Wed, March 28, 2012

So our dream of visiting South America is about to come true. We have meticulously planned out a trip to Peru to see things only our imagination so far has seen. We pack up 2 huge suitcases full of everything we think we will need. We make it to the airport and take the first flight to Houston, TX.

After only a short layover, we board the next flight to Lima, Peru, a 10 hour flight. I try and get some sleep, but sleeping on a plane is not something I’m accustomed to and I sleep fitfully in my window seat. Somewhere, I think over Panama, I pick my camera up and snap a couple photos of thunderheads on the horizon near sunset.

We are picked up at the airport by a private taxi and whisked away to the Hotel Mariel in downtown Lima where we bed down for the night and get some sleep.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Another private taxi picks us up in the morning at the Hotel Mariel. We are given a driving tour of the city. Parts of it are run down, but for the most part it is relatively clean and there are tile paved Shopping Streets accessible by foot only. Interesting stores include a Sex Shop, a KFC – Wait! What? Yes, even Lima, Peru has been ‘Americanized’ by chain restaurants and hotels. We see an old church, colorful Ads, a very elaborate Photography Studio, some sort of Embassy, a Presidential Palace, balconies everywhere appear to be a way of increasing floor space in buildings that otherwise are limited, and a book repository probably akin to our own Library of Congress

We even come across a movie filming of some sort but never find out what it is!

We come to an Old Church Museum with Catacombs and our guide takes us inside. The signs say, ‘No Photos’, so of course it is ‘Challenge Accepted!’ I get caught with my camera and I fear they will confiscate it. But all the guide does is chastise me loudly in an attempt to intimidate the rest of the small group! We see a 1000 year old library and then down into the catacombs where we see a silo full of human bones!

Back above ground we continue the tour of the city. A Police Armored Vehicle keeps us paying attention to behaving! We see a lot of Americanization such as Restaurant chains, etc. We end up at the ocean and get some fun shots overlooking the coast.

And whose chips are these, anyway?

Monday, April 19, 2021

This morning, after a good night’s sleep in our own bed at home, we get up and drive the RV for the last time. First to a “Dump Station” where we empty the ‘Black Water’ and the ‘Grey Water’ Tanks and “Flush” the system. Then it’s off to fill the gas tanks and ‘Deliver’ the RV. Everything goes smoothly and we even get a refund that consists of a gas allowance plus something else that we haven’t figured out yet. All in all, it was a fun vacation!

Sunday, April 18, 2021

We wake up in Primm, Nevada and hit the road after heating up yesterdays breakfast burrito and a cup of coffee. Shortly into our drive we pass into California and come across the Ivanpah Solar Project and I am just too curious. So we drive down an offramp and find a road that takes us right into the solar field. This place is an interesting feat of engineering. Instead of solar panels, it is acres of mirrors that direct the sunlight to three central towers that apparently collect the light and generate power. We’re intrigued that we were able to drive right into the solar fields.

We drive off into the California deserts and head for home. We get to Calico and I want a break from driving as the winds are strong today. So we visit the Ghost Town that was once a thriving Silver Mining Town. The theme park, “Knott’s Berry Farm” purchased the property several years ago and restored the buildings into a small theme park of sorts. A fun distraction for an hour and we eat lunch here.

The rest of the drive is fairly uneventful. We hit heavy traffic in the top half of Cajon Pass but it clears up in the bottom half. The last hour is smooth except for the horrible condition of the roads. California has the absolute worst condition roads of our entire drive.

We arrive home and unload our gear from the RV. We clean it out as per the instructions we were given when we picked it up. We will deliver it to El Monte RV in the morning and we are Home Sweet Home!

Saturday, April 17, 2021

We wake up in Hurricane, Utah in the most beautiful RV Campsite I have ever seen. Real paved roads. Real grass lawns, etc. Costly but we see why. We get breakfast at the Red Rooster Cafe, a place we looked at for dinner last night, but it is clearly a breakfast/lunch restaurant, NOT a dinner place based on the menu. The breakfast burrito and the sausage & eggs were very good and plentiful and half my burrito is in our fridge.

We hit the road and today decide to head for Hoover Dam. We have both been there a number of times but not since they built the new Bypass Bridge back in 2009. What a streamlined way to cross through the area! It used to be this little 2 lane road that zigzagged down the mountain, across the Dam and zigzagged back up the other side.

We wanted to take photos of the bridge from the Bypass Bridge above it but that can’t be done from the driving lanes. But we are in luck as we pass across the bridge to see a Walkway along the Dam side of the Bridge. We take 20 minutes or so to locate the parking area by which to access the walkway and our cameras rejoice!

We climb up the stairs to the Walkway and our cameras take over and guide us along the path to marvelous sights. Hoover Dam is quite the sight from above.

Back at the RV, we drive along down and cross the Dam, our cameras still happily chirping away, this time pointing up at the new Bypass Bridge. We opt not to park and walk around, as the RV Parking is a half mile past the Dam and up the Arizona side in elevation. So I find a place to turn the RV around (something you have to plan for) and we go back across the Dam. It’s easy to shoot photos out the side windows of the RV when you are driving under 10 miles per hour!

It is 4:30 in the afternoon and our destination for the night is Primm, Nevada, right on the California state line. This place is also called, “State Line”! We are under 4 hours driving time to Home and are comfortable with the distance.

But we have a small pressing issue with the RV. It seems something is blocking the pipe from our toilet to the “Black Water” holding tank. I need a plumbing snake to clear it. It turns out that the hardware stores are back in Vegas and we hate to backtrack. So we get creative at a truck stop in Jean, Nevada, halfway from Vegas to Primm. And Elee finds a four foot stick in a trash can and I buy an extension cord. I use the stick to push the extension cord down the drain and voila! The clog is broken! Now all we have to do is clean the cord (and we rinse the stick and store it in an outside bin). We’re back in business!

So we drive the last 10 miles to Primm and stop at the “Primm Valley” Casino. We go inside and eat at the “Primm & Proper” restaurant and both of us have a tasty, yet a bit overcooked chicken dinner. We get to have our masks off for dinner, Yea!

Elee wants to check out the slot machines for a bit and I walk around and find Security to confirm we can set up in the parking lot overnight. I find a guard and he takes me outside and points to where I can park. I tell him, “That is one of mine!”. He replies, “One of yours?”. I laugh and correct myself, “One of those is mine!” We both chuckle and he just tells me that I have parked in the correct location!

I find a Penny Slot Machine and put $5 in it, thinking this will give me 500 pulls. But it has been so long since I was in Vegas that I don’t understand why the first pull costs me 75 cents. The next pull costs me 45 cents. Then I win a pull and get 3 dollars. It’s all downhill from there and I lose different random increments ranging from 25 cents to 2 dollars each pull. I never do figure out how the numbers work, but in the end I only lose 12 cents!

So I set up the RV for the night and shortly after, Elee comes in. We compare notes and it turns out that, for once, I beat her in Vegas! I told her that I lost $0.12 in the penny slots and she admits to losing $20! A new one as she always beats my spending!

We get these Blog Posts written and it is time to turn in! Good night all and we’ll see you in the morning!

Friday, April 16, 2021

Waking up in Escalante, Utah, the location of the “Grand Staircase”, whatever that is. We never find out because we need to keep moving. So we find the one and only restaurant that is open and has breakfast food and we order Breakfast Bagels to go. Outside the restaurant we get a couple shots of a Vulture sunning itself in the early morning light!

We eat in the RV before driving on. (I can’t eat AND drive The Beast at the same time!) It takes us one hour to get near to Bryce Canyon National Park. We stop in a lot that announces “Mossy Cave” and take a short hike to it and a waterfall. Neither one impresses much, but hey, it’s a fun hike!

We soon find out that Bryce Canyon National Park is not very RV friendly and parking The Beast is difficult. We finally find a place near the visitor center to slip into and are grateful for that.

But now it is hike or take the Shuttle. The Shuttle wins. It is free and takes you around to all the viewing sites! They run every 10-15 minutes like clockwork. We get out at the farthest site, Bryce Point, that we are taken to first and we get off and walk around and thrill our cameras with activity! We wanted to hike the Rim Trail back to the next site, but this section is closed due to snow and ice, even though it is still April.

So we get back on the next Shuttle and ride to Inspiration Point and get off again. This site is aptly named for it is very inspiring! From here the Rim Trail is open and we hike it back to the next site, Sunset Point. My camera worked like a dog, (whatever that expression means, LOL).

We decide we need to move along, so we get on the next Shuttle and ride it back to the Visitor Center where The Beast is parked. As we prepare to drive out a snowstorm begins and we watch the spectacle as the swirling snowflakes increase in volume. We drive away, windshield wipers pushing the snow aside. As we leave the Park the road goes downhill and the snow stops.

In the Park, we found a pretty little friend, hoping to get a free handout of food, which we did not have!

We drive on through the gorgeous scenery and eventually make it to Hurricane, Utah, where we look for a place to stay.

We find an RV Park in Hurricane and it turns out to be the best looking RV Park we have ever seen! Manicured lawns and paved roads make it look better that most mobile home parks! We check in and find our spot and then it’s off into town to find food.

We find the “Stage Coach Grill” and are informed it it a 2 hour wait for a table. So we put our names in and sit outside in the cool air to wait. We chat amicably with a couple from Cleveland, Ohio, that has the same dilemma that we do and we get along great! Someone has a great idea and the gentleman we are chatting with goes inside. He comes out with great news that if we share a table and eat together, the wait won’t even be an hour! It is chilly and we invite them to come to our RV and visit while we wait. We no sooner get in the RV and pop out the side and begin to visit and we get the call that our table is ready! So we all go in the restaurant and continue our visit over dinner. Are we worried about Covid, you may ask? Not at all! Elee and I are long since vaccinated and so is the other couple. We spend a very fun evening making new friends!

Then we head back and set up the RV for the night and get a good night’s sleep. See you tomorrow!