OFF TO DISNEYLAND

Yesterday was the big day! We drove south to Blythe, CA, where we met Marc, Chandra, and our Granddaughter Laila for lunch. They were on their way to Disneyland, but Laila was only told they were going to see Grandma, and Grandpa. Laila's 6th birthday is this Sunday, so we had balloons waiting at the restaurant when they arrived.

Laila has just been told that she was going to Disneyland.

After lunch, Marc asked Laila where Mickey Mouse lived? When she answered "Disneyland", that's when Chandra told her that's where they were going. Her reaction at first, was more disbelief, than excitement. She kept saying, "no we're not". I think it finally sunk in when we were all telling her that she was going to Disneyland.

Are you sure I'm going to Disneyland?

The last surprise was a new bicycle for her birthday. We first had Laila open a Disney water bottle that attaches to the bike. When we went outside, Grandpa had taken the bike out of the back of the pickup, and Laila got her birthday present a couple of days early. Even though she had just started to ride her first bike without training wheels, I left them on this larger bike, as she took a couple of spins around the parking lot.

In the background is Marc & Chandra's new truck that Patty would need a step ladder to climb into. With a 6" lift, custom 20" rims & tires, & a duramax diesel engine, it's a very cool truck.

The kids were anxious to get going, and get to Disneyland before it got too late, so after a bunch of hugs, they were off. Later yesterday evening, we got a phone call from Laila & her first question to Grandma was "guess where I am"? When Grandma played the 3 answer game, Laila told her she was at Disneyland, in the Disneyland Hotel! Marc told me that she was "bouncing off the walls", with total excitement about exploring the Magic Kingdom for the next 3 days.

Some one's almost too big to be picked up!

NEW RV BATTERIES

Sam's Club price for these GC2 deep cycle, 110 amp hour, 6V batteries was $78.83 each.

Living in the motor home, which we typically do about half of the year, is quite a bit different than living in our conventional house. The biggest difference is probably the lack of unlimited space in the RV. As a result, when living in the motor home, and purchasing stuff like groceries, consideration is always given to the amount of available storage capacity. When we're in Lake Havasu, that caution goes out the window, and we often stock up, and buy large quantities.

Yesterday, a trip to Sam's Club in Bullhead City (about an hour's drive), was the shopping trip that stocked us up on a lot of things that were gone, or almost gone. After paying the bill, I felt like most of our bank account was gone!

The other reason for the trip to Wally's other World was the purchase of 4 new 6 volt, RV batteries. The house batteries in the motor home are approaching 5 years of age, and their ability to hold a charge, has diminished considerably during the last year. We don't do as much dry camping as we used to, but we do park in the desert near Quartzsite every year, and I wanted to change the batteries before we make our annual January pilgrimage to this RV Mecca in south western Arizona. With good batteries, and 3 large solar panels on the roof of the motor home, our dry camping time is only limited by our water and holding tank capacities. When we work the Tucson Rodeo every February, we have no hook ups, and do just fine for 2 weeks.

This morning, we're waiting for the phone call from Marc & Chandra, to see when they're leaving Tucson. We'll be meeting them in Blythe for lunch, and that's where Laila will be told she's going to Disneyland for her birthday. Should be an awesome surprise!

THE BIG DAY

Tomorrow is the day that we meet Chandra, Marc, & our Granddaughter Laila for lunch in Blythe. They will be on their way to Disneyland, and Laila will be given the news sometime while we're having lunch. According to Marc, all she is being told is that they're going to see Grandma, & Grandpa.

Laila's 6th birthday is this Sunday, and she will celebrate the big day in Disneyland! For a 6 year old, it probably can't get much better than that. Mom & Dad have arranged a special birthday celebration with some of the Disney characters, and it should be a very memorable time at the Magic Kingdom. Grandma, & Grandpa have a new bicycle for her birthday, and we'll just follow Marc & Chandra's lead as to how this all plays out tomorrow.

After my post a couple of days ago, with pictures of the new bicycle, our neighbor Michelle called and said you have to watch a U Tube video entitled Lilly's Disneyland Surprise. Clicking the link gets to You Tube, then type in lilly'sdisneylandsurprise in the search area for the almost 3 minute video, that has received about 3 million hits. It's almost guaranteed to make you laugh and cry within that time frame.

With any luck, my camera will hopefully capture some of the surprise reaction tomorrow, and at the least, Patty and I will be present to share in the big announcement.

A LEAKY HEATER & A DISCOUNT

Oh, the joys of home ownership! Upon return from our trip to Carson City, and CA, I detected a small leak from the bottom of our house water heater. That's not a good thing, and is only a precursor to potential serious problems, like a flood in the garage. Our next door neighbors, Tony & Michelle had a similar issue not too long ago with their water heater, and the result was water damage.. The scary part of that story, is that both houses were built at about the same time, approx. 9 years ago.

Not wanting to deal with water damage, I called a local plumber who I've had good luck with in the past, and got a quote yesterday. Their price was $1,150 installed, with a 6 year warranty. Thinking that was on the high side, and not knowing the cost of water heaters, Patty and I took a ride out to Lowe's. After a discussion with a sales rep, we made the purchase. Total price - $570.84 including installation, with the same 6 year warranty. For those that don't know it, Lowe's gives all veterans a 10% discount with proof of service (DD214 or retired military ID). The savings on this purchase alone was $59.98. Over the years, I've saved hundreds at Lowe's, and a copy of my DD214 is always present in the glove box of my truck. Our local Home Depot would sometimes do the military discount, but often they would not. Usually, it was a hassle, so I decided years ago to take my business where my military service was appreciated. The discount is an added bonus.

If we only lived here in Lake Havasu City during the summer, when it's always well above 100 degrees, we could almost do without a water heater. The ground is so hot, that even running just the cold water, it comes out of the tap lukewarm. Most folks in the plumbing & water business agree, because the water is so full of minerals here in the desert, water heaters have a life expectancy of 6-8 years. Ours made it about 9 years, so I guess I should be happy?

A NEW BIKE & DISNEYLAND

Our Grand Daughter Laila's 6th birthday is only about a week away, on the 16th of this month. Last year, we gave her the smallest bicycle available, a 12" model. A few days ago on the telephone, she was proud to inform Grandpa & Grandma that she was riding that first bike without the training wheels. When I talked to Dad, he said that Laila had just about outgrown that little bike, so that made it easy for us to come up with a birthday present.

The pictures are of the new 16" bike that we purchased yesterday, and will give to Laila when we see her, Chandra & Marc on the 13th. That's when we'll be meeting them in Blythe, as they head west toward Anaheim, CA. Yep, they're going to Disneyland, and the whole trip is a surprise to Laila, that will be announced when we meet them for lunch. This trip has been in the works for about a year, and should be quite an adventure for Laila. Like most kids, she is fascinated with the Disney characters, and often talks about maybe someday visiting the land of enchantment. According to Marc, she thinks this road trip is only to go and visit Grandma & Grandpa, which is true. However, she has no idea that the trip will continue to Disneyland as the ultimate destination.

Hopefully, I'll get some good pictures of her face when she finds out where they're going. Hey Mom, and Dad, make sure someone isn't looking over your shoulder when you read this!

ACROSS THE DESERT

The drive across the Mohave Desert from Barstow to Needles on I40 has become a familiar one, since we moved to Lake Havasu City 9 years ago. This is the most direct route into CA, and one that we have traveled many times. Even though the scenery is mostly desert landscape, and there isn't much else to admire, it's a drive that I rather enjoy. If I'm on the Harley, I often take the old Mother Rode, through Amboy. It's a little longer, but Route 66 has a few communities like Essex, and Amboy that are kind of fun to check out, especially the old gas stations and restaurants that have long been closed.

We arrived at the casa in the early afternoon, and began the process of unloading the motor home. Since we have no plans to use the house on wheels anytime soon, we're not only unloading a lot of stuff, but also doing some serious cleaning before parking it under the shade cover.

It's good to be home, with lots of projects on the table, and ample time to hopefully get most of them done. Due to a rather normal routine while home, the usual daily blog post while traveling will become a little more sporadic. It's not exactly exciting, nor very interesting to write about trips to the grocery store, and mundane things along that line. If by Chance, there is any breaking news from Lake Havasu, rest assured that you'll probably read about it right here on Travel by Chance.

GOODBYE NANCY, HELLO BORON

We only spent one night parked at Nancy's house in Atwater, because we were anxious to get back to Lake Havasu, and Nancy was heading over to the Bay Area early this morning for an event. So, it was late morning when we hit the dreaded southbound Hwy 99, traveling through the metropolis's of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Visalia, Tulare, & Bakersfield. As much as I enjoy driving the motor home, this is one stretch of highway that I really could do without. I wish the government(s) would quit putting up these huge signs telling us how they're spending our tax dollars, and use that money to fix the darn roads! Just think how far a half billion dollars would go toward improving terrible roads like Hwy 99. Can anyone say SOLYNDRA?

It was mid afternoon when we rolled through Mojave, and I decided to stop a little early at an RV park in Boron, and give the local Mexican Restaurant a try for dinner. Our friends, Bill & "D" Hall have stayed in Boron while traveling in their motor home, and told us that the food at Domingo's Mexican Restaurant is excellent. I know, some folks are probably saying "where the hell is Boron"? Well, it's on Hwy 58, between Mojave and Barstow, and I've driven past the little burg a bazillion times, but never stopped. There isn't much in Boron, and it probably survives due to it's close proximity to Edwards Air Force Base.

We had an early dinner at Domingo's, so there weren't many folks in the restaurant. I must say, I can't remember having Mexican food any better than our dinner last night. Patty agreed, our tacos, enchiladas, and tamales were really, really good. We both thought that the meals we had at Ole, Ole inside the Gold Dust West Casino in Carson City were good, but the dinner last night was just simply outstanding. I don't normally rave about food, I just eat it, and move on to the next meal. However, in the future, if we're traveling in the area, and the timing is right, that wasn't the last meal I'll eat at Domingo's in Boron.


This morning, when we get around to motoring down the highway, we'll have about a 3-4 hour drive, and we'll be back in Lake Havasu. When we returned home from spending the summer at the Grand Canyon, we were only there for a few days before taking off for Carson City. This time, we'll be home for several weeks before getting back in the motor home, at least I think that's the plan.

THE KASTLE & A BACKHOE

Nancy's beautiful home in Atwater, CA

After I parked the motor home, Nancy gave us a tour of her property, and the house. If I were looking for a larger house, and some acreage, (which we're not), Nancy's place fits the bill almost perfectly. There's room for just about everything, including her two horses. The inside of the house is as elegant as it is practical, with an awesome kitchen, and as I said yesterday, way to many amenities to try and include in a narrative. It is indeed a "Kastle".

Patty and Nancy spent the afternoon visiting, while I caught up with a few things on the computer. Later, we drove into Merced, and had dinner at Applebee's, then returned to the house. I retired to our little house, while the girls continued their visit in the big house.

There's no big hurry, but sometime this morning, I'll fire up the Cummins ISL 400 diesel, and we'll hit the road for home. Driving south on Hwy 99 through the central valley of California doesn't exactly float my boat, but we're both anxious to get home, so the direct route is what it will be. I suspect that we'll probably stop somewhere in the desert, and spend the night before completing the trip home.

I took these pictures of Everett when we arrived in Jamestown a few days ago. He was in the process of fixing his septic system.

Despite the not so enviable job of fixing a plugged septic system, when you have a backhoe, it allows you to do stuff like this without calling in the cavalry.

BACK TO CIVILIZATION

Now, we've come down to describing civilization as a place where our Sprint data card works, and non civilization as a place where it doesn't. If that definition were true, we have just returned to the civilized world! The problem is that the local cellular carrier in Tuolumne County has worked a deal with all of the major players for phone service, but for whatever reason, will not support Verizon or Sprint with their data cards. I can't believe how dependent I have become on having a reliable internet connection.

After 3 nights in Jamestown, CA, parked at Everett & Lori's house, and after a super visit with our friends, we left around noon. We drove the hour or so to Atwater, and are now parked at our friend Nancy's house. It's not really a house, I call it the Kissack Kastle. What a beautiful property, with room for her 2 horses, and way to many amenities to mention. I took a picture of the front of the Kastle, which I'll post tomorrow.

While the motor home was parked in Jamestown, we drove to Stockton, and visited with my Aunt Martha, and my cousin Diane. Diane recently retired from her teaching career, and is now her Mom's primary care giver. My aunt is still able to live in her home with Diane's help, but she has given up driving, and recognized the fact that she couldn't keep driving forever. It was good to see them both, and after a couple of hours, we said so long, and headed to Modesto for a visit with Patty's son David.

Dave was starting several days off, and I hadn't seen his new home that he recently moved into. The house is a newer two story home, in a nice neighborhood, and he now only has a 10 minute, instead of an hour drive to work. His English bulldog "Bachus", is a character, and he was dog sitting "Jacks", a cute little Yorkie. After lunch at a local restaurant we said adios to Dave, and drove back up to Jamestown. Lori fixed a really nice dinner for us and for her son Trevor, and their new daughter in law, Kelsey. We hadn't seen Trevor and Kelsey since before they were married, and it was really nice to be involved with the East's family dinner night. Everett & Lori are such good friends, we wish that we didn't live so far apart. There are tentative plans to join them in Palm Springs around the Thanksgiving Holiday.

We're here for a day or two, then we'll be heading back south toward Lake Havasu City, where I think short pants will again be the dress of the day.

NO INTERNET

Here we go again, no internet coverage in Jamestown, CA. While parked at our friends, Everett & Lori's house, our Sprint phone is on roaming, and it works fine. The data card simply will not work, and I think it has something to do with the local towers not having the right gizawhatsit, or having the wrong megadohicky, or something like that. Not being a techno wizard, I'm not sure what the issue is, but other than Jamestown, CA, the Sprint card works in the boon tullies, it works in Canada, it works in places that we hardly have a cell signal, but for some reason, it hates Jamestown!

At the moment, we're at Patty's son's house in Modesto, and I brought the computer with us. David has a day off from work, and we're about to go out for lunch. Back up to Jamestown this afternoon, then we'll be leaving tomorrow. The plan is to stop at Nancy's in Atwater, then back to Lake Havasu.

RALLY WRAP UP

Golden Spike President - Tom Westerfield, and his wife Barbara

This morning, the last of us will be leaving Carson City, and heading in various directions. Our get together was a lot of fun, as we tried to keep everyone busy during the 2 days of the rally. We rode trains, streetcars, toured a train museum, and we can't forget about the world famous outhouse races in Virginia City. And then there's the food.... During the weekend, someone commented that "we're really an eating club, with a train problem". I think everyone had a good time, and Patty and I are already looking forward to our next get together with the chapter.

Golden Spike Vice President - Bill Hall, his wife "D", and our rally co-hosts.

Golden Spike Treasurer - Bob Poole, and his wife Dottie

Golden Spike Secretary - Anita Price, and her husband Ed

I took this picture of Nancy on the train, just after she took my picture

I think our timing was pretty good in terms of weather, because it's supposed to turn cold tomorrow, with snow predicted at the higher elevations. This morning, we're not in a big hurry, but we should make it over the Sierras on Hwy 88 (Carson Pass), and arrive in Jamestown by late this afternoon. We're parking in Everett & Lori East's driveway for a couple of days, then we'll work our way a little farther south toward home in Lake Havasu.

The Mustang Ranch was the primary sponsor of the outhouse races. I wonder how payment was made to the race organizers?

Two bumps on a log, Ed and Tom, doing a little people watching on Virginia City's Main Street.

TRAINS, OUTHOUSES, & FRIENDS

Our "real train" day started with a short drive out to the Virginia & Truckee (V&T) Depot, just off Hwy 50, east of Carson City. When we got seated for our 10am departure for Virginia City, Tim, our conductor announced that the train was sold out, and that the ride up the hill to the Comstock Lode would take about 1 1/2 hours. Being pulled up a 2% grade behind a steam engine, is about as good as it gets for this train enthusiast, and the added sighting of wild horses only made the train ride that much better!

The revitalized V&T Railroad, with 14 miles of new track, follows the original right of way for most of the way between the Eastgate Depot near Carson City, and up the hill to Virginia City. When we arrived at about 11:30, the trolley bus took us up to Main St, where we arrived just in time for the Outhouse Parade.

The train is just about to cross the Hwy 50 bridge in Mound House.

The train is climbing the grade just above Goldhill.

Looking down at the Goldhill Hotel.

The Red Dog Saloon is where we had a BBQ lunch of tri tip, and chicken.

We started our meal in the back of the Red Dog Saloon, where the BBQ was being prepared, and there were numerous picnic tables. However, the yellow jackets soon chased most of us inside, with Ed & Anita Price the only ones brave enough to withstand the competition for the food. Patty and I enjoyed our meal, and I didn't hear any complaints from anyone, except perhaps the aerial attack while we were outside.

Several of us walked the short distance up main street to the site of the outhouse races, and despite our short window of time, managed to watch a few of the races. This event is kind of tongue in cheek, but many of the competitors take it very seriously. There are rules regarding the weight of the outhouses (minimum of 200 lbs without the driver), and other than that, most anything goes.

This is the pit area, where the competitors wait for their turn to race. The lack of toolboxes tells you that there isn't a whole lot of mechanical things going on at these races.

During the parade, the name of this outhouse (THE FLAPPER CRAPPER), got a few smiles from the crowd.

Even Arnold was represented at this parade with the "Urinator" entry.

I took pictures of a few of the outhouses while they were parked in the pit area, and focused on their names. There were about 15-20 entries, and as you can see, some of the names on the outhouses are obviously related to that most important bodily function that we all must take care of from time to time.

Two outhouses, each pushed by 2 people, are getting ready to race up Main Street.

At 2:15pm, Carl, our trolley driver parked his conveyance in front of the Red Dog Saloon, and we were transported back to the Virginia City Railroad Depot. The train departed at 3pm, and we were back at the East Gate Depot in about an hour and fifteen minutes. At 5pm, the train took us down into the Carson River Canyon to the end of track. The engineer and conductor played a little game while we were stopped at the end of the line, and the game was after the engineer blew the whistle, everybody was supposed to try and hear how many echos reverberated in the canyon. I think the most that anybody said they heard was 9. Two local wines were served on the train, along with appetizers.

While we were waiting for the 5 o'clock train to leave, our buddy Nancy, somehow persuaded the engineer to allow her to climb into the cab of the engine, and blow the whistle. Patty and I were seated on the train when she came back with a big smile on her face, and grease from the whistle cord all over her hands.

Tim, our train conductor.

We capped the day with a group dinner in the Ole, Ole, Mexican Restaurant at the Gold Dust West Casino. The meal and service was good, and it was a fitting way to end a fun filled day.

About half of our group pulled out this morning, and the rest of us will be leaving tomorrow. It was a good rally, and we're already looking forward to our next Golden Spike Rally, which will be in Indio, CA. in January. Thanks to the help from our friends Bill & "D" Hall, everyone gave us praises for organizing a fun weekend. Tomorrow, we're headed over the mountains to CA, then back home to Havasu sometime next week.

A LITTLE TRAIN & AN OLD STREETCAR

Barbara, Betsy, Patty, & Betty checking out the model railroad setup inside the Mills Park Depot Building.

The day started next to our motor home, with a selection of muffins (not $16 apiece), yogurts, fruits, pastries, and juices. A little after 10 am, the group of 23 piled into our vehicles, and we drove a short distance to Mills Park. The first order of business after arrival, was everyone checked out the model railroad inside the depot.

Then, we carefully boarded the two small passenger cars, and were taken on two circuits around the 1 mile of track through the park. Near the end of the second lap, the engineer stopped the train for a photo shoot.

Who says you have to grow up? This group of train enthusiasts enjoyed the short ride as much, or perhaps more, than a bunch of school kids. I must say that after sitting in the cramped quarters of the little cars for 15 minutes or so, it probably took this group of older kids a little longer to exit the train than it might for those much younger kids.

All loaded onto the train and ready to go.

After a lunch at Schat's Bakery, our next stop was the Nevada State Railroad Museum. I had arranged for a tour, and a ride on the Edwards 1926 Streetcar. Our tour guide took us through two buildings, and told some not so well known stories about some of the equipment, and the history of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.

Bill and "D" Hall anticipating the departure of the streetcar from the depot.

Part of the group inside the streetcar.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum has about a half mile of circular track on the property, and we made a few circles around the perimeter before we unloaded near the main entrance. When we were all off the streetcar, they drove it onto the turn table, and a few of our members helped turn it 180 degrees.

Left to right, Kurt, Ken, Roger, and Bob manually pushing the streetcar on the turn table.

We capped the day with a super dinner at Red's Old 395 Grill. Everyone I spoke with, said the food was great, and the service was as good as it gets. When the food was served, it was all put on the tables within just a few minutes, and we all ate and finished about the same time. We were told this was a great place to eat, and we were not disappointed.

Today, the schedule is full, starting with a steam train ride from just outside Carson City, up to Virginia City. I feel like a little kid, anticipating the sound of that old steam engine pulling the cars up the steep grade. This is the last day of our rally, and with the outhouse parade and races on main street in Virginia City, it should be a day filled with quite a bit of laughter!