THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.26

DEATH VALLEY…. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FOOD!

Trailer Trash Shanty Town

Leaving Las Vegas we head out across the desert to DeathValley.  We stay two weeks at the Furnace Creek Ranch RV Park.  This is a full hook-up park that is filled with the full time and seasonal workers in the park and a few spaces for the general public. We are parked next to an ancient trailer who’s resident seems to be a collector of the discarded.  It gives the place a trailer trash shantytown feel, but not in a bad way. After two weeks, we want to stay longer and move about a mile down the road to the NPS campground at Furnace Creek.  Here we have water and sewer, but the park service is waiting on Washington to give them the price with electric… so we rely on our solar panels and generator for power.

The ranch also boasts a couple of restaurants and the Corkscrew Saloon.  Our first night we treat ourselves to cocktails and a chorizo and jalapeno pizza. (This is by far the best dish offered in all of the Furnace Creek restaurants.) 

It's not really a Valley...

But we are not here for the food… we are here for the breathtaking scenery and the magic that is Death Valley.  We were here four years ago and discovered the joys of exploring and driving on the unpaved roads.  Then we ventured out in our BMW X5, which is not really the best choice for any serious off road adventures.  BUT NOW we have Dave with his new beefy tires and the gravel and dirt roads call to us.  Heading out on the West Side Road, we explore the side roads and eventually end up at the Queen of Sheba Mine.  Aware of the dangers, we carefully explore the abandoned buildings and peer into the blocked mine shaft and think about the people who came to this desolate basin searching for wealth and adventure.

Zabrinskie

We visit Bad Water and take in a ranger talk on the area.  The extremely salty Bad Water Pond is home to a small water snail and pickle weed and not much else.  The salt flats beyond are decorated with beautiful polygon shapes.  We also attend another ranger talk up at Dante’s View, which is directly above Bad Water.  Here we have a bird’s eye view of the entire basin:  one hundred miles to the north, eighty miles to the south and twenty miles across.  Stunning!  We tour the historic Furnace Creek Inn.  (We styed here four years ago and it is fun to learn more about the history of the inn.  We hike up Golden Canyon on a ranger-guided tour and learn about the geology of the area.  After, we continue up the canyon to the Red Cathedral and up into the badlands behind Zabrinskie point. We drive the road through the Artist’s Palette a couple of times and soak up the colors of the hills.

In the evenings we attend some of the nighttime programs at the Visitor’s Center.  We hear about the history of the early visitors to Death Valley, the boom and bust cycle of late the nineteenth and early twentieth century miners, the ghost towns and sites that are now no more than piles of rusting cans and broken glass. We also learn about the geology of the area and the night sky. A talk on the volcanos is one of the best!  All of the ranger programs and guided hikes give us a greater understanding and appreciation of our second largest National Park (3.4 million acres.)

How the Rocks move...

One of our favorite spots in the park is the Race Track Playa.  Before heading out we check the road condition and are warned by the rangers that the road was damaged in the last flash flood, it is extremely wash-boarded and it can cost thousands of dollars to have your vehicle towed if we were to break down out there.  Armed with this knowledge we head out and discover that the road is really, really bad but nothing that Dave can’t handle.  We are rewarded with perfect winter lighting to photograph the mysterious moving rocks of the Racetrack. 

Rhyolite Ghost Town

Abandoned Mine

After the road to the Racetrack, all of the other unpaved roads in the park are a piece of cake!  We drive up to Beatty, NV to pick up a few groceries and return via the one way unpaved road through Titus Canyon.  Along the way, we explore the ghost towns of Rhyolite and Leadfield see some ancient petroglyphs and marvel at the layered colors of the canyon walls. Another day we explore the back roads up to and around Greenwater.  Greenwater was a copper mine that lured investors and miners based on a small amount of high grade copper from a test hole. Unfortunately this was the only copper and the mine went bust and investors left with huge losses.  Some say that this was the first domino to fall in the crash of the great depression and all that remains is scattered rusting cans and a pile of early twentieth century trash. Visiting Ghost Towns is a really great excuse to use 4WD so we spend another day up and around Skidoo (as in 23 Skidoo.)  More abandoned mines and piles of rusty debris.

Scotty's Castle

The hike up Mosaic Canyon is an adventure in rock scrambling as we make our way to the final dry waterfall at the end.   We stop at Salt Creek and walk the boardwalks looking for pupfish that remain hidden. Up at Scotty’s Castle, we take two guided tours. First of the wonderful Spanish style villa and a second underground tour of the water and power systems that supplied this millionaire’s vacation home in the desert with the modern conveniences of indoor plumbing and air conditioning in the early twentieth century.

Dave in Titus Canyon

Yuccas in the Snow

During our third week it snows in the higher elevations and the surrounding mountains are dusted with white.  We hear that the road to the Racetrack has been graded so we head out and are treated to Yucca’s in the snow. We also head up to Beatty to refuel since diesel is $2.00 per gallon cheaper than in the park and return again via Titus Canyon. 

Click for More Photos...

With the holidaze rapidly approaching, we reluctantly leave this magical desert experience and head to southern CA to spend some time with our families before heading off once more, into the sunset. 

Checking our Mayan Calendar, we see that December 21^st is the end of the world… and what better way to celebrate…

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD… AND WE’RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season!

k

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.25

THANKSGIVING IN VEGAS…. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD!

We dash across Arizona and stop in Nevada at Lake Mead.  We get a spot right on the lake at the LakeMead RV Village. This is a full hook-up park in the National Recreation area with limited WIFI and stunning views.  It’s the perfect place to sit in the sun and just chill with no agenda or pressing engagements.

For Thanksgiving dinner we research the plethora of dining options and ultimately make a reservation at the Fix at the Bellagio.  We are so NOT disappointed.  We start off with a yellowtail sashimi appetizer and a couple of glasses of Chandon.  The thin slices of fresh seafood are topped with jalapenos, cilantro and a drizzle of yuzu.  (YUM)  We opt for the traditional turkey dinner, which is tradition on steroids. The plates are loaded with dark meat comfit and piled high with thick slices of perfectly prepared white meat; a cibatta stuffing and giblet gravy complete the plates. The accompanying sides of: garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato puree and Brussels sprouts braised in bacon are simply wonderful. We enjoy glasses of pinot noir and linger over dinner.  Desert is a lovely bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.  We top off the meal with espresso martinis.  All in all this is one of the best thanksgiving meals we can remember.  There are also enough leftovers to bring home and we feast on fat turkey sandwiches with all the “fixins” the next day.

 

We avoid black Friday and spend the day hanging out by the lake.  But on Saturday we venture out and do a little shopping.  We pick up some low voltage connectors at the Bass Pro Shop and we stop at Camping World to get some replacement tire sensors for Dimples.  After this boring fixit shopping we head to the Town Square and enjoy some real retail therapy.  

After all this urban hiking, we are parched and hungry.  The last time we were in Vegas, we enjoyed a great meal at Texas deBrazil so we head over and arrived about 45 minutes before they open for dinner.  However, the bar is open so we opt to rest our weary shoppers feet and enjoy some adult beverages.  The pours are generous and we sip and talk until our table is ready.  Texas de Brazil has a unique twist on the buffet.  We start at the salad bar, which is loaded with every imaginable topping – we’re talking prosciutto, hearts of palm, salmon, roasted veggies and on and on… taking only one small portion of most – we end up with overflowing plates that look like platters of antipasti for a family feast.  Once reseated, handsome young men with swords of skewered meats stop by our table to slice off tender portions of roasted beef, pork, chicken, lamb and sausages.  Our favorites are the roasted lamb and the lamb chops. (The chops are simply to die for!) Our server Thiago and his assistant Suelen are attentive and keep our wine and water glasses filed.  We enjoy talking to them.  The General manager, David Parra stops by our table a couple of times and we enjoy his easy nature and gracious brand of hospitality.  Dave and Dimples tip: stop by Texas de Brazil at the Town Square center next time you’re in Las Vegas, and enjoy a truly tasty experience.

Somehow this week lends itself to just relaxing and doing very little. Our friend Brandy Erickson, (resident of Las Vegas with the distinction of being a Milliner for Cirque de Soleil) rides out to Lake Mead on her Harley. She brings us a bottle Almond Champagne that we share while admiring the views.  We have a great time catching up.  We also meet up with her on Fremont Street another day and have fun hanging out. This reminds us of how much we really do miss our friends.

Our next destination is Death Valley, and having first hand experience as to the lack of decent foraging in most national parks, we stop in Boulder City at the City Market. Their butcher shop reminds us of Taylor’s back in Sacramento. So we stock up, and get ready for some more warm weather adventures.

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.24

A CITY IN THE SKY...

The days are warm but the nights are getting increasingly colder. So we head towards the setting sun.  We stop at the Acoma Pueblo, well the Sky City Casino to be more specific.  We arrive at their RV Park and we are the only ones there.  Ahhh… alone at last LOL….  It’s a parking lot with gravel spaces and small islands between each space. But for $13.50 per night with a Good Sam discount there is no complaining.  They also offer a package that we purchase for one night that includes: the RV space, Sky City Pueblo Tour, Photo Permit, a breakfast buffet at the Huwak’a restaurant in the casino, entrance to the Haak’u museum and lunch at the Y’aak’a Café in the Sky City Cultural Center.  Since this is off-season, the Pueblo tours are only given on the weekends, so we originally plan to stay three nights.  However, by the third day we are having so much fun a forth night is added. (Gotta love the ability to change at any whim.)

The Sky City Casino is probably one of the nicest small casinos we have visited.  Everything is really clean. All of the employees are extremely friendly and the general atmosphere is comfortable.  Security is ever present and absolutely no one under 21 is allowed on the gaming floor.  The restrooms and restaurants are located along the perimeter and can be accessed without entering the casino.  The slot machines are loose enough to keep us playing for a long time and by the end of our stay, we have won enough to cover the cost of our stay and are a few dollars ahead. **

The Hakuu restaurant has great reasonably priced buffets.   A $2.00 discount is offered with: a player’s card coupon, an out of state driver’s license, if you’re over 50 or if you’re a truck driver… there are probably other discounts, but these are the ones displayed at the entrance.  The best buffet is the Friday night seafood buffet.  Thankfully we arrived early, because after 6:30 there is a line and a 20-30 minute wait to be seated.  This meal seems to bring in all of the locals with their families. (Plates piled high with King Crab Legs explain it all.) Everyone seems to know each other and it feels more like a crab feed at the community center than a casino buffet.

The Sky City Pueblo is located about fifteen miles from the casino.  We park at the cultural center and a shuttle takes us with our guide up to the mesa top to the oldest continuously inhabited village in North America. The people of Acoma migrated here from the four corners region.  They originally settled on top of the nearby Enchanted Mesa, but did not stay there very long as lightening struck and destroyed the only access route to the top of the mesa.  So they moved a couple of miles over to the current location and have been there for over a thousand years.  The homes are all built from stone and adobe, similar to the ancient structures in the four corner’s area. The connections between the ancient pueblos of Hovenweep, Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon and the Sky City are evident.  There is no power, water or sewers on top of the mesa.  There are natural cisterns that collect rainwater, but this water is not considered potable and is used only for making adobe.  Potable water, firewood and propane are hauled up and outhouses line the perimeter of the mesa.  There are about twenty households who live year round in here and a hundred or more who stay seasonally.  Originally everything was carried up pathways in the side of the cliff, but in the 1920’s a Hollywood production blasted a road up the side of the cliff and later in 1975, while filming “My Name Is Nobody,” Henry Fonda paid to have the road paved.

The San Esteban Del Rey Mission built in the 1600’s during the Spanish occupation of the area still stands.  The original fifteenth century paintings of Saint Stephan and the Stations of the Cross hang on the walls.  Because the mission stays at a constant cool temperature and there is no direct sunlight, these works of are in exceptional condition. 

Bellamino

Local artists display their artwork, pottery, jewelry, and crafts in the cultural center patio and along the roads in the pueblo.  We are impressed with the pottery of Daniel Lucario his designs are more contemporary but do not completely abandon traditions.  We meet Conran Levantonio a Flint Napper.  He creates beautiful arrowheads and blades from obsidian and other stones.  A translucent obsidian arrowhead is added to the decorations inside of Dimples. From Bellamino we purchase a small talisman for good luck and to protect us from evil spirits.  (It works – see above ** above.)

Meteor Crater

After leaving Acoma, we stop at the Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.  This is one of the places we both have wanted to visit since we were kids. We spend the night at the Meteor Crater RV Park just down the road from the crater.  The park is good for a no frills overnighter.  We each get a $2.00 discount off admission since we stay there.  Total cost: $26.00 to tour the museum and a giant hole in the ground.  All in all it’s fairly pricey and it’s really quite underwhelming.  Well, now we can check this off our bucket list and move on.

And moving on… it looks like Vegas, baby Vegas…

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.23

WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS NAUGHTY WORDS…

So one extra week in Santa Fe morphed into two more weeks.  We are still enamored with this town and the surrounding area.  We stick around for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and Election Day…. (Yes, even though we are on the road, we can vote by mail.)  It’s been an interesting two weeks… and thanks to John Stewart, who we can sometimes watch on-line we have a new vocabulary word… “cluster-fuckery.”  (check out theNovember 7th show over at Comedy Central.) 

More Museums are on the agenda, and fortunately at most of these establishments, we are not banned from taking photos  ;o)

We drive up to Los Alamos the home of the atom bomb and tour the Bradbury Science Museum.  This Museum is dedicated to the history of Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project.  We watch a short documentary, “The Town That Never Was” that explains the decisions behind the project, and focuses on the people who are involved in the development of the atomic bomb. The exhibits are somewhat informative and put a face on the scientists and support staff.  Years ago, when we visited Nagasaki Japan, we toured the Peace Park.  This put a face on the people on the other side of the bomb. All in all the Bradbury history exhibit is a nifty piece of propaganda designed to justify the use of atomic weapons against a civilian population and the Nagasaki Peace Park, shows the horror of this device.   Regardless of what position one takes regarding the decision to drop the bomb, we all hope that as humans we never have to cause or witness this kind of destruction and human misery.  The museum claims that the scientists at Los Alamos no longer develop nuclear weapons and deal more with containment of nuclear fuel and development of nuclear power used in space exploration.  There is an exhibit featuring the Mars Rover and advances in nuclear medicine.  OH… enough of all this serious shit… this blog is supposed to be about fun!

The Museum of International Folk Art is whimsical and fun. (OK back on target here!) Their ongoing exhibit, “Multiple Visions, a Common Bond” treats us to displays of colorful toys and folk art from over 100 countries.  Two current exhibits we enjoy are: “Folk Art from the Andes” and “Young Brides, Old Treasures: Macedonian Embroidered Dresses.”  Both collections are visually stunning and a joy to view and photograph.

The Portland Panels

The New Mexico Art Museum is a real treat.  Their ongoing exhibit, “It’s About Time” traces art in the Southwest from 14,000 year-old arrow points to contemporary works from the area.  It is both comprehensive and inspiring.  Their current exhibits include a wonderful collection of fused glass featuring the works of Klaus Moje, including The Portland Panels. 

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum offers a great insight into the artist’s life and a comprehensive collection of her works. It illustrates the significance of O'Keeffe's art within the context of the history of American Modernism.  In Addition to works by O'Keeffe the collection includes stunning photographs of the artist taken by many notable photographers and artifacts owned by the artist.

We enjoy a great brunch at Santa Fe’s oldest and famous Plaza Café. Chris enjoyed his chicken fried steak and eggs and I noshed on the crispy fish tacos. The service was attentive and the atmosphere comfortable and laid back. No wonder this has been a local’s favorite since 1918!

Sticking in one place for an additional two weeks also gives us a chance to make a few upgrades and repairs.  Chris starts replacing all of the interior the fluorescent lights with LED’s and the Moen water filter that came with Dimples is dumped in favor of an Everpure system – since Moen filters are virtually impossible to find (except on-line) and Everpure filters are readily available.  Also Chris installs this filter in a better location under the sink, so we now have improved use of space.  Chris also orders and receives a sewer macerating system.  We held off on this type of system in favor of the standard fat hose sewer line, since it is relatively expensive and we couldn’t justify the expense. But in the five months we have been on the road we have encountered 3 situations where the simple low-tech system didn’t work.  (Shit may float, but it doesn’t flow uphill… sigh….)  Watch… now that we have this system we will never encounter a messed up sewer connection… LOL.

Well... this week we've has a dusting of snow and nights down to the high teens... so now it's off to lower elevations and warmer places....

k