Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Soda fountain in the drug store in Ely, NV. There were 6-8 teens sipping sodas whan I got here.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Ely is a city of Murals, boasting around 20. My favorite is the one of 6 kids- each of a different race, with the caption, our children have united us . Ely is a big mining town, and folks from everywhere came her to work the mines, making it a very diverse community.

Las Vegas to Ely NV9-30-09

Apparently the Lincoln Highway went down aultman (Main) Street.

Las Vegas to Ely 9-30-09

We dined where the stars had dined- the Hotel Nevada. Homemade rolls which we did have, but skipped the mile high chocolate cake which was reported tio be 1077 calories per slice. Should have taken a pix of that!!

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

The campground owner is an antique collector, and he has found one of the original homesteader's cabins. BUT- Las Vegas does have the highest rat eof foreclosures.

Las Vegas to Ely NV 9-30-09

The original RV. Scroll back in the blog about 3 years and you'll spot one of these from Montana. It is a sheepherder's wagon, popular with the Basque sheep rearing ranchers from this area.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

hmmm.Senator Reid is the Senate Majority Leader (D), so I guess this guy has health insurance. The Wall street Journal has a recent article on harry Reid being the next big target of the Rep. Party.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Approaching Ely- Check it out- that is snow on those mountains, and it snowed in ely this morning. Ther is a 60% chance of snow tonight.

Las Vegas to ely, NV 9-30-09

Lee was there!

Las Vegas to Ely, Nv 9-30-09

Anyone looking for a quiet peaceful spot, away from the crowds???

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

The Alamo Industrial Park- We are about 3 hours from Las Vegas, from anywhere, really. So if anyone feels inclined to build something industrial, I'm guessing rent here is cheap.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Approaching Alamo, NV. OOOPs- the brown wasteland has turned into the Great Basin!! Apparently the Steptoe River runs all along Route 93/318/93, making the left side of the road a beautiful (if narrow) green valley, lots of farms/ranches along the way. The right side is brown, barren, desert. A real visual lesson on the value of water. New word for everyone-riparian- what you call the ecosystem that surrounds a river surrounded by arid areas.

Las

Las Vegas, NV to Ely, NV 9-30-09

We are 10 minutes out of downtown Las Vegas, heading north for our day with the vast brown wasteland. It was 106-8 when we left Casa Grande on Tues., 106 all day Tues. , very windy in Las Vegas Tues. night, and down right cool this morning. Tonight we are in Ely, NV, elevation 5,000 or so, not really that high and it is- wait for it- 43, forecasted for 18 tonight!!! Yikes!, that is a 90 degree drop ! Our bodies are too old to deal with this, not to mention the fact we put shorts and short sleeve shirts on this am!! We left at 10 am and arrived here at 4pm, with a slow start due to the honeymooning German's next door who had a septic emergency. We felt compelled to lend our tools and expertise.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

We made it to Las Vegas !Here is the back of the Strip from Sahara Ave. We have parked our RV in a parking lot called the Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus. Since we end our trip in Vegas in Nov., we are interested in a buffet and sleep tonight. We stuck to our diet- skipped the potatoes but piled our plates high-with protein. Banana cream pie is a fruit, right???

Casa Grande to Las Vegas 9-29-09

Oh yeah- HOURS of this.

Casa Grande to Las Vegas 9-29-09

The sign says "Waterfront Lots" right here - now in the Mohave Desert. The Colorado River used to be one of America's biggest- now with the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and irrigation, what is left south of Yuma, AZ going into the Gulf of mexico is just a trickle.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Check this out OH Burger Eaters! A Feed Lot. There are thousands of these cows, all pooping, all eating hay, sweating it out at 106 degrees. Luckily, with the ac on the windows are closed, but that only works for a few minutes.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Write this down- gas is $2.39 in AZ, $3.69 in CA and $2.67 in NV. These things matter when it is $75-100 to fill an RV tank.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Still in the Sonoran Desert- that is an Ocotillo to the right of the electric line. They only get tiny green leaves on them, next to the voluminous, nasty thorns, when it has rained. This tree/shrub is good dead or alive. Dead, folks cut it and use it as fencing- weaving the branches or sticking them in the ground. It will keep animals or people in or out!!

Casa Grande to Las Vegas, 9-29-09

Many Saguaro along the way as we drive through the Sonoran Desert, on our way to ---the Mohave Desert.

On the Road Again, Sept. 29, 2009

Yikes! it is exactly a year later and Bobbi and Lee are headed out in the RV-Again, this time from our home in Casa Grande, AZ on to Donnelly, Idaho to see our gorgeous great niece, Elaina (and we do mean great!) and her parents, Jayme and Colin Gamble (altho Elaina viewing is our main goal since she started walking about 3 weeks ago.) We are charged with full reporting and pix taking by Bobbi's sister Judy, known as Grandma.
From there we are forging onto Oregon and Washington -Because we haven't seen it yet!
It was 106 when we left lovely Casa Grande, and surprise 108 in Needles, NV at 5pm and hot and windy in Las Vegas upon arrival. The pix to the left pretty much describes the road- from 10 am to 6pm. We got our customary early start at 10, Lee having started at 7 at the tire store where we decked NNie out with 2 new very costly front tires, a testament to the power of AZ UV rays on rubber.