The Cabin

I joined Mack & Joleen and their friends on a ride to "The Cabin" which is out in the middle of the nowhere southeast of Lake Havasu City (think 40 miles from land, 40 miles from sea)...

The money stapled to the rafters reminded me of Tortilla Flat...

There was even a ball & chain for ruffians, scalawags and politicians...

And who could forget the bat cage...

Fremont Street Halloween

If you have never been to Fremont Street in Las Vegas on Halloween night, may I suggest you put it on your bucket list. In my opinion, it is right up there with Mardi Gras in terms of energy, excitement and dare I say kinky weirdness.

I started out the evening with a "single bypass burger" at the Heart Attack Grill (which is not known for its "political correctness"). As soon as you enter, one of the "nurses" puts a hospital gown on you...

I am not sure if this is an omen but if you sit at the bar, the seats have safety belts...

And if you are a bad boy...

Did I mention they are not politically correct

Then it was on to the Fremont Street Experience...

Lastly, for my cousin Chris, who prefers photos of dancing girls...

Once again, photos do not do the experience justice. You just have to be there.

RV Add-ons

The more RVing you do, the more interesting rigs you see...

Click on photos to enlarge

And for the economy minded...

Running For Office

In case this retirement thing does not work out, I have been thinking about becoming a politician; after all, that's where the really big money is. Plus, you cannot be fired; if you screw up, you simply retire with a generous pension (think Lois Lerner).

In preparation for such a move, I have been watching political ads on TV for tips on how to run (side note: although I believe forcing detainees at Guantanamo to watch these ads would be a much more effective interrogation technique than "water-boarding", I am pretty sure the courts would strike it down as "cruel & unusual punishment").

Here's what I have learned so far:

• Run only negative ads with a minimal amount of truth so as to mislead uninformed voters and hide the fact that you have no accomplishments of your own nor a realistic plan for the future.
• Lie like a rug when talking to the public and press. However, if you are under oath and threat of perjury, either take the fifth or better yet, use the "cannot recall" defense.
• Promise voters everything for free, after all, it's only taxpayer money. 
• Surround yourself with "yes" men & women who will do the dirty work for you. This gives you "plausible deniability" in the rare case there is someone in the media who is unbiased and wants to properly vet a candidate.
• Let special interest groups know that all that talk about helping the poor and the middle class is just political rhetoric. If you want help, it's just a matter of contributing to the campaign. 

Anyone, who has additional ideas as to how I might run for office, please feel free to comment in the section below.

Sand Hollow State Park

If you think you are ready for some extreme 4 wheeling, may I suggest Sand Hollow State Park, UT...

Mavic Drone

DJI has introduced the Mavic, a compact drone that has all the features I have been looking for in a drone. Although I will probably wait a while in order for them to work out any "new product bugs", I think this is the unit I will buy.

This got me to thinking about how I would use the drone or better yet, how I might justify its cost. Then it hit me - action videos on YouTube that will attract millions of viewers.

In as much as Moab is home to some of the best base jumping in the world and I will be there next Spring, this seems like a good place to start...

Then on to bicycling in Sedona in the Fall...

All I need now are adventure-seeking volunteers who like to live life on the "razor's edge" and have lots of insurance. I will share all profits from the video with you... or your next of kin.

Virgin River Gorge

I dropped the Jeep and RZR off at the Havasu Falls RV Resort yesterday (where I will spend the winter) and returned to Marysvale today. I will pack the RV tomorrow and head to the Las Vegas RV Resort Saturday for the month of October.

In the past five years of being on the road, I have seen a number of things while driving that I wished I could have photographed or videoed. Hopefully, the new dash cam will enable me to record some of those moments. Here's a two minute clip of the drive up through the Virgin River Gorge...

View at highest HD setting possible

Last Ride

I did not intend to ride today but the weather and the scenery were just too darn nice to resist so I took one more trip up the mountain. It was a great way to end my stay here on the Paiute Trail. Click on photos to enlarge...

Paiute Trail 77

After several days of inclement weather, the sun and blue skies returned which gave me the opportunity to check out the snow and fall foliage at the higher elevations...

Note deer in lower right portion of photo
(click on photos to enlarge)

Z-Edge Z3 Dash Cam

After my recent experience with the hay bale truck, I purchased a dash cam to document any future accidents. I will also use it in the jeep to record my off-road adventures.

The Z-Edge Z3 is a compact, easy to use dash cam with excellent video recording capabilities including resolutions up to 2K. It has an impressive range of features but rather than listing them here, I will refer you to their website. My initial impression is it is a great camcorder for the price.

The only disappointment to date is that it arrived without the 32 GB TF or Micro SDHD card that should have been included with the unit. I have emailed their technical support group and am awaiting their reply.

Here is a video segment that was recorded at 2560×1080 (30 fps). If you have the bandwidth, enlarge the video to "Full Screen" and view at one of the HD settings...

Update (9/27/16): The manufacturer has refunded $15 to my account for the purchase of a card. Although I paid $26.46 for a 32 GB SanDisk card at Walmart, I liked the fact that their customer service department got back to me within 24 hours of my original email and initiated the refund.

Early Snow

Here's what I woke up to this morning...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Weather permitting, I will try to take the RZR up the mountain later to get a better view of the snow and fall foliage. My timing for heading south next week is looking pretty good.

Dash Cam

For a while now, I have been thinking about buying a dash cam to record everything from critters passing in front of my vehicle to accidents. Unfortunately, in regards to the latter, I am a day late and a couple hundred dollars short (estimated repairs).

While driving north on Highway 89, an oncoming truck loaded with hay bales took a curve much too fast and dropped several bales into my lane. I got as close to the guard rail as I dared and although this kept me from hitting them head-on, both fenders on the left side of the jeep were partially ripped off. By the time I got stopped and inspected the damage, the other vehicle was long gone.

The problem with this scenario is that without another insurance company to pay the claim, my insurer would consider this a "collision accident" and I would be responsible for the deductible. Plus, my rate would probably go up next year. The good news is I have an appointment next Monday to have the jeep repaired and I am still alive to write about it.

With a dash cam I could at least show the bales of hay falling off the truck into my lane and proving the accident was not my fault. Knowing that I am driving to Las Vegas next week, I just ordered a Z-Edge 3 from Amazon.

Here are photos from the crime scene...

Willis Creek Slot Canyon

Willis Creek is actually a series of slot canyons that you hike through by following the creek for about 2 miles. The creek is a couple of inches deep so you will want to wear appropriate footwear. As always with slot canyons, make sure there is no risk of a flash flood.

Although Willis Creek is a little hard to find, it is well worth the effort, particularly, if you have never hiked a slot canyon (click on photos to enlarge)...

 

 

Barney Lake

Dan, Holly, their rowdy friends and I rode up to Barney Lake...

Click on photos to enlarge

Paiute Trail 01

Dan, Holly and I rode the side-by-sides up over the mountain to Big John Flat where a "prescribed burn" by the National Forest Service caused us to turn around and come back down the mountain. We had a perfect weather day and the cloudless, dark blue sky made for great photos...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Fall Foilage

Larry and I rode up the mountain west of the park this afternoon where I was able to capture the beginning of the Fall colors...

Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, the change will become even more impressive.

Arizonian Reunion

Anyone who frequents this blog knows that I enjoy making friends in one part of the country and then meeting them again somewhere else. Today, I had the pleasure of reuniting with neighbors from the Arizonian RV Park where I spent the last five winters...

Greg, Merry, Gail, Terry

As always, it was a delight getting caught up on each other's lives and hearing what they did this summer. I am pleased to report that everyone is doing well and looking forward to returning to southern Arizona this Fall.

Colorado - 2016

It has been a terrific summer. I have explored most of the major passes south of Ouray and shared the experience with both old and new friends. The scenery was so spectacular and the photos turned out so well, I have created a slideshow that you can view by clicking here. Consider it my version of back-to-school's "what I did this summer".

Silverton, CO

Sunny, Stormy and I took the Prius OHV to Silverton via Route 550 which is part of the San Juan Skyway (a/k/a "Million Dollar Highway"). This is one of the most scenic drives anywhere in the country.

While in Silverton, we were able to catch the Durango & Silverton Railroad getting ready for the return trip to Durango...

This coal-fired, steam locomotive was built in 1925

Engineer Pass

Today's photos from Engineer Pass...

Here's a video of one of the "more interesting" sections of Engineer Pass...

Gateway Auto Museum

If you are a classic car buff, you will want to visit the Gateway Auto Museum in Gateway, CO. It has an amazing collection of mint condition vintage cars. Click here to see a slideshow of today's museum photos.

This is Stormy's favorite, an awesome looking 1958 Chevrolet Corvette...

Click on photos to enlarge

And this is the pride of the museum, a one-of-kind 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Convertible Concept Car (the only one in the world)...

Lastly, on the way to Gateway, we passed this unique rock art...

Sunny & Stormy Return

One of the things I enjoy about the RV lifestyle is meeting friends in different parts of the country and sharing a common experience. Much to my good fortune, Sunny and Stormy returned from the airshow in Oshkosh to spend a week with me in Colorado.

Our first trip was to Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park...

Click on photos to enlarge

Where, I for one, felt very comfortable knowing that highly trained, professional rangers were looking out for my safety...

We ended the day with a delightful outdoor dinner consisting of baby back ribs and sides from Rib City...