California or Bust

Votes are in and it was a bust! Weather was horrid! Didn't see the sun until we were headed out of Canyon Creek. Nothing but RDF (that's rain, drizzle and fog for you folks from Upalong)! The heavy rain and cooler temperatures really put a damper on the sightseeing, which really was too bad as what we could see looked quite picturesque.

We did check off Arena #10 on the NHL list. We took in a game at the "Shark Tank", aka the HP Pavilion at San Jose. We were entertained by two good hockey teams. Holding on to a slim lead, the Sharks proved to be too much for the Capitals and Mr Ovechkin, winning 3-2.

After San Jose, we headed up towards Sacramento and the Napa Valley. The rain let up for an afternoon so we headed off to taste some of California's finest vino. Guess I should have been a little more vigilant in my research as I was not aware the Napa Valley is known for its great red wines. As Jim and I are white wine drinkers our selections were limited.

Nevertheless we had a great afternoon, sampled some great wines and wandered around some beautiful gardens. It was nice to see green bushes and flowers after weeks in the desert.

Now it's "Wagons, Ho!" We're off to the Oregon Trail. Stay safe.

Getting our Mojo on in the Mohave

The last three weeks have been spent touring the desert. We have discovered the charming little town of Pahrump, about 50 miles west of Las Vegas. The view from the RV is spectacular; Charleston Peak, the highest mountain in Nevada. The Las Vegas Ski Resort is just on the other side of this peak. Desert and snow - all within an hour of each other.







Nope, we did not take a quick side trip back to "The Rock" And this is not slob ice on the bay! No Siree! Believe it or not, it's salt in Badwater Basin. And where you ask is Badwater Basin. Well.........











Badwater Basin is in Death Valley and is the lowest point in North America. Death Valley is known for its extremes. Temperatures here have reached as high as 134 degrees Fahrenheit. But it's a dry heat (LOL)










To get a real feel for the size of the valley and Badwater Basin, we drove up to Dante's Peak, 5000' above Death Valley.

Last time we travelled out west, we visited the Hoover Dam. At that time construction was underway, building a bridge over the Colorado that would allow traffic enroute from Nevada to Arizona to bypass the dam. Now I'm not one for heights or bridges but Jim always said that if we ever returned to Vegas we had to drive over the bridge.







So we did! And we walked out on it and looked down at the dam.













Keeping with the recreational theme of this excursion, we opted to by-pass the Vegas shows, and using the $400 Jim won on the penny slot machines, we took an ATV adventure. With Buckshot as our guide, we spent several hours travelling over dunes and through washes.
























And took a couple of laps around a track in a Razor!

























Of course, we still made time for a round or two of golf at Mountain Falls Golf Course and a few laps in the pool.













As you all know, Las Vegas caters to many vices, earning it the name Sin City. But did you know that prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas? It is, however, legal in Pahrump. You've heard of the "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". Well, Pahrump has "The Chicken Ranch"! Yep, could have taken a tour, but was too chicken, (no pun intended).




















Tomorrow we're off to Cal-i-for-ni-a! Stay safe.