We decided to see a couple of things we had missed before leaving Pahrump. First, we went back to Shoshone to see the "Hobo" Houses and the cementary. An old prospector scooped a room size room out of hard packed caliche hills, poked a stovepipe through the roof and took residence. He carved out several more places and rented them to other propectors. The last full time resident lived there until the 1970s. There was an outhouse with two "holes". The Hobo Houses now have doors and locks to keep people from destroying the cave houses.
The nearby cemetary has tombstone that vary in dates of births and deaths. One tombstone has engraved on it "I told you I was sick". Guess no one believed her, huh?
The other place we wanted to see before we left Pahrump was Red Rock Canyon and boy am I glad we went. The scenery was so beautiful it's had to tell you about it. There are so many different kinds of mountains made up of sandstone, limestone, etc. Each peak is named and there are hiking trails at levels from easy to strenuous.
From the scenic route heading back to Pahrump, we stopped at Bonnie Springs Ranch/Old Nevada Village. There is a pond with many ducks and many many turtles. There was a pair of beautiful swans too. We had lunch at a restaurant there by the pond. Food was good and the prices were reasonable. After we finished lunch, we took a walk around the petting zoo and even though we have seen many animals at other zoos, we were impressed with the freedom some of the animals were allowed. There were male peacocks everywhere with their tails spread out in all its splender. In a seperate space (separated from the males) was a beautiful all white peacock. It had to be a female because "she" looked like a fairy princess with her all white tail spread out for all to admire.
The old village is much like Tombstone and we did not attend the gun fights, etc.
We had a wonderful time in Pahrump, saw a lot, did a lot, ate a lot but now it was time to say goodbye to new friends and get on the road again.
We left Pahrump early on May 24 and traveled to Hawthorne,, NV where we spent the night at Whiskey Flats RV. It is a fairly new park and very very clean. We call for a shuttle from the nearby casino to pick us up. We had dinner at the casino (food mediocre and priced too high for the quality of the food).
We left Hawthorne earlyt the next morning on our way to Honey Lake RV in Milford, CA. Here is one of those situations where you should not "judge the book by the cover". Honey Lake is an old park but the manager met us and made us feel very welcome. They have a small cantina and we decided to have lunch there (they have only sandwiches, (hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.) Food was good and prices were reasonable. While eating our lunch, we met a delightful couple who lived about five miles away. Both had worked in some capacity for the California Correction Facility but were now retired. They were interested in our travels even though both said they would not give up their home to take on a life one the road.
Right across the road was "Honey Lake' which is 28 miles long and dry as a bone right now. The manager gave us some information on the lake and we found out that it goes dry every so often when the snow in the area has been slight.
We left Milford heading further into California (little did we know that we would be traveling through two mountain ranges (we almost knew how the pioneers felt). There were so many twist and turns, sometimes we were so close to the rock mountain on one side that I wouldn't even look.
There was road work going on all along the way, we had to go slow then stop and wait for the pilot car to bring a group through turn around and have us "follow him". I have never seen such beautiful tall straight and big pine trees. There were trees all over the mountains, except where it was apparent there had been a fire.
When we left Susanville on Highway 44, we came into National Forests. I think they were all part of the Lassen National Forest, Shasta National Forest and Trinity National Forest. We were up and down and all around mountains. We were surprised to see large bodies of water. The first body of water we came to was Hog Flat Reservoir. Then there was McCoy Reservoir. All along the way we could see Lassen Peak (at least I think that's the name) which was covered with snow. This has been quite a change from the 90s in Pahrump.
I almost forgot, while in Milford, we picked up a passenger (a large bee) and we let him out when we stopped for lumnch at Whiskeytown in Redding, CA. No, we did not kill him, but sure were glad he didn't want to continue traveling with us.
Almost all the way to McKinleyville the North Fork/Trinity River ran along the road. At places you could see the white caps and one place even advertised "white water rafting'. It didn't look that deep and I imagine it is cold as all get out.
Well, that catches you up to where we are now (a couple of nights in McKinleyville). We'll be going out to see some of the things around here (the paper we were given said there are 101 things to see and do. I know we won't do/see them all. We'll pick out the ones we want to see/do most.
Until next step on our journey, have a great day.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
On the Road Again pictures
We went back to Shoshone to see a couple of things we missed the first time we were there. One of the things was the Hobo Housing and the old cemetary.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Beatty and Rhyolite, NV
We have been trying to venture out and see things that we can travel to and back in a day. The latest trip we took was to Beatty and Rhyolite, NV. We drove approximately 175 miles round trip.
Beatty, NV is a small town established in 1904 and has been known as the Scenic Gateway to Death Valley. Beatty is steeped in history and has a wonderful old museum filled with the history of Beatty's mining past. (I think they mined borax)
Beatty also has a casino and the well known Death Valley Nut and Candy Company
We met Mr. McCoy who runs the Beatty Museum. He told us so many things about Beatty and where a lot of the things in the museum came from. Outside the museum is a display of equipment used in the Bullfrog Mining District. Oh, did I mention that they were mining "gold". I guess we could have spent the entire day listening to him tell stories about Beatty and nearby Rhyolite.
Rhyolite was amazing if you like "what once was".
We left Beatty and drop the four plus miles to the turnoff to Rhyolite. At one time Rhyolite was a boom town when they found gold in the some of the rocks and it's now a ghost town with "parts" of old buildings around the area. One of the most interesting things we saw was the bottle house which seems to be the only place still pretty much as it has always been. Mr. McCoy had given us a booklet by his wife, Suzy, which was a "Self Guided Tour Through Rhyolite, NV". With the help of this booklet and some of the signs at different sites, we were able to recognize what was left of some of the buildings.
On the way to Beatty we say a sign on the highway that said "Big Dune". We asked at the Visitors Center how far the Big Dune was off the highway and was told about three or four miles. So, on the way back to Pahrump, we decided to go out to this dune and see how it compared to Jockeys Ridge in the outer banks in North Carolina. We traveled down a dirt road for about four and a half miles and it just looked like the dune got further and further away. The road was like riding on a wash board so we turned around and left. It appeared that a lot of off the road vehicles traveled in that part of the desert to the dune. Our black Rav 4 was a muted sand color when we got back to the main highway.
Beatty, NV is a small town established in 1904 and has been known as the Scenic Gateway to Death Valley. Beatty is steeped in history and has a wonderful old museum filled with the history of Beatty's mining past. (I think they mined borax)
Beatty also has a casino and the well known Death Valley Nut and Candy Company
Outside the Candy Co. are beautiful roses and impressive landscaping.
We met Mr. McCoy who runs the Beatty Museum. He told us so many things about Beatty and where a lot of the things in the museum came from. Outside the museum is a display of equipment used in the Bullfrog Mining District. Oh, did I mention that they were mining "gold". I guess we could have spent the entire day listening to him tell stories about Beatty and nearby Rhyolite.
Rhyolite was amazing if you like "what once was".
It's interesting to note that it took about 30,000 bottles to build the Bottle House
Another thing we found at Rhyolite was the Gold Well Open Air Museum. Chris is sitting on a mosaic sofa. The statues were done in 1984 and depict The Last Supper. 
We left Beatty and drop the four plus miles to the turnoff to Rhyolite. At one time Rhyolite was a boom town when they found gold in the some of the rocks and it's now a ghost town with "parts" of old buildings around the area. One of the most interesting things we saw was the bottle house which seems to be the only place still pretty much as it has always been. Mr. McCoy had given us a booklet by his wife, Suzy, which was a "Self Guided Tour Through Rhyolite, NV". With the help of this booklet and some of the signs at different sites, we were able to recognize what was left of some of the buildings.
On the way to Beatty we say a sign on the highway that said "Big Dune". We asked at the Visitors Center how far the Big Dune was off the highway and was told about three or four miles. So, on the way back to Pahrump, we decided to go out to this dune and see how it compared to Jockeys Ridge in the outer banks in North Carolina. We traveled down a dirt road for about four and a half miles and it just looked like the dune got further and further away. The road was like riding on a wash board so we turned around and left. It appeared that a lot of off the road vehicles traveled in that part of the desert to the dune. Our black Rav 4 was a muted sand color when we got back to the main highway.
We saw was what looked like a "red" mountain. It turned out that it was a "cinder mountain" that was still being mined.
It was a very nice day and we have really enjoyed seeing some of the history that surrounds Pahrump.
Monday, May 4, 2009
From Charleston Peak RV Resort & Winery
We found out they were having a local rodeo very near the resort. There were no professional riders but the cowboys and cowgirls did a great job. One of he funniest things we saw was the calfing. The cowboys came out of the shoot (I think that's how it's spelled) holding on to one of the bull's horns and an arm around his neck. Then he was to try to throw the bull. Once or twice the bull took the cowboy the entire length of the arena and the cowboy never got the bull to the ground. It was over so quickly I did not get a chance to take a picture.
Another thing we had not seen before was the "hide" races. A cowboy lays down on a hide attached to a rope tied to a horse's saddle and race against another cowboy doing the same thing. It was really funny and we had a great time.
On Sunday we moved about two miles to Charleston Peak RV Resort and Winery. The park is beautiful and we’re looking forward to visiting the winery. There are approximately 200 sites, three helipads, a beautiful pool/hot tub area with an outside bar/refreshment area, and of course the Winery and restaurant. The resort is surrounded by new home models (custom built) and one existing neighborhood. 
We did not hook up the car and I just followed Chris. When we arrived and started setting up, we discovered that the jar candle (which I always have one on the warmer). had turned over into the sink. Have you ever tried to get liquid candle wax off cups, electric skillet, and the worst of all, is that the liquid candle wax went down the drain in the sink. Before we could do anything else, we (and I mean Chris) had to completely take the sink pipes loose and get the wax out. It went all the way to the pea trap and just a little beyond. We did not realize how much the pipes needed cleaning out until this happened. Ugh, what a mess. Now, we have the cleanest pipes around and will make sure that the jar candle is secure when we move and that we clean our pipes more often.
We have just been relaxing going for the two for one buffets and little else. It is so peaceful and quiet here that’s it’s hard to leave (and I mean that sincerely). We get up early and walk (the distance around the park here is shorter than it was at Preferred) and the streets are paved. We still have the beautiful view of the mountains and the desert.Friday, May 1, 2009
Pahrump, NV and Surrounding Area
On the way we passed this place. At first we thought it was water but it turned out to be solar panels outside a power plant.m You just don't see much water at all out here.We travel in and out of California and often have to go through Inspection Stations
April 26, 2009 – We left Salome around 8:30 and Chris drove the entire way (approximately 303 miles) without stopping. This was really surprising since he usually doesn’t like to drive this distance straight through.. I think it was because the route we took (US 95 which is not an interstate) had no rest areas, and nothing but miles and miles of desert. This route took us into California for about 50 miles before we finally turned north into Nevada.
We arrived at Preferred RV Resort in Pahrump, NV mid afternoon and spent the afternoon
getting settled in. Nice resort and the person who checked us in was very nice. I have to tell you how Pahrump got its name. Again, these words I am coping from a brochure we received.
“More than 100 years ago, Paiute Indian harvested pine nuts and seeds, and hunted wild game from the Spring Mountain Range. About the same time, they discovered an abundance of water in the valley which they named “Pah” (meaning water), and “Rump” (meaning Rock.”
We are still in the desert surrounded by mountains. The difference being that we can look at those mountains and see “snow”. It is beautiful as long as we’re far away from it. Where Rockport, TX is basically for fishing, Valley Vista for history lessons, Salome for four-wheeling in the desert, Preferred is for visiting casinos and other tourist places that we will get to while we are here..
April 27, 2009 – We started walking again today. Not sure how far it is around this park but will wear pedometer tomorrow to determine the distance. There are approximately 284 sites and that doesn’t include the park models. This park is member owned and is one of the nicest we have been able visit.
We took time to go to Charleston Peak RV and looked around their facilities and visited the winery which is there on the premises.. Very impressive. We did not take the tour today but will do this at a later date since we will be in Pahrump for a while.
We also went to the Chamber/Visitors Center and picked up information about the surrounding area. We dropped by a couple of the casinos (I made my deposits but Chris won enough to pay for our dinner one night), Did I mention there are two casinos within walking distance of our site but these were not the ones we visited today.
April 28, 2009 – Went to breakfast here at resort. Very good with real home made bread. Ate more than we should have but the price was right. Sat with a couple from Washington who ride motor bikes and they told us about the rally that had just taken place some where close by. They also told us about the two for 1 buffet at the Golden Nugget Casino Sunday through Thursday.
Later after lunch we walked down to the Golden Nugget to find out about the shuttle that picks up there and goes into Las Vegas. While we were there, I made my deposit and of course, Chris won again. We also decided to go back for dinner. We got there around 5:00 PM and there was a line out the door. So we had to wait. The food was pretty good but they could really use help in the restaurant. We had to hunt all around for eating utensils, and glasses for ice tea.
In between all this running around, I found a place and finally got a haircut, got my laundry done and Chris found the part he needed to repair our screen door. It’s also nice to have a Wal-Mart close by.
April 29, 2009 – We are still walking and determined it’s about 1.9 miles around the park. It’s getting easier but we are still pooped when we get home.
We headed out to see some of the places on our list. First of all, we went to Shoshone which was settled in 1910 by a prospector. We visited the museum there and really enjoyed seeing some of the things that we remember from childhood. This is Chris' new car.
From Shoshone we traveled on to Tecopa Hot Springs where we discovered there are both public and private hot mineral springs. Apparently these mineral hot springs are very popular and you enter the pools without clothes. There are separate facilities for women and men.
I was allowed to go into the women’s area while Chris was allowed to go in the men’s area. I decided I’m just not into going into a mineral hot pool without clothes. We left Tecopa Hot Springs with a new view of what these mineral hot springs are all about. Guess I’m just an old fashion girl who has led a sheltered life.
We headed further into the mountains toward China Ranch Date Farm. Legend.has it that an old Chinaman found this natural oasis in the desert and started a place of shelter and water to prospectors on their way through the mountains. One day he left to travel to the city (wherever that would have been) to get supplies and was never heard from again. A couple of days later, someone else filed on this land (at that time, Chinese were not allowed to own property)
“China Ranch is a family owned and operated small farm, a lush piece of greenery amidst the forbidding Mojave Desert near Southern Death Valley.”
It’s not an easy place to get to. You turn off the main highway and travel down the road (which turns into a single lane dirt road) winding back into the mountains. The mountains we were told are “mud” so you can just imagine what happens when rains come. Picture to the left is a sample of the road getting in.
We looked around at all the really old stuff they had there, had a “date shake” and headed back to civilization; paved roads, Walmart, gas stations, etc. There was no cell phone service whatsoever. Can you guess what I'm enjoying in the shade?
April 30, 2009 – decided we would head into Vegas to find Sam’s Club and pick up some things that we will be needing in the next few weeks. Here again you have to remember that Pahrump where the resort is located is in the desert surrounded by mountains. Las Vegas is approximately 65 miles away and guess which way we had to go? Yep, you’re right, right through the mountains again. Thank goodness the roads are paved. That’s about all I can say as there is nothing between Pahrump and Las Vegas but desert and mountains. We saw plenty of cacti and more mountains.
One thing I cannot express is how different and 
absolutely beautiful the mountains here are. There are brown rock mountains, red rock mountains, yellow looking mountains, black looking mountains and even some that look like they are white. Some of them look as if God himself took a paint brush and designed them. They are really something to see. This was made up of some type mineral that is mined in the area. How do you think that hole got there?
Well, I’m getting away from our trip to Vegas. It wasn’t too hard to find the road where Sam’s is located (even though construction had obscured the road sign). We found that it was large, clean and they did have some samples to try. We did our shopping and headed back to Pahrump expecting it be just as boring coming back as it was going. Desert, desert, desert (oh, and the mountains).
Looks like a road to nowhere.
As we were getting close to the beginning of the desert we saw a sight that in our entire three years full timing, we have never seen before….a small herd of Mountain Goats (or rams). Yep, we have looked everywhere we have gone and this was the first time we had seen a wild animal (except rabbits). This made the whole trip worthwhile.
May 1, 2009 – Chris played golf with some of the local people and now we are heading out to find the Post Office and the Library. Our neighbor Tony who lives here most of the time has been very nice telling us about places to go and things we should not miss while we are here.
Hope all Moms have a great Mother’s Day on Sunday.
April 26, 2009 – We left Salome around 8:30 and Chris drove the entire way (approximately 303 miles) without stopping. This was really surprising since he usually doesn’t like to drive this distance straight through.. I think it was because the route we took (US 95 which is not an interstate) had no rest areas, and nothing but miles and miles of desert. This route took us into California for about 50 miles before we finally turned north into Nevada.We arrived at Preferred RV Resort in Pahrump, NV mid afternoon and spent the afternoon
getting settled in. Nice resort and the person who checked us in was very nice. I have to tell you how Pahrump got its name. Again, these words I am coping from a brochure we received.“More than 100 years ago, Paiute Indian harvested pine nuts and seeds, and hunted wild game from the Spring Mountain Range. About the same time, they discovered an abundance of water in the valley which they named “Pah” (meaning water), and “Rump” (meaning Rock.”
We are still in the desert surrounded by mountains. The difference being that we can look at those mountains and see “snow”. It is beautiful as long as we’re far away from it. Where Rockport, TX is basically for fishing, Valley Vista for history lessons, Salome for four-wheeling in the desert, Preferred is for visiting casinos and other tourist places that we will get to while we are here..
April 27, 2009 – We started walking again today. Not sure how far it is around this park but will wear pedometer tomorrow to determine the distance. There are approximately 284 sites and that doesn’t include the park models. This park is member owned and is one of the nicest we have been able visit.
We took time to go to Charleston Peak RV and looked around their facilities and visited the winery which is there on the premises.. Very impressive. We did not take the tour today but will do this at a later date since we will be in Pahrump for a while.
We also went to the Chamber/Visitors Center and picked up information about the surrounding area. We dropped by a couple of the casinos (I made my deposits but Chris won enough to pay for our dinner one night), Did I mention there are two casinos within walking distance of our site but these were not the ones we visited today.
April 28, 2009 – Went to breakfast here at resort. Very good with real home made bread. Ate more than we should have but the price was right. Sat with a couple from Washington who ride motor bikes and they told us about the rally that had just taken place some where close by. They also told us about the two for 1 buffet at the Golden Nugget Casino Sunday through Thursday.Later after lunch we walked down to the Golden Nugget to find out about the shuttle that picks up there and goes into Las Vegas. While we were there, I made my deposit and of course, Chris won again. We also decided to go back for dinner. We got there around 5:00 PM and there was a line out the door. So we had to wait. The food was pretty good but they could really use help in the restaurant. We had to hunt all around for eating utensils, and glasses for ice tea.
In between all this running around, I found a place and finally got a haircut, got my laundry done and Chris found the part he needed to repair our screen door. It’s also nice to have a Wal-Mart close by.
April 29, 2009 – We are still walking and determined it’s about 1.9 miles around the park. It’s getting easier but we are still pooped when we get home.
We headed out to see some of the places on our list. First of all, we went to Shoshone which was settled in 1910 by a prospector. We visited the museum there and really enjoyed seeing some of the things that we remember from childhood. This is Chris' new car.From Shoshone we traveled on to Tecopa Hot Springs where we discovered there are both public and private hot mineral springs. Apparently these mineral hot springs are very popular and you enter the pools without clothes. There are separate facilities for women and men.
I was allowed to go into the women’s area while Chris was allowed to go in the men’s area. I decided I’m just not into going into a mineral hot pool without clothes. We left Tecopa Hot Springs with a new view of what these mineral hot springs are all about. Guess I’m just an old fashion girl who has led a sheltered life.We headed further into the mountains toward China Ranch Date Farm. Legend.has it that an old Chinaman found this natural oasis in the desert and started a place of shelter and water to prospectors on their way through the mountains. One day he left to travel to the city (wherever that would have been) to get supplies and was never heard from again. A couple of days later, someone else filed on this land (at that time, Chinese were not allowed to own property)
“China Ranch is a family owned and operated small farm, a lush piece of greenery amidst the forbidding Mojave Desert near Southern Death Valley.”
It’s not an easy place to get to. You turn off the main highway and travel down the road (which turns into a single lane dirt road) winding back into the mountains. The mountains we were told are “mud” so you can just imagine what happens when rains come. Picture to the left is a sample of the road getting in.We looked around at all the really old stuff they had there, had a “date shake” and headed back to civilization; paved roads, Walmart, gas stations, etc. There was no cell phone service whatsoever. Can you guess what I'm enjoying in the shade?April 30, 2009 – decided we would head into Vegas to find Sam’s Club and pick up some things that we will be needing in the next few weeks. Here again you have to remember that Pahrump where the resort is located is in the desert surrounded by mountains. Las Vegas is approximately 65 miles away and guess which way we had to go? Yep, you’re right, right through the mountains again. Thank goodness the roads are paved. That’s about all I can say as there is nothing between Pahrump and Las Vegas but desert and mountains. We saw plenty of cacti and more mountains.
One thing I cannot express is how different and 
absolutely beautiful the mountains here are. There are brown rock mountains, red rock mountains, yellow looking mountains, black looking mountains and even some that look like they are white. Some of them look as if God himself took a paint brush and designed them. They are really something to see. This was made up of some type mineral that is mined in the area. How do you think that hole got there?Well, I’m getting away from our trip to Vegas. It wasn’t too hard to find the road where Sam’s is located (even though construction had obscured the road sign). We found that it was large, clean and they did have some samples to try. We did our shopping and headed back to Pahrump expecting it be just as boring coming back as it was going. Desert, desert, desert (oh, and the mountains).
Looks like a road to nowhere.
As we were getting close to the beginning of the desert we saw a sight that in our entire three years full timing, we have never seen before….a small herd of Mountain Goats (or rams). Yep, we have looked everywhere we have gone and this was the first time we had seen a wild animal (except rabbits). This made the whole trip worthwhile.May 1, 2009 – Chris played golf with some of the local people and now we are heading out to find the Post Office and the Library. Our neighbor Tony who lives here most of the time has been very nice telling us about places to go and things we should not miss while we are here.
Hope all Moms have a great Mother’s Day on Sunday.
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