23 Feb - 3 Mar, 2013 - Exploring, Food Drying, Hot Springs, and Wind!

Time to make a new post!  My rib has finally healed enough that we've been out doing more things.  We spent a couple of days driving some of the 4wd trails in the area.  This one was closest so we used it first.  

The Echo Canyon Trail (4wd trail) winds through some canyons on the way to Lake Mead.  There wasn't much need of four-wheel-drive unless you got careless in the sand but it was a nice drive seeing some different scenery.

We turned around near the lake (and the end of the trail) when we came upon a herd of wild burros.  We didn't want to push them farther down the canyon so we turned around here.

After the Echo Canyon Trail we headed up the Boatman's Cove Trail.  We didn't get too far before it began getting dark so we turned around and headed for the highway.  We refilled the Cherokee with gasoline and drove to the end of it the next day.  This was a naturally formed "castle" with a really cool cave that we saw along the trail.

 

Okay, maybe it wasn't as big as I let on!  We drove to the end at the lake then spent some time hiking and climbing around on the rocks.  We did need 4wd in a few places on this trail.

 



Susan saw a good sale on mixed vegetables so she used some for supper then dried the rest.  Scott is helping spread them out!

We didn't have any drying screens so Susan used cookie sheets. (Day one.)

Day Two!

We picked up some decent firewood on our explorations but it was still too large for the stove in the camper so Scott and I whittled the first piece down to size.  He insisted on helping so we cut it up using three-inch strokes on the saw.  It took awhile but he felt about six feet tall when we were done.

Wal Mart had these wash tubs on sale so we bought one for Scott to play in and for laundry.

We bought him this blow-up plane that's meant to be used in the water.  He got the hang of it on dry land then ...

Tried a water landing.  I think he needs a bigger tub.

We've been working on potty training again so we got him some "pull-ups."  I wasn't aware that they also make good hats.

We washed clothes in the laundry at Overton and strung them up to dry at camp.

 

In typical fashion the wind came up before they were all dry.

We bought a deep cast iron skillet at an "estate" sale.  When we got there it had become a (very small!) "antique" sale and this was the only thing we found that we wanted.  It was annoying to us because we drove quite a ways to the sale and it wasn't even close to how it was presented in the paper.

 

 

Susan made cinnamon biscuits one morning for breakfast.  Scott, of course, wanted to help so Susan let him spread some of the cinnamon sauce.

She finished the job and got ready to roll them up.

All ready for the oven!  I was going to take some pictures after they were ready and frosted but we ate them too quick.

When we travel we use a small charger plugged into the cigarette lighter to charge up phones, Nooks, Kindles, computers, etc.

We bought a set of cheap jumper cables to lengthen the wires for the trolling motor.  That way we can put the battery farther forward to keep more of the weight up front and away from the back.  It was cheaper to buy new jumper cables than to buy the same length of 10 gauge wire.

We also bought a pair of aluminum oars and plastic oarlocks.  I got plastic oarlocks hoping that they'll be quieter than steel.  The aluminum oars will hopefully last longer than wood oars.  These can be taken apart for transport.  Susan said if I got the hang of rowing it she'd let me take it out on the water next.  Unfortunately, about the time I got the last bolt tightened the wind came up and we went from calm water to whitecaps in about 15 minutes.  Have I ever mentioned that the wind can be kind of impressive around here?

 

We drove over to look at Hoover Dam while we were in Las Vegas last time.  It was okay but didn't look as impressive as the dams at Hungry Horse and Libby Montana.  (I might be just a little prejudiced though!)

Yesterday we drove over to some hot springs at Ash Springs.  It was crowded but there was plenty of room for everyone.  We spent several hours basking in the warm water while Scott played.  We'll be going again but will try to make it during the week instead of the weekend.

 

15-23 February, 2013 - Little boys and big lakes.

Lots of photos on this post.  Sorry for the long times between posts.  In our cramped quarters it's sometimes hard to get time to do anything meaningful on the computer.

We've done a little bicycling in the last week.  One stop was at some hot springs.  Susan and I have been there before but it was the first time for Scott.  He liked watching the fish then sat by the overflow area to throw rocks in the water.  The weather was beautiful that day!

My rib is healing some so Susan and I built a fire ring to have a campfire.   

Scott is right in there with everything we do.  Makes a person wonder at what point kids lose that childhood fascination with anything that's new.

He's good helper and kept adding sticks and twigs.

We went boat shopping a few days ago.  We left our aluminum boat home with the intention of purchasing one here.  Once here it looked like it would be cheaper to drive back home to get our boat than to find one here at a good price.  We answered an ad on Craig's List for this trailer (you had to take the boat with the trailer when you bought the trailer).  He wanted $500 originally then dropped it to $400 and we got it for $250.  I really wanted a boat more than a trailer but the trailer will work great with our aluminum boat at home so we ended up with a really great deal.  The boat's a little small for Lake Mead so we'll have to watch the wind warnings when we take it out.  We brought our new trolling motor and our gas boat motor (which is too big for this boat and may be illegal on Lake Mead ... didn't know that when we left Montana). 

The dog and cat did a thorough inspection as soon as we got to the camper.

Scott also did (another) inspection when we parked it and turned it upright.

The boat has some loose rivets that leak water so Scott and I are applying aluminum tape over them.

The wind blew my hat off so Scott found a place to keep it until I needed it back.

The aluminum tape should seal the rivets until I can get it home or acquire a rivet gun here to replace the leaking ones.

We gave it a try this morning to see if our patches worked.

The patches worked great.  I took it out for a short (very short!) trial run.  The wind had come up and the waves were kind of high for this little boat so I went out a ways then came right back in.  Everything worked great.

 

After I got back to shore the wind changed directions 180 degrees.  We had the experience of actually watching the waves on the lake change direction.  It was fascinating.

Scott and Susan stayed on shore since I was making a short run.  Scott, like most little boys, never tires of the water.  Here he's letting the waves wash in over his feet.  He got up shortly after this photo to tell us he was wet and cold...

 

Then went to different spot to do the same thing.

He's having a chat with me about safe boat handling.  I need to impress upon him that he's a future Marine ... not Navy!

Susan set up the Jet Pack on the booster.  She ran the antenna outside then mounted the base next to the charge controller.  We have fair Internet access now.  Not as fast as at home but adequate.  It's great to not have to drive into town to the library or McDonalds to use the Internet.

We've had some stormy weather while we've been camped here.  You can't see the mountain tops but they're covered with snow now.  Wood is in short supply here so we bought a bag of charcoal briquettes to burn in the wood stove.  They work okay but are not as hot as real wood.  (And they leave a lot more ash.)

Scott found this on the ground.  We dont' know if someone lost it or left it out intentionally.

He's figured out that if the stove is cold it makes a great horse.  I'm glad it's firmly anchored to the floor.

We have mostly gravel at the campsite so Susan brought up some buckets of sand for Scott to play in.  It's kept him occupied for hours.

Scott's down for a nap so Susan actually got some time to play her guitar.

Scott and Susan playing.  She'd kiss his hand then he'd wipe the kisses off on his coat.  (Then stick his hand up to her mouth again!)

Scott commandeered grandma's chair and down sleeping bag this morning!

This is where Scott was when I began working on the blog.  He'd been playing on the floor and just zonked out.  It's mid-afternoon but we put him in his pajamas when we changed him into dry clothes (after he got wet playing in the water) because it was nap time.  The wind is blowing so hard we don't plan to spend much time outside the rest of the day.

Last night's sunset.

This is how Scott and I began our day yesterday.

 

27 January-14 February 2013 - Warmer Climates

It's been a long couple of weeks!  We finished packing the camper, trailer and car and headed for Kalispell to say good-bye to the kids.  That took a couple of days by the time we spent some time with each one. We did some shopping in Kalispell picking up last minute items we'd need on our trip and during our stay here.  There's no sales tax in Montana so we tried to get things there and save a few bucks when we could.  The weather was clear and cold when we left home.  I chained up the rear tires on the U-Haul to be sure that we wouldn't lose control going down the steep hill at the end of our road.  I also finished installing the heater motor and core then adjusted the rear brakes before we left.  We left the aluminum boat in Montana.  It was going to be tough to pack so we checked Craig's List on prices here and if our luck holds we'll just buy another one here with a trailer and we'll tow it home behind the U-Haul. ... Hopefully!

The trip here was uneventful.  Our first night was spent in Montana at one of the coldest rest stops in the world.  We were grateful for the wood stove in the camper!  The next stop was in Utah the next night.  We stopped early and spent the night at a truck stop so we'd be able to go through Salt Lake City after the rush hour was over.  We spent a couple of hours near SLC with a friend Susan hadn't seen in a few years.

Our next night was spent in Mesquite, Nevada.  We were finally in a warmer climate.  From there it was a quick trip the next morning into Overton.

 

We spent several days at the game refuge just outside of Overton.  They allow free camping for up to eight days.  We parked next to a travelling preacher and his friend and shared a few stories.

I also came down with the flu the day we pulled in.  I must have caught it from someone on the way down here.  Of course Scott got it next then Susan so we've all been sick the last week.  At least we were here and not stuck on the road somewhere.

It wasn't all bad though.  Overton is a nice community and we spent some time in the playground with Scott.  Here we're racing down the parallel slides.

He's going to catch grandma so she doesn't get hurt!

Now he's at the campground doing whatever little boys do when they have a stick to play with.

 

We made a quick trip into LasVegas to pick up a few things.  I bought a digital powder scale to try out while we were in the Bass Pro Shop there.

 

We also rented a PO Box in Overton to make mail forwarding easier.

Now that we're feeling better we headed out to Stewart's Point to get set up for a longer stay.  Shade's a little sparse in this spot but we're looking forward to soaking up the sun anyway!  We're close enough to the water to have access but far enough away we don't have to worry so much about Scott falling in the lake.

Scott and I are down on the beach throwing rocks in the water.  The water trails are from Odie when she ran up out of the lake.  After throwing about a hundred pounds of rocks and gravel in the lake we went back to the camper.

We had another neighbor waiting to say hi there.  It was Rex and his long-haired Chihuahua.  He's camped about a half-mile away and was just out walking around a bit.