On The Road with Jim and Pat

I have gotten busy (maybe lazy) and have not posted a travelogue in over a year. This has been driving me crazy and I have resolved to get back on track.

As I have said many times, the blog is mostly for Pat and I to enjoy and we frequently visit the blog for various reasons. We always have fun reliving some of our travels. A few family and friends follow our blog, but readership is very limited.

I have now dictated (Word has a very powerful dictation feature) all of the travelogues since we last posted. I will need to edit them and gather up photos. I will post them backdated to the time of the event. Because of the backdating process this post will appear at the top of the list. When I am caught up, I will remove this post Continue reading →

Hello from Evergreen, CO

November 12, 2023 (fourth post of this trip.

As is often the case, we took a slow route home. Our stops were Needles CA, Flagstaff AZ, Grants NM, Black Mesa casino and Walsenburg, Colorado. The black Mesa casino is on an Indian Reservation and we have stopped there many times. It has a new name now and I can’t remember the old name. The campground in Walsenburg was something else.  We ended up paying $50.00 for a spot in a campground that was really a run down park with many permanent trailers.

This was the longest trip in our sunset trailer. It was a total of nearly 2700 miles. The truck and trailer performed flawlessly.

That was all for this post and the trip.

Hello from San Dimas, CA

Sunday November 5, 2023 (Third post of this travelogue)

We are staying at the Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort & Campground  (Google Map).  This is a very large campground with lots of sites very close to one another.  I did some searching on their map and found a site that had quite a bit of “elbow room”.  The campground is beautiful, albeit a bit expensive.  That said everything in California is hugely expensive.  I just filled the truck gas tank with $5.59 fuel!!  Many places are charging over $6.00 per gallon!

We are staying here so that I could attend a very special nostalgia drag racing event. The event is called the Nitro Revival and it is an amazing event that features dragsters out of the 50s and 60s. The event is held at the Irwindale drag strip. I would guess that there were at least 75 original and restored dragsters. I fondly remember many of these dragsters from my early days of being a drag racing fan. At the conclusion of the event they have what is called a “Cackle Fest”. Several dragsters line up on the drag strip at sunset and have their engines running on nitromethane. The sound and header flames are said to be spectacular. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this part of the activity as my back problems became rather severe and I had to return to the camper.

Just a few of the dragsters

One of the highlights of the event was that I got to visit with Darrell Gwynn who was a drag racer that we worked with on the blower belt project. Pat and I got to know Darrell and his parents very well and it was good to see him again. He was paralyzed in a racing accident and has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. In spite of his handicap, he is still active in the racing community and has a good attitude

Jim and Darrell Gwynn

That is all for this post

Hello from Shoshone, CA

Wednesday November 1, 2023 (second post of this travelogue)

We are staying in the Shoshone Village Campground (Google Map). When they say “village” they mean it.  The sign going into town says population 35 and the last census says that the population is 18 {big grin}

We have stayed here a few times in the past – mostly when we were in between trade shows in the California area. This area is very special to us as it is remote (does not even have a cell phone signal). The campground is not all that fancy but it has everything we need and not being fancy is actually part of the fun of staying here. In addition, it is in a beautiful area.

Shoshone is at the southern tip of Death Valley. I’ve said before that going to Death Valley would have been about the last thing on my bucket list if I had one.  However, the last few times we’ve been here have been extremely rewarding.  It is an amazing place with unbelievable variable terrain.  We toured part of one day and visited a couple of sites.  One was the famous site of Bad Water which is 282 below sea level. Another site was Furnace Creek visitor center.  They have a great outdoor museum with lots a very old equipment from the early days of mining Borax include part of the 20 mule team equipment.

Yesterday we visited another favorite place:  China Ranch.  This is a date farm which is really an oasis in the middle of a desert.  They have a huge variety of date palms from all over the world.  In addition, they have lots of fun date products – mostly bakery type products.  They are also famous for their delicious date shakes.

It was difficult for us to make the decision to come to this campground because a major flood in August of this year damaged many of the local roads.  One of the roads that is still closed is the road that goes from Shoshone to Baker California.   It is a is a direct route that connects with I 15 and leads into the Los Angeles area.   Instead, we have to backtrack through Pahrump (almost to Las Vegas) before we can connect with I-15 and then head to Los Angeles That adds about 100 miles to our trip.  But we just could not pass on staying in this campground with all of its wonderful memories.

The August flood also severely impacted Death Valley.  Many of the roads were washed out and some continue to be closed.  We had to stop for construction with a 10 to 15 minute delay.  However, most of the roads are now in reasonably good condition with exception of a few that have not yet been repaired.

The last time that we stayed here was in the bus and we were using a satellite dish connection to Hughes Net (a miserable service).  There was no cell service at that time and there is only intermittent cell service now.  Now, with the StarLink satellite connection we have not only great internet connection, but also good cell service via our internet.   Once in a while we will get a brief dropout as the system transfers from one satellite to another.

As noted, StarLink satellite connection continues to be a winner.  It is very easy to set up and we are able to stream TV via YouTube TV.  All of our favorite  television shows (including Denver shows) are recorded during the day and are available for viewing in the evening.

That is all for this post.

Hello from Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Sunday October 29, 2023 (First post of this travelogue)

We are here to attend a National NHRA drag racing event.  It is the 20^th event of a 21 event schedule.  We are parked with the truck and trailer in what is call the “Trackside RV Lot” (Google Map) .  If you look closely at the map, you will see that our camping area overlooks the dragstrip, and we can see the races pretty well in the comfort of our great camping chairs.

We have camped at these races a couple of times in the past, but never in the “high roller” area next to the track.  We decided to splurge this year and get “up close” to the action.  As noted, we can see the race pretty well and have a portable radio so that we get the “trackside” announcing.

The weather here has been pretty decent.  Highs have been in the 70s and lows in the 40s-50s.  However last night the wind was very strong and blew our chairs and table around a bit.  For the races today it will be in the 60s.

Race day and the temperature in the 60s but wind blowing

We are dry camping so that presents a challenge to keep our trailer batteries sufficiently charged.  I have run the big generator a few times and it really pours the current into the battery.  However, it is pretty loud.  The first day I fired it up a person behind us complained to me that his mother just had ear surgery and that the sound really affected her.  I tried to be considerate and only run the big generator during the races when it was noisy anyway.  I had to ask myself why anyone who has problems with noise would come to a huge drag race that is terribly noisy.  Oh Well!

I ran the small (quiet) generator a bit, but it had to power a battery charger to charge the batteries and the charger I have is really not geared to that kind of application.

The races were great.  There were three crashes and all ended up right in front of us.  We did not see two of them but a bike rider came off and landed right in front of us.  He signaled that he was conscious when they put him in the ambulance.

That is all for this post.

Hello from Hutchinson, KS (Belated)

Drafted:  Friday October 10, 2023 (Second post of this travelogue)

Posted: October 29, 2023 (but back-dated for 10/17 in the software)

We left Corning Sunday (10/8) and drove to Topeka, KS.  From there we drove to Hutchinson, KS.  We are staying in a wonderful state park campground (Sand Hills State Park).

We are here so that I can attend an event that involves folks using semi-trucks to pull RVs.  That might Sound like a strange event with limited attendance.  However there are in the range of 100 units at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.  The photo below (pirated from Face Book) shows many of the trucks and several Smart Cars.  Many of the truck/trailer combinations have Smart Cars mounted sideways on the truck (see second photo).  Others have provisions for other types of cars mounted lengthwise on the truck.

I was simply boggled by all the creativity with these combinations.  I have followed the FB group for these vehicles for a year or two and have really enjoyed all the discussions.  The main reasons given for using semi type truck are the power and the strong brakes.  That said, there are some pretty significant challenges.  The foremost seems to be getting insurance and the second being ability to use normal RV campgrounds.  As was the case with the bus, exposure to very large repair cost and consumables, like tires, makes it a pretty expensive option.  Many of the owners are full time and/or travel with large families.  Many of the units are set up for “boon docking” and that makes a great deal of sense.

That is all for this post and the trip.

Hello from Corning, Iowa

Drafted:  Friday October 6, 2023 (First post of this travelogue)

Posted: October 16, 2023

We are camped at the Icaria Lake Campground  (Google Map).  We have stayed at this campground for the past three years as a part of Pat’s Cousins “reunion”.  It is a beautiful campground.

We left Evergreen on Wednesday (9/27) and drove about 200 miles to Ogallala where we stayed at the Tri Trails KOA campground.  Our original plans were to meet up with Pat’s brother Jeff and his wife Julie who were travelling from Guffey, CO.  As it turns out, they sold their house a few days before our departure date and were not able to make the trip.

Our second stop was in Waco, NE where we stayed at the Double Nickel Campground.  This was an amazing campground with great Halloween decorations (early, but fun) and very friendly folks.

When we were planning this trip with Jeff and Julie, we decided to make the 600 + mile trip to Corning in three easy days.  We often make it in two days with a stop in Kearney, but these short days (average about 200 miles per day) sure worked out well.  Besides that, we had a fairly open calendar, and the extra day was no issue.

We arrived in Corning on Friday 9/29.  They were having an unusual hot spell with temperature in the low 90s.  For the first few nights we had to run the air conditioning at night as well as during the day.  The past few days have turned cool with daytime temperatures in the high 50s/low 60s during the day and low 40s/high 30s at night.  We have also had a bit of rain which they really need.

There was a large vintage car auction at the Corning Fairgrounds on Saturday (9/30).  There were close to 150 cars of all descriptions and conditions.  Most were from the 50s and 60s, but there were cars from several decades.  They were all from one person’s collection.  They have been housed in several locations in Corning.  Some went for well under $1000 and others well over $30,000.  I had my eyes on a great looking 55 Oldsmobile, but it went for $21,000 (way out of my league {grin})

Early this week, they started harvesting soybeans.  The beans are dry, but the stems are a bit tough and that makes the harvest a slight challenge.  They say the yield is good this year.

From Pat:

The cousins reunion was wonderful as always.  My sister and brother-in-law, Judy & Mike, also from the Denver area, were able to attend this year.  It was great to spend some time with them.  We also got to visit with my aunt & uncle, Jack & Janice.  I love our time in Iowa; I tell them I love it so much as it feels like a warm fuzzy.

We got to see and visit with the following cousins:  Jeanne & Bill, Mona & Terry, Terri, Dan & Jack, Joyce, Michelle K., Julie, Tracy, Jhett & Cash, Nikki, Joel, Bailey, & Chase,  Tony & Paul, Doug & Jennifer,  Michelle & Ally, Cody & Ashley.  I’m sorry if I’ve left anybody out.  We so appreciate all of them taking time out to visit with us.

One of my favorite things to do there is to attend an auction.  The Kretzingers have an auction business and they all work at it.  Several of them are auctioneers, and I love listening to them.  I always have to come home with at least one item.  This year I bid on a 3-pot crockpot, but I stopped bidding too soon and didn’t get it.  My second choice was another large crockpot.  It was almost new & I got it for the bargain price of $2.   I love bidding while my cousins auctioneer.  Jim bid on a couple of things but didn’t get either.  One of his items was a big vise.  My cousins teased him that it was the heaviest item at the sale.

That is all for this post.

Hello from Chatfield Reservoir

Monday September 11, 2023 (First post of this travelogue)

We had reserved a camp spot at Chatfield Re11servoir to coincide with our daughter Kelly’s family stay here.  This location is close to their house in the Littleton, CO area (Google Map)

We come here a few times a year as it is close and so beautiful.  We usually start the camping year here for the first outing to make sure we have “our act together”.  This time we are camping from (9/7-12).  It is a very laid back time and super fun.

It turns out that the Bergmans camper had suffered quite a bit of damage over the years and the insurance company totaled it out for them.  That was not a bad thing as they had considered.

We were still able to have some time with them and Pat’s sister Judy when they visited our campsite.

That is all for this trip.

Hello from Guffey, CO

Draft Started Friday September 6, 2023 (First post of this travelogue)

Updated and posted 9/11/2023

We again made our annual trip to Guffey, CO to spend the Labor Day weekend at Pat’s brother’s amazing place.  Jeff and Julie built this wonderful home on 60 acres in a very peaceful location about 10 miles west of the small town of Guffey.  It is so beautiful and quite here.

Jeff and Julie’s daughter and her family were here as well as all of daughter Lisa and her family.

The Shepherd and Kassel camping vehicles

We drove there on Thursday 8/31.  It is a bit over a two-hour drive from our house.  The drive was uneventful which was a good thing. On our trip to Monument Valley and Williams, AZ our truck overheated and we had to turn around and return home (later making the trip in our Mazda).  I completely rebuilt and upgraded the cooling system and it functioned flawlessly on this trip.

We enjoyed all the family time with endless meals and fun discussions.  We also took the time to set up a target practice day that was a ton of fun.  I finally got to shoot my new Smith and Wesson Model 19 revolver (.357 magnum) as well as my Marlin lever action 30-30 rifle.  These are my treasured weapons that relate to my TV heroes from my childhood days.  It is funny that the two Kassel grandsons love to fire these weapons as well.

The Target Practice Gang

My Lever Action 30-30 — Do I look like I was having fun?

Most everyone left on Labor day, but we stayed until Thursday (9/7) and enjoyed our time with the Springs.

On this trip I wanted to test our ability to “boondock”.  We parked in a field and had no connections.  We had installed two solar panels and took both a small and large generator.  The results were mixed.  The solar did not keep up with our electrical demands.  Admittedly we are somewhat power hogs, but I had hoped to do a bit better than we did.  We ran the large generator a couple of hours each day and that kept us at an acceptable level.  I am exploring our solar options, but I am concerned about the cost/value ratio.  We did pretty well with our water situation.  We were conservative and as a result our water supply was sufficient for the week and the holding tanks were not full.  We were close, but we got by.

Our trip home was a bit of an adventure.  We had planned to fuel up in Hartzel which is maybe 30 miles from the Springs.  When we got to the station we discovered that one our tires had disintegrated!  Fortunately an employee of the store helped us mount the spare and we departed about an hour later.  We have no way of knowing what caused the tire to fail.  I check the tire pressure each day before we leave.  It is possible that we picked up something that punctured the tire or that the tire simply blew out.  The rim had some cosmetic damage but should be OK.  We will be getting two spares (have to buy one extra rim) but I need that comfort level as we will be taking two long trips in the next couple of months.

Anyone want to buy a used tire?

That is all for this trip.

Hello from Las Vegas, NV

Draft Started Friday August 25, 2023 (First post of this travelogue)

Updated:  August 28, 2023

We are staying at the Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas (Google Map)

We are here for Pat’s Stampin’ Up! Leadership conference.  It is a2 ½ day event that started Thursday afternoon.  This conference is for the higher-level demonstrators.  There are approximately 700 in attendance.

We left Evergreen Monday and drove to Grand Junction where we stayed at a Holiday Inn property.  Tuesday, we drove to Cedar City, Utah and again stayed at a Holiday Inn.  Wednesday we drove to Las Vegas.  The scenery on this drive is amazing.  We never get tired of the drive.  We drove the Mazda on this trip.  Later this year we hope to be heading this way in the truck and trailer with travel on into the LA area for some car/racing events.

The Red Rock Casino and Resort is an interesting facility.  It is located about 10 miles west of the strip in an almost rural area (no other casinos around).  It is a huge facility that seems to cater to large meetings and is family friendly.  It has two Starbucks and a food court.  Unlike the hotels on the strip, the food and coffee prices are not jacked up too badly so you can find a decent food variety for “affordable” prices.  The casino is huge and has very modern slot machines and several game tables/rooms. 

Red Rock Casino and Resort

Our hotel room is on the 18th floor and has a great view of the Las Vegas Strip (see photo).  We are what seems like a half mile from the elevator {grin}, but we just tell ourselves that we need the exercise.  That said, my back issues have come back with a vengeance (about a month after my Epidural injections) and it is difficult to walk long distances (indeed, sometime even short distances).

View of Las Vegas Strip from our hotel room

Update 8/28.  We left Red Rock Sunday and headed to Richfield, UT, again staying at our normal HI property.  Today we drove to Grand Junction and are staying at the same hotel we were at on the way out. 

Las Vegas is about 750 miles from our house and that is just a bit more than we care to do in two days – especially given my back issues.  The shorter days are just fine with us.

That is all for this trip.