Day 11–Marsing ID–July 10, 2011

 

This is our last day in Marsing. The nights are still cool in upper 50s and the last two days have had highs of 91. We should be heading into cooler weather as we proceed west.

This afternoon, we visited the Ste Chapelle Winery and purchased a bottle of their Huckleberry Wine, visited the local farmer’s market and purchased some homemade goat cheese. Then it was off to the local market for a few groceries.

This evening I picked a bowl of mulberries for Raija’s cereal. The RV Park has several large mulberry trees. The grass is littered with ripe berries under each tree. When you touch a tree branch, the ripe berries rain to the ground. The trick is to put the bowl under the berries so that they fall into the bowl as it is nearly impossible to pick them before they fall.

Tomorrow we will continue our journey west on I-84 for another 260 or so miles which will leave 200 miles to go to our next multi-night stay.

 

Day 10–Marsing ID–July 9,2011

 

It was just a quiet day spent at the RV Park. Raija has a book that she is reading and wants to finished it today. I passed the day catching up on some computer items.

This evening we went to town to try the local Mexican cuisine. We had dinner at Alejandra’s in downtown Marsing. The food was very good and there was enough leftovers for tomorrows dinner.

Day 09 – Marsing, ID July 08, 2011

 

This morning we slept in past 10:00 AM. After a late breakfast, we took a drive around the area; a key landmark is Lizard Butte that towers above the Snake River near Marsing, ID.

Lizard Butte

Several churches and even the town library bear the Lizard Butte name. I am sure it was used as a landmark for those traveling the Snake River.

Next on our list was Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Before settlements in the area, the area was a low-lying area with many springs. In winter, herds of deer and elk came from the mountains to eat the abundant grasses. Early settlers observing these herds dubbed the area Deer Flat.

Between 1906 and 1908, two large and two small embankments / dams, were built creating Lake Lowell.

After the reservoir was completed, President Teddy Roosevelt realized that the nearby 9,000 acre lake would be an oasis for wildlife. On February 25, 1909 President Roosevelt established one of the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Lake Lowell

Marsing Park on the Snake River

Mik looking for gophers

Day 08 – Marsing ID – Camp Day – July 07, 2011

 

Today started with a sleep in morning, 0630 instead of the usual 0500 to beat the heat. We will try to start to adjust our wake up time during our five day stay here.

The morning went by quickly doing house chores such as cleaning the windshield, cleaning the bugs off the front of the coach, emptying the holding tanks, laundry and cleaning the coach interior.

In the afternoon we went for a ride around Marsing to see where things were in town and what the town had to offer. A stop at the Napa Auto store to purchase 134a coolant for the coach’s dash air condition, the local post office to return a Netflix DVD plus a stop at a local winey was the order of the day. I purchase a bottle of Fujishim Family late harvest Chardonnay. Raija purchased local cherries and a can of Hell’s Canyon peaches. Hopefully the peaches will end up in a pie.

Our Marsing ID Home Site – The Snake River is just beyond the trees.

Snake River

Snake River & Approaching Thunder Storm

Day 07–Wells NV to Marsing Idaho–July 6, 2011

 

Today’s Mileage: 284
Total Mileage To Date: 1176

 

 

We continued north from Wells Nevada to Twin Falls Idaho and then west on I-84 just passed Boise to Marsing where we will spend five nights by the Snake River.

The Boise area is having a two day run of the hottest days of this year. Last year the cold and rain followed us all summer, hopefully the heat does not follow us on this trip.

We plan to explore the area over the next few days. Tonight we will just relax after today’s long drive.

The City of Marsing, Idaho, is situated in the scenic Snake River Valley; surrounded by beautiful views, lush wine country, and expansive outdoor recreation areas. Cherry season is in full swing and many of the wineries will be open over the weekend so we should find plenty of things to do during our stay here.

Day 06–Caliente NV to Wells NV–July 5, 2011

 

Today’s Mileage: 279
Total Mileage To Date: 891

Today we resumed our travel north from Caliente to Wells NV in the hopes of finding cooler days. When we arrived in Wells it was 90 F and we woke to a cool 51 F. Hopefully 100 degree plus days are behind us.

We will spend just one night in Wells and then continue north.

As it was a long driving day, we did not do any sightseeing, just dinner, catching up on email and some travel blog catching up but here is a little of Wells history:

The Wells began as Humboldt Wells along the trail to California. It was subsequently founded as a railroad town along the original Transcontinental Railroad, and was once a stopover for passenger trains. The Humboldt River has its source in springs and a swampy area just west of the city that today is called Humboldt Wells. In the late 19th century, Humboldt Wells was burning down, and in a frantic plea for help, a telegraph was sent that said, "Wells is burning". After the town was rebuilt it was simply referred to as 'Wells'.

Day 5–4th of July in Caliente, Nevada

 

This morning at 6:00 AM the coach trembled and there was a loud explosion followed by three more a few seconds apart. Caliente has a tradition of starting the 4^th of July with setting off sticks dynamite at 6:00 AM. The awakening call is followed by a pancake breakfast.

At 11:00 AM there was the traditional small town parade.

 

Caliente 2011 4th of July Parade

We attended the parade and then return to the RV Park for lunch.

After lunch we drove to Kershaw-Ryan State Park. The park is just a few miles from Caliente. The canyon was settled in 1873 by Samuel and Hannah Kershaw, who operated a ranch called the Meadow Valley Wash Ranch. In 1904 they sold the property to rancher James Ryan; The Ryan’s donated the land to the state in 1926 to be a public park. They felt that more people could enjoy the canyon if it was a state park. The Civilian Conservation Corps developed visitor amenities in 1934. Kershaw–Ryan State Park was officially established the following year.

The park hosts four distinct plant communities, the riparian along the cool, moist canyon floor; the mountain brush which is found in shady pockets on the canyon walls; the cool desert shrub which includes sagebrush and rabbit brush found in dry areas and the pinion-juniper woodlands found in higher elevations. Gambel’s oak occurs in small groves near the pond along with apple, pear, and plum trees from the orchard planted by the Kershaw’s in the late 1800s.

 

 

At 9:00 PM, Caliente had their fireworks show that we were able to watch from the RV Park.

2011 Caliente 4th of July Fireworks

Day 4–Caliente Nevada–07-03-2011

Our RV Park in Caliente

Today was spent exploring Caliente and the local area.
The area that now includes Caliente was originally settled in the early 1860's by Ike and Dow Barton, two Negro slaves who had escaped from Arkansas. In the early 1870’s the area was known as Dutch Flat, with Jackman Ranch being established. In 1874, ranchers Charles and William Culverwell purchased the Jackman Ranch and renamed it as Culverwell Ranch. It was later referred to as "Culverwell." Along with ranching, the family earned a living by providing hay for the mining camps in Pioche and Delamar.
Culverwell became "Calientes" (the Spanish word for hot) after the hot springs found in a cave at the base of the surrounding mountains. The town was surveyed, and on August 3, 1901, a post office opened and postal officials renamed the town Caliente, dropping the ‘s’. The railroad line was completed in 1905, and by 1910, Caliente was the largest town in Lincoln County with 1,755 residents.
A two-story wooden structure served as a train depot until burning down in one of Caliente's disastrous fires. In 1923, the impressive Caliente Train Depot was built, a classic Mission-style building constructed of tan stucco. This two-story building included the railroad station, private offices and a community center on the first floor, while the second level featured a hotel.

Caliente Nevada

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After lunch, we toured Cathedral Gorge State Park.

The spires and buff-colored cliffs are the result of geologic processes occurring over tens of millions of years. The beauty enjoyed today had violent beginnings, starting with explosive volcanic activity that, with each eruption, deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick. The source of this ash, the
Caliente Caldera Complex, lies to the south of Cathedral Gorge.
About five million years after the eruptions ceased, block faulting, a fracture in the bedrock that allows the two sides to move opposite each other, shaped the mountains and valleys prevalent in Nevada today.
This faulting formed a depression, now known as Meadow Valley.
Over time, the depression filled with water creating a freshwater lake. Continual rains eroded the exposed ash and pumice left from the volcanic activity, and the streams carried the eroded sediment into the newly formed lake. The formations, made of silt, clay and volcanic ash, are the remnants of that lake. As the landscape changed and more block faulting occurred, water drained from the lake exposing the volcanic ash sediments to the wind and rain, causing erosion of the soft material called Bentonite clay.

Cathedral Gorge from Miller Point Overlook

Day 3–Bullhead City to Caliente, Nevada–July 2, 2011

 

To days mileage: 346
Miles to date:      613

The Bullhead City forecast for the next couple of days is 115 to 119 F. The refrigerator temperature is 53 F. Time to change plans and move on to the next destination, Ely Nevada where the forecast is 91 F.

We got up a 6:00 A.M. and were on our way by 7:30 A.M. Even through it is the July 4th weekend traffic was very light even through Las Vegas. Nevada, outside of the Las Vegas and Reno areas is very sparsely populated. There was very little traffic on road and we went from a few hundred feet above sea level to several thousand. Altitude translates into cooler temperature so we traded the 115 to 119 temperatures for 90 to 100 F temperatures which make a big difference. The air conditioning can now cool the coach to below 80 F and the refrigerator is starting to recover.

Now the original route was US 93 to Nevada 318 and rejoin US 93 at Ely as US 93 as an easterly loop in it and 318 goes more directly to Ely. However Raija noticed that the easterly loop of 93 was marked as a scenic route. We mutually decided  to try the scenic route as we now have some extra days to fill in before our reservations at the busier RV Parks start.

So that is now we ended up at Caliente and oops, Caliente is Mexican for hot! At least Caliente is not as hot as Bullhead City, it is 100 F outside at 2:30 PM. The RV Park owners say that the nights will be cool. The refrigerator is continuing to cool back down so if Raija finds something to explore here, we may do that tomorrow or we may continue to press on to the north and cooler days.

Day 2 – Bullhead City–July 1

 

This morning we took a quick ride to Laughlin Nevada which is just across the Colorado River. We drove up and town Casino Drive to see if there were any interesting buffets be advertised. There were none and it was way too hot get out and walk around. So no pictures were taken either of Bullhead City or Laughlin. Maybe tomorrow.

In the afternoon temperature at the RV Park was 113 F. The temperature in the coach rose to 96 F and the refrigerator is struggling with a current temperature of 52 F. We will have to reconsider staying here to July 5th.

Here is a little background on Laughlin:

Laughlin was founded by Don Laughlin, an Owatonna, Minnesota, native who purchased the southern tip of Nevada in 1964 (informally called South Pointe). Don opened what would become the Riverside Resort, offering all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents, 12 slot machines and two live gaming tables, plus eight motel rooms. Don wanted to call the community Riverside or Casino but the post office opted for Laughlin instead.

Today many casinos line the Colorado River are linked by a pedestrian thoroughfare known as the Riverwalk.

Even through the Bullhead City / Laughlin area has some of the highest summer time temperatures in the U.S., 100 F to 126 F, the area is a popular summer destination due to being located on the river which provides outdoor water family actives along with the casinos.

The winter seasons brings the American / Canadian snowbird RV population.  

Day 1 Home to Bullhead City Arizona–June 30, 2011

Today’s Mileage 330
Miles To Date 330

After a false start, had to return home to empty the ice maker in the refrigerator, we made it to our first destination, Bullhead City, Arizona. It was a hot, exhausting trip with outside temperatures over 110 degrees F  most of the way. We will wait out the 4th of July Holiday weekend here at Bullhead City. Probably not the best idea as the forecast is for 115 temperatures over the weekend.

Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River at the southern border of Lake Mohave and the southern tip of Nevada. Laughlin Nevada is directly across the Colorado River from Bullhead.

Originally Bullhead City was founded as Hardyville, named for its founding father William Hardy, a New York native and an entrepreneur. Hardy established a ferry service across the Colorado River. Hardy was also the postmaster, county supervisor and a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature.

From 1852 to 1909, steamboats made regular trips up the Colorado River, passing Hardyville regularly. The riverboats played an important part in the early development of the Colorado River and Hardyville. During its hay day, Hardyville had a general store, a saloon, a blacksmith shop, a quartz mill, a billiard hall, and a respectable public hall.

As mining became more profitable a railroad was constructed from Needles, California, through Yucca, Arizona, to Kingman, Arizona, bypassing Hardyville. Soon afterward Hardyville was abandoned and became a ghost town.

The construction of the Davis Dam resurrected Hardyville but under a new name. Bull's Head Rock is a landmark along the Colorado River. The old Hardyville site became the headquarters for the construction project, which was completed in 1953. The construction headquarters was referred to as Bullhead City and a new city was born.

The nearby Lake Mohave developed into a major tourism destination, and with the development of Don Laughlin's casino across the river, Bullhead City grew rapidly. Today tourism is by far the main economy in Bullhead City.

The 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 40,225. Combining nearby communities of Laughlin, Needles, Fort Mohave, and Mohave Valley bring the Bullhead area's total population to over 75,000. Bullhead’s International Airport estimates that more than 115,000 people flew to the city on casino-sponsored charters in 2010.

2011 Summer Travels

 

We are starting our summer travels later then usual this year. The hot weather is here and it is past due to head out to the cooler country up north. Our travel plans will take us through the high desert of Nevada to southern Idaho where we will turn west to Oregon’s coast. We will then head north up the coast through Washington and the turn east on US 2 back through northern Idaho and Montana. We hope to be in Montana for huckleberry season. As you know, I love huckleberry pies and huckleberry ice cream.

Planned Route

Our 2011 travel postings should begin on July 1.

Day 120 - Cameron AZ to Home

September 13, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 302
Total Mileage to Date: 10084

Home at Last!

10,084 miles and 120 days later we are back home to 100 F temperatures. Yes, today’s high here in Tucson was 100.8 degrees F. That is warmer than what we saw up north where the average high was 52 F and I don’t recall a high above 70 F. The average lows were in the upper 30’s and many nights were even below freezing.

Here are the final numbers:

Total Miles 10,084
Diesel – Coach 1,355 gallons
Gasoline – Hummer 68 gallons
Coach Engine Time 225 Hours
Average Coach Speed 45 MPH
Average MPG Coach 7.4
Total Cost of Trip $8857 or around $2214 per month

Day 119 - Junction of Utah 20 & US 89 to Cameron AZ

Today’s Mileage: 234
Total Mileage to Date: 9782
Mileage to Home: 311

Well we finally made it back to Arizona and warm weather. It did get down to 29 F last night but here at Cameron it is 89 F and I am having to run the air condition for the first time in four months.

I was hoping to make it a little farther today but I was getting a little tried so I decided to stay at our usual stop either coming from or going to Tucson.

For more on Cameron, AZ see Day 1

We usually like to spend one more night just north of Phoenix so that we can arrive home just before noon. However, since we have been away from home for so long on this trip, we may just go all the way tomorrow.

Days 117 & 118

Day 117- September 10, 2010

Day 117 was spent at Camp Charlie’s in Sunset Utah, getting the coach serviced. It took most of the day to get everything finished up but all is done and we are ready to get back on the road Saturday morning.

Day 118 – September 11, 2010

Sunset UT to the Junction of Utah 20 & US 89

Today’s Mileage: 264
Total Mileage to Date: 9548
Mileage to Home: 545

We were on the road by 9:30 AM this morning. We had a little delay as one of the coaches at Charlie’s had our shore power cable pinned to the ground with its mud guard. The coach was empty so there was no one to raise it but with the help of two other coach owners that are staying at Camp Charlie’s, we were able to free it. Then it was off to Smith’s to top the coach off with diesel. Smith’s was selling diesel for $2.729 a gallon, the lowest price on our entire trip.

Today’s run went well and we arrived at the junction of Utah Highway 20 and US 89 around 2:30 PM. Enough driving for one day, besides one can spend the night here free. There is an old abandoned trading post on the corner with a large gravel parking area in back. It makes a perfect place to dry camp for the night.

Tomorrow we should cross back into Arizona.

Day 116 - Idaho Falls, Idaho to Sunset, Utah

September 9, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 184
Total Mileage to Date: 9284
Mileage to Home: 809

We are now one more state closer to home today; we arrived at Charlie’s Service Sunset, Utah around noon today. It looked just like old times as the parking lot was full of motor homes. Justin, Charlie’s son, came out to greet us and quickly parked our coach so we could set it up and have lunch.

The day started out cold and rainy. This afternoon the skies have cleared and the temperature made it to 72 F, one of the warmest days that we have had during our entire trip. The forecast for tonight is 46 F and for tomorrow sunny with a high of 66 F.

If all goes well they will service our coach tomorrow and we will be on our way Saturday morning otherwise we will have to stay at Camp Charlie’s through the weekend.

Day 115 - Deer Lodge Montana to Idaho Falls, Idaho

September 8, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 233
Total Mileage to Date: 9100
Mileage to Home: 992

Today’s update is from the Idaho Falls, Idaho Wal-Mart parking lot where we will be spending the night. We are now two states south of the Canadian border and one more state closer to home. We are also less than 1000 miles from home.

The cold nights and overcast skies continue last night’s low was 31 F. It is warmer here at Idaho Falls, currently 78 F so that is an improvement; however, the forecast is for thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow.

Dinner will be a Wal-Mart roasted chicken and whatever else the deli has to offer. An advantage, besides being able to spend the night free, is a quick easy dinner from the deli that is usually good for two night’s dinner. Also one can replenish grocery supplies and other items.

Days 111 to 114

September 3rd through 6th, 2010

The cold cloudy weather must have followed us from Alaska. During our stay in Marion with our friends, the nights went below freezing, one night was as low as 28 F and the days seem to hover around the typical 52 F that haunted us through Canada and Alaska.

The days flew by doing repairs on the motor home and helping Don with his projects on the new home they are building.

Of course the best thing doing our stay was Karen’s huckleberry pie that she baked. Evening meals were prime rib, halibut and steaks. As you can see, we ate well.

Day 114 - Marion Montana to Deer Lodge Montana

September 7, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 233
Total Mileage to Date: 8867
Mileage to Home: 1228

Today we are continuing our journey home. Today’s route took us south on Montana US 93 from Kalispell past Flathead Lake to Missoula MT. In Missoula we topped off the propane tank at Bretz RV for $0.99 per gallon. We then travel east on I-90 to Deer Lodge Montana. Deer Lodge has a Conoco / Pacific Pride Card Lock station with a large parking lot in back for truck and RV overnight parking.

There is even free WiFi here.

I filled up the coach with diesel and we will spend the night here dry camping. So far there is one other RV and two trucks.

Day 110 – Marion Montana

September 3, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 61
Total Mileage to Date: 8634
Mileage to Home: 1461

Last night we dried camped at a pull off on US 93 between Eureka MT and Whitefish MT. In the morning we proceed to the new Super Wal-Mart in Kalispell to purchase in a few supplies for the remainder of the trip to home.

We are now at our friends’ home on McGregor Lake in Marion Montana. We will wait out the Labor Weekend here and then continue our journey towards home.

Our updated ETA home is September 14^th. This is subject to change of course, especially on how quickly the service on the coach proceeds at Charlie’s Service.

Days 108 and 109

Day 108 – Radium Springs BC

September 1, 2010

Nothing new to report today, just more relaxing, cleaning, laundry and working on the trip’s DVD.

Day 109 – Radium Springs BC to the USA

September 2, 2010

Today’s Mileage: 185
Total Mileage to Date: 8573
Mileage to Home: 1521

We cross the US Border today and are now back on US soil about half way between Eureka and Whitefish, Montana. Tomorrow we will continue to Marion MT where we will spend the Labor Day weekend at with our friends on McGregor Lake.

Over the years of RVing, we have found it best to be setup before a holiday begins and stay put until after the holiday traffic is over. Campsites are difficult to find, especially on long holiday weekends plus driving a big rig in holiday traffic is not fun either. Labor Day is also a holiday in Canada and being this close the Canadian Border there is bound to be added traffic from the Canadians.

It is nice to be back in the USA again and be able to use my Verizon Data Card out in the middle of nowhere to connect to the internet.

Tuesday, we will resume our journey home.