Heading North with the wives

Friday April 1st- Wednesday  April 6 (Days 489-495)



  Judy and Candy arrived very late on Thursday night. Their 7:30 PM flight from Seattle was delayed by about 4 hours, so they were tired by the time they finally got to bed.

On Friday, we moved to Lake Pleasant RV Resort, which is a little north of Phoenix. We've stayed there before, and enjoy some of the amenities, like the pool.

We played bocce ball, kayaked on the lake, had a bbq on the lawn, and ate some terrific fresh pineapple....almost felt like we were in Hawaii!

We headed west on Sunday towards Lake Havasu, looking for some scenic drives. Harris took this picture of a "dust tornado"...one of many we saw along the way.

We spent Sunday afternoon and night at Buckskin Mountain State Park, and thought we'd like to come back and explore this area some more.

The state park was right on the lake, peaceful and picturesque. We found a spot that was as far away from the rest of the camp as possible.

Monday we drove north to Bullhead City and crossed into Nevada at Laughlin. We thought it appropriate that the first street you see is named "casino drive".

 We didn't stay in Nevada long, as we were heading for Death Valley National Park in California. We entered on the east side of the park, stopping first for a walk up a small hill to Zabriskie Point. The informational plaques there informed us that this area became a national park in 1994....something we didn't know!

Our first sunset at the Texas Spring Campground, just above Furnace Creek....we don't know where the spring was...maybe back in Texas?? But it was a little higher than Furnace Creek, and so had a bit of a breeze. Since there were no plug ins here, the breeze was very welcome.

The temperature when we arrived at Furnace Creek visitor center shortly after 6 PM.

Candy and Rick did some repairs on the rubber seal of Goldy.

Once again we found a quiet spot away from the "maddening crowd".

Walking out to the Badwater Basin salt flats, the lowest point in the US at 282 feet below sea level.

A picnic lunch in some very hard to find shade!

Tuesday we drove north toward Beatty, which is outside the park in Nevada. We were told this was a good place to look for wildflowers. We saw yellow, white, purple and orange flowers, but were really taken by the vivid pink flowers blooming on the cacti.

Rhyolite is a ghost town near the border of the park and Nevada. It was briefly a thriving mining town.

One can almost picture waiting for the wagons to arrive while sipping a frosty beverage.

We couldn't figure out the actual function of the building... a casino, barroom?

 Wednesday morning Rick decided he didn't like Harris's french press coffee anymore, and threw the glass body onto the rocks, breaking it into many pieces. We'll have to find a new one for tomorrow's brew!
We left Death Valley (and the overwhelming, scorching heat), driving out through the west side, down by Mohave, through Bakersfield, and then north and a little east toward Sequoia National Park. The scenery today has been desert (desolate and beautiful), mountain passes, really desolate desert, oil fields, orange groves (which perfume the air with an incredible scent...really made us think of Hawaii!), and windy roads near Three Rivers. The temp has dropped to a manageable 70 something, and even a bit lower after dark. Yea! We might sleep well tonight (especially with electricity and air conditioning)!