We had our whole route home planned...but that all blew up with the news of the drastic drop in the markets, oil and our Canadian dollar. So we made the decision this morning to cancel our appointment at RV Glass Solutions in Colburg, Oregon where we were going to have some of our windows replaced. Hopefully things will have improved by the fall and we can try again on our way south for the winter.
We pulled out of our spot on the desert shortly after 9:00...we had said goodbye to everyone yesterday afternoon. Pleased that we had managed to get away fairly early, we were disappointed to see a line up at the sani-dump...oh well. So it was 10:00 by the time we said goodbye to La Posa South LTVA and headed north on highway 95...
We went through Parker, stopping at the Running Man Station on the north end of town to fuel up with diesel. Instead of an actual truck stop, like the one on the south end of town, this one had special pumps for RV's but they were not duel sides where we could fill both sides at the same time. Drats...we should have stopped at the other station! And to top it off, they were very slow...lesson learned. That stop added a good half hour plus to our travel day!
Once finished there, we continued north towards Lake Havasu City. It really is a pretty drive...
Colorado River...
Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuse...
Entering Lake Havasu City...
The next time waster of the day was Serena...our GPS. We followed her directions which told us to turn left at Palo Verde Blvd., 4 miles before Walmart. She took us all of the way down to London Bridge Road and north from there back up to highway 95, making a right turn and then arriving at Walmart. This route was a lovely scenic drive, however, it was 6.5 miles...and much slower than continuing 4 miles straight on the highway.
We finally made it to Walmart and easily found a large parking spot. Steve headed over to McDonald's for lunch while I headed right into Walmart to get started on my shopping...we have wasted enough time!
Just over an hour later, we were all stocked up...with the exception of toilet paper! What is going on people? Why do you feel the need to stockpile TP? Good thing I was at least able to get facial tissue! I put the groceries that required refrigeration away and left the other stuff in the bags...and we were on our way again...continuing north on 95 to I-40 where we headed west.
We continued on I-40 for about 70 miles...
...until we reached the Essex Road exit to the Mohave National Preserve...
Hole-In-The-Wall Campground is 20 miles into the Preserve. The drive was beautiful and although the road was a wee bit bumpy in spots, for the most part it was fine...
Finally we reached the campground!
The gravel road into the campground is narrow...good thing it's one-way. All 35 sites are first come, first serve, with a registration kiosk near the entrance...$12/night. We continued into the campground assessing available sites...we learned from reading Howard's blog (RV-Dreams) that there were larger sites and pull through's the further you went in.
So we continued, deciding that site #27 would work perfect for us. It is a nice long back-in site, angled well making the access fairly easy...especially since it had been a long time since Steve has had to back up into a site! It had also been a long time since I had directed Steve...so that was a bit of a challenge, but we did it!
We got all set up and then drove back to the kiosk to pay for our site. As we drove around the loop, Steve took a picture of our rig...
Not a bad view from our side window...
Once back Steve went for a short walk to take pictures...
On his way back he found what appeared to be a nest in an old Yucca plant trunk...
The rain started through the night...and continued off and on throughout Tuesday. Luckily there was a break about mid morning, so we managed to get out for a walk.
Our rig in the distance...
On our way to check out the Visitor Center...
Only to find it closed. An employee said it may open next week...bummer!
Since it was cold and wet outside, other than a couple of walks, we were inside with the propane fireplace on. The forecast is much better for tomorrow...so we plan on getting out for a hike!
Wow, what a pretty area. We'll have to put it on the list for another time.
ReplyDeleteYes, the dollar exchange is gruesome. I don't blame you for putting off that major purchase.
I have an extra roll of toilet paper you can buy. Only $100. :-)
We will definitely be back. It’s an extremely quiet campground in beautiful surroundings. I hated to run the genny. Our dollar has dropped even more since we cancelled the appointment. No deal on the TP...we finally found some after going to 5 stores...but thanks!
DeleteWe will get there one day. We figure we'll do a day trip to check it out and then camp going to or from one of our long trips. Thanks for showing the route in to the campground.
ReplyDelete