Vegas, Baby...Vegas!!!

Happy Halloweenie to all my Boils and Ghoul's!

Today, we say good-bye to Pahrump and our new-found 'family' member, Wayne. Wayne being the sweetie pie that he is, made sure that our bellies were full, but he had hot cakes for me this morning...woohoo! You know this girl LOVES her some hot cakes!

[caption id="attachment_2171" align="aligncenter" width="300"] J' ended up making them for me, bc I was too much of a mess![/caption]

When our bellies were full of sugar and spice and everything nice we rolled on out and said Hasta La Vista to the small desert town. We were driving toward Vegas.

Vegas, Baby...Vegas ~Swingers

Savannah has found a new place to lay in the van. It's always a "fight" with her because she wants to be on my lap, in the back, on my lap, open the window, scratching my legs....just a big mess sometimes so she figured she would find her own place to lay where she could still see but not be in the way...plus she's closer to daddy this way. We've got a smarty pants on our hands!

[caption id="attachment_2172" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Close to daddy[/caption]

It didn't seem like we were driving all that long when we came over this hilltop and saw Vegas in the distance. I don't think you realize how much Vegas sits in the mountains when you come into the city on a plane, but boy is it pretty out here.

[caption id="attachment_2174" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Las Vegas[/caption]

It didn't take long before we were in the full mix of things; traffic, houses, people, craziness. In a way it can be kind of fun...as long as I'm not driving! haha Our last few days we did some research on things to see and do while we were here so we drove over to the Town Square Mall. It's an outdoor mall, a place that is always nice to walk around.

[caption id="attachment_2176" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Reminds us of Denver[/caption]

It was still pretty early, not even noon, so it seemed we were the only ones there. It was nice to walk around, the weather was beautiful and it's very artsy fartsy over here so a very nice morning all together.

[caption id="attachment_2177" align="aligncenter" width="300"] St. Jude's Heart[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2178" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Acoustic Heaven[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2180" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Halloween Kisses[/caption]

We heard that there was a free dog wash, but that wasn't the case...although they are very dog friendly. Their dog shop was a bit on the pricey side but if you can afford a necklace (collar) for your dog that costs $30-40 bucks it's all you, bro! We chilled and walked around the shops and the park and headed back to the van to see where we might be able to stay for the night. We spent some time in the van calling around to different Casino's, talking to Security and getting a list together(we actually got a list of 8 confirmed overnight parking places-4 Casino's, 3 Walmarts and a camping store). With our handy dandy info, we set off for the closest one...but not without taking a drive on the strip first!

[caption id="attachment_2181" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Well, thank you[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2182" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Luxor[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2183" align="aligncenter" width="300"] New York, New York[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2184" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Fashion Show[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2185" align="aligncenter" width="300"] J' says, "That's profound!" haha
If it's in stock...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2186" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Stratosphere[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2187" align="aligncenter" width="300"] hahahahahaha[/caption]

For all of you who have been to Vegas and have ventured all over the town...even scary Downtown (where Fremont street is and the road to get there) you know that the more you head toward Fremont Street, the more sketch it gets. We were headed to Binion's Horseshoe Gambling Hall (one of the Casino's that gave us the go-ahead for overnight parking). We were only about 2 miles off the strip and decided we would take our chances at one of the other Casino's...if you catch my drift! Wouldn't feel safe parking there, sleeping there, leaving the van unattended or leaving the 'Bug unattended...no thank you!

[caption id="attachment_2188" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The only thing in the neighborhood that made me smile![/caption]

We headed to the Rio. I had been to the Rio many times for their wonderful Seafood Buffet and knew that it was probably our best bet at this time. It was getting dark and it was starting to be time for rest & play and be done with the driving for now.

[caption id="attachment_2189" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Hello Sleepy Town[/caption]

We turned into the Rio and drove back to the self-parking. They have a 5 floor parking garage (that I think we could only fit on the first floor if we could get under the height bar) and they have a bunch of open back lots they use for semi's, other big trucks and RV parking. We felt like we had arrived! We parked in between a couple of trucks with trailers and U-hauls, grabbed our stuff and headed inside. It was still pretty early so we wanted to see what was going on inside. We walked around, looked at the games, live entertainment, and the shops. We went to the top of the parking garage where there was open air and scoped out how we looked from above. The city was beautiful from here.

[caption id="attachment_2191" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We have arrived[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2192" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The City[/caption]

In the pic below, you'll see my finger in the far left corner(ish) of the pic...that's where Joon Van is!

 Oh and for all you horny ladies...and men (you know who you are) the Rio is the home of the Chippendale's...woo hoo! haha

[caption id="attachment_2194" align="aligncenter" width="225"] This elevator is going down....haha[/caption]

So tonight, we celebrate with Nutella sammies and a nice place to rest our heads...they even have the cutest little dog area with the softest grass for Nana's relief. I'm sure she was happy to feel grass under her tootsies again. We have a fun-filled day planned tomorrow, hoping for good weather and not too many annoying people!

Hope you didn't get your bellies sick with too much of your babies candy and you had a Spooktacular Holiday!

PEACE

 

Blowin' in the Wind

Phew, what a past couple of days we have had! So you know I wasn't feeling very well...I don't really know what was going on with me. It kind of felt like I had a stomach bug on-top of  'my lady days' on-top of light food poisoning... to say the least every movement was awful, but after three and a half days of it, it's finally gone! Woo hoo!! We kept the bed down all day Saturday. It was a bit of an interesting day with the bed down since J' still had to work. At least he had the passenger chair to sit in...good thing he put that swivel on it last December.

Sunday I was feeling much better so we rolled the bed up, J' was a happy guy! We watched some football and just hung out. The weather had called for some big winds for the next few days and they sure did come through on that! I took Savannah on about an hour long walk, thinking it would be a nice change for both of us (with my icky feelings). The wind was blowing so hard, even MY hair was blowing all over the place, haha!

[caption id="attachment_1820" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Nature's Blowjob[/caption]

I had brought my ipod with me to jam to on my walk and the wind was blowing so strong it kept whipping them out of my ears...umm, OW! We walked down the main gravel road for a while. When we turned back I moved over to a new road they just put in, I guess they are going to put power lines in here. With my heel still healing it was a much nicer road to take, I didn't have all of these little rocks jabbing me in the heel...awww, relief!

[caption id="attachment_1821" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The Road Less Traveled[/caption]

 Plus, I really think the Bug likes to jump up and down on the dirt they moved over to the side...remember, she's a "Circus dog"...haha!

[caption id="attachment_1822" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My lil jumping bean[/caption]

Monday (yesterday) Wayne came and picked us up at 9:30 a.m. We had made plans with him the day before to go run some errands...he's such a nice guy, checking on us and making sure we're okay. That's one of the great things we've run into on our journey, very loving and nice people. We thank you all for caring for us, even though we start out as strangers we always end up as family...so thank you again! So Wayne came and swooped us up about 9:30a.m...right on time! We rode further down the main gravel road (the opposite direction), I don't think the van would make it down there so it was cool to be able to see what was down there. We went to the dump first...Nana LOVES the dump, it smells soooo delish! haha gross

[caption id="attachment_1823" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Oh, the smells!![/caption]

 We then took all the cool back and side roads over to Smith's Grocery. Wayne doesn't mess around, he knows all the back roads. It was fun to go on a little adventure although we were just going to the grocery store. Smith's is a real nice store, great ambiance! It is super clean, there's really no one in there, the people are nice and the prices really aren't that bad. Oh, Wayne gave us a little shoppers card too, for a discount...that saved us $9.00! Every bit counts!

[caption id="attachment_1824" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Our new store[/caption]

Now that we know about Smith's, we probably won't be doing much grocery shopping at Wal-mart. This Wal-mart is actually not that bad, it reminds us a lot of the one back "home". It's really clean and there's never anyone in it...but it's nice to switch things up.

[caption id="attachment_1825" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Whizzing by Walmart[/caption]

Wayne showed us where the Post Office was and then we headed over to an RV park on the South West side of town and refreshed our water...for FREE!!!!  Don't you love that word? I know we do!

[caption id="attachment_1826" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wet t-shirt contest![/caption]

The boys got a little wet while filling up some of the milk jugs... I laughed, probably harder then I should have...but it was funny! After all of our silly shenanigans, we ran a couple more errands with Wayne and headed back home. Thanks again Wayne, you are a blessing and such great company!

[caption id="attachment_1832" align="aligncenter" width="300"] That's what we look like[/caption]

After errands we pretty much just got back in the van and did our thang! The wind was really bad, so there's nothing to really do but sit in the van. We can't drive anywhere right now, so we sit. We make up things to do, we talk about a lot of different things, we research lots of different things and then laugh at Savannah...haha. She has found a new spot in the van to lay. J' let her lay next to him the other day so she could see out of the window and "window hunt" and all of that good stuff. Well, now that's just her spot!

[caption id="attachment_1827" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Shh...baby sleeping[/caption]

As long as she's by her daddy she's a happy girl. I swear if everyone in this world loved like Savannah loves J'...this would be such a beautiful, loving world...and a little crazy. She's a little cray cray over her daddy! haha

So today... Tuesday we still sit in the van. It's more windy today than the last two days...hopefully it'll pass by tomorrow. I'm very ready to be able to take my Bug on walks again and just be out of the van without feeling like you're in a tornado. The cold has also come with this wind, which is nice for sleeping and there aren't any flies right now... but c'mon man! So that leaves us only to laugh at Savannah...oh you know she likes it because it usually means food is involved! In this case...Peanut Butter!

PEACE

Driving through movie scenes

Whatta day.

Whatta day.

Whatta day.

A great day...but whatta day!!

Woke up to a beautiful new view...I just love our windows, it's like a panoramic view (when we don't put the shades in the front and last night we didn't)...Wow, it's just beautiful up here!

[caption id="attachment_1215" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Out the back window[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1216" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Out my side window, laying in bed[/caption]

When we opened the door to let Savannah go potty, it was a little chilly out and since I was going to be walking around...guess what I got to wear? My booo-ooooots!!

[caption id="attachment_1217" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Happy Camper[/caption]

We were finally able to see where we parked last night and whoa, did we pick a great spot. I walked Savannah, went and took some pictures and we started talking about the day.

[caption id="attachment_1218" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hellooo over there...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1219" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Great spot![/caption]

It was on the early side of the morning, so after discussing it we thought it would be best to go see what the town is all about and get our bearings and maybe even find an internet signal! Like, I said it was early and chilly so we decided against the "creek washdown" and drove into town.

[caption id="attachment_1220" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Whatta Drive[/caption]

After driving through town and seeing the gas prices (whoa), we started stalking the cell phone tower toward Lake Isabella. We had great reception there when we drove in yesterday so that's where we went. Although we drove the opposite way we came yesterday...you never know what's around the next corner...er, mountain.

We found some public land, B.L.M. land ...a recreation site. We had never seen an actual sign that stated the rules of camping on this land, for free, so I thought it was pretty cool!

[caption id="attachment_1222" align="aligncenter" width="300"] !!![/caption]

We pulled down to the rocks and sand and drove for a little bit before settling at a nice spot where we could feel the breeze but also see the water. It was neat here, something different for sure. You could see the fire-pit remains of campers that had been here before, it was cool. We had some turkey sammies for lunch, watched Savannah 'on her jetski', and climbed a big rock/gravel hill that turned into beach!

[caption id="attachment_1224" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Climbin' to the top![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1223" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Baby on the beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1225" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Panaromic View (almost)[/caption]

I almost felt like I was in a different country or another world. It was beautiful but after our 'breezy'...er, windy as hell climb and walk we thought best if we left and tried a new place. We zoned in on Pahrump, NV; it would only take us 4 hours, we would be driving away from the road we came in on and the weather (on the internet) looked like it was what we were looking for...so we drove.

[caption id="attachment_1226" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Turn right at the "Dead-End"[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1227" align="aligncenter" width="300"] "Bug loves the view[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1228" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Keeps getting better[/caption]

Every turn we made was a surprise, the scenery changed quite a bit. I thought that was awesome because the mountains had different colors and shapes but in the same mountain range...up and down, up and down. I took pictures like it was nobody's business so excuse me if I get carried away.

[caption id="attachment_1230" align="aligncenter" width="300"] WHAT? $5.48!!!???[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1231" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Long & Lonesome Road ♫[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1232" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tie-Dye Mountain Tops[/caption]

Oh my gosh, then the coolest thing happened. We were driving and looking at the scenery and all of a sudden I see... Sand Dunes! How freakin' cool is that!? I was super excited, so we pulled over to the viewing area. I have always wanted to see real Sand Dunes, you always see them in the movies (the one that comes to mind is Space Balls, haha). It was pretty awesome, we walked in the sand barefoot to take closer pictures!

[caption id="attachment_1238" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Right out of a movie scene![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1239" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We were there[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1240" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Savannah was there[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1242" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joon was there.[/caption]

It was great!

As we got back on the road, the sun started to sink behind the mountains making everything look entirely different then the wonderment we had during the day. We even ran into some construction, very random in the middle of Death Vally but I guess someone's gotta do it...poor guys, but they have choices too!

[caption id="attachment_1244" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Is it just me or does it look like we're driving in a cartoon?[/caption]

We drove through the sunset into the darkness for about another hour or so and finally we saw city lights... it was a cool sight to see since we never drive into the city at night. We were only 23 miles away from Destination: Pahrump, NV ... come on you know you want to do it... Pahrump-pum-pum-pum! haha

We drove straight into town and to the Wal-mart parking lot, no need to mess around with anything else when we're tired and we know we can stay here. We will find a camp spot in the morning, but it's bed time right now. It's been a long day enjoying Earth's beauty one mile at a time...(snickering).

I hope you were able to enjoy some beautiful views yourself today along with saving some money on gas!

[caption id="attachment_1245" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Crazy that this makes us happy![/caption]

PEACE