Las Vegas...another awesome trip winding down

I forgot to post this blog at the end of our Spring 2018 trip....so about a year late....

Mar 20     Laughlin - Las Vegas RV Resort       92 miles       1 hour 45 minutes

We're back at the Las Vegas RV Resort. We really like it here. $229 for one week. It gives us time to clean and possibly polish the rv before putting it back in storage and heading home.

Joe's brother Noah and his family drove in from Phoenix today. They stopped by for a visit and we all went to the Rio for dinner. We haven't been there in years and the kids wanted to eat crab. Kind of expensive $32.95 but we figure, hey let's treat ourselves. When we got there we found out, to get the seafood it would cost another $20...what a ripoff!

We were already there and decided to pay for two seafood upgrades and four regular dinners. Was good because we would get plates of seafood and put it on the table so everybody could eat. The wait staff didn't say anything and everybody got their share of the goods. Was a pretty good buffet but I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

Mar 21

We went to Sam's Town this morning to enter the blackjack tournament. This was a first for Noah. I didn't place but Joe won 4th place and Noah got 8th. Not bad, at least they got their money back.

We had lunch at the buffet at Sam's Town. Was pretty good, cost was $10 each. We ended up spending a lot of time eating and talking story with Noah and Manu while Noah boy and Laola went to the arcade. At home we're all so busy , we don't have time to just sit and talk story so it was a nice visit. They check into a house today in Summerlin and they have other family coming in for the Monster Jam so they'll be busy for the next few days.










Mar 22

Very lazy day but for dinner we drove out to Summerlin where Noah and his family are staying. We picked up pizza at Biaggios. Was very good. The house was nice with a pool, hot tub and a pool table. So something for everyone. We swam for most of the evening. By the time we got home it was after 10 pm. That's late for us old futs.

Noah Boy & Joe

Noah, Joe, and Laola

Mar 24

We took a ride out to Blue Diamond near Red Rock Canyon to see a cactus farm called Cactus Joe's. I just wanted to look around. We didn't buy anything but they got a lot of stuff.

Seafood Hot Pot

After that we drove to Orleans Casino to meet dad and Uncle Mike. We went to Gold Coast Casino for lunch at the Noodle Exchange. Was real good. Dad ordered the combination seafood hot pot with tripe on the side. He really, really enjoyed it. We all had some soup, had plenty to share. I think we ate for 1 1/2 hours.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Hot tub time

In the evening after dinner, we went to the pool and hot tub. It was kind of cold and windy but was still nice to soak.










Mar 25

We finally stayed home and cleaned the rv. I gave the inside a good cleaning and Joe polished one side. We've been putting it off, so it's nice to have a clean house.

We're trying to eat up all our food. For dinner I made soba salad and used up some eggs, zucchini, and a block of tofu. Cooked some broccoli and Joe grilled some sweet potato and fish marinated in ginger and miso. I buy the fish from Trader Joe's, so good. Turned out to be a lot of food but we ate almost everything.

Mar 26

We picked up dad and Uncle Mike and went to 808 HMP for lunch. As always, the food was greaat. Then we dropped them off at Golden Nugget where they'll be staying for the next few days.

We met Noah, Manu and the kids at the buffet at Sam's Town. We're kind of tired of eating at buffets but this is the best place for the kids. The buffet here is actually pretty good and it was nice to hang out and talk story with Noah and Manu.

Mar 27     Las Vegas RV Resort - Henderson     5 miles     20 minutes

Dad & Uncle Mike 

Today we put the RV in storage and checked in at Fremont Casino and Hotel. We normally don't stay here but dad got us comp rooms for our last four nights, we're so grateful. They're still at Golden Nugget so easy to get together. For dinner, we went to the seafood buffet at Fremont. Of course, I had my share of crab!











Mar 30

Last day in Las Vegas. We spent the last few days just cruising, gambling, and eating...too much! Because we met up with family and friends a lot, we overate a lot. If we lost any weight during our RV trip we definitely gained it back during the last ten days.

Sportsbook at The Cal

Our flight was scheduled to leave Vegas at 615pm. We had to put the car in storage and catch a cab to the airport, so we planned on leaving Fremont at 2pm. Everything went smoothly. Got the car stored and arranged for Lyft to take us to the airport. This was the first time for us using Lyft and it turned out pretty good. The fare was under $20. This is half the price of a cab.

When we checked in we found that the flight was delayed and is now leaving at 730pm.  We were so upset because it was only 330pm and now we had a four hour wait. After checking in we sat and I started checking my phone, only to find an email sent at 1147am advising us of the delay. What a babooz! We had an early dinner, watched part of a basketball game, and I gambled a bit.

IN CLOSING.....another awesome RV adventure has come to an end. We finally made it to the Coachella Valley and explored Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, and the surrounding areas. We put 718 miles on the RV and have memories to last a lifetime. 

Laughlin ...again

Mar 18        Caliente Springs RV Resort - Laughlin, Nevada           208 miles   

Got up early to a chilly morning, 45 degrees. Made our way to Laughlin, Nevada. After driving 3 hours, we needed a break and stopped at a diner called Jitter Bug in Vidal, California. Pretty good food but when we got to Bullhead City to fill up gas, Joe realized he didn't have his credit card.

I called the diner and the waitress was waiting for our call. That meant driving back 1 1/2 hours. Luckily, she lives in Laughlin so she actually delivered it to us that evening.

Joe and Gregg

We camped at Riverside Casino, dry camping for free. Joe's friend Greg met us for dinner. Greg retired from HPD but now lives in Bullhead City, AZ. We did the buffet at Riverside, so junk! What a waste of money.

Dry camping site

Mar 19

We had a fun day in Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ which is right across the river. First, we went to the Upholstery Shop to get a quote to fix our sofa. It's starting to peel and looks real ugly. It's going to cost around $650 but we need to wait till next time.

Then we went to Home Depot to look at plants. I wanted to buy this plant that I saw at the RV Resort in California. I found it and bought two.  It's called Dwarf Bottlebrush Little John. Joe said we probably can find it in Hawaii but I didn't want to take that chance. We put it in a flat rate box and sent it home. Hope it survives.

Lunch was at Black Bear Diner. Very, very good. They have restaurants all over but we've never tried it. We both enjoyed our lunch.

Before dinner we took a walk along the river back in Laughlin. We came across a family of raccoons. Kind of surprised us, we've never seen raccoons here before.

For dinner we went to the Prime Rib Room in Riverside Casino, $16.99 per person. We really like this place. I enjoyed the salad bar and prime rib and Joe tried the chicken cordon bleu. He said was good.

We enjoyed our two nights here. The weather is supposed to be kind of bad later this week so off to Las Vegas tomorrow.

Back to Desert Hot Springs

Mar 11      Thermal - Caliente Springs Resort     48 miles

I picked some fruits this morning before leaving. Oranges, lemons, and pink grapefruit.Was nice that this campground had all the citrus trees but the area was kind of stinky with plenty flies.

We're headed back to Caliente Springs in Desert Hot Springs for another week.

After we left Oasis RV, we parked at Fantasy Casino, left the RV there, jumped in the Kia and did some errands. Took us over two hours. We went to Cardenas, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and Walmart. Should be good for the next week.

Love the blooms 

Then we checked in at Caliente Springs for another week, we just love it here. Same deal as before, Passport America rate $203.

Joe cooking dinner

Mar 13      Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Today we went to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. It's an engineering marvel featuring the worlds largest rotating tram cars. It takes ten minutes, goes up two and a half miles, beginning at the Valley Station, elevation 2,643 feet, and transports you to the Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet. It was very cold at the top. probably mid 30's.

Valley Station

Leaving Valley Station

Up on top we discovered Mt San Jacinto State Park. The park has over 50 miles of hiking trails. We did the Desert View Trail. A one and a half mile loop trail that leads to five scenic overlooks of the desert valley. It was moderately strenuous with short rocky climbs. The hardest part was getting back to the Mountain Station. It was switchbacks all the way.

Nice view of the valley below

Clouds sitting on the mountain top

We were happy to get back down to the Valley Station, was real cold on the mountain.

Mar 15     Palm Springs Street Fair

Every Thursday evening, Downtown Palm Springs transforms into the Palm Springs VillageFest, also known as the Palm Springs Street Fair. The street fair features art, jewelry, crafts, food, sidewalk performers, and farmers market.

It starts at 6 pm but we got there around 4 pm because everyone told us parking would be crazy. This is in downtown Palm Springs, so lots of shops and restaurants and fun to just sit and watch all kinds of people while waiting for the fair to start. At 6 pm, the fair started and we walked the whole area. Lots of fun just checking everything out. It was very crowded when we left a little after 7 pm.

Mar 17   Happy Birthday to me

We went out holoholo all day! First was a craft fair here at the resort we're staying at. Nice stuff, lots of home made things. I bought a pretty magnetic bracelet.

Then we went to another street fair. We went a couple of weeks ago but I wanted to go back. The Street Fair, at College of the Desert is considered one of the top things to do in the Palm Springs area.  It's an open-air shaded shopping experience that happens every Saturday and Sunday. I bought some cute stuff.

Off to lunch at Fantasy Springs Casino. The special at the buffet was fresh corned beef....so good!

Next stop was Costco. We needed a few things and I found some cute casual dresses.

Back home, I did some laundry and we had dinner. It was pretty cold and windy, about 51 degrees but I hit the pool at about 730 pm. Joe met me there a little later and we had a nice relaxing soak.

Perfect day, perfect birthday.

I have a little of everything

Our week here at Caliente Springs is coming to an end. We leave tomorrow morning and we'll be driving to Laughlin. We really enjoyed our time here. We learned to play pickleball, and did a lot of water exercise classes, met a lot of nice people, and really enjoyed the mineral waters to soak in. We'll definitely be back!

Anza Borrego Desert State Park & Borrego Springs

Mar 09     Caliente Springs Resort - Oasis Palms RV Resort       43 miles     1 hour

We played some pickleball this morning then packed up and drove to Oasis Palms RV Resort. The address is Thermal, Ca but its on the outskirts of Thermal near the Salton Sea.

This RV park is in the middle of agriculture land. There's orange, lemon, and grapefruit trees on property that we can pick. We'll be here for 2 nights. Passport America rate is $20 per night so total $40, no tax. We went swimming in the afternoon in the pool and tried the hot tub. Kind of dirty looking but the temperature was nice. As we were walking back from the pool, we notice the air was kind of stinky. We think it was the pond but not sure.

Can barely make out the Salton Sea in the distance

Mar 10     Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Borrego Springs

It took us about an hour to drive to the park. Kind of boring, very dry desert area. There was an area where they do a lot of off roading. Looks like this is the big thing out here. Lots of trails in the desert hills with lots of RV's and trailers boondocking around the area.

After going to the visitors center at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park we went on a 3-mile roundtrip hike into Borrego Palm Canyon. The trail leads to a cool, shady palm oasis. This was a pretty easy hike to start but then we started going uphill on the rocky trail. It got pretty challenging in some places, especially the end where we had to do some rock scrambling. Very nice hike and beautiful scenery, we got a good workout.

Making our way into the canyon

We had a couple of water crossings

Getting closer

Finally....the Oasis

This park normally has a great spring bloom but not this year. It was a very dry winter so hardly any

blooms. We were supposed to camp at this park a couple of nights but I cancelled because the main reason was the flowers and there wasn't too much.

Found some blooms

After lunch we drove to Borrego Springs and checked out Galleta Meadows. Here, in the middle of the desert, is a magical menagerie of free standing sculptures. Numbering in the dozens, the metal creatures appear almost natural in the desert landscape. The work is truly unique.

This is a baby camel nursing

Check out the details on this dragon

We drove to Fantasy Springs Casino for dinner. We just love the buffet there. Tonight they had prime rib. The prime rib was okay, but everything else was excellent. The best was the fresh pasta bar. You pick what you want, so I got shrimp, spinach, and mushroom. They saute everything in a pan, add the sauce you pick, then add the pasta. So, so good. Plenty in one serving but delicious.