Texas Country Oaks Dance Hall, Edna, TX, New Years 2012

Monday, March 20, 2017

March 20, 2017

March 15, 2017

 On Monday morning we hooked up our towd and left the Elks Lodge about 9:30 AM.  Despite the heavy traffic on I-10 we made pretty good time.  After stopping for some $2.49 diesel fuel we headed to toward Golden Valley, AZ west of Kingman.  The drive up was mostly uneventful with light traffic.

 We arrived at the Tradewinds RV Park about 1:30 and then called our friends Keith and Joann Taylor who came out to the park to lead us to their house out in the desert.  When I say it’s out in the desert I mean just that.  Most of the drive was on gravel/dirt roads with a lot of dust to go with it.

 Keith & Joann have a nice home that is completely off the grid.  Ninety-nine percent of their power comes from four large solar panels they have installed that are coupled to huge battery banks and all of their water is from a well.  They use a generator only to run the well pump to fill up the 1000 gallon water tank and if he has to do any welding.  They fixed us a delicious chicken dinner and since we haven’t seen them in about four years we then we did some catching up on our travels.

 On Tuesday Keith and Joann fixed us breakfast and then we drove over the mountains to the old mining town of Oatman.  This little town is known for the wild burros that roam around town begging for something to eat and generally hang around for pictures.

 Their Solar System

They do have some beautiful views.

 The town was named to honor Olive Oatman, a young girl from Illinois who was taken captive by Indians and forced into slavery.  Founded shortly after a gold find was made near there in 1915, the town grew to over 3,500 in just one year.

On Old Route 66 to Oatman



Oatman, AZ.






Chow Time
Now it's siesta time.

Come on Keith.  Give the little guy some.

 After spending time walking around we then drove up to Laughlin, NV.  Our first stop was at the Riverside Resort where Keith and I toured the Don Laughlin Classic Car Museum while the girls played for a little while.  The cars in the collection are amazing,
I love old cars.























Here ya go Jeff Bright!



This one's for you Jim Glaspey.



 We then went to Harrah’s where we had dinner at the buffet.  And yes, we all ate way too much.

March 16, 2017

 Yesterday morning we left Golden Valley and made our way to the Elks Lodge in Needles, CA.  The Lodge is small but they do have six full-hookup RV sites.

 Joyce decided to drive up to Laughlin, NV. to make her donation to the state’s welfare fund.  Me?  I just hung around the house for a while then checked the lounge.

 This morning we headed on down the road toward the Sierra Trails RV Park in Mojave, CA.  This is another Passport America affiliated park that we have stayed in the past.  We got a pull-through site with 30 amp electrical and water for $20.  Nothing fancy here but it works for us.

March 17, 2017

 Yesterday evening we drove into California City to have dinner at the Green Tea Garden.  One of the best Chinese meals we have had in a long time.
Mary 18, 2017

 We left Mojave around 10 AM and headed toward the Elks Lodge in Fresno.  Since we hadn’t dumped our holding tanks in a couple of days we stopped at the Flying J just north of Bakersfield to take care of that task.  We had a little hassle over the cost for using their dump station but we finally got it done.  We then had a late breakfast at the Denny’s there.

 The Elks here takes reservations and we’re glad they do.  When we arrived our site was the last one available.  Unlike the Tempe Elks, the Fresno Elks Lodge is not a very active.  Their lounge is only open when the have meetings and rare dinners.  But, they do have ten RV spots with water and 30 amp electrical service for $20 a night.  Very reasonable for Fresno.

Lodge RV Parking

That’s all folks.

Barry & Joyce

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