What a Difference a Day Makes (Beaver, UT)

 

Remember a few blogs ago I was complaining and sniveling how 102 degrees is hot.  Well, we just pulled into a campsite in Beaver, UT.  And again I am not complaining, but it is 58 degrees.  Again I am not complaining, but it is COLD.  Of course it is 226 miles north and 3500 ft higher in elevation than Las Vegas.  It is also greener than Las Vegas. 

Beaver, UT is the birthplace of Philo T. Farnsworth and Butch Cassidy.  I am sure you know who Butch Cassidy was,  but how many of you know who Philo T. Farnsworth was.  I do.  He was the inventor of the Television.

Tomorrow we are going to explore the area, so stay close to your computer for the next installment of Roan on the Road.

Even so… Life is great on the Roan Road….

A Trip to the Desert (Boulder City, NV)

 

Yesterday we took a trip Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  It is part of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) so we could use our Golden Age Pass.  We bought the Golden Age Pass a few years ago for $10 at the Roosevelt Presidential Library National Historic site.  It is the best investment we made.  It is good for Life.  It will let me and anyone in my car into any Federal National park.  So getting into Red Rock Canyon did not cost us anything.

The first stop was the Visitor’s Center.  As usual, as with most National Parks, it was very well done and extremely interesting.

The views from the visitor’s center were breathtaking. 

We then drove the 13 mile Scenic Loop through the park. The pictures do not do the scenes we were looking at justice.

After taking the scenic loop tour we drove south to the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.  The park is working cattle ranch first build in the 1930’s.  One of the last owners was Howard Hughes, although he never came to the ranch.  It is now a State park.

I guess that’s all for now.  We plan to leave and head north on Tuesday after the Memorial Day Holiday.

Life is great on the Roan Road…

Hoover Dam–Part 2 (Bolder City–NV)

 

The temperature is down to normal for this time of the year in Bolder City.  85s during the day 70s during the night.  Just right for us.

If you remember from the last time we went to Bolder Dam the elevator for the Dam Tour was broken so we decided to go back another time.  They gave us a phone number to call to check if the elevator was working.  We called and called, it rang and rang. No answer.  On Friday we decided just to take our chance and show up early for the tour.  As it worked out, it was working and we were on the first tour.

We took the elevator 500 feet down.

 

This is on of  water tunnels that feed the turbines.

Walking through the Maintenance Tunnel to the Generator room.

Generator room on the Nevada side.  There is another just like this on the Arizona side.

These are the steps leading all the way down and all the way up.  They are used if the elevator breaks down.

This is one of many Earthquake sensors through out the Dam.  The Dam is built on a earthquake fault.  According to our guide the Dam is built to withstand earthquakes.  We will see someday.

We are staying in Bolder City until after Memorial Day.  We do not like to be on the road during big holiday weekends.  Then start heading north to Wyoming.

Yes, I know there is lots to see in this area, but there is lots to see everywhere and we will be back in Nevada.

Stay tuned, more adventures to come. 

Life is great on the Roan Road…

But it is a Dry Heat, YEAH RIGHT !! (Bolder City, NV–103F)

 

Temp rising. 

 

That’s the outside temperature of the truck

We are staying in the Elks Lodge in Bolder City.  We joined the Elks Lodge two years ago when we were in Gillette for the Escapees Escapade.  BTW we are going back there this year at the end of June.  We really like it here in Bolder City.  Great neighbors and a nice little campground.  It is close to Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam. 

At the urging of Brad and Jane, neighbors of my brother Vic, we decided to do the full tour of the dam.  We got up early to make it to the visitors center early.  After going through a truck security check point where they asked me to open the bed of the truck.

The first parking area, which is a covered area and changes $7 we passed up because I wasn’t sure I would clear the roof of the truck.  This area was next to the visitor’s center.  We proceeded over the Dam to the RV parking.  This meant walking back over the Dam to get to the Visitor’s center to buy the tickets. 

Temp rising. 

We walked back over the dam to get to the visitor’s center.  All the time I was taking pictures.  When I tried to get into the visitor’s center there was anther security check.  This time it was like going to the airport.  I had a Leatherman tool which had among other things a 1.5 in knife, that Heidi gave to me.  You guessed it, you cannot bring such a lethal  weapon into  this secure place.   So I would have to leave it in the car. This meant waking back across the Dam again!

Temp rising,

I told Ann to get the tickets and I would walk back to the truck to leave my lethal weapon in the truck.  When I got out side it was HOT and I was HOT.  Ann called me, “don’t rush, the elevators are broken and there are no extended tours today.”  OK, on to plan “B”.  That what is so great with our life style, we are flexible. Ann got the number to call to know when the elevator was working and the inside info on getting to the visitor's center early to get the tickets. The trouble was, after calling many times.  No one ever picked up the phone.

The plan now is to drive around the Dam and take a drive up along Lake Mead and tour “The Valley of Fire” state park.  So now it is 102 F.  It is hot, it is F@#K’n Hot.  Thank you Willis Carrier, the inventor of A/C.

We drove up the Shore Road along Lake Mead.  Lake Mead was created when Hoover Dam was built. 

Next we went to the Nevada’s first State Park,” Valley of Fire”.

Now we are back in our RV, both A/Cs running and it is OK.

Tomorrow, Friday, we will try the Hoover Dam tour again. 

Happy First Anniversary to Heidi and Jay.

On May 23rd we will celebrate 1 year of full time RVing and on May 29th we will celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary.

Life is Great on the Roan Road…

Fast Update (Bolder City, NV)

 

Since I have not posted in a while this is just an update.

The NHOG rally was great.  We met new friends and met a lot of old friends.  Caught up on old times and just had an all around fun week.

 

This is Bob and Sue’s Rig.  They pull it with a Volvo Heavy Duty Truck with a Smart car on the back. Not to shabby rig.

Nice RV park.

On Saturday after the rally we left for Las Vegas or Henderson NV to be exact.  Our plan is to stay in Bolder City, which is 25 miles from Vegas, right by Bolder Dam and Lake Mead.  We will be staying in the Elks Lodge in Bolder City.

It took 3 days to make the trip.  The trip across Texas took about 2 days.  Texas is on BIG state.  The frist night we stayed in Texas. The next night New Mexico and the third Arizona.

These pictures were taken by Ann through the front windshield. So there may be a few squashed bugs in the way.

Happy Anniversary Robin and Tim.

Life is good on the Roan Road…