Monday, May 1 (continued)
After setting up camp at Young’s RV Park in Caliente, Nevada, and an afternoon of several online and offline tasks, Reggie and I set out after supper in search of a place to have our daily walk.
At the entrance of the RV park, a sidewalk points toward town.
“Gee, we’re pretty far out of town for a sidewalk. C’mon, Reg. Let’s see where this takes us.”
Reggie trots in front of me as we cross the bridge over a narrow stream.
He likes this smooth surface . . . Oh, what is this? A walk along the stream. Well, this is something different for us.
As we walk along I check the stream below for wildlife.
A pair of mallard ducks appears and disappears among the plants before I catch them with my lens.
After strolling for a while, a deer climbs up from the stream and crosses the landscaped area.
Quickly I lift my camera and zoom in . . . .
Almost missed!
The deer crosses the sidewalk and leaps over the fence.
A few minutes later we meet a family coming toward us.
A father, mother, little girl on a bike, and a baby in a stroller. We greet each other and I ask, “How far does this walk go?”
The young woman smiles proudly and replies, “It goes all the way to the other end of town and ends at the park.”
Before parting, the young man adds, “It’s 2.3 miles long.”
“Well, it’s very nice. I like your town. A good place to raise a family.”
“Yes, it is! We love it here!”
~ ~ ~
“Whatcha’ think, Reg? Wanna’ go over the bridge?”
Several times during our walk I’m struck by the contrast between that which has been created by humans . . .
. . . and that which exists in nature.
The sun will disappear behind the mountains soon.
“We’ve gone far enough, Reg, after this busy day.”
Gosh, this morning we were in Pahranagat.
“Time to turn toward home.”
The Rabbit Hour has begun!
Cottontail rabbits emerge from their hiding places and stare at us as we pass.
On the other side of the fence, beyond a dirt, service road, is a large thicket of rabbit brush. This little rabbit (below) illustrates the name.
Rabbit brush provides excellent cover!
On the stream side of the walkway, a duck takes flight.
I sit on a bench to review the photos I’ve taken so far. Also it’s a good time and place for reflection.
I’m thankful to be in this place. It was a good decision to come here.
Below the walkway, down by the stream, a bullfrog croaks.
Reggie pulls on the tether.
“Okay, Mr. Go-Go-Go . . . ”
~ ~ ~
As I type this, Reggie and I are in our third day at the RV park.
The walkway is a pleasant part of every day. The new inverter, plus a spare, should arrive on Friday!
rvsue
NOTE: I turn the comments section over to you blogorinos. Reggie and I are going to be out and about today, so I’ll leave it all in your hands. Thank you for being a part of my blog. Your comments are the best part! — Sue
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
CLICK LINK TO SHOP AMAZON NOW!
First?
Congratulations you came in first!
Looks like a nice relaxing place Sue, with lots of wildlife to keep the Regginator entertained!!
Second?
Yep!! Two NC girls at the top!!
Congrats on being first! How funny this blog arrived right as I was reading the comments from the previous blog!
Congrats on second place today, wow you are both from same part of the country!
I’m originally from Western NY State – transplanted south!!
Hi Sue and Reggie
Beautiful pictures! How nice that Caliente has made a path along the steam that folks with disabilities can easily enjoy. It’s sometimes difficult for them to get out into nature.
Are there hot springs in Caliente or does the name just imply that it gets hot? (Caliente is hot in Spanish).
Yes, there is a motel with hot springs in Caliente. I believe the name does refer to the springs.
Terrific post! Calientes’ walk way looks so inviting since I’m in a wheelchair. Looks like a great place to get my feet wet camping the west. 🌵🌛
The dream is moving into focus. I bought a wheelchair van with a fold up bed/bench seat in the rear. It’s wonderful; the automatic lift opens from side doors with a key; drivers seat moves up and down and moves back and forward; and the chair swivels! 😂
Now to go to weather widget to figure out the optimum time 🎲🎲
Chey, you are truly a wonderful example of living your dream no matter what comes at you! Thanks for letting us know your progress!
I am absolutely delighted for you, Chey! Wow! You are well on your way to realizing your dream. I thought of you and also Michelle in Salt Lake City, who has a wheelchair van for her husband, when Reggie and I were on the walk. The sidewalk also goes from the RV park into town, past the Family Dollar store, restaurants, etc. all across town to the grocery and hardware, plus little shops. I’ll post pics.
Thanks for sharing your news with us, Chey. 🙂
Hi Chey, not sure if you have ever heard of this young man, but he has an incredible amount of video’s on You Tube. He at first lived in a van and then later moved into a bus. He uses a wheelchair and he travels with a Black Lab named Nora. If you want to watch some of his video’s may I recommend starting way back at the beginning? Search his lists back to about 8 years ago. One of his most recent video’s shows this inside of his bus with hookups etc… his bus is a bit “rougher” than I would have made it, but this is HIS bus not mine! lol! Oh and he goes surfing and owns a boat and has gone rock climbing and is more active than me.
Dag Nabbit! I forgot the link! Laughing at myself! https://www.youtube.com/user/jordansname/videos
Am I within the first 10?
Ken Canada
You’re numero 6, Ken!
Love this post and the pics are great! Thanks for sharing.
Yay! I’m in the top ten!
Looks like I made top ten
I love the paved walkway. Nice. That makes me want to put on skates and take off! No wonder Reggie couldn’t sit still, he felt the same other than wanting to put on skates!
What a sunny post! Love the 1st pic of Reggie on the walkway. Hope you enjoy being out and about.
I love this park with the walkway. That makes it so easy to walk about
Don’t know if anybody knows what the perfect tow vehicle is I am looking for a perfect old vehicle for a casita or a tab I have a Ford Transit XLT right now but it’s perfect for my Teardrop trailer but I want to grow bigger yet not too big no Sprinter
Taken directly from Sue’s information in the top right margin of each post: “The PTV is the Perfect Tow Vehicle. It’s a 2005 Chevy Express Van with a V-8, 5.3 liter engine and equipped with a 200-watt solar panel on the roof and two AGM batteries inside.” I think she forgot to say that it does not come equipped with a dog – you’ll have to get that on your own – lol!
Thank you for letting me know what the perfect old vehicle as I will research this also maybe it will be a fit for my needs as well
Paula… Just so you know I didn’t ignore you. I replied to your question under the previous post.
Thank you sometimes I miss post because I look on my phone due to not being around a computer… I am impressed with the perfect tow vehicle that you have because it toes the size of trailer that I will be looking into shortly my perfect tow vehicle now pulls my teared up trailer but I need to upgrade to a bigger as I will be on the road full time with my two pups that are Pomeranians who are used to being road dogs…. albeit pampered they think they are pretty tough….lol
Our first tow vehicle was an older Chevy Suburban! It was great! Never a minute of problem and it was plenty powerful, lots of storage room and a backseat for the pups. We were sad to have to sell it when we bought The Mother ship, but we needed a truck to pull the new 5th wheel!
We had a Casita then an Oliver with that Suburban!
Pretty spot!!! Hope you are doing well there Sue! And the Reggie-man!
After TEN FEET + of rain this winter… we have blue sky! So, out I go to play in the dirt!!!
Hugs from a SUNNY (for now) Hoquiam!
Barb
Hi Sue and Reggie Man!
You are in such a beautiful area and the pictures bring me right there with you! Enjoy your stay and hugs to you and belly rubs to Reggie.
Chaunte, Shea, and the Chihuahuas
We’re so glad you’re enjoying Caliente, Sue. Jim, Ari & I loved it when we camped there last fall. People were very friendly & the state park was clean, well-run & had great showers. There’s a beautiful little park at the head of the canyon. We really enjoyed hearing all the trains go by on the other side of the valley, too. Love the pics of Reg–he’s such a sweetie dog!
Gosh never have I got into the comments so far up the list…………being in Oz, by the time I read your blog each day, I’m way down the bottom. What a nice place to be for the time being while you await the things you need. Enjoy the rest of your time there….hugs to Reggie
Sue: Great posts and pics as always.
I’m wondering if anyone here knows the current status of another full-timer – Jim Melvin, of the blog “Jimbo’s Journeys”. Jim hasn’t updated his blog since last October. Actually he had purchased a tiny house in Oregon and was scaling back to being a “part-timer”, but I thought he was going to keep his blog going. A couple of months ago I posted a comment there, expressing concern for his well-being, but this has gone unanswered. Does anyone here know about Jim Melvin? (Sue – Jim references your blog as one that he follows.)
I don’t know Jim’s situation. I met Jim about five years ago. Nice guy. I hope he’s okay and enjoying his place in Oregon.
Jim just posted on his blog that he and his dog Chica are doing fine – he’s been super busy and simply hasn’t had the time to update the blog. He’ll be starting a seasonal campground hosting job soon.
After rain, rain, rain and mud, mud, mud, we got a nice sunny day. The dogs could enjoy the outdoors and I could enjoy a dog-free day – well, mostly free. My Hershey likes it indoors.
Ah, Caliente.
Brings back a lot of memories. I lived tat the Midway Motel for the better part of two years. The USAF had a set of mobile RADAR sets scattered around the valley and used them to train Wild Weasel pilots back in the day – from 1971 to about 1975.
We would drive up from the base – following the road you described so well – and stay the week at local motels.
The annual USAF vs State of NV Girls School baseball game was always a big hit.
Enjoy your time, it looks like a lot of improvements have been made over the years – not bad for a one-time “washed up” railroad town….
I suspect that a few of the locals are retired Air Force, the area is very nice in the summer and fall and not *too* cold even in the dead of winter.
Thanks for the photos, I enjoy getting to visit my old stomping grounds via your camera lens!
What a contrast from “pa ran a lot” to a “hot” place in Nevada. Nice to have some grass for you and Reggie to walk through. Are there any blogorinos out there that travel in truck campers? The plan was a Casita, but it seems they are scooped up as soon as they come up for sale and are usually on the other side of the country, so second choice is a truck camper as there are more out there to chose from. Lance has always had a good reputation over the years and seem well built, not sure about the others out there. Anyone who has one, had one, thoughts, likes and dislikes would be appreciated. Had one man I know who has always had a truck tell me they blow all over the road. Well so did my van way back when it was wicked windy because it was higher off the ground. Thanks.
JazzLover
In the early 1980’s I lived full time in my GMC pick up and cabover camper for 6 years with my 2 dogs! I loved it! I travelled all over AZ, NM, CO and Utah! Spent summers working at the south rim Grand Canyon and winters doing art shows is southern AZ!NO COMPLAINTS!
Wow, 6 years with 2 dogs and no complaints from a woman is what I was hoping to hear. I know there are women with truck campers out there. What size camper and how big was your truck? I’d like to get it right the first time. My first truck now sits by the driveway with a badly split frame, but being a Tacoma was never in the running to carry a real camper. How did you decide what you wanted? Was it 4wd or regular and why? Thanks for answering . P.S My late husband traded our car for a suburban we found in Va to pull our Airstream to Az. It was a beautiful machine that did exactly what we needed with no problems. You could have lived in it!
Hi JazzLover, check in with Dawn in Asheville. She is fixing up a truck camper.
My Juno is actually a Class C – it LOOKS like a truck camper because it’s on a Dodge D-450 truck chassis and only 21 feet. I will say I spent two years looking on the east coast for a rig the size I wanted was almost impossible to find. Either half rotten or way out of my budget (and still needed fixing). I was lucky because my BF works in Denver so I thought what the heck, I’ll start looking on that Craiglsist when he was there–and it’s a much better market out there we discovered. He did all the legwork and brought her home.
I know I spent a LOT of time imaging the different scenarios – would I be in campgrounds or boondocking? Who would I be traveling with potentially? What would I feel comfortable driving? What do I want to experience traveling? To be honest I actually changed my mind at least ten times as I researched for I guess what was over two years. Finally, I had to realize there was no perfect rig–well, okay RVSue disagrees I’m sure! For me however, no matter what I got it was going to be a compromise, and I had to decide what were the things I absolutely wouldn’t compromise on, and then what I’d let go. And even Juno didn’t meet every must have. Like going to the shelter to find a pet, my experience was that my rig picked me!
So, my opinion for whatever it’s worth? Don’t wait for perfect – take your time and research but then just DO IT 🙂
Geri – sounds like you sure went at it with an adventuous spirit. I can picture you and your dogs and going around to fairs – salute!
It was a light weight model…. don’t remember which model, been too long, but I added extra heavy duty springs put on to carry the weight of the camper. It wasn’t a fancy slide in camper, it fit the long bed of the truck perfectly. It had an ice box, 3 burner stove and a few cupboards. I don’t think they made fancy truck campers back then. The fun part was the dogs I traveled with at that time. Atlas was a 120lb 1/2 great dane, 1/2 black lab and Peps was a 14lb cockapoo! What a pair but in that tiny space we all got along well. To make it even more crowded, I made beaded jewelry that I sold along the way to gift shops or flea mkts! haha I loved that time of my life on the road. Not many solo women on the road back then. No regrets!
Sue and Reggie, as always you never fail to give me just what I need just when I need it. Your new camping spot is just beautiful. A great place to see beautiful creatures in their natural space. The town has surely done themselves proud.
Stay safe out there my friend, Judy
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE!
Reggie and I are pooped from another full day. It’s nice to come home, open my blog, and read your comments. Go on without me . . . 🙂
As always, thank you for your kind messages.
Sue
There’s a lot of wildlife around that place. Seems pleasant. You got nice close-ups of that rabbit and the deer.
I’m glad you are enjoying it there. I’m enjoying your descriptions and pics. Thank you.
Well I am regressing but at least I am in the top 50 —–looks like you guys are having lots of fun in your new town— I love the walk — That Reg is really a cutie — makes me want to get a dog
Continue on ____
My late wife and I had a bad rollover accident outside of Caliente…never did find out what happened but the town of Caliente did SO much to help a couple of folks from Kalifornia. Hospital was fantastic as was everybody in this great little town. We were headed to Ely to see the railroad museum. Don’t miss the Ruby Mountans Wilderness Area..absolutely gorgeous !!!
What a beautiful spot. Enjoy your visit, Sue and Reggie 🙂
Not having any luck posting or getting email updates no matter how many times I try….Wonder if you will see this reply.
I love reading your posts.
I see it! 👍🏼
That “…during our walk I’m struck by the contrast between that which has been created by humans and that which exists in nature” would have been evident to me without reading the text in this post, Sue. The photos you used depicted that so well by themselves that I could guess what your thoughts were as you went through there.
Incorporating what is built into the natural landscape, without obliterating what the wildlife needs to remain within a human community, is seldom so well done. It’s easy to understand why people love living there.
The contrasts… the bridge of concrete and steel (strong!) and the stream, reeds, and lacy leaves (resilient!). The bridge: sterile, the stream: organic. The walkway plants: controlled, the stream plants: free! On and on and on… 🙂
Lovely walk.
Has anyone checked out the Lance Travel trailers? We almost bought a 1685 model, I think it was. It was the second smallest-has a single slideout which makes the space huge. They now build them for 4 seasons, I believe and they are pretty light. Only reason we didn’t get it is because the bed is sideways and we didn’t want to have to climb over each other in the middle of the night if we had to get up. Otherwise…:)
They now have a pretty big selection of travel trailers. Love the pictures of Caliente-it looks very peaceful!
Wow! Beautiful action shots! Well done!
Sue, a walk along a pathway like that would be a blessing to me now! I am so glad you have such beauty all around you and great wildlife that may not be that wild if the deer are so close to town! Enjoy your stay there. I am almost sorry your Amazon packages arrive tomorrow!
What a lovely walk! Caliente seems like a nice place to take a break and get a few things done.
It’s a bridge day: I’m also reading your blog from the beginning, and am currently in May 2014. Your post highlighted a walk along a trail in Salina Utah, where you photographed and traveled over a rustic bridge. It’s a good metaphor for your travels: wandering across the bridge to see what’s on the other side 🙂
Greetings Sue.
Am I last? For “the last shall be first” (quoted a wee bit out of context).
I continue to enjoy your travels.
Jack