The Slabs, aka Slab City

Today we drove to Niland, CA specifically to explore a true piece of Americana; The Slabs or Slab City. This place is just amazing. It was here in 1942 that General George C. Patton trained his troops in desert warfare, preparing for the North African Campaign of World War II. Called Camp Dunlap. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Marines trained in the area. In 1946, the buildings were knocked down but the slabs remained, Hence the name, The Slabs. During the winter months, there are about 700 RV's in the area. The Summer population is about 50 "Slabbers". No wonder, the temperature occasionally gets to 120* !!. There is no water supply, no electricity, etc. Just the dessert.
There is a church, a nightclub, a library, flea market, etc.
The main feature is Salvation Mountain. Begun in 1989 by Leonard Knight. It's the most amazing structure. He started painting the side of a hill as a tribute to God. Then decided it had to a more permanent tribute and started stacking bales of hay, tree trunks, scrap lumber, etc. into a truly unique structure. Adobe holds everything together.
We met Leonard. He gave us a personal tour of his creation. He lives here in a truck you will see in a photo. All materials used were scrounged from the city dump or donated. He has no money.
We're camped for the night just behind the Slabs welcome sign that used to be the guard shack for the base.

Yuma,AZ

We arrived in Yuma, AZ on Thursday, the 6th. Staying at the VFW BLM camping area. It's basically a patch of desert off Hwy 95, behind the local VFW building. A very unique place. All dry camping (boondocking). Some people have obviously been there for some time but most, like us, are just passing through.
On Friday we went in town to do laundry & grocery shopping. Had Chinese for lunch. The area is a huge farming community. We could identify cabbage, kale & different types of lettuce.

About 3:00pm we were sitting outside on the lawn chairs at the BLM campground near Yuma. Carol looked liked she was napping a little and I asked her if she wanted to go inside. She just mumbled and her head tilted this way & that. I tried to help her stand but she couldn't. I asked her my name and she didn't know.Took her blood pressure; it was 53/40. Dangerously low. I called 911 because something was clearly wrong. When the paramedics got there they started a fluid IV because they suspected dehydration. Carol had been sitting in the very warm sun dressed in sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt. She is always cold if it's below about 80*.
They took Carol to the Yuma Regional Hospital. At the hospital they did a chest x-ray, EKG & blood tests. The doctors big concern was what made Carols blood pressure get so low. Finally, about 9:00pm, they released Carol with the conclusion that it was severe dehydration. Carol drinks very little fluid; she's just not naturally thirsty.. From now on, it's a minimum of 2 quarts of fluid a day. We're both going to monitor Mom's fluid intake going forward. Neither of us need any more scares. This is her third ER visit while camping. First the heart attack, then the dislocated hip and now the dehydration. That's enough.

After getting out of the hospital, we went to the Paradise Casino and spent the night in their parking lot.

A very long day. Fortunately, everything turned out well.

Made it to Arizona

We left Columbus about 8:30 taking all the backroads that form the border between NM & Mexico. Security is great along these roads; the Border Patrol is everywhere. If you look at a map,the NM & Mexico border runs for miles. There are towns in this area that only exist on a detailed map. No structures of any type to indicate they may have existed at one time. Other towns are mostly abandoned or populated with ramshackle buildings. The "rest area" in Hachita is a good example; it's a collection of run down buildings with pickup trucks here & there.
Saw a beautiful, and most unusual, roadside memorial.
There is snow on the mountains to the south and a little scattered along the roadside. The sun never came out today. It was 24* when we got up and I don't think it ever hit 50*.
Tonight were at the Saguaro SKP Co-Op in Benton, AZ. It's an RV park owned by the Escapee Club we belong to. Most of the lots are occupied year round by people who are fulltimers. The place is very well maintained and has an off-leash dog area. Only $17.29/night for a full hookup site. Next time we're in the area, we'll be back.

New Mexico

Last night we "camped" at the NM Welcome Center along with a handful of others. This morning it was 25* when we woke up.
Bought gas at Flying J for "only" $2.75/gallon; the cheapest gas on the trip. Filled up with propane at $2.799/gallon. Took the backroads to Columbus, NM and the Pancho Villa State Park. $14/night. When Gopher & I made this trip in 2005 we stayed here. It's the site of the only ground invasion of US Territory since 1812. Pancho Villa raided the fort & town of Columbus in 1916.
In the morning, we continue the trek to California.

Still in Texas.

We spend Sunday night at the city park in Junction, TX. Free. You just find a spot you like and pull in. We're right on the bank of the South Llano River. When we came out West in 2008 to pick up our new Lazy Daze, we stayed here.
Saw the cheapest gas of the trip in El Paso, TX. $2.75/gallon. Unfortunately, we had filled up about a hundred miles earlier at $2.99.
Last night, we had planned a stop in TX but as the day wore on, we decided to simply continue until we got to NM. There was another time zone change in our favor. We got to the NM Welcome Center around 4:00. A very long driving day. The good news is that there are no more marathon drives. Tomorrow it's about an hour and a half to our next stop.

Continuing west

We awoke to a cool, gray morning. Instead of cruising along the Gulf Coast as planned, we decided to just continue the long trek west. New plan. On the way home, we're going to follow the Texas coast from El Paso until it's meets up with Louisiana then follow the back roads to New Orleans.
We entered Texas on I-10 at MM 880!!!. Depressing. Another 880 miles before we get to New Mexico. We're spending tonight at the Steven F. Austin State Park just west of Houston. $22/night. A nice campground just off I-10. When I made the trip west with only Gopher, we stayed here as well.
Gas is running in the $2.80-90/gallon range.

Cajun Country

The weather isn't much. Expected to rain all day today & tomorrow. We drove to Beaux Bridge and had a nice lunch at the Corner Bar,Cafe & Art Gallery. Quite a unique place. Carol had an oyster Po Boy; I had The Jake; a hamburger steak with grilled onions, Swiss & American cheese, bacon, jalapenos, fries, onion rings, red beans & rice and french bread!!. Delicious. After that we went to the Acadiana Park Campground in Lafayette. A City park. $13/night. Waiting out the rain. The plan tomorrow is to take the back roads to the Gulf Coast then to Texas.

Another driving day

We left the campground about 8:30 continuing west on I-10. Got gas in Alabama for $2.89/gal.; a bargain by todays standards. Stopped at the Fairview-Riverside State Park in Madisonville, LA about 3:30pm. Fairly convenient to I-12. $22/night. We had thought about going into New Orleans for the day to visit the French Market. NOLA is crowded on a typical day but tomorrow is New Years Eve plus the Sugar Bowl is Tuesday plus it's supposed to rain. Perhaps on the way home?
Today was another long driving day. Once we make it through Texas, we'll get back to our 2 to 3 hour max. drive per day. Unfortunately, TX is a long three day drive from where we are tonight. Bla!!

We're off once again.

We had the most wonderful Christmas. Alex, Britta, Finn & Teagan plus Jennifer & Karen were here for the last five days. They left on Tuesday. Carol & I spent Tuesday putting the house in order and packing for the trip. We left this morning at 5:27am. The Lazy Daze has 48,908 miles on it. The weather is cold. It didn't get above freezing until after noon time. The Turnpike was loaded with RV's heading south. Mostly it was just us going north. It's supposed to start warming up some.
We stayed at the Falling Waters State Park off I-10 near Chipley. A very convenient overnight stopping place. With the Florida Senior discount, it only cost us $9. Carol is sitting in the back watching a TV show she downloaded on her iPad. :-)

The general plan is to head to the Lazy Daze factory in Montclair, Ca., to have assorted things repaired then just drift around the CA, AZ & NM until we feel like heading home. This really beats hanging around Fort Pierce. There is not much we enjoy more then traveling.

Ready to get going again

It's December 13th. We've been home long enough. The camper is ready, the house is ready. Jennifer, Alex and families will be here from the 23rd to the 27th. We head out on the 28th for the Southwest. Ginny is in charge of Mom while we're gone.
First stop the Lazy Daze factory to get the broken solar panel replaced and a few odds & ends dealt with. Then to the Tire Man for the valve stem extenders & new rear tires. Then to Quartzsite for the rest of January. After that? Just drift around here & there. Our type of trip. No plans, no schedule.

Lazy Daze GTG, Charleston

We arrived in Charleston on Monday for the get together. There were 17 rigs there. We both enjoyed catching up with our old friends. There were two new couples there as well. We went out to dinner on Wednesday night and had the Pot Luck supper on Thursday.
On Friday, we headed home at about 8:00am.Drove straight through and arrived home about 5:30 that evening.
Nice to be home. We left on this trip on April 14. Our longest trip ever.
We both agree, it's probably the best trip ever.
In a few weeks I'll be caught up on everything and we'll be antsy to get going once again.

Heading to Charleston,SC

After leaving Suzanne's house on Sunday, we stopped in Ellis,KS for the night. On Monday we drove to KC and spent the night with John & Marge. Had a wonderful time just catching up with the news. Marge made lasagna & meatballs. What a treat to have a great dinner that I didn't have to cook.
On Tuesday we continued on. Carol wanted to go back to the great bakery in Herman, MO so off we went. We spent the night at the city campground in Herman then went to the bakery on Wednesday morning. We vote this bakery as the best ever.
On Wednesday we drove to Johnston City, IL and stopped at the Arrowhead Lake city campground. A very nice campground for only $7/night!! On the way in we had a bar-b-que dinner in Benton, IL. Fair at best. Beans from a can, frozen french fries, etc.
On Thursday we continued on. Another 3 hour plus driving day. We stopped at a real bar-b-que place in Nashville; Jack's. Carol had the pork shoulder (pulled pork), and I had the brisket. Apples, green beans, cole slaw and baked beans for sides. Excellent!!
About 3:00 we got to our campground. Floating Mill Campground at the COE Center Hill Lake. We have a great site right on the lake. $12/night with water & electric. We're staying here until Saturday.
On Saturday we headed towards Knoxville,TN with no special destination in mind. We stopped by a TVA campground on Douglas Lake but it wasn't much so we continued north. Saw a Bar-b-que joint so we pulled in and bought a 1/2# of pulled pork and onion rings. Very good. I asked a guy in the joint, if there was any pplace we could get to the lake for a picnic. He directed me to a nearby access road. We parked right along side the lake. It was so nice, we decided to stay there overnight. This is Gophers type of campground; no leash required.
On Sunday we decided to drive to NC through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park rather then use the Interstate. The stretch of road from Sevierville,TN , the birthplace of Dolly Pardon (Dollyville), through Gatlinburg, is one solid tourist trap. Every conceivable hotel, restaurant, amusement attraction, etc., you could ever imagine is there. We have never seen anything quite like it before. In the late 1970's we took the children in the RV, from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg. It was a tourist trap then, but nothing like this. This was our second, and last, trip in this area.
On the other hand, once you get into the National Park, it's just beautiful. It was a cool & rainy day, but the drive was still enjoyable. Much better then the Interstate.
We had no particular destination in mind but wanted to cut Mondays drive to Charleston to about three hours. We wound up spending the night in the Walmart parking lot in Spartanburg, SC. Quite a contrast between the beautiful lakeside sites of the last few nights.
Had Walmart fried chicken for dinner.

Suzanne & Family

We arrived in Longmont on Wednesday the 22nd. "camping" in the street in front of their house. On Thursday, Carol went shopping with Suzanne & Oliver. There is a birthday party planned for Friday.
On Friday night there was a birthday party for Izzy, Oliver & me. Suzanne got an excellent ice cream care from a store that makes their own ice cream. The Stomp Rocket was the hit of the birthday gifts.
On Saturday we all went to a soccer game and watched Izzy play a great game.
After breakfast on Sunday, we headed to Kansas City to visit with Johnny & family. We stopped at the city campground in Ellis, KS for the night.

The Beartooth Highway

The more & more we thought about driving the Interstate Hwys, the less we liked the idea. Instead, we decided to go south from Columbus and take the Beartooth Highway. Years ago, Charles Kurault wrote i his book Travels With Charlie, that he thought the Beartooth Hwy was the most beautiful drive in America. He'd get no disagreement from us. The road, Hwy 212, is narrow & full of sharp turns but what a view. The elevation at the summit of the road was 10,947'. The temperature at the summit was 44* with a very strong wind. Next time we're out this way we're going to drive it again. This time, stopping at the FS campgrounds in the area.
After the Beartooth, we drove the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cody, WY. Another amazing drive. A lot of the road followed the Clark's Fork River.
It was almost 80* when we finally stopped for the night near Thermopolis,WY. We're camping in a WY Fishing Access Area.
We have about 8 more driving hours to Suzanne's house.

Southern MT on the way home, September,2010

We drove the scenic route, Hwy 89, all the way south to I-90 near Livingston.
We stopped in Choteau for the night. There was a sign announcing the Teton Antique Steam & Gas Threshing Association 27th Annual show. In the morning I walked over. Very interesting. I talked to a local farmer who showed me a tractor like he drove as a kid during WW-2. All the men were off to the war. He drove the tractor even though he could barely see over the steering wheel. The women & kids ran the farms.
In the morning we continued on. Stopped in Fairfield, the Malted Barley capitol of the US. We had lunch in Great Falls at a very good bar-b-que place then continued south on 89. Stayed the night at a very nice National Forest campground; Jumping Creek. Had the place to ourself. Just us, the deer and a small creek. There was a very informative sign about the difficulty of getting timber from this area to the mills in Great Falls.
On Sunday, we drove south to Interstate-90 near Livingston. We're back on the boring Interstates for the majority of the trip home.
In Columbus, Mt we stayed at the Itch Ke Pe City Park. It's free camping right on the Yellowstone River.
Today is the first warm day we've had in quite some time; it's 71*. In the picture of Carol in bed, she has on a long sleeved shirt, sweat pants, a heavy sweat shirt, a sheet and then three blankets doubled over!! That's like sleeping under six blankets. It does get cold inside the camper at night. The outside temp. in the morning has been from 39* to 45*. Inside it's in the mid-50's by morning. When I get up, I turn on the propane heater to warm it up for Carol.

Glacier National Park to Choteau,MT

We drove to Glacier National Park on Wednesday the 15th. stayed in the Apgar Campground with four other Lazy Daze couples we met at the Northwest GTG. The weather was decent so we walked to the Apgar Village/Visitor Center. There is a new, paved trail from the campground to the Village. Very nice for Carols scooter. As the day went on, the weather got worse. It turned into a rainy, cloudy, cold day. There was snow above about 5,000'. The campground was at 3,200' so we just got a cold rain. The weather forecast was for more of the same for the next two days. Rather then just sit inside looking at the rain, we decided to move on. Friday morning we headed south to Choteau, MT. The snow on the mountains was beautiful. When we got to Marias Pass, there was several inches of snow on the ground. Some cowboys were rounding up stray cattle from around the pass.
The drive from West Glacier to Choteau was beautiful. We passed through the Blackfoot Reservation around Browning,MT. When we were out here in 2006, we passed
through Browning on the way to Glacier NP, Waterton then the Canadian Rockies.
Browning is the major city in the Blackfoot Reservation. I'll never understand why, but Browning has the same look as all the other reservation towns we've been through. Doesn't seem to matter if it's in the Southwest, North Dakota, Upstate New York, or Montana. Trash is strewn everywhere, houses are unkept, guys just hanging out on the street corners. I really wonder what is the commonality between all these Native American tribes that leads to such a lack of pride in their community & person?

At Choteau, we "camped" in the parking lot for the city public works compound. Us and five other RV's. :-)
Gopher & I took a few walks around the City Park. I often just watch people, wondering what they do for a living, why they live where they do, what are they up to at this moment. A lady drove by in her old truck. Her dog Molly was running alongside. Wonder if she & Molly do this every day? Just watching life in Couteau, MT on September 17,2010. I was wondering the same about the four cowboys we saw rounding up cattle earlier today. What's their day like? Any family? What do you do after a life as a cowboy? In campgrounds, we often see people our age traveling in very truck campers or simply a collection of tents. Did they earn their living as a cowboy, or the equivalent? What do people do when they can no longer live off their hard labor? Get by as best they can, I suppose.

Today turned out to be very enjoyable. When we started this trip, we encountered snow on April 24th on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here it is, September 17th, and once again it's snowing.

Tomorrow we continue our trek to Suzanne's.

Idaho Lazy Daze GTG

On Saturday, the 11th, we did laundry then went to the Farragut State Park, about 30 minutes from where we were staying. The Northeast Lazy Daze Club is having a Get Together(GTG) starting Sunday. There will be about 25 rigs here.
Each morning there was a breakfast. In the evening a pot luck supper. One day a fishing trip was scheduled. Only one fish was caught all day. We met the nicest people. They have a cash auction to finance the common expenses. Carol had some autographed Maxine items. They sold for $60!!. The people were just delighted. That would cover all expenses for this GTG and the next.
Our LD was the only 2008 or newer rig in attendance. Three couples who are planning to order a new LD wanted a tour. It saved them another trip to Montclair by being able to examine a newer rig in great detail. Carol & I just sat outside while the six of them went over the rig in great detail. :-)

From here, we're heading to Glacier National Park with three couples we met at this gathering. Looking forward to that.