, though I've discovered I have trouble estimating distances accurately in this big country. The drive through this section was easy and over fairly level terrain.
As we approached Cedar City, UT, we climbed out of the valley into more rugged country, but nothing like what we experienced the previous day. From Cedar City on to the Arizona state line, we remained in an urban setting, dominated by St. George, UT, the major city in this part of Utah with a population of over 70,000 citizens. Because of its mild winter climate, Brigham Young selected the area for his winter home.
We crossed the Arizona state line as we left St. George, and soon entered the most scenic stretch of our trip today -- the Virgin River Gorge. The Virgin River has sliced through the mountains of Arizona that separate Utah from Nevada, and the road follows the river as it winds its way through this rough country. Below are some pictures Donna snapped as we wound through this scenic setting.
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| Approaching the Virgin River Gorge; at this point, it really does not look that impressive, but appearances can be deceiving. |
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| As we get farther into the gorge, the hills become steeper and closer to the road. |
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| We are really feeling closed in about now. |
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| Those are some steep canyon walls |
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| The light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. |
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| And suddenly, we emerge from the gorge to see a hazy horizon of mountains lying in the distant west |
The Nevada state line is just a few miles west of the gorge, and the growing town of Mesquite is right on the border. You know you are in Nevada because the casinos begin at the first exit. We detoured through Mesquite for a closer look at this community, which is attracting growing numbers of retirees with its casinos and golf resorts. It is a tidy place with a good variety of businesses.
Back on I-15, we set our sites on Las Vegas. We are plainly in the desert now. It is sunny and hot. For the first time since we left Big Spring, Texas, in mid-August, we have temperatures in the high 90s. The land is baked, and very little grows here.
We enter Vegas on the northeast side. After exiting the interstate, we pass Nellis AFB and turn south on Nellis Boulevard. Our destination is Sam's Town RV Park on the Boulder Highway. We will spend 1 week here.
Connected Again
After about 10 days with no Internet service, I'm connected again. It will take me a while to get caught up on everything I need to do, but I'll be posting new entries soon, picking up with where we left off in Beaver, Utah.
We are now in Laughlin, Nevada, after spending a week in Las Vegas. We spent our first three nights here at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino, where we had free rooms. Yesterday, we moved over to Riverside RV Park.
Please bear with me as I catch up on email and other business. As soon as I have time, I'll post new entries.
We are now in Laughlin, Nevada, after spending a week in Las Vegas. We spent our first three nights here at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino, where we had free rooms. Yesterday, we moved over to Riverside RV Park.
Please bear with me as I catch up on email and other business. As soon as I have time, I'll post new entries.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Beaver KOA
After a day of hard travel, it was good to pull into the Beaver KOA in Beaver, Utah. If I had known this park was so good, we might have scheduled to stay here a few more days to tour the area. But we're bound for Vegas now, and we don't have time to stay here long.
The park provides all the amenities, such as full hookups, propane, laundry room, showers, cable TV, and secure WiFi. Everything was in top shape and very clean. I can't say enough good about the facilities, nor about the service. I needed propane, and the manager came to my site to get my tank, filled it, then returned it.
Sites are all pull-through, at least all the ones I saw. There are a handful of cabins, and space for tenters. There is a playground for children and a pool; however, the pool was already closed up for the winter.
The location is on the north edge of town, so it is very quiet and peaceful.
All roads and sites are gravel, which is my only complaint. I prefer internal roads to be paved, though gravel sites are fine. And since this park is low traffic, the gravel roads were not a problem at all. Several sites did have patches of grass, and many have nice shade trees.
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| Office |
Sites are all pull-through, at least all the ones I saw. There are a handful of cabins, and space for tenters. There is a playground for children and a pool; however, the pool was already closed up for the winter.
The location is on the north edge of town, so it is very quiet and peaceful.
All roads and sites are gravel, which is my only complaint. I prefer internal roads to be paved, though gravel sites are fine. And since this park is low traffic, the gravel roads were not a problem at all. Several sites did have patches of grass, and many have nice shade trees.
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| Nice shady sites with the Tushar Mountains in the background |
On the Road: Moab, Utah, to Beaver, Utah
Sunday, September 23, 2012.
Our destination today is Las Vegas, but it is too far to go in a single day, at least for me. So, we are going halfway today.
We left the Moab RV park where we have stayed for the past week around 7:30 this morning. We headed north on US 191 from Moab, passing the entrance to Arches National Park and the cutoff to Canyonlands National Park. After 30 miles, we intersected with Interstate 70 and headed west along a fairly level plateau. Although we had not gone far, we stopped in Green River for gas. After Green River, there are no other services for over 100 miles, so we wanted to make sure we had plenty of gas.
Green River gets its name from the river that runs through it. This is the same river that runs through Canyonlands National Park, carving those deep and colorful canyons in that park. The town is not attractive, but it has plenty of lodging options and eateries for long distance travelers passing through. After all, there aren't many places to stop on this lonely stretch of road.
Just west of Green River, the scenery changes at a place called San Rafael Reef, a 30-mile long sandstone wall. At this point, the interstate begins winding through narrow canyons, up and down hills.
As we neared Salina, the land became very mountainous with long up and down grades. At its summit, the road reached a height of nearly 7900 feet. The trees in upper elevations and along the creeks were showing good color.
At Salina, we entered a productive farm valley running north to south. We followed this through Richfield, where we stopped for more gasoline. Richfield is a very attractive town with neat city streets and a variety of businesses and lodging and eating for travelers.
Just south of Richfield, the road turned west through another mountain range before merging with Interstate 15 and our final stretch of 20 miles leading to Beaver.
Although we really didn't travel far today, it was a long drive. On many of the long up grades, I was able to go only 40 mph or so, and there were several sections of construction along the route. It was good to finally reach our destination for the night.
Our destination today is Las Vegas, but it is too far to go in a single day, at least for me. So, we are going halfway today.
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| Our 236 mile route |
We left the Moab RV park where we have stayed for the past week around 7:30 this morning. We headed north on US 191 from Moab, passing the entrance to Arches National Park and the cutoff to Canyonlands National Park. After 30 miles, we intersected with Interstate 70 and headed west along a fairly level plateau. Although we had not gone far, we stopped in Green River for gas. After Green River, there are no other services for over 100 miles, so we wanted to make sure we had plenty of gas.
Green River gets its name from the river that runs through it. This is the same river that runs through Canyonlands National Park, carving those deep and colorful canyons in that park. The town is not attractive, but it has plenty of lodging options and eateries for long distance travelers passing through. After all, there aren't many places to stop on this lonely stretch of road.
Just west of Green River, the scenery changes at a place called San Rafael Reef, a 30-mile long sandstone wall. At this point, the interstate begins winding through narrow canyons, up and down hills.
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| The interstate cuts through a narrow cut in the San Rafael Reef |
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| The San Rafael Reef, looking south |
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| Black Dragon Canyon, just west of the San Rafael Reef |
As we neared Salina, the land became very mountainous with long up and down grades. At its summit, the road reached a height of nearly 7900 feet. The trees in upper elevations and along the creeks were showing good color.
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| I snapped this picture while driving, but was able to pick up some of the color in the high country. The picture does not do justice to the color we saw along the roads. |
At Salina, we entered a productive farm valley running north to south. We followed this through Richfield, where we stopped for more gasoline. Richfield is a very attractive town with neat city streets and a variety of businesses and lodging and eating for travelers.
Just south of Richfield, the road turned west through another mountain range before merging with Interstate 15 and our final stretch of 20 miles leading to Beaver.
Although we really didn't travel far today, it was a long drive. On many of the long up grades, I was able to go only 40 mph or so, and there were several sections of construction along the route. It was good to finally reach our destination for the night.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Going Off-line
We leave Moab tomorrow morning (Sept. 23). The places we have selected to stay for the next 10 days to 2 weeks do not have internet connectivity, so I will probably not post anything for about 2 weeks or more.
When we leave tomorrow, we spend one night in Beaver, Utah. It is just an overnight stop to break up a longer trip.
We had originally planned to visit the St. George, Utah, area for a few days. Using it as a base, we planned to visit Zion National Park and perhaps even the Grand Canyon. To be honest, we've seen all the national parks we want to for right now, so we are going to bypass St. George and go straight to Las Vegas and spend a week. After that, we'll go down to Laughlin.
And that is as far as we have planned.
See you down the road.
When we leave tomorrow, we spend one night in Beaver, Utah. It is just an overnight stop to break up a longer trip.
We had originally planned to visit the St. George, Utah, area for a few days. Using it as a base, we planned to visit Zion National Park and perhaps even the Grand Canyon. To be honest, we've seen all the national parks we want to for right now, so we are going to bypass St. George and go straight to Las Vegas and spend a week. After that, we'll go down to Laughlin.
And that is as far as we have planned.
See you down the road.
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