Pahrump, NV

March 24   Nevada Treasure RV Resort

We drove out to Pahrump to stay at Nevada Treasure RV Resort. We plan to stay here for 1 month. We've never done a whole month in one place with the RV before so this is new to us. This is a really nice RV park that has all kinds of amenities. Spacious sites, 2 swimming pools, jacuzzi, fitness center with steam rooms and saunas, bowling alley. The normal price per day is $40 but they have a monthly rate of $377. That breaks down to $12.57 per day. Couldn't pass it up.

Nevada Treasure RV Resort

Our spot for the next month

Doesn't get any better than this

We're just planning to relax, work out some, go on day trips from here, and just do what we want to.

It just sucks because as soon as we came out here, I caught some kind of bug and have been out of commission for the last 4 days. Lots of coughing and body aches. Miki got the same thing, when she got home she was so sick. Donna was also sick and papa Rudy too.

Flowers blooming everywhere

Cactus flowers

Beautiful roses

Back in Vegas

March 20

Mike with a beer sampler

We're back in Las Vegas. Randy & Miki at the Cal, Dad & Amy at Fremont, and Joe & I at Main Street RV. We met at Triple 7 for beer and pupu's and the UH men's basketball game. They made the top 32 in the NCAA tournament. We all took UH with 7 1/2 points. We all loss.....Hawaii lost by 13.

We ran into Dad's good friends, Mike & Terri Oshiro. We had a really nice visit with them. Terri is such a blast!










March 21

Seared Ahi Salad

We had lunch today at 808 Mixed Plates on Craig Road. Excellent local food. I had the seared Ahi salad, Joe had hamburger steak and Randy & Miki had garlic chicken. Everything was so good.

Miki & I did a little shopping. She wanted a bag at Fossil. We ended up buying some other stuff but not the bag we originally went for. Then on to Quiksilver for board shorts for Josh. His birthday coming up this weekend....he'll be 27!

Umiya Sushi

For dinner we went to Umiya Sushi on Flamingo Road. $25.99 all you can eat. Really good, we all pigged out! Was nice that Kawika could join us.

Later that night, we did some gambling. I got real lucky on the wheel and hit $1000.
Wow....that never happened before! I guess the red panties really work!










March 22

Miki & Randy left this morning. Was really nice to see them but was kind of hectic at the same time. Miki's got a few more days off before going back to work. She misses JJ....we miss him too.

March 23

Dad and Amy are still in Las Vegas. We've been spending some time together eating and gambling but Joe & I leave tomorrow and drive to Pahrump. About 1 1/2 hrs out of Vegas. There's a nice RV Resort out there that we'll stay at for a month.

Skiing at Brian Head, UT

March 16   Las Vegas - Brian Head, Utah     Approx 3 hrs

We picked up Miki & my brother Randy this morning, then later in the day Miki's friends, Emily & Josiah came in. We're all headed to Brian Head, Utah and plan to do some skiing. Our good friends Scott & Donna Hoadley will meet us there. Also, Keahi & Bryce will be driving down from Colorado.

We're staying at Cedar Breaks Lodge. Very nice accommodations, we have a 2 bedroom condo with a full kitchen, about $200 per night. The location is perfect. The ski lift is 2 minutes away. Joe's not planning to ski but has volunteered to be our cook.

The view of our condo from the slopes

March 17

Brian Head Ski Resort is pretty nice. Prices are excellent, $35 lift tickets, $35 ski rental per day. Super cheap compared to other places. The snow was a little icy but posed no problem for us. I was a little nervous, it's been 8 years since we last skied. It's like riding a bike, no problem. Miki & I had one big spill, lucky no one caught it on camera because Bryce & Randy both had their Go Pros going.

Bottom: Randy, Keahi Bryce. Top: Dawn, Josiah, Miki

Emily shredding with Randy in the back

Emily is the only one that hasn't skied or snowboarded. She started out on a snowboard, no lessons. After a while, she gave up and switched to ski's and paid for lessons. We caught up with her later and she was soooo good!

Joe cooked fresh corn beef for us tonight. Celebrating St Patricks Day and my birthday....so ono!

Joe giving Bryce, Miki & Emily blackjack lessons

Keahi & Randy relaxing

March 18 -20

We've spent the last few days at Brian Head, skiing and snowboarding. Lot's of fun with family and friends. Lots of good food and nice weather.

Miki & Randy

Miki & Dawn

Josiah, Emily, Bryce & Miki

Taking a break in the bar

Lunch break at the lodge

This morning we said goodbye to Keahi & Bryce. They have a 5 hour drive back to Grand Junction. Keahi goes back to school on Monday and Bryce continues to cruise with friends in Denver.

We left around 10am for our drive back to Las Vegas. Took us about 3 hours.

Valley of Fire

March 13   Las Vegas - Valley of Fire   56 miles     1hr 30min

The winds have died down so we drove out to Valley of Fire State Park. It's about 50 miles north of Las Vegas. There's a $10 entry fee, $30 for full hook up camping but they give you a $10 coupon for camping. Surprisingly, the campground was very busy. We got lucky, only had 1 site left when we got there. We did some hikes today. First was a short hike to Elephant Rock.

Elephant Rock

Then we did Mouse's Tank, about 1 mile. Named for an outlaw who used the area as a hideout in the 1890's. Mouse's Tank is a natural basin in the rock where water collects after rainfalls, sometimes remaining for months. While hiking through the canyon we pass numerous prehistoric petroglyphs. Little challenging, lot's of soft sand.

Petroglyphs along the way

Mouse's Tank

Last hike of the day was Fire Wave. This one was kind of hard, we might have been a little tired from the other hikes. Over 1.5 miles but lots of soft sand and climbing. Took us about an hour, absolutely worth it,,,,,,really, really nice.

After the hike we had a nice dinner with amazing views.

March 14   Got up early and did 2 hikes this morning. First was White Domes, around 1.5 miles. Sandstone formations with brilliant contrasting colors, a scenic trail with a slot canyon. This hike was pretty strenuous but worth it. Took us a little under an hour.

Slot canyons are always spectacular

Colors are amazing

We did a second hike at Rainbow Vista. Over a mile and lots of soft sand.

Then took a drive to the Cabins. These historic stone cabins were built with native sandstone by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's as shelter for travelers of the Arrowhead Trail.

On the way back from the Cabins we passed a herd of sheep right along the side of the road. That was a nice surprise.

Arch Rock

After our hikes, we cleaned up and had some lunch before driving back to Las Vegas. We checked in for 1 night at Main Street RV Park. We like it here because of the location, but it's pretty noisy, right next to the freeway. Rate is $19. Caught up with some laundry then met our friends Winky and Leslie for dinner. We went to Vito's at The Cannery on Craig road. Really good food, we're definitely coming back.

March 15   We moved to Sam's Town RV Park today. Pull in site for $28. Only 1 night, picking up Miki and Randy tomorrow and driving to Brian Head to go skiing. I wanted to do some gambling and sit in the hot tub here but had to work.

The Start of Another Journey......

 Las Vegas

Mar 07  We flew into Las Vegas, stayed at Sam's Town for 4 nights. 2 nights comp so can't beat that deal. We have some maintenance to do on the RV and plan to just chill for the next few days.

Mar 09  Took the RV to Ted Wiens today to install tires. We planned to install tires on the last trip but Camping World messed up so we cancelled. Good thing, this place is a few hundred cheaper.

Mar 10  Went to dinner with Kawika tonight. All you can eat sushi at Blue Fin Sushi & Roll in Henderson. Excellent!!! $24.99 per person but so worth it.

Mar 11  Planned to drive and camp at Valley of Fire today but the forecast is heavy winds for the next few days so we had to change plans. We booked 2 nights at Arizona Charlie's RV Park on Boulder. We've never been here so just giving it a try. $32.26 per night, Good Sam rate. Pretty nice here. We went to the pool and hot tub but not to enticing. Pool was a little green. Hot tub was a little better but loads of chlorine.

Mar 12  Took a drive to Lake Mead National Recreation Area. About 30 minutes from the RV park we're staying at. We always pass Hoover Dam but have never explored this area. It's nice here and a lot to do. We drove out to Government Wash, this is a boondocking area. The road gets kind of bumpy but the views are worth it. Wouldn't mind boondocking here. We drove through Lake Mead RV Village. Pretty nice, got lake view sites for $45.

Our first hike for this trip was the Historic Railroad Trail Hike. The hike is the only remaining section of the Hoover Dam Railroad system that is not highly disturbed or under water. The 3.7 mile trail, constructed on an old railroad grade that goes through 5 tunnels used during dam construction, offers panoramic views of Lake Mead, Boulder Basin, massive crystalline rock formations and the rugged Mojave Desert.

A field of spring flowers

Cactus in bloom

Awesome views