Death valley National Park

We had been to Death Valley several years earlier.  We had gone to Las Vegas, rented a car and drove over for part of a day.  This time we were there for a week. We had forgotten how beautiful it is.  The rocks have so many colors and variations that are amazing.  While we were there the daily temperature was between 103 and 107.  So the strategy was to get up early, get out and do some hiking and maybe some site seeing but the be back home in the early afternoon when the temps were already in the upper 90s.  We'd stay inside most of the rest of the day.  Thank goodness the RV has AC!!

This is a land of contrast.  While it is one of the driest places on earth we saw several springs and vast areas of green bushes.  The entire valley is below sea level with Bad Water being the lowest spot in the western hemisphere.

 One dive in particular shows multicolored formations.

 There was just so much that I can't/won't show it all.  But one place of special interest was Scotty's Castle.

This place was built by a very wealthy man as a vacation home to escape Chicago winters.  The engineering and design are amazing for that era.  It was never finished, but the history and story of Scotty are fascinating.  FYI, Scotty is not the owner or builder!

There are several small herds of wild mules in the area.  We found some one day while exploring a lesser traveled road up out of the valley but still within the park.  Many years ago, these guys either ran away from their prospector or the prospector gave up looking for gold and just released the mule.  Now they are wild residents of the park.

Finally, here are some miscellaneous tidbits.
The town of Beatty, Nevada is about 30 miles outside the valley.  Several times we were on Beatty Road.  We'd been to Beatty before so there was no real need to go back

.

Yes it was hot.  107 even as a dry heat is still hot.

London Bridge, Split Rock Lighthouse and Lake Havasu City

We had heard a number of people talk about Lake Havasu City in Arizona.  So we decided to stop and check it out.  We stayed at Lake Havasu State Park in lake Havasu City.  Lake Havasu is simply a very wide area along the Colorado River.  The State Park is very nice and we had a large site with a nice view of the lake.  The city was established as a planned community in the late 1960's.

Part of the claim to fame for this small town is that it is home to the London Bridge.  Yep, the real London bridge that was "falling down, falling down, my fair lady".  When the bridge was crossing over the Thames in London it was determined that it was actually falling down.  Not falling apart, but sinking into the river.  The bridge was purchased by the guy planning Lake Havasu City in 1968.  The bridge was dismantled, moved over 5,000 miles and rebuilt here in LHC.

It now connects the main land to an island.  Very nice area.

As a community they decided to place small replicas of various lighthouses from around the country around the island and the river.  The real Split Rock Lighthouse is on the north shore of Lake Superior north of Duluth Minnesota.  Diana's sister Marge and her husband, David, were married at Split Rock and we have been there many times.

We are actual size, the light house, not so much.

Toilet pump Messy messy!

As we got into Mesa after our trip the see Daniel we noticed a sewer gas smell in the RV.  We may get this odor in certain situations, like when we empty the tanks, someone near by empties their tanks or if it hot.  None of these things fit so we figured we had a problem.  Another indicator was that the toilet pump just kept running so little or no vacuum was being created.  I found a service that would come out to the RV and check it out.  They found that the pump was not only bad but also leaking.  This meant we had raw sewage spilling out into the belly of the RV.  As an aside I have never understood the term "raw sewage",  like cooked sewage is better!?  Anyway, after the guys figured out the problem the situation got much worse.  We have an extended warranty plan for the RV and checked into that.  Our service tech had worked with these before and said there would some coverage but not full coverage.  OK , fine let's just get this fixed.  Well the warranty company wanted to inspect the problem.  So add 2 days for that guy to show up.  In the mean time our service tech was reluctant to order the pump until he knew the warranty covered it.  I told him order the part, we have to get this fixed and if we have to pay for it we will.  Part ordered.  Add 2 days for shipping plus 2 more for the weekend.

The smell is getting worse by the day as more sewage leaks and is left in the belly of the RV. We open windows with fans but that was not very effective.  So imagine trying to get to sleep with your head in a sewer.  Not pleasant at all.

Finally, the part comes in, the warranty approves the work and the workers show up.  Now I have failed to mention that the space where this pump is located is so tight that you can get only one hand in to work.  We did find and additional service entry but it too was very tight.  So one guy worked from one side of one bay with one hand while the other guy worked from the other bay opening with one hand.  It was interesting watching them try to work and communicate what to do especially since they really could not see what the other was doing.  An hour later the old pump is out.  I asked if I could clean out the area because I wanted to be sure it was really clean plus I'm a little strange like that.  That took awhile.  Then the guys started installing the new pump.  Again one hand working each end of the pump.

So they get done, we test the system and all is well.  It took another 2 days of airing out the pump area with a fan forcing air through the area but the smell was gone and the toilet work.  Happy day!!

Yuma

We spent time at a Fleetwood rally in Yuma.  Fleetwood is the manufacturer of our RV.  While in Yuma we took some time to check out the Yuma Territorial Prison.

The Dark cell was like solitary except there might several others in there with you.  No light, no toilet, one meal a day of bread and water.

We also checked out the Quartermaster grounds near by.

This building is the oldest adobe structure in Arizona.

The Driver License

Remember the post about going to Hawaii?  This is a story about Diana losing her drivers license in Hawaii.  One day we went to the beach with Daniel and Mona.  As we were getting out of the car and loading to walk to the beach Diana moved her DL.  The next day she was looking for it and could not find it. That was the last we saw it.  We are not sure if got lost in the car, on the beach, on the walk to and from the beach.  So we torn up the car, went back to the beach and looked everywhere we could think of with no luck.  So off to the police station we go to file a report.  The officer was very nice and indicated this happens often.  He checked with South Dakota (the issuing state) and filled out some papers for Diana to sign.  3 days later we went back to get some official papers that would allow her to get on the plane to return to the main land.  What we failed to consider was that she had no other pictured ID.  This is a big problem at the airport for TSA.  Before we left for Maui we both went thru our wallets for items we knew we would not need on Maui.  Things like our Target card, our Sam's club card and a few other things like that.  Unfortunately, we had no picture ID except our DL.  So security for me at the airport took about 10 minutes.  Diana took closer to 40.  She had to answer lots of questions and got patted down several times (I think she liked that part).  TSA would not take my word for it that she was my wife and she was OK.  Go figure!  Finally we were reunited and went to the gate.  All flights were fine.

When we got back to Mesa she began looking in to what she needed to do to get a duplicate license.  Turns out she had to prove to the state of South Dakota that she had spent at least 1 night in the state in the last 12 months.  We have not been in SD for almost 2 years.  So she got to get on an airplane,(using her passport as pictured ID) fly to Sioux Falls, spend one night, go to DMV and get a new license, then fly back to Mesa.  Not a happy girl and probably the most expensive thing she ever lost!

We now know to take other pictured ID with us when we leave home for a trip.

NFL Experience @ super bowl 49

While staying in Mesa for the winter the Super Bowl was held near Phoenix.  One day we went to the NFL Experience and had a blast.  The NFL Experience offers a wide variety of game and entertainment for the family.  It also host lots of radio booths so various players and celebrities show up for interviews.  We did not see any, but they do come in.

Saguaro

Through portions of the southwest you can see Saguaro cactus.  They need a certain elevation and have other environmental needs so they are not everywhere.  But where they are they are plentiful.  We took several hikes off the beaten path and just enjoyed being surrounded by these cacti.