Reno-Tahoe Trip Report - Sept 2022

Camping THEN Vegas Trip Report - March 26, 2017

What’s more fun than a camping trip???  Not much.  BUT if you arrange to wrap up the camping trip by staying in Las Vegas for a few nights with Moe and Lori, now it’s a double helix!  Lori and I cooked up our harebrained scheme last year, even though we’d never met before, and needled our men into compliance.  As if I have to twist Mike’s arm to get him to Vegas.

So imagine packing for such an excursion.  “I have to bring eight pairs of shorts, BUT I have to throw five in the camper flap and pack three in the suitcase, so I can just grab my bag and go when we transition to the hotel, and I have to do meal planning and shopping for three days of desert survival, and I must ready the camper by installing a new water heater, and a new water pump to go with it, oh and remember to pack my three-inch sparkly heels for a night out on the town, but I can’t walk the Strip in those so I also have to bring my flats and a purse big enough to carry them with, so I better go purse shopping.  And I must remember to charge the battery, have the hitch repaired, fill the freshwater tank but also bring the Cirque du Soleil show tickets, and someone must babysit the dogs, and I better clean out the leaves behind the gate so we can make sure to pull the camper out, but meanwhile should I wear the pearls or the heart necklace with my sheath dress?” 

So you might think of it as wrapping up a fun adventure with another, different fun adventure, or you might decide as I finally did, that one should not complicate a nice relaxing vacation with a camping trip!   

Good morning, you gorgeous hunk of manly manhood

This was Mike’s second time out in the camper.  The maiden voyage for him was a rock hounding trip to Millard County last fall with me and Nelli.  He did pretty well, but I know he loves a hot shower in the morning.  It had been one or two seasons since I’d been able to coax the camper water heater pilot into lighting.  So I did a bit of looking into repair vs. replace, and decided tankless was the way to go.  It took muy time over a few weekends, but I did the whole thing myself – water, electrical, and LP hookups.  I had to “do it over” a couple of times, even though I prepared well and read up on it thoroughly, it never is like the experience gained by actually doing it.  Mike added a switch in for me at the end for shutting off the pump when running off city water, but otherwise it was all moi.

OLD vs NEW Water Heater

And…. It works GREAT.  It’s throws out a few seconds of cold initially but then HOTHOTHOT.  I lost 80 pounds GVW just offing the old heater.  This one is so much lighter and cleaner.  And ENDLESS HOT WATER, so far as the water supply lasts.

We left at high noon on Sunday, and drove through some snowy weather and winds and cold which we were trying to get away from.  After a gas stop in Beaver and a “surprise” set of new tires for the camper, we just kept driving till we got to Mesquite and started the trip with a fun, relaxing casino night.  Mike hit a $200 video poker win, which was the highest VP win he’d ever had.  Add that to a good Blackjack night, and he left Mesquite $300 up.   At the last minute of the evening, the nice lady from Wicked Winnings II showed up in threes and then again, and brought some ravens with her for a $900 win on Wonder 4 Tower!  We were both ahead (so far).

Wicked Rosie is HOTHOTHOT

Sometime that night, Mike noticed that the outside panel for the camper refrigerator was missing.  It had always been loose and it seemed likely that it had blown off on the drive down.  So we could not keep the pilot light lit while traveling.  That meant our food might be in question after a day or two.

We got the heck out of Mesquite, drove ten miles down the highway, pulled off and proclaimed “This is the place!”  Next morning we doubled back toward Utah and took a short walk by the Virgin River, which is running quite high, and had more water in the Gorge section than I had ever seen.  It’s been a nice, wet winter, always a relief in the arid West.  We headed up toward Veyo, where I am already sure I want to live out my golden years – back side of St George, out of the crowds and traffic.  Close to Mesquite, Vegas, Zion, Bryce, Snow Canyon, Gunlock, and the Parowan Gap.  We visited the site of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, at the foot of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, where the senseless slaughter of pioneers from Arkansas made for one of the darkest moments in Mormon history.  Reading the plaques that told the story of the initial attack on the travelers, the subsequent promise of immunity, and the sudden slaughter of 40 more, including many children, cast gloom over us.  We then continued down toward Gunlock to camp, but upon approach, realized it was a typical State Park -- park fees, not enough cover, too much guidance. 

So we kept on through the Paiute reservation, and after a 30 minute wait for a pilot vehicle to escort us around the dump trucks barreling down the highway, we finally made it down into Beaver Dam Wash to camp among the Joshua trees.   

After a dinner of warm crusty bread with olive oil, basil, parmesano reggiano cheese, and many hands of Crazy Rummy for Dollars, we took a short walk down the road, and with a new moon saw plenty of the night sky.   The Joshua trees took on a sinister cast in the darkness.  I imagined they were towering zombies and had a rush of delicious fear that comes with such thoughts.  We both slept great that night.

Smooching a Joshua Tree

The morning brought more sun and warmth, and I wandered down the road with a hot cup of camp coffee, looking at the same Joshua trees from the night before, still personifying them, but now as a more friendly sort.   One was an upright citizen, standing tall, an admired leader of the group.  The next was thin and a bit stooped.  Then a child at play.  One with an obvious phallus.  A crazed dancer, with jazz hands and arms that extended everywhere.  A hunchback with knuckles scraping the ground, brandishing a club.  While wandering down to the wash, I happened upon what I guessed to be the grave of a beloved pet.  I could imagine the family driving out and choosing this spot to say goodbye to their sweet cat or dog or guinea pig.

We made bacon and eggs this morning, did up the dishes and got on our way, heading toward Lake Mead and Overton, where the Lost City Museum is located.  I’d wanted to visit for a long time.   The ancestral Pueblo had made their home in the area that is now covered by Lake Mead.  When the Hoover Dam was being built back in the 30’s, some feller discovered Native artifacts beneath the soil – adobe house foundations, decorative bowls, toys, game tokens, arrowheads, spears, rope, baskets, tools.  Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) dwelling, reconstructed He made sure the artifacts were excavated and preserved before the lake formed.  The museum was built by the CCC at the site of some dwelling foundations which have been reconstructed.

After that informative and enjoyable stop, we wandered down eyeing the side spurs that branched off toward Lake Mead.  We didn’t need to camp near the lake since swimming was out of the question, but there looked like a lot of possibilities for primitive camping.  We ended up on Sand Hill Road, on a bluff that awarded an amazing panorama to the east.  And a fire pit.  We had rotisserie chicken, bread, salad, cheese, fruit, milk, and were quite satisfied.  That night, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Orion, the Big and Little Dippers, the Seven Sisters, and the Milky Way were all apparent.  We got out the binoculars to examine them “up close”.

I had some trouble getting to sleep that night.  Guess I was excited about Vegas!  Next day was a quick breakfast and out to Valley of Fire State Park, which was conveniently located between our campsite and Sin City. 

Valley of Fire is awesome.  The beehives and elephants, the hikes, the red rock, petroglyphs, petrified wood, what’s not to like??   Mike and I had already visited once, the weekend we committed ourselves to each other for life. 

I later recalled to Mark the time we were at V of F with the kids in 2010, and he overturned a random rock and there was the only scorpion I have ever seen in the wild. 

"There he is!"  (April 2010)

We made our last stop and climbed some stairs to view wonderful petroglyphs which Mike interpreted, and I thought he was right on.  We jumped back in the car and spotted in the distance a huge dust storm caused by the “extreme high winds in Northern Clark County” that I had been receiving weather notices on for the past two days.  Oboy. 

We got into the city and parked in a dirt lot across from Mandalay Bay, collected our bags and secured the camper with the wind howling around us.  Then the long trek down and across the strip, lugging our suitcases and getting our eyeballs sandblasted.  Quite sure that when my elegant sister Joyce, whom I try to emulate, took a trip to Vegas, it didn’t look like an episode from “Ma and Pa Kettle Go Campin”.  We finally got indoors when I remembered I left my earlier windfall in the secret sock drawer.  Back out into the 70 mph winds to retrieve the cash.

After dropping our lot and grinding the sand out of our ears, we went downstairs to the Eyecandy Bar for a stiff beverage, and waited for Mark and Lori to join us.  Mike spotted them first, though he’d never met either of them before.  We had a great time paying $100 per round of drinks and getting to know each other!

Lori is friendly and cheerful and up for anything.  She adores Mark of course, because Mark is among the finest and funniest of human beans.  She says she loves being with him because she gets to laugh all the time, forever.   We did the obligatory death march down the strip on Friday, stopping in each casino including Monte Carlo where Lori introduced us to Pai Gow Poker.  It is a poker spinoff played at a slow pace, which permits losing less of your bankroll.  Always a welcome thing in LV.  On the return we decided to dine at the Ramen Bar restaurant we had noticed along the way.  We were early enough to be seated right away, and we sure didn’t want to be late for the show.  The food was incredible – kimchee, pot stickers, a sesame noodle salad that was sensory heaven.  We also discovered a new Asian rice beer that we loved. 

We hustled back after dinner to ready ourselves for the Michael Jackson One show.  If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, run don’t walk.  When Lori and I picked the show, Mark pretended to refuse to go.  As we walked out following Cirque’s majestic and unbelievable performance, Mark says, “I have dreams like that every night”.

Saturday the wind finally calmed down and the day was warm, so Michael and I headed down to the wave pool.  While waiting for Mark and Lori and beginning our bask in the sun, this text exchange took place between Moe and me:

Saturday night we took a cab “right downtown”.  I hadn’t been “right downtown” since 1986, and had only driven through.  These days there is no driving down Fremont Street – only the Fremont Street Experience pedestrian walk. 

Mark and Lori showed us Container Park where the unique shops and restaurants are built of shipping containers.  We had a wonderful meal at the Perch Restaurant, and afterward walked outside to hear beautiful live country music playing on the park stage.  

Fremont Street Experience

It was a side of Vegas I had never experienced.  It was so unlike the Strip with its ridiculously expensive drinks, bad pay tables, 6-to-5 Blackjack.  The people downtown were so friendly and everyone was just chillaxed and having fun.  We were some of the best dressed people around, if that's any indicator.  Lots of people in shorts, cutoffs, tank tops, families with strollers.  There was a spray paint artist, a saxophonist, a magician, some guys dressed like Kiss with their bottoms exposed.  And a zipline running right overhead down the length of the street!

This guy shoots fireworks out of his antennae

I’d found the perfect minimalist gift for Michael in the shop in Container Park.  I clandestinely selected it and paid for it without being spotted.  Later at a poignant moment, I told him “I got something for you.”  I pulled it out and set it down in front of him.  He examined it closely and finally said, confused, “The button from your phone?”

Huh?  At that point, I knew something had gone awry.  I had indeed lost my phone port cover the day before, but retained it in a special place in case it could be reunited with the phone.  Here is what the gift was supposed to be:

But he continues to humor me, and so we are still going strong. 

The trip was a lot of work, as a good adventure always is.  Mark and Lori are the two nicest people who decided they deserve each other!   Hoping we get to have many more adventures with them.  We already have the coastal Santa Barbara camping trip set up for September.  Maybe even a ‘Stow trip (insert 'Stow commercial here).