Wednesday, March 11 (continued)
In the last episode of RVSue and her canine crew, Bridget, Reggie, and I are on scenic Northshore Road going to Valley of Fire State Park, northeast of Las Vegas.
We make another stop along the way.
This is, after all, Reggie’s first adventure!
After a brief look around, we’re back on the road . . .
About sixty miles from Las Vegas Bay Campground, we arrive at the entrance to Valley of Fire State Park.
The cloud cover is heavy.
The entry fee is $10.00 per vehicle. The campground fee is $30 with hook-ups/$20 without hook-ups. As I drive through, my interest wanes as does the sunlight. It’s late afternoon. I take some photos which don’t do justice to this unusual and beautiful place. As strange as it may seem, my eyes glaze over from “spectacular scenery overload.”
To do Valley of Fire Park right, one needs to camp either inside the park or near the entrance in order to hike to see such features as petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyphs. And do that on days that aren’t dark.
Valley of Fire cannot be fully appreciated in a quick visit.
You can see why I say that by clicking on this link, Valley of Fire, and scrolling down to look at the slideshow. Rather than force myself to make frequent stops, I cruise through the park and commit to camping here when in the area again.
The sky brightens as we drift homeward.
Northshore Road is the kind of road that is like two different roads, depending upon your direction.
I rate this drive as one of the most enjoyable in almost four years of travel around the West. There are more spectacular drives in the West, but this one charms me.
Bridget and Reggie sleep on the return to camp, waking up hungry!
Thursday, March 12
“Today we’re going to the dam!” Reggie and Bridget jump around excitedly as I leash them up. I toss them into the Perfect Tow Vehicle and we drive out of Las Vegas Bay Campground.
We drive by Lake Mead on Lakeshore Road.
We ought to stop at the visitors’ center. It’s on the way . . .
Bridget immediately becomes restless, whining urgently.
Something about riding in the PTV triggers her bowels!
“Okay, sweetie. Hang on. We’re almost there.”
Visitors’ Center, Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Poop bags in my pocket, I walk the crew around the desert garden.
Soon Bridget is able to enjoy the walk!
“Feel better, Bridge?”
Reggie’s legs pump like pistons as he eagerly pulls us on the walkway.
“Hold up, little guy! Let me take a photo of these flowers.”
Nevada sunshine provides power for the building.
I give the crew a drink and put them into the PTV while I run inside to see the exhibit. Typical visitor center . . . books, hats, tee-shirts, Native American blankets and jewelry, stuffed wildlife, push a button and watch a video, a model of what the lake once was . . . .
Gee, at one time our campground was next to the water . . . (lower left of model)
We’re off to Hoover Dam!
One cannot camp a few miles from Hoover Dam without taking a look!
We approach the security checkpoint. The agent tells me to move out of line and park over to the side. He asks me to step out.
“Would you open up the doors please?”
Bridget and Reggie bark frantically.
“Be careful with the dogs,” the agent says. “Lots of coyotes around here.” Not to mention a gorge right over there that goes to the center of the earth . . .
I open up the side doors behind the driver’s door.
“What do you have in there?” the agent asks, peering into the landfill behind the bench seat.
“Practically everything I own,” I respond, explaining that I live full-time in a small travel trailer.
He looks things over, voicing what he sees.
“Clothes, a table, chair, shovel . . . okay.” Bridget and Reggie yap in our faces.
“I can open up the other doors for you, if you’d like,” I offer.
“No, that’s not necessary. You can go. Enjoy your visit.”
Whew!
I drive over the dam to park on the other side. The walkway on the dam is full of people of different ethnicities. People come from all over the world to see this . . . .
Signs are posted in the parking lot, “Do not leave pets in vehicles.”
It’s a long walk to reach the walkway going across the dam. It’s cool enough that I could go there without the crew becoming uncomfortable. If I leave them, someone will hear Bridget barking and assume she’s having heatstroke and I don’t want to deal with that.
I content myself with photos from the parking lot which offers a good view.
This next photo shows the river upstream from the dam.
I admit I’m not comfortable in high places looking down.
Driving through the gorge and crossing the dam triggered some anxiety. It’s just as well I’m not on the walkway looking down the other side . . .
Typical of me, I’m as much interested in taking photos of plants, water, and rock, than of the massive structure, an architectural and engineering wonder of the world!
Click on this link to read how much water is allotted to each of the seven Western states and Mexico from the Colorado River Basin.
Satisfied with what I’ve seen of Hoover Dam, I join the crew and again we go across the dam.
I relax once we’re on Route 93 again. We take a short detour to buy gas at $2.99 a gallon (owee) and return to camp.
A quick potty run and it’s Pen Time!
I fix myself a chicken salad, pull up the lounger next to the pen, eat lunch and open up my Paperwhite.
rvsue
THANK YOU, RVSUE SHOPPERS!
I appreciate you using the links or search box on my blog to go to Amazon. Here are some of the items purchased recently by readers:
Morninghead Cap – Bed Head Cure
Adjustable Height Aluminum Platform Step
Pet Gear Happy Trails Stroller for Cats and Dogs
AmeriBag Classic Microfiber Healthy Back Bag
Royal Kona – Toasted Coconut – 10% Kona Coffee Blend
Slime Safety Spair 7-Minute Flat Tire Repair System 12-Volt
This boy is ready for a nap.
PRECIOUS!! Love your family!!
Thank you, TXBX!
The crew looks so happy!
Hi, Kathy…. They should be happy… They have a good life! 🙂
That photo of Reggie looking out the window is great. All the pics are but Reggie steals the show. He is going to be fun for years to come. Have fun Missy….
It is fun having Reggie with us (and a lot of work!). He’s very photogenic when he’s still which isn’t often. 🙂
Almost first lol. I read the post. Great story as usual. You are a very talented writer. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you, Edie. Nice of you to stop in here to let me know that.
Love the red earth. My family visited way back in 1957 and I remember how beautiful it was. We toured the dam and was overwhelmed by its size. Are you sure Reggie knows he’s ready for a nap?
Hi, Susan,
About Reggie and naps… No, I don’t think he thinks about sleeping. He plays right up to the moment he drops off into dreamland. No in-between. He’ll be gnawing on my hand as I’m reading and then the gnawing stops. I look over and he’s asleep. 🙂
My younger son was often like that as a toddler. I have a picture of him asleep face first in spaghetti because he just kept going till he dropped. He is still a go getter at 32!
🙂
Had to say Hi! To the three of you and hope to be in the top ten. Have a great day!!!
You did it, Wendy! And all the way from Thailand, too. Amazing! 😉
I am sitting at the edge of my seat waiting to read the next adventure for RV Sue & Her Canine Crew! I just can’t get enough!
Now, back to read it 😀
Thanks again Sue, Have a
Great Day!
A great day for you, too! It tickles me that you enjoy my blog that much. 🙂
OH great. Thanks a lot, now I really want to go to Valley of Fire and it’s WAY off my route!
(Just kidding) Friends of mine count that park as one of their favorite places in the SW.
The Crew is looking soooo happy!
Hi, JanisP,
Keep reading my blog and your “route” will go in all sorts of directions! Today I’m trying to decide where to go next. The desert is heating up so the crew and I will be mountain camping soon.
Hi Sue and crew!
Looks like a very enjoyable drive for you but if you are anything like me it’s even better when your camp is in view. No bra zone… lol
Time to relax and enjoy the crew. Loving their sweet faces.
Today I sold my 19′ trailer and made a decent profit. Now to sell my mobile home which is now on the market. Sold my king sized Leather Sleigh bed yesterday too. So Friday the 13th was a lucky one for me. When I went to remove the license from the RV it was gone… the plate was stolen right off the camper. Not too nice… can’t trust anyone. I reported it to the police and will take the title to the tax and tag office Monday.
All and all things are moving right along. Can’t wait to buy a little bit bigger travel trailer now. Really can’t complain lol
Hi, Deb,
Yes, you are making wonderful progress! Congratulations on those sales. You know how to get things done. 🙂
I don’t get why people would steal a license plate. Don’t they know it will be reported and there they are with the stolen goods in full view of any police officer who makes a check… Of all the things to steal.. ??
Okay… You know this time to choose a trailer with an electric hitch, right? (just teasing)…
BTW, the world became my no-bra zone on my first day of retirement!
Sue I have not said so before but in the bra-less zone you were my inspiration. LOL
Tits ahoy!
Congratulations on the sale of your travel trailer Deb! Oh, and great job on your yard sale! One is on the right path when things start to fall into place. You are just skipping along, girl! I am happy for you! 🙂
“The landfill behind the bench seat” made me laugh. I know that look! I’m always surprised that I don’t get pulled over and searched/looked through more often at the various check points and such, given what one could carry in one of our rigs.
I camped in Valley of Fire last fall. Pretty campground, but my visit was ruined by folks in the campsite next to me running a generator at full tilt all day long (and they had a trailer with about ten gas cans on it…). I let the hosts and a range know how I felt about it (politely as I know they don’t make the rules). What really frosted me is that there were electric hookup sites available for $10 more in the same loop! Thus I didn’t feel that generator use should be allowed (and it was allowed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., so ALL DAY LONG).
To make it worse when the generator folks came back from town (gas run, apparently; trailer was full of *more* gas cans), they took about 1/2 hour to back the trailer into the site, and gouged and rutted the desert across from the site (“just practicing”) while they revved up and spun tires going back and forth and back and forth. What ever happened to practicing in a parking lot? Some people!
I actually pulled up stakes at around 3 p.m., paid-for campsite be darned, and went to a boondocking site just SE of the park. It was right next to a railroad siding and had factory background noise all night but it felt like paradise in comparison!
(I had camped at V of F one previous time “on my way to somewhere” but in the more primitive loop and it WAS quiet and only tenters; this time I was in the other loop to try to avoid a wind/dust storm day.)
When I left the area I took that same road along the north shore of Lake Mead, with zero expectation of what it would be like — I was simply on my way to points south and needed to pass through Henderson/Las Vegas. Wow, what a surprise and a pure pleasure drive! I had the road to myself (7 a.m….. yes, I do get up that early once in a while :D) and it was not only gorgeous scenery, but a lovely road with pullouts spaced just right for my enjoyment. A memorable/wonderful drive.
I, too, would like to go back and “do justice” to Valley of Fire some day. I’ll have to try for the off season and simply hope for no generators next to my site as the rangers said the rules were unlikely to be changed. Or maybe just boondock outside the park (but nearby) and then go in for the day.
Or maybe I’ll just drive up and down that north shore road 😀 😀
Crew is looking cute and happy!
Hi, Pen,
I didn’t include this in a post — The Border Patrol agents looked inside the BLT when we went through the checkpoint north of Ajo recently. I’m surprised that’s the first time they’ve checked.
As for those obnoxious generator people, you were right to talk to the ranger about it. I would take it a step further and leave a note on their door, “I want you to know that you spoiled my visit to this campground by running your generator all day long. Save the generator use for times when no one is close by. In consideration of fellow campers, pay for electric hook-ups. I paid for a site that I’m having to leave to get away from your noise.”
You know me… always the teacher! Ha! Thanks for reminding me about the generator issue. I’ll camp outside the park when we visit next time, closer than where we camped this time.
I’m very sorry that happened to you. The drive on Northshore Road was your compensation. It is a lovely drive. There wasn’t much traffic when we were on it either. You know, driving up and down Northshore Road isn’t a silly idea. I could pack a lunch and spend hours moseying along, stop for a picnic…
I do not like heights either…you did well to take those photos, Sue!! Your campsite is quite pretty…nice you have some shade too. Will you head soon for cooler altitudes? How hot is it now? We got up past 60 degrees here this week….felt rather warm!!
Hi, Elizabeth,
This campsite isn’t visually outstanding. It is comfortable with a mix of shade and sun, and that’s good. I move the crew’s pen according to where the shade is.
Days are becoming hotter. Always cool in the morning because that’s the way the desert it… Mid-80s coming up this week for highs… We aren’t taking walks across desert areas anymore as the critters are out. I saw some cacti in bloom near the campground.
I don’t know why I’m leery of hieghts. It’s only been in the past few years, right before I visited the Grand Canyon and all these other places where one looks down. Maybe it was Coyote Road in NM, that scary road with the drop-offs and no guard rails, that started the anxiety.
I used to be fearless! I did so many things when I was young, that it is a wonder I have lived to be this white haired old lady!
However, I also have acquired a fear of heights! When I wanted photos of Canyon De Chelly in NE Arizona, I had to hand the camera off to Chuck! So I can sympathize with you!
Wonderful photos! We didn’t make it to Nevada while we were out west, had no idea it was so beautiful! If you are heading north, consider Logan, Utah area! Chuck and I were camp hosts at a small forest service campground called Spring Hollow, just outside Logan, in Logan Canyon. Good news, it is an older but well taken care of. The sites are short, so none of the big rigs can fit in! There are several small waterfalls there and several hiking trails !
Love all the photos, but I have to agree that Reggie steals the show!
Thanks for the tip on Logan Canyon. We aren’t going to Utah from here. We’ve “done” Utah quite a bit… and I want to return, but it’s time for exploring a different area.
I love Utah! Plus Logan is on the far side of SLC which I avoid. Doesn’t mean we won’t go to Logan one of these years. . .
I plan to go west from here…
You can come into Logan from the east from Wyoming. A lot better than SLC area. Check the blog, very pretty area.
That’s how I would go there. But not from here!
Be aware CA having heat wave. It was 90 at the coast yesterday
It’s heating up in Nevada, too!
Love it! It’s absolutely gorgeous!
You must admit some type of “nervousness” with uniforms. Hahh
I hate hate hate heights! Thanks for sharing the tour of the Hoover Dam!
Does Reggie always have his leash attached while in the pen? He appears to be acclimating to the lifestyle very well!
Hi, Cinandjules,
Checkpoints always make me a little nervous. I used to be nervous when reaching the end of the cafeteria line in elementary school . . .
Yes, Reggie wears his leash at all times when outside of the BLT. It doesn’t seem to bother or hinder him in any way. If he should get away from me, I have a better chance of catching him. What a powerball! I sigh with relief whenever he falls asleep. 🙂
Great idea!
Made me laugh imagining you trying to step on a sliding leash! Something tells me…he won’t run very far! All Ya have to do is make that coochie coochie sound!
HA I had to laugh at your post about having to pull over so you could
be searched….it reminds me of my last driving visit to vegas with 3
guys I retired with….going in from the east we hit the check station
around 3 am and the guard just asked who we were and where we
were going…didnt check anything..
as week later headed east going home we hit the west side check
station and they had us pull over to the side to check us out. we
had 3 or 4 bags on a carrier on the roof of the van. they made us
take all those bags off the roof but didnt open a single one. we
could have had TNT in one of those bags and they wouldnt have
found it…..
you have me wanting to go to the Vally of Fire now…..
thanks for sharing!
chuck
Hi, Chuck,
It is mysterious how the security agents learn anything from the way they check vehicles. There must be clues they look for. I don’t know how they can find an explosive device without the help of bomb-sniffing dogs, which I didn’t see anywhere.
Anyway, I’m glad they didn’t ask me to empty out the PTV. I’d still be there re-packing!
Interview and interrogation techniques work wonders!
Something you wouldn’t even realize what you are doing…..determines the necessity of continuing further or letting you go on your way!
I figure offering to open up more doors is a good thing to do…
Regarding the picture of the solar panels there. The Hoover Dam produces a little over 2 gigawatts of electricity (that’s an enormous amount). Only our government would spend money on a solar system as shown in the picture when all of that cheap, cheap electricity is right there. Oh, that reminds me, I need to do my tax return as a good citizen, thus enabling more squandering of money like this.
Hi, Jon,
Is electricity cheap around the dam? Does the decrease in water level affect the production of energy to where the price of power goes up? Maybe dumb questions… oh well..
Here’s an article about the solar panels in today’s “Henderson Press.”
Wow, what a great journey that you and the full crew have taken . great photos of the whole area too! Reggie is looking like he’s doing great and HRH Bridget looks great too. We’re just south of I-40 waiting for the right time to mosey on. ,,,,,,,Me
Hi, Rusty,
I saw that place that you described to me when we drove to Las Vegas. It’s nice to have a change.
Timing is everything — Don’t want to be too hot or too cold. I’m trying to figure how to cross all this desert and avoid the heat, too!
Hello to Timber! Enjoy your camp…
Get up and go at 5am. You will have a good 4 or 5 hours driving time before it gets really hot.
It’s great to see your home/campsite with toys around it-that alone shows that you’re living a brand new happy chapter!How wonderful for Reggie to have another day of discovery so soon-I love that new adventures,like every trip in the PTV is to her,still so excite Bridget that she needs a potty run.What a great life you’re giving them.
It doesn’t seem strange at all that places need to be lived in,perceived closely with all ones senses to be appreciated.Spectacular scenery overload- good expression for how uncomfortable they can make us otherwise…A drive you find to be among the most enjoyable and charming you’ve had,completing your family-treasures so far removed from what most go to Vegas for-there’s a lot more than being a full timing RVer that sets you apart from the ordinary.
Gee, weather, you do write esteem-building messages… :)… That may not be your primary intent, but that’s what happens to me! Thank you.
I admit I appreciate the smaller miracles of God/nature and the smaller achievements of people . . . . Those flowers in a bunch that I photographed are just as memorable to me as Hoover Dam. Nothing wrong with getting excited about a dam — lots of folks do — For me it’s too much, too big to appreciate. I never go on those dam tours! 🙂
Especially these early days with Reggie, my focus is more on the crew in the surroundings rather than the surroundings for their own sake, if that makes sense…
I bet there are plenty of folks who shake their head thinking, “Golly, go to Las Vegas and not enter a casino or see a show? That’s crazy!” To each his own, right?
I need to buy more toys for Reggie. 🙂
as Goldilocks would say-your focus is just right 🙂
I like the dams I used to make with rocks on little streams in the woods… That’s more my speed and scale. 🙂
n’nite ,snuggle closer to the punkin’head and princess a bit for me
That’s the perfect nickname for Reggie… punkin’ head. Haha!
n’nite!
O-yippity…winter is putting a pretty snowfall show on!!!The kind where each thick little flake has lace on it’s edges-they all blow straight by going in the same direction,then stop to slowly twirl, dancing in little arcs until they sit on a pine branch and just pose- like they know how charming they look.The young maple branches have their new baby bark on, in shades too light to look real ,so when seen at first glance from a distance the hill and grove appear to be within a soft fawn colored fog.The female cardinals blend in there so well that I didn’t see the peach feathers on them until they took to flight.The best way to describe the overall effect of it all is that feels like the scene’s being staged to convey and deliver a gentle touch to all within it.
With all your experience and tendency to receive inspiration,I know you’ll land on the answer of how to best go in the westerly direction that you want to.Just considering each possibility must be exciting.I love that your map books get worn out.There’s something so satisfyingly good ol’ days about trusting real pages to give one the answers sought
Evidence of your excellent writing ability is my seeing snowflakes while sitting in the Southwest during a heat wave! I see them swirling, feel them on my cheeks and eyelashes, taste them with my tongue… 🙂
My map books are dream books and well-worn from all the dreaming I do. I love scanning the pages of a state atlas for possibilities…
We were on the road today and have landed successfully in a new camp next to water!
Camped next to water during a heat wave-good for you,you’ve done it again!Reggie’s 2nd home on the road-he just officially became an Rving vagabond!
Ha! Reggie is loving this life! Not only do we have water, we have trees and cool breezes…
OK,though my atlas didn’t show it nearby,obviously you have better ones and “the touch” for finding the hidden,have you moved to Eden?
Not quite…. 🙂
My husband and I went to V of F a year ago for a friend’s wedding! It was a beautiful place to get married and gave us a taste of the beauty of the area! We definitely want to go back and camp for a few days and take advantage of the hiking paths! We had one small oops as we were entering the park and trying to keep up with the wedding party. We exceed the speed limit and was pulled over by a park ranger. We got a serious lecture but no ticket and did not miss the wedding so all was well!
Hi, Laurie,
Valley of Fire would make a memorable wedding setting. Family and friends fly into Vegas, go to the wedding, enjoy the park, enjoy the city… Of course, there’s always someone who has to break the rules. 😉 Ha!
I enjoyed your comment. Thanks.
My two favorite pictures are the first one – amazing how that red paints the bottom of the valley, and I also love the one with the flowering cactus in the fore-ground and the lake behind. Wonderful colors.
Apparently your “landfill” contents satisfied the agent that all was well. I had to visit my local IRS office recently and the security was unbelievable for the federal building. It’s necessary, but still a sad reflection of the times in which we live.
Those pups look so happy. Glad you’re all together.
Hi, Applegirl,
The flowering cactus with lake in the background is one of those scenes that cries out to be photographed. That’s a tiny garden next to the Visitors’ Center, and it’s quite lovely… Not like the arboretum Bridget showed us recently, but nice. 🙂
Thank you for remarking on my photos. Yes, times continue to change. I wonder what life will be like a hundred years from now. The security checks we go through now would seem outrageous to a person living in the year 1915.
Wow!! Top 10 for me!!
I can just imagine how beautiful the park would be at sunrise or sunset. The crew look like they are doing great together and Reggie is enjoying his new digs!
Darn…..I guess you have to sign in first THEN read!
Hi, Merle,
Take a look at this Valley of Fire sunset photo. It’s probably been uber-edited. Even so, what a fantastic photo!.
Great photos as usual and Reggie is a HAM! Bridget looks great, maybe it is her new bud! V of F is gorgeous area and Red Rock Canyon on west side of Lost Wages IS neat.
Oh my!! Almost unreal but so beautiful!
Nice visit to the dam. You didn’t take the dam tour? Go to the dam cafeteria? Buy some dam souvenirs? Good thing you left your dam b…o…m…b…s back at the trailer! Ha! I like it when people visit the dams.
Reggie looks like he is blending in just fine. I worried how the Bridge might react to a newcomer after having you to herself these past months. Glad to see she is accepting him pretty well.
Hi, John,
Everywhere we go I see people buying stuff at famous landmarks. I don’t know where they put it all!
One of the reasons it took me so long to find the new crew member was the requirement to find a dog that would “blend in.” Reggie is intelligent enough to know when he’s pushing the boundaries with Bridge and she’s assertive enough to make sure he knows… It all works out to a mutual understanding.
Not a buyer of souvenirs either.
Have you driven through Red Rock Canyom? It’s on the west side of Vegas but it sure is pretty.
No, I haven’t. I had planned to include it in this visit. Now it’s Saturday, very warm, and I’m ready to leave the area to head toward cooler areas.
Red Rock gives me a reason to return to this area, along with Valley of Fire … I’ll do that when it isn’t Spring Break. I’ll camp in the campground near the entrance.
Regarding the canyons… it may just be Red Rock, but I don’t know… Are the burros still out there Sue? When my hubs and I were there last time (at least 10 yrs ago) there were… they are sort of a non-tourist attraction on the side of the road 🙂 I have a photo of Jim with one… he is hugging them. I think that is when I knew I had to raise llamas at some point in my life… Same size. 🙂
Safe journeys! I could not take that heat…
Hugs from Hoquiam!
Barb
I didn’t see any burros along Northshore Road, Valley of Fire, or around Lake Mead.
I’ve seen them around the Colorado River near Squaw Lake, AZ…
Yes there are burros at Red Rock, at least. Or there were in 2007, the last time I was there. But I bet they are still there.
I’m at the Festival of Books in Tucson, having a great time! I’m taking classes, and right now I’m in a class with Catherine Coulter. Got to go! She’s speaking.
Wow! That’s great, Ginger. I can see Ms. Coulter right now, having read her books and looked at the book jacket. A very “together” woman….
She was awesome. Gave a lot of good writing tips. Older than I expected but very attractive and put-together.
Have fun! 🙂
I did!
J A Jance was also at the Festival of Books yesterday. A Storytelling Life: J.A. Jance, in conversation with Margaret Coel, to celebrate Ms. Jance’s fiftieth book.
She will be here in Sierra Vista tomorrow at noon. With any luck I’ll be out of the dentist office in time to go here her speak and perhaps meet her. I have had e-mail contact with her in the past and it would be great to have a face-to-face.
Yes I saw her listed but couldn’t make it; my walking ability and energy arenot up to par yet. And Noam Chomsky was today, but I’m working.
Hi. Sue,
Lovely pictures of Valley of Fire…I just love the red rocks! V of F is on my must visit list! The pictures of Hoover Dam and the Colorado river reminded me when I visited and took the dam tour! 🙂
Bridget and Reggie are looking cute as can be…happy little chums. Regarding teaching Reggie to come when called….you might want to pick up a 30′ training lead before you head out of town. They run around $1o, much higher on Amazon for some reason. They are made of the same cotton web as leashes. I used one to try to train Gracie to come when called…that is the one thing that she refuses to do. She has given me a couple bad scares getting loose. I hope Mr Reg will master this command for you. If you get the training lead, you can also loop the catch end through the loop allowing it to be attached to something in order to give him room to roam while tethered. I sometimes loop mine around a tree so Gracie can hang with me while I am working in the my flower beds. Oh, and be sure to keep any eye on where the lead is, as it can be a trip hazard. Good luck!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the day! I am glad that Red Rock Canyon is on your “to see” list for next spring. Hugs to you and the crew from me and Gracie pup. 🙂
Hi, Denise,
I remember that I have one of those metal corkscrew things that one screws into the ground. I don’t know why I have one of those. I’ve never used it. I will get Reggie a training lead. I have a feeling it’s a bit early to use that training device.
He’s doing very well with sit and stay. I’m especially pleased that when I open the door to go outside for a minute and Reggie is on my heels wanting to follow me out, I can put my palm up in the stop signal, say “stay” and he backs up around the corner of the refrigerator. He doesn’t try to sneak outside.
I’m calling him to come across the pen and then fussing on him when he does. Also calling him from one end of the BLT to the other. He will graduate to the lead trainer soon. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.
So glad that Reggie is doing so well in his training…I am not surprised! N’nite! 🙂
Great pictures…looks like a wonderful place but I am with you on heights. I don’t want to look over the edge of anything!!
Glad the 3 of you are having such good times.
Love you
Love you, too, Pauline. 🙂
I’ve been to Hoover Dam, it’s amazing. But I never heard of Valley of Fire…just spectacular! I have to go see that next time I’m out there. Thanks for showing it to us! The colors are amazing, they often show best when the day is overcast.
Hi, Dawn,
You’re right about colors looking good on an overcast day. However, I don’t feel inspired to take photos on a dim and dreary day! I hope you do go to Valley of Fire. I didn’t see much of it and hope to return.
Yes, VOF is a stunningly gorgeous place to camp although it is very hot much of the year. Last time I was there it was early October and over 100 degrees! To hot to hike.
Reggie is so darned cute!!! What a precious little guy! 🙂
Hi, mockturtle,
I guess mid-winter is the best time for Valley of Fire or the cool days of late winter if you can time it right.
I wish I could show you how cute Reggie is when he’s asleep. He’s such a light sleeper that he wakes up when I try to photograph him sleeping.
Sue, following is a quote from Einstein that reminded me of you:
“I am truly a ‘lone traveler’ and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart. In the face of all this, I have never lost a sense of distance and the need for solitude.”
Hmm…. I’m not sure what he meant by his “sense of distance”… Interesting. Yes, you can compare me to Einstein. 🙂
Appreciating all the photos in the last few entries……….wonderful landscapes, so rich with colour and textures. Wow. Loving Reggie too……….what a great little man he is!
Hi, Glenda,
Reggie is a little man. He is very determined when he’s on-leash. He trots along ahead of Bridget and me, makes sides trips to sniff at will, and assumes we womenfolk will follow wherever he goes…
Nice photo tour Sue. I have been to Vegas a few times, and never ventured out to the dam or the valley of fire. Next time….
Hi, K & B in CO,
Do drive Northshore Road. Even though you can no longer view the lake from Northshore, it still is a beautiful day trip from Vegas to Overton. Overton is about 12 miles or so past the state park.
What is it about age and heights?! I finally have an appt. with a dr. in a few weeks to address my problem. After 15 yr. of this, it’s time! It started with driving over high bridges, then it extended to riding over them.
Hi, Pat,
Good for you for seeking help! I once worked with a young woman who could not cross bridges and it severely diminished her travel. We lived in Florida at the time, in Pinellas County… bridges in every direction!
I can’t sing to save my life. However, I sing when driving over high places. That prevents me from tensing up. I hope you find what works for you!
Hi Sue. What a gorgeous place–another spot to put on our list. Thank you. I can’t get over how much more vibrant & happy Bridget looks now that 2 have become 3. So good to see that in her. I’ll bet it’s been awhile since she gave you the stink eye. Reg is just adorable–the photo of him nodding off for a nap is precious. Ah, the boundless energy of pups! Take good care & have fun!
Hi, Dawn,
Bridget still has days where she avoids the camera. This morning we were on a trail leading away from the campground. I had the camera with me so she refused to walk in front of me with Reggie. I wanted to take pics of them walking this neat trail together… Frustrating!
Great post, Sue!!
I’ve been to Hoover Dam (2x!)!!
It’s fantastic!!!
I even walked down & took the tour UNDERNEATH where all the turbines work!!
I saw a documentary on the History Channel showing how the Dam was built! Did you know: it’s as WIDE at the bottom as it is TALL!!!
It’s truly a remarkable structure!!
Hi, Lynn,
You know how to get the most out of a visit to the dam. Even if I had the inclination, I couldn’t leave the pups to go on a tour. No, I didn’t know that about the width of the dam at the bottom. I bet you learned a lot of interesting facts.
You would enjoy reading about the Memorial Bridge at gumo blog. I didn’t climb up it, but gumo shows some photos . . . .
In 1936 three important events occurred. Hoover Dam was completed and open, The Golden Gate bridge was completed and a cute little boy was born in Los Angeles. Yes, that would be me, but then when I said cute it gave it away, eh?
It was a very good year! 🙂
Ah, what a life you three wanderers have! The landscapes out west put me in awe. I have hardly been out of Georgia, Florida and North Carolina, (and China to get my younguns’!) and have never been out west. I long for the mountains in NC and upper GA, but I would sure love to see those amazing structures in the southwest. I have a feeling it would be like the terracotta warriors I saw in China when adopting my second daughter. I had seen books and a video but seeing them in person I literally dropped my jaw and stood in a stupor. My new 6-3/4-year-old kept running off because I literally was in extreme awe. It is so different to see something so spectacular in person. I hope to get to do that one day! Meanwhile, I sure enjoy your photos so much!
Hi, Jan,
That’s a surprising mix — GA, FL, NC and China! The terracotta warriors can’t be represented completely in a photo or video. That’s the way it is with a lot of the West. The bigness won’t fit in a frame. My photos show only a glimpse.
I hope you do come to the West soon!
Love it!! You should get them a small wading pool for their little yard. 🙂
Hi, Mert,
I hope the weather is being kinder to you folks in Kentucky. I’ve thought of you and your parents several times over the past few months.
I would like to introduce Reggie to wading. Right now I need to get rid of some things in the PTV to make room for a wading pool. 🙂
Introoduce Reggie to wading! Awesome idea! Maybe he’ll be another Spikey Soaker! I’ll stay tuned!
🙂
Our RV park in Wikieup Arizona is full up. Hwy 93 is sure getting crowded too. Seems like this hot weather may have something to do with it. There is a place you may like to visit someday called Kodachrome State Park in Utah. The red rocks seem to grow up right out of the ground like V of F. When I was there back in 1993 a lady ran the general store that was friends with Butch Cassidy’s Sister. She told me Butch came into town to visit his Sister around the turn of the century, then went to the state of Washington and lived under an assumed name until he died of natural causes there in the 1930’s. He was sorry he ever rode the Outlaw trail.
Interesting, Joe, about Butch Cassidy and the state park.
The crew and I will be on the road today. The campground has filled up and we, like a lot of those folks on the road, need to move on. I hope they don’t go where we go!
Good story.
I have also read that locals of Cassidy’s hometown of Circleville, Utah, claimed in an interview that Cassidy worked in Nevada until his death.
There was a body exhumed from Duchesne, UT City Cemetery in 2009 that it is hoped will prove that William Henry Long was, in fact, the Sundance Kid. Long died an old man in 1936, a Utah rancher with a shady reputation and a mysterious past. It is argued that Long married a widow with six kids in 1894 and led a secret double life during Butch and Sundance’s outlaw years. Another good story.
In 1993 my young sons and I traveled through the Rockies on what became known as the “ten state trip”. We saw so many waterfalls that we were soon just passing them by with a glance. All very beautiful, but I just couldn’t absorb any more. Ditto on the heights – if I’m standing up. I don’t mind them if I’m seated, and am hoping to ride the zip line in NM at the end of the month!!
Hi, Jodee,
You describe being saturated with beauty and spectacle very well with “I just couldn’t absorb any more.” When that happens, it’s time to get away from it and do and see ordinary things. That’s why I gave Valley of Fire a quick drive-through and it’s something to do another day. You did make lasting memories though in your 10-state trip.
Enjoy the “zip line!” The only one I’ve ever ridden is the one to the top of Stone Mountain, Georgia. They aren’t scary like I thought… Of course, I was younger then. 🙂
Great post as always! Not to take away from it but wheelingit.us has a great post on Valley of Fire park. They did lots of hiking and got great photos! (yours are great too, though!)
Thanks, Terri. Most of what I post about, Nina and Paul have already done and done it better.
Nope, Sue, they don’t do it better, just different. Your way suits some of us, while theirs suits others. I like your way, and appreciate theirs.
🙂
Sue, you have much experience traveling with your babies. I always worry about leaving our dog in the car. He is a small Daschsund. What are your suggestions to keep him safe? Thanks!
Hi, Cheryl,
I don’t know what to tell you beyond the obvious. Of course, always leave a dish of water in the vehicle, search for shade, and have windows open a bit. Having a well-insulated vehicle with tinted windows helps a lot. When it’s hot there isn’t much you can do other than limit necessary trips to early morning…
My grandfather got a job working on the building of Boulder Dam, he wanted my father to go with him to get a job there. My father told him it was too dangerous and took a job digging the holes for footings for the power line towers. My father was right, grandfather got caught in a rock avalanche and although he lived through it he lost his arm just below the elbow. Had a hook on that arm just like a pirate!
*I still think of it as Boulder Dam, that is what I always heard it called when I was growing up.
Hi, Ed,
History is more real when learned through the stories of ancestors. Thank you for sharing a bit of your family history. Your grandfather was unlucky/lucky… to be caught in a rock avalanche and to come out of it alive.
Your father and grandfather were hard workers and made a valuable contribution.
I remember when the dam was called Boulder Dam. Goes along with Boulder Beach…
I am so happy you found Reggie he seems so perfect for you, I love seeing all your pictures and how much you are enjoying every day a new adventure. Enjoy the ride.
Thank you, Marlene, for that nice comment. I’ve discovered something new about Reggie every day since we found him and it’s all good!
Your family is looking so good. Reggie seems to be adjusting well and Bridget has graciously accepted him. I think she likes having a canine companion and you enjoy your children. With regards to heights I also have anxiety when on the roads. I wasn’t always like this. Years ago I took a trip to Vermont with my husband. He wanted to go up the skyline drive and I wanted to shop. But I went anyway and wow was it ever awful. I experienced my first panic attack. So from then on I couldn’t take mountain roads at all.
Hi, Karen,
I bet your husband did the driving on that skyline drive. It’s nerve-wracking to be a passenger on these high, winding roads with cliff drops on the side, especially when you don’t have control of the wheel.
I’m sorry you have panic attacks. Not fun! I notice only female readers are mentioning anxiety about heights. I wonder if it’s a female thing or if the men aren’t sharing.
I imagine no red blooded male would want to admit to being a “wusie” about riding mountains. But I am sure they have had some white knuckled experiences. I bought 2 books that show where these roads are. They are Mountain Directory West and Mountain Directory East by R&R Publishing. Rv’rs and Truck drivers use them all the time. Just love your new campsite by the water.
Hi Sue,
I’m way overdue to pass along this message from my grandmother, Eleanor Brown. She wanted me to let you know how much your letter meant to her! It’s hanging up at her house!
She’s doing well. A remarkable woman at 92, turning 93 in May. She just stopped driving this past year (her decision), so she has to rely on others more than she used to. My mom, Lana, has Alzheimer’s (not sure, if you knew that) and we just took the car away from her this month. The only place she would drive was to my grandmother’s house 3 days a week, so my sister, Lori & cousin, Stacey (they live near her) are bringing my mom for visits. My mom didn’t take that change well, but we’d hate to see anything happen to her or anyone else!
Sorry about the loss of Spike. I see that you have a new little co-pilot who I’m sure will love all of your adventures! I absolutely LOVE the area that you’re in right now. I’ve been thru the Valley of Fire and pictures can’t do justice to the breathtaking landscape (although yours give a pretty good idea of it)!
Safe travels and thanks again for taking the time to send Gram a letter!
Take care,
Lisa
Hi, Lisa!
What a happy surprise to see your name! Thank you for the newsy message.
You know I love your mother and grandmother (my “auntie”) with all my heart… I’m sad for Lana, and grateful she has loving family around her, the same for your Gram. I send them big hugs. . . . Wish I could give real hugs in person!
I’ll be sure to write another letter. Thank you for being a link between us. You are a blessing, Lisa. Regards to your sister and cousins and all the family . . . .
Have you noticed? The sparkle is now back in Bridget’s eyes! Something that just stood out for me.
Hi, Mon,
Great seeing you here! Yes, Bridget does have her sparkle back… Amazing what changes this little guy brings to our home. 🙂