Traveling Time

We left Queen Valley at 9 am on Monday, May 10 and stopped in Apache Junction to top off the propane tank. We then made it through Phoenix without any major traffic problems and stopped at the Vicksburg exit (45) on I-10 at the Zip Truck Stop to top off our fuel. At every station on the way to the Vicksburg exit, we were seeing Diesel prices around $4.29 a gallon, so were very surprised to see the price at Zip listed at $4.09 a gallon. The good news (if we can really call it that) was the RV Island was 8 cents off for all RVs, and we got it for $4.01

The drive to the AVI Resort & Casino just south of Laughlin Nevada was uneventful and we got checked into our site at 2:45 pm. It was 95 degrees when we got there, so turned on both ACs and got all settled in. All I wanted to do was relax the rest of the day, but Ken had to rewash the windshield because of all the bees/bugs we hit along the way. After that, we ended up mapping out a strategy for the next three days. The first picture is of the AVI Casio and the second is of the RV Park.


The 11th was Mother’s day and I didn’t want to do anything but go caching because everyone and their kin would be out that day celebrating and things would be way too crowded. We ended up going east of Laughlin and driving some back mountainous roads above Bullhead City and found 17 caches before the heat finally got to us (another high 90s day). However, that night, the winds kicked up something awful because of some storms going through the northern part of the state. Anyhow, the winds were so strong we ended up bringing our large living room slide in to protect the slide cover (awning). We left the small slide out because the wind didn’t seem to be affecting it as much.

Monday, May 12, the wind was still blowing extremely hard, but it was cloudy and the temperatures were down to the mid 80s. We even heard Arizona (Flagstaff) received 2-6 inches of snow from the storm. We again went caching, but this time we walked the Laughlin Riverfront and found several along there, then drove over to Bullhead City and did caches in town that we hadn’t gone to on Sunday. We ended up with 22 finds that day all before 2 pm. Later, we ended up getting cleaned up and went out to dinner to celebrate mother’s day a day late. It was very nice because all the weekenders had left and the places were much quieter and emptier...even the rv park was pretty vacant. It was a fun day and evening.

Tuesday, the winds were still blowing, but not nearly as hard, so we decided to go caching some more (this day was much cooler). There were many caches up along highway 163 and off road in that area, plus we wanted to drive over to hwy 95 and find the old historic Mojave Highway and follow it through the mountains back down to the Needles Highway. There were several caches along that route that we hadn’t been to in years past and wanted to see if we could find them (some required steep climbing and very rough 4 wheeling). This is really my favorite type of caching because you don’t have so many people around watching what you are doing. We had a blast on the 4wheeling parts and even were lucky enough to see 2 Desert Tortoises. They didn’t like it much, but we stopped and took some pictures and then left them to go their merry ways. They are endangered and it is a very rare occurrence to ever see one, much less two in the wild. Aren't they something?


We also saw some Jack Rabbits and a Coyote, but they didn’t stick around long enough to let us take their pictures. We ended up finding 21 caches with a total of 60 for the three days we spent caching, and we didn’t even have to work hard at it. What fun it was to finally get out and spend some time 4 wheeling and enjoying the countryside.

Wednesday morning we left AVI about 9 am and drove north through Searchlight and into Vegas then stopped at the rest area in Tonapah for the night. It was an uneventful trip, sunny and gorgeous all the way. We did encounter a side wind between Searchlight and Vegas, and then again after Vegas through the mountains to Tonapah. But once we got to the rest area, there was no wind and only two other RVs in the area who looked like they were going to spend the night (they did). The rest area is set up for RVs and cars, but no trucks are allowed to pull in there, so it is a pleasant place to stay and not have to listen to large rigs pulling in and out all night long. This is the nice view we had while staying at the rest stop.

Thursday, we had a nice easy drive into Reno and arrived at the Sparks Marina RV Park about 1 pm. Of course there were more bugs on the windshield and the coach was dirty, so Ken spent the rest of the 90 plus day cleaning it. This park is a very pretty park, with some nice looking rigs staying in it and you don’t want to have a dirty coach sitting there....at least we didn't.

Friday was a free day for us, so we walked around the marina, then did a morning run for some caches. I could not believe we ended up with another 20 finds for just the morning. It was a 90 degree day and the weekend is scheduled to be even warmer.

Our stay in Reno is going to be very busy with visiting Ken's aunt and uncle and various cousins. There will also be a day spent at Lake Tahoe with everyone enjoying the beautiful weather (95 as I write this). There is a brand new Cabelas store at Boomtown that we will be going to and one day we are going to drive to Virginia City. Not much time to sit and rest.

Laughlin Nevada

We hit the road about 9 am today and stopped in Apache Junction to top off the propane tank. Boy has the price raised on that too. We took on 25 gallons and paid $78.25 (ouch).

Got through Phoenix without any major traffic problems and stopped at the Vicksburg exit (45) on I-10 at the Zip Truck Stop to top off our fuel. All the way there we were seeing Diesel prices around $4.29 a gallon, but we were surprised to see the price here at $4.09 a gallon. The good news (if we can really call it that) was the RV Island was 8 cents off and we got it for $4.01. Still really hurts because we took on a tad over 23 gallons.

This picture is taken from coach looking back at the mountains just west of Phoenix. Look at the haze from the valley.

These next two pictures are along highway 72 and 95 on the way to Parker. Lots of open space and brown desert.


Here we are crossing the Colorado River in Parker.

This is a distant view of Needles California as we cross over the top of the hill and head down to the valley.

Once we get through Needles, we get on this pretty tree lined road heading towards Bullhead City.

We arrived the Avi Resort & Casino just south of Laughlin Nevada at 2:45 pm and got ourselves settled for the rest of the day. Of course, Ken had to rewash the windshield because of all the bees we hit along the way. It was 95 degrees when we got here, so turned on both ACs to keep cool. It has been a busy last few days, and it is sooooo nice to be able to just sit and do nothing.

These next two pictures are of the AVI Resort. Later this evening, there will be fireworks shot off over the Colorado and we will have a front row seat watching them.


Tomorrow is Mom’s day, so we will probably do some caching (what else) and then go to a buffet or dinner somewhere. After that who knows??

Stressful Times

The last few weeks have been pretty stressful for us!

On Tuesday, April 22, our 92 year old lady friend (Nomi, who we have taken charge of) was taken to the hospital with breathing problems. After some calls to and from the emergency room, we found out she had blood clots in her lungs….pulmonary embolisms. The doctor in charge planned on keeping her in the hospital for a few days undergoing Heparin (blood thinning) treatments. She was in the hospital three days then released to a skilled nursing home for rehabilitation and more Heparin shots because this was a level of treatment that could not be done in her assisted living home.

On Tuesday, April 29, Nomi was again rushed back to the hospital emergency room with severe breathing problems. Turns out the blood thinners were causing more blood clots to break loose, and a huge one caused her blood pressure to drop extremely low and they didn’t think she would live through the night. She was put on fluids and oxygen then moved to the progressive care unit (one step below ICU) where the staff kept watch on all night long. Amazingly, she rallied on Wednesday and was alert enough to answer simple questions. The doctor said she a touch of Pneumonia and not breathing well. She also was extremely confused.

Thursday turned out to be Nomi’s best day. She still had moments of confusion but was able to sit up and even able to feed herself. The doctor was quite pleased with her progress, but he said it would not last. He said her condition was such that she would continue to have more and more problems and thought she should be on hospice instead of continually bouncing back and forth to the hospital. We talked about it and agreed it would be the best choice and that way, she could be released back to her assisted living facility and be with her cat.

Friday, Nomi was taken off all IVs and moved to a regular room. After she was moved, she again started feeling bad and regressed to a very lethargic state. She would wake long enough to talk a bit and promptly, while in mid sentence, fall back asleep. She still tried to feed herself, but couldn’t eat much.

When we were first told that Nomi was not going to survive, we notified a niece (Linda) in Texas and an ex-niece-in-law (Mary) in Salem. Thankfully, Linda flew to Salem from Texas and was able to spend a couple quality days with Nomi before having to fly back to Texas. Mary, who lives in Salem, has been a God send in visiting daily with Nomi and filling us in on her condition. Our daughter (LeighAnn) is the alternate power of attorney for Nomi’s health care, and she immediately started working with the hospice representative in order to get Nomi taken care of quickly. She also spent time with Nomi and kept us informed of her ups and downs.

Nomi started feeling a bit better on Monday, May 5 and was alert enough to visit with LeighAnn and Mary. Nomi said she knew she had been very sick, but didn’t remember anything that had happened over the weekend. She didn't even remember Linda's visit, but was pleased to know that she had been there. When Nomi was told that she would be going back to her room at the assisted living facility and be with her cat, she really brightened up.

Nomi is now back at the assisted living facility and under the care of hospice. We just pray that she continues to have more good days than bad days and stays as comfortable as possible.

We are getting the coach ready to pull out of Queen Valley and should be "on the road again" (love that song) Saturday, May 10. We are going to Laughliin, Nevada for a short stay before heading to Reno. After Reno, we have a week scheduled in the Sacramento, California area before heading back to Salem.

So far the temperatures here have not reached triple digits and according to the weather reports that won’t happen before we leave. The days have been gorgeous with temps in the high 80s to mid 90s and NO rain since February 27. The evenings are still cooling to the mid 60s. Sure not looking forward to leaving, but we are scheduled to be traveling through May, and we want to get back to Salem and check on Nomi. That means we will be home early June instead of mid July. We still have plans for our yearly campout in Prineville, Oregon over the 4th of July.