THIS IS A VACATION

I'm loving this place.  There are lots of birds and bunnies to chase and even a deer or two, it's a paradise right in the middle of a city.  This is a picture of the lake and you can clearly see how close we are to the city.  An oasis for the lucky people who live in the town of Aurora.  And for us campers too!  In the winter the lake freezes and there is ice skating and the bike paths become snowshoe and cross country trails.  I'm enjoying myself today because tomorrow we are headed to some fancy RV Resort in Colorado Springs and I bet there is nothing worth chasing there.

Kathe and Jim enjoyed the day in two very different ways. While Jim took a long bike ride Kathe found a nail salon for a much needed pedicure. Then they went out to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack for a great meal and a couple of glasses of wine.

After lunch Jim got his second wind and washed the entire motor home (again) so it's a sure thing we will see a thunderstorm tonight.

CHERRY CREEK

We drove down the mountain this morning to the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado.  We are still over 5000 feet in elevation, but we can breathe again!

The Cherry Creek State Park is a gem!  It is an oasis right in the middle of the Denver metro area. The Park covers 4,200 acres and has an 850 acre reservoir for water skiing and fishing. There are 16 bike trails, miles of walking trails and even 6 dedicated off leash dog trails.  I tried walking on the trail but the grass is so high I really didn't think that it was fun, I couldn't see over the top of the grass. I'll stick to the roads where I can see where I'm going.

We are camped in site 84 at the end of the Goldrush Loop.  It's a huge site with plenty of large trees and a big grassy back yard with a big rock for me to sit on.  We saw a deer munching on the grass just before suppertime.  If he comes back I'll take a picture before I chase him away.

ACCIDENTAL ADVENTURE

It was a boring morning here at the old campsite.  Chores for everyone.  Me, of course I had to endure the kitchen sink dunking and a a dose of flea and tick stuff.  I was overdue! Jim had a bunch of maintenance things to due like putting more DEF in the tank, and water in the coach batteries.  He also had to put some air in the tires of the Escape as the tire monitor kept beeping at us. Once that was done it was time for a trip to the grocery store.

Then something happened on the way to the Safeway mall, they got lost!  They made a wrong turn and ended up in the town of Estes Park. Who knew! Here was a tourist trap for all the visitors that come to see the Rocky Mountain National Park.  There was a "River Walk" with lots of little shops and restaurants up and down Elkhorn Boulevard.  There were dozens of T-shirt shops, salt water taffy, ice cream and fudge shops, in short, a tourist paradise.  They spent a few hours looking for the ultimate T-shirts and had a nice lunch in an Irish Pub before they actually found the Safeway at the other end of town.

As soon as they got back to the campground it started to rain. Thunder and heavy rain, and in between the showers I took a quick walk around the park trying not to mess up my new hairdo.

Tomorrow we leave for Aurora, Colorado and Cherry Creek Park. Hope it stops raining soon.

 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

First let me correct something that I posted last night. We are not camped at Lake Mary but at Mary's Lake.  I stand corrected.

Now for today's adventure.  I was supposed to get a bath this morning.  But Kathe and Jim decided to drive up into Rocky Mountain National Park instead, so I still look like a dust mop waiting to be shook out. Bet you'd never thought you'd hear me say that I wanted a bath, but I look so bad it's embarrassing. What will the other dogs think?

The 22 mile drive up to the Alpine Visitors Center was unbelievable.  It was like driving up to the top of the world. Snow covered mountains in every direction.  The visitors center was at 11,796 feet above sea level and Jim hiked up the stairs of the Alpine Ridge Trail which was another 1/2 mile straight up. The Ranger referred to that trail as the "Huff and Puff" trail, because you are so out of breath when you get to the top. I think I'll stop writing so I can squeeze a bunch of little pictures into the blog.

See if you can spot the elk!

LAKE MARY CAMPGRUND

Driving from Cheyenne to Colorado we could see the snow topped mountains of the Rocky Mountain National Forest in the distance.  Our drive was a long winding road to our destination, Lake Mary Campground in Estes Park.  Us and about a thousand other Sunday drivers!  It took a lot longer than we anticipated, and then of course the Google Maps took us on the scenic route. We finally found our campground and although we don't have a view of Lake Mary, the mountains surround us on three sides.  We are at 8000 feet above sea level and the weather is great. Can't ask for anything better than that.  Lake Mary is across the street and Lake Estes is only about a mile away.  This is a picture of Lake Mary.

Everyone here is sicker than dogs tonight-oh not me-I'm tip-top, but Kathe and Jim are suffering from colds.  I'm buying stock in Kleenex, as they are using that by the truckload!  Jim is on the mend, but Kathe is keeping me up at night with her coughing and sneezing.  I'm sleeping in the kitchen again tonight trying to get a little peace and quiet. Hope tomorrow is a better day for all of us.

Lake Mary and Lake Estes are in the Roosevelt National Forest and there are many vacation homes in the hills surrounding our campground. It's a vacation destination.  We went to the Safeway this afternoon and it looked just like the one in Mammoth Lakes right before a blizzard.  Hundreds of shoppers with overloaded carts. We were lucky to get out alive with our tacos.

We are staying here three nights for a little rest and recuperation.
Tomorrow we are going to drive up to the Rocky Mountain National Forest to explore.

A DAY IN CHEYENNE

We didn't notice it last night, but there is a chicken coop right across the road from our motor home. It's now official, I get Kathe up and out of bed before the rooster crows!  We went for a walk this morning at 5:30 and I woke up the rooster on the way back to the motor home.  Then we all went back to sleep. Even the rooster.

Today was a slow one. Since they didn't have to get up early to drive to another place, or go to a seminar, they took advantage of the day to relax. Kathe did laundry while Jim washed the motor home and the car. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as he finished, it started raining.  He must do a rain dance while he works because every time he brings on the rain.

This afternoon they went to the Wyoming State Museum in downtown Cheyenne. There were galleries depicting the history of Wyoming and information about why people chose to settle here. There were exhibits from the prehistoric times to present day including a skeletal replica of a camptosaur, one of Wyoming's earliest inhabitants.  I wonder where he camped?

In addition to exhibits on the mining and ranching industries there were several areas dedicated to Native American crafts and bead work.
This cowboy boot was outside the entrance and it's decorated entirely with  real Wyoming license plates.


 

WILD RIDE TO CHEYENNE

Who planned this trip anyway! We drove 245 miles today.  That alone would have made it a hard day, but add a rainstorm, 35 mph wind gusts and ROAD WORK! Wow, we had it all today, including a 30 mile stretch where the oncoming traffic switched over to our side of the highway due to road construction. Nothing like having the big rigs coming towards you at 70 mph with only plastic cones separating the lanes.  Did I mention the high winds? If paws had knuckles, mine would have been white.





We finally arrived safely at AB Camping Resort in Cheyenne at around 3 o'clock.  We  got a sight with beautiful trees just exactly in the wrong position for our satellite dish, but they provide some much needed shade.

The best thing about this park is that there is a barbecue restaurant right in the campground. Delicious ribs, pulled pork, and brisket with all the fixings. Jim's eyes were popping out of his head when the food arrived.

I saw them bringing back a doggie bag-- keep your fingers crossed for me.

AN EVENTFUL DAY

Jim came down with a bad cold yesterday and wanted to stay in bed this morning.  I snuggled up and kept him company while Kathe went out to tour a coal mine with a group of friends from the Route 66 Allegros from California.

The area around Gillette has a coal seam which is part of the Powder River Basin, an area that makes up 42.3% of total coal production in the United States. Some of the seams are as big as an eight story building.  They first remove the top soil, then they blast and crush the coal, and then transport it to 38 states where it is used to power electricity. On the tour they learned about the history of mining in this area and watched as the electric shovels loaded the trucks with 50 tons of coal, truck after truck. Once the coal is processed it goes on a conveyor belt and is then loaded onto railroad cars.  The trains are a more than a mile long and each carry more than 428 tons of coal. 70 to 75 trains leave the Powder River Basin daily. She had a very interesting morning.

When Kathe returned, Jim was feeling better so they decided to drive to the Devils Tower National Monument.  It was an eventful drive. It was supposed to take only an hour to get there, but the GPS took them on a dirt road for several miles before they encountered seven very big cows in the middle of the road.  Time to turn around. Which way to the Devils Tower? They had no GPS and no cell service in the middle of nowhere, but they eventually found it!

Tomorrow we leave the Tiffin rally and head to Cheyenne.

OLD WILD WEST

Every Tiffin rally has a day where people are asked to decorate their motor homes according to the theme of the rally.  This year's theme was Wild West, so I took a few pictures of some of the decorated motor homes in our row.  There were prizes awarded to the winners!  I never found any of the big winners and our coach didn't even get an honorable mention, but there were some really creative ideas.

One coach simple had a sign that said, " We're OLD, we used to be WILD, and we are from the WEST coast!"  They didn't win.

Last night the wind was howling and rocking the coach all night long. Kathe and I didn't get much sleep. The weather was a little cooler this morning, and the wind actually stopped blowing.  It was a pleasant day.  We even sat outside for a while with all the doggies and humans together for the first time since we arrived here.

More seminars and lots more eating for Kathe and Jim today, in short, a repeat of yesterday. Hope they do something more interesting tomorrow!

IT"S AN OVEN OUT THERE

You know how much I like air conditioning and how I always stay inside when it gets hot. But a dogs gotta do what a dogs gotta do so I have to go outside sometime.  It's 103 out there and I run out and take care of business as fast as I can and then run right back inside.  Did I mention the 30 mile per hour winds and the blowing dust?  Not liking Wyoming very much!

Kathe and Jim have spent most of the day in air conditioned seminar classes, but they have to walk back and forth during the day they are plenty hot and sweaty. Jim took an electronics class and a class to learn about about the Aqua-Hot system.  Kathe went to yet another convection microwave class.  Maybe she will actually cook something soon. All the meals here at this rally are catered so there's been no cooking and worse yet, no doggie bags.

They went looking at the new coach display and luckily didn't buy one.  I'm just getting used to ours and I don't want to start all over again.  Besides, I haven't found all of the dog biscuits that I've hidden in this one yet.

Some of you may know that before we left Jim and his brother worked very hard to install a light display under the coach.  Tonight was the unveiling of the lights.  I've been waiting until dark to take a picture of those lights--so here you are! I couldn't take a picture till the sun went down, but then it was too dark to see the coach. Guess you will have to take my word for it, it was awesome.

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GILLETTE AT LAST

As you can see from this picture, the drive this morning was more of the same thing we had yesterday. Grass and sky. This is really a picture taken today, and it looks just like the one we took 200 miles ago.Wide open Wyoming ranch land, no trees, and a few cattle here and there.  As we got closer to Gillette we started to see some of the oil wells this area is known for. They say that Gillette is the "Energy Capital of the Nation," due to the coal and oil industries that support their economy.

We are here for a big four day motor home rally hosted by Tiffin Motorhomes.  There are over 300 coaches here from all over the United States and Canada. We came in late this morning with a group of 5 couples and 9 doggies!

It's going to be a party for the next few days so don't expect much from my blog.  After all I'm with 8 of my closest best dog friends, so that will keep me very busy.  It's a little rough here on us doggies, the ground is so lumpy and the grass is stiff and hard to walk on.  Kathe took me down to a place were the grass was softer and there were a couple of trees for shade.  There were so many other dogs there with the same idea I could hardly find a private spot.

We are camped at a huge facility and all you can see are row after row of very similar motor homes.

I'll try to take a better picture tomorrow.
They all look the same to me and it's hard to find your way back home once you leave your row, I'm thinking breadcrumbs might be a good idea.

WIDE OPEN WYOMING

On the road today from Caspar to Buffalo on Interstate 25 we saw a whole lot of open range. Miles and miles of nothing but highway, grass and sky.  We drove about 70 miles with an occasional ranch or a pronghorn sighting, but we passed only one town on the whole drive.

We are staying tonight at Deer Park RV Resort and it is just as beautiful as I remembered.  Lots of green grass and tall trees, with wide sites and views of the ranch land beyond.  They have added a very nice trail all around the perimeter of the park which is just perfect for a long dog walk.  Kathe and I went for a nice quiet walk, just the two of us.  It was really fun, I didn't see any deer but there were lots of song birds singing to us.

It's a really pretty day and it's finally cool enough to sit outside and relax.  And the best part--NO WIND! It's been so windy and hot in all of the past three places that we haven't been able to sit outside and enjoy the scenery.

There are quite a few Tiffin motor homes camped here with us.  Everyone is really excited about the upcoming rally in Gillette, and I expect that we will see even more Tiffins on the highway tomorrow.

FORT CASPAR ON THE PLATT RIVER

First of all I have a disclaimer. My proofreader has been drinking Mojitos and this post may not be up to my usual standards.

It was a quiet morning spent doing housekeeping chores. First thing, Jim got up and washed the bugs off the windshield while Kathe gave me a bath in the kitchen sink.  All this blowing dust had done a number on my hairdo.  Next, it was off to Walmart for supplies and by the time they got back it was time for lunch and a trip to the dog park.

The hot winds started blowing in the early afternoon and the temperature was in the nineties. It was a good afternoon to stay home in the air conditioning and try to remember where I hid those dog biscuits yesterday.

Kathe and Jim went sight seeing with Warren and Kathy to explore Fort Caspar and the museum.  In 1859 Louis Guinard built a bridge across the Platt River here in Caspar which replaced the Mormon Ferry on the Oregon Trail. He built a trading post which  became an overnight stage stop, a Pony Express relay station and a telegraph office.
From 1861 to 1865 it became a military post when Plains Indians increased their raids along the trails.


 Today the Fort has been reconstructed by the citizens of Caspar on the original foundations using sketches made by Lt. Caspar Collins in 1863.  He sent very detailed drawings in his letters to his mother which are also on display in the museum.  All of the reconstructed buildings are furnished like they might have been when this was a working Army Fort and Trading Post.

Well, everyone has turned in for the night, guess I will too. Tomorrow we leave for Buffalo, Wyoming.

CASPER ROCKS

We avoided the Interstate today and drove from Rawlins to Casper entirely on smaller two lane highways.  We past lots of cattle ranches and miles of farmland before stopping for a rest at the Independence Rock Historical Site. We've been here before, but we wanted to show Gianni, Mia and their humans this great piece of pioneer history.

People traveling the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails all passed this rock on their way West. It's called Independence Rock because the travelers knew that they had to reach this point by the Fourth of July or they wouldn't meet their destination before the winter weather.  You can still see some of the messages and names people carved in the rock as they passed this way.

After we arrived at the campground in Casper we all went for a walk and settled in for our two night stay here. The nice lady at the check-in desk gave all three of us doggies some biscuits as a welcome gift. Kathe broke mine into pieces and I hid one half under her pillow and the other half under the bathroom rug.  No one will ever find them, and I'll have a snack whenever I want.

Later in the day the humans all went to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center which is dedicated to the thousands of people who passed this way between 1841 and 1868. The exhibits tell the stories of the pioneers who traveled to the Oregon Territory, the Great Salt Lake, and the California Gold Fields.   There were interactive exhibits and very lifelike dioramas throughout the seven galleries and a five screen movie presentation.

Tonight there is thunder and lightning all around us, but no rain.  Jim is happy that the storm passed us by, he's keeping his fingers crossed that he won't have to clean the motor home again before we get to the rally in Gillette.

IT'S STILL WINDY

We were very happy to leave the Travel Camp RV Resort this morning.  Any resort that sells fireworks and beer in the same store is a place this doggie doesn't want to stay for long. Kathe couldn't believe the number of fireworks and rockets they had for sale where normally they sell camp supplies. It looked like a candy store for fireworks. When she asked if people were shooting them off in the park before the Fourth of July, the reply was that in Wyoming you can shoot off fireworks any where, any time, all year long.  Good Bye Green River!

As we drove along the I-80 there was a lot of construction and we kept switching lanes and changing to a single lane with oncoming big rigs.  The speed limit is 75 mph here, but we can only go 60 while we are towing the car.  That made the driving more difficult and we didn't arrive in Rawlins, WY  until after 2 PM.

Shortly after we arrived my friends Mia and Gianni arrived with their humans, Kathy and Warren. Now we're going to have some real fun! The humans went to the Wyoming Frontier Prison for a guided tour.  Kathe and Jim had been there before but they wanted to make sure that Warren and Kathy had the experience. This is a picture of the front of the prison which was used until the 1970's, when they built a new prison in Laramie.  Looks scary, I'm glad I'm a good dog.

When they got home it was time for some quality doggie time.  It is so windy here that us guys nearly got blown over when we all went for our long walk.  We renewed our friendship and peed everywhere together. Great fun! It was really windy when I took this selfie of the three of us together at the dog park.

Later, the humans decided to drink margaritas and have a Mexican dinner.  Warren made a taco bar for all of them.   I understand it was delicious, but how would I know--no one shared anything with me!

Tomorrow we all will head to Casper, Wyoming. I hope there aren't any ghosts there.

WINDY, WINDING IN WYOMING

The winds were blowing and the roads were winding but we finally made it to tonight's destination. We are staying at the Travel Camp in Green River Wyoming and we are all glad it's only for one night.

At Kathe's insistence we took the scenic route 189 out of Provo to I-80.  It was scenic alright, but curvy. First a right paw turn, then a left paw turn, then another right paw turn it's no wonder my stomach is upset. I was flopping from one side of my crate to the other like a flounder. I will have to have pumpkin for dinner to settle my stomach.

Our RV Park is nothing to write home about.  We are sandwiched between the train tracks and Interstate 80.  We can see the traffic out the dining room window. There are no birds, or squirrels, just dirt and weeds. Worst doggy park ever! We thought this RV park might be better than the park we stayed in at Rock Springs the last time we were in this area.  Remember, that place was so windy our door mat blew away and Jim's sunglasses blew right off his face. It's a little less windy here, only about 35 miles an hour. Our next door neighbor told Jim that the windy season in Wyoming is only January 1st to December 31st.

My fur is a mess, and you know what that means. Bath!  Lucky for me our sewer hook up is too far away to use, so no  bath for me till we get closer to Gillette.

The drive here was really spectacular and although it's had to capture the beauty thru the windshield at 60 miles per hour, I got a few shots that show the unusual scenery


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TOURING PROVO

Today was a great one.  First thing this morning Kathe and I took a long walk along the river and watched the ducks.  There were cows on the other side of the river loudly mooing a greeting which I was happy to return by barking my head off.

Most of the May flies were gone this morning.  A few hundred thousand didn't get the memo that they were supposed to mate and die in the 24 hour period.  I'm thinking that today's bugs were a little like the ones no one wanted to dance with at cotillion, only stuck to the wall forever.

After breakfast, while I took a nap Kathe and Jim decided to go sight seeing instead of the bike ride they had planned.  Something about getting bugs in there teeth.

They decided instead to tour Brigham Young University. By calling ahead they were able to get a private tour of the entire campus.  A student from the School of Communications and Public Relations drove them around on a golf cart pointing out all of the buildings and sculptures on campus.  This is a picture of the library which is actually four stories high, but only one story is visible from this level. This was finals week, so there were some students walking around the campus.  Students must comply with a code of conduct and dress appropriately, also the men must be clean shaven.  It was refreshing to see, imagine 30,000 students and not one scruffy face, no short shorts and  no crop tops with belly buttons showing!

Later in the day they went to the Utah Pioneer Village where they saw several structures from the early days here in Provo.  There was a schoolhouse and several homes that have been restored and furnished to the way they might have looked in the late 1800's. You have been spared an account of the Provo Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum as it was closed today.

MAY FLY FRENZY

We arrived here in Provo, Utah at the Lakeside RV Campground and the first thing we asked the camp host was, "Where's the Lake?"  We've been tricked like that before, so when we pulled in and didn't see any water we were a little upset. 

No worries, the Utah Lake State Park is just a half mile down the road and it's gigantic!  In addition there is a scenic doggie walk all along the Provo River bordering the RV Park on three sides.  There are also lots of mature poplar and sycamore trees all throughout the park.


Everything was beautiful until we noticed that our window screens were covered with little yellow flying bugs.  Yuck! I really hate bugs, and these don't even taste good.  Seems there is a 24 hour infestation of mating Mayflies, and they are flying all over the place.  They like the windshield and the sides of the slide-outs the best which really makes Jim more than a little upset.  Out comes the Mary-Moppins!

Then after lunch, the wind started blowing a gale and tree branches started falling from the sky, and to top it all off it started to rain! So much for our beautiful afternoon at the lake.

We made the best of it, going for a walk in between the rain showers and taking some pictures of the river and the lake.  It's bound to be sunny tomorrow and then we can complain about the heat.

RESTING IN FILLMORE

We left the beautiful red rocks of Zion this morning and headed north to our next stop in Fillmore, Utah.  The little town of Fillmore has a population of 2,253 and is located in Millard County.  Millard Fillmore. Get it?  I don't!  The town was named by Brigham Young when he established Fillmore as the capital of the State of Deseret.  Great plan, but the United States of America changed the name of the state to Utah and the capital became Salt Lake City. All that was left was this small part of a building that was supposed to be the Capitol. 

This little building is now a museum maintained by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  Good news, the museum was closed today so I don't have to report all the boring things Kathe and Jim seem to think are so interesting in these small towns, but they did take a picture.

Instead, after a tour of the town, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  Well, Kathe and I relaxed while Jim took a bike ride down one of the many ATV trails in this area.  Millard County is the home of the National ATV Jamboree and there are over 3000 miles of trails in the  Fishlake National Forest.  Jim  only road a few miles but he had a wonderful time. Here is a picture he took on the road.


We are staying at one of the very best KOA's tonight with lots of grass, flowers and trees.  It's just far enough off the I-15 that we can't hear any traffic noise, no screaming kids, just the pleasant chirping of the birds.

A LITTLE RAIN MUST FALL

It started raining this morning at about 5:30 so I figured it was a good time to wake up Kathe and go for a little walk.  She put a hoodie over her head, but I could tell she wasn't smiling.  We didn't get too wet and muddy, nothing a little dip in the kitchen sink wouldn't fix.

The motor home and the car got all dirty from the dust and the rain, but the temperature went down to a cool 80 degrees so no one was complaining too much.  At least there weren't any kids screaming in the playground this morning and we all slept in until the rain stopped. 

Kathe and Jim took the shuttle bus up to the Temple of Sinawava to take the 2 mile Riverwalk Trail. They watched the people wade into the river to walk up to the Narrows.  That part of the trail is entirely in the Virgin River and not too many people went very far down into the canyon.  Some people were wet up to their knees but many turned back as soon as they felt the cold water.

After that hike they went on another shorter hike to the weeping rock. It was only a 1/2 mile hike but it was very steep and that just about pooped them out.

Right now, even though the sun came out again,  they are both back in the motor home just laying around napping and playing candy crush.  I hope things perk up soon and Jim doesn't forget that he promised to barbecue some steaks tonight.

BEAUTIFUL ZION

Did you know when a F-18 flies over your motor home it vibrates the floor so much that there are white cap waves in your water bowl?  That really happened this morning before we left Las Vegas.  Guess we'll pick a different RV Park on the trip back home.

The good news was that we were not too far from the I-15 so we were on the road early this morning traveling up to Utah.  It's really been very hot so Kathe and Jim are keeping the air conditioning on at full blast just for me.

We drove through the beautiful Virgin River Gorge where many years ago the river carved a path through the mountains.  It was such a steep and curvy road that the chairs fell over and the freezer flew open, but we made it in one piece to Zion.  Trying to take a picture while the coach is moving is a challenge but I think I got one good one.



We aren't staying in the National Park this time, Kathe made a reservation at the Zion Canyon RV Resort, and it's just perfect.  This is our view from our site, just below the massive red cliffs, and right along the Virgin River.  We are within walking distance of the park entrance and there is a shuttle right out in front of the resort.

The only thing is, I wish they had a doggy park, but I guess it's too hot to make friends anyway.  And by the way, the squirrels here are being fed by the tourists and are so fat and slow I bet I'll get lucky!

A HORNET'S NEST

Our first day on the road was a long one.   We spent at least an hour loading up the motor home this morning, so we didn't exactly get an early start.  I watched while Jim brought in load after load of food, wine and clothing, paying special attention to the dog food and chicken treats. I had to make sure we didn't forget the important stuff.  Kathe's job was to stow things away and try to remember where she put everything.   Note to self: extra chicken treats are under the bed.

The drive was pretty boring, nothing to look at but desert and more desert.  I twiddled my paws until all of a sudden we saw the monstrous  hotels on the strip.  We were lucky enough to arrive in town right in the middle of rush hour.  I thought traffic was bad in Los Angeles, but this place is much worse.  Seven lanes of bumper to bumper traffic for at least 12 miles before we finally found our exit.

Now I must tell you about the Hitchin' Post RV Resort.  Somebody must have paid off Trailer Life, Trip Adviser and the Good Sam Club.  This place is rated 9.5-9.5-9.5 !!!!  Well, it's true they do have paved roads and a grassy dog park like the review said, but they left out one tiny detail.  NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE.  It's right next to us.  The fighter jets were dive bombing right overhead when we arrived and just stopped about an hour ago.  We're going to sleep now while it's quiet.  They  told me there will be an early wake up call.  An F-18 Super Hornet wake-up call!

THREE, TWO, ONE WE'RE OFF!

Well, it's that time again...Road Trip!!!  All systems were go until lunchtime today when Jim told Kathe and I that he didn't want to stay at the Thousand Trails Park in Vegas tomorrow night.  Something about a nice clean, shiny motorhome and a dirty, dusty campground.  

So,  here I am at the last minute changing our reservation to a different RV park.  Looking for one with a grassy dog park,  paved RV sites and of course no dust.  Wish me luck at the Hitching Post RV Resort, it's right on Las Vegas Boulevard.  As long as the air conditioning works, you know I'll be happy.  It's 105 degrees right now in Las Vegas.

Of course, Kathe and Jim will probably be in some cool casino trying to win enough money for gas while I hold down the fort. Here we go!