Fast and Furious

 From Prescott we moved over to the Colorado River. We stayed in the Parker Strip community just north of Parker and along the Arizona side of the Colorado River. Great state parks exist along the river but we also enjoyed the  Pirate's Den RV park with a popular beach bar (The Thirsty Pirate) and the excellent Black Pearl restaurant next to it. Speedboats and Jet Ski's raced up and down the Colorado River which was entertaining to watch albeit with a bit too much noise. There was also a nice golf course across the road (Emerald Canyon) that we enjoyed several times. We did have some problems with WiFi reception but that just meant more time at the beach bar! 

With temperatures continuing to be in the high 20's C, we decided to head north to St. George, Utah where 20-25C weather was forecast. We had spent time here before but usually for a day or two as we were heading south or on our way back home, with nice golf courses in the area. It was also the gateway to Zion NP, one of our favourite NP's and we did take a day for yet another return visit to this stunning rock wall park with hiking trails for all levels. We made Hurricane our home for the week in an RV park (Willow Wind) filled with trees providing lots of shade for every site. 3 rounds of golf ensued on rock canyon courses where accuracy was critical and the red rock surroundings a treat for the eyes.

Cooler single digit morning temperatures forced a drive back south 3.5 hours, this time to Laughlin, Nevada for 4 nights, which is also alongside the Colorado River.  We avoided the casinos in Laughlin, preferring to spend our money on the golf course where we at least got some exercise and the occasional moment of brilliance. Both Laughlin and Bullhead City, Arizona, which is on the other side of the Colorado River both have seen better times and I doubt we will return again.

Our final extended stay was planned for Sin City with the intent of catching a couple of concerts or shows, plus some golf. Another surprise awaited us, as we arrived at the beginning of Race Week where the Formula 1 race preparation was underway for the 6.2 km track with a Las Vegas strip straightaway allowing speeds of over 200 mph. It also somehow allowed our Oasis RV park to double the nightly site rates to almost $200 U.S., so we shortened our visit, departing midweek after attending an entertaining and very lively Keith Urban concert. I did take in a restricted view of the first F1 practice session, held at night to help prepare the drivers not only for the track but for the neon lights atmosphere which would be prevalent for the 10 pm race on the w/e. Ticket prices were in the thousands ($) so there as no incentive for us to stick around. Unfortunately for those that paid hundreds of dollars for the first Practice session, it only lasted 9 minutes due to faulty road conditions. That made for some furious fans.

We are now back in St. George, Utah for a final golf game and to prep our motorhome for the winter. A dry road forecast should enable a safe drive back home.

A couple of observations from our SouthWest drives. We have noticed an increase in the number of RV'ers boondocking in open scrub desert spaces. Most were older units and with the increased cost of living and RV parks in general, likely aiding this trend. While the land seems unusable for agriculture due to the lack of water, hopefully they are cleaning up after themselves, giving the land back to the wildlife the way they found it. On another note, Nevada had many large Solar Farms viewed from the highways, more than any other state we have come across. Too bad so much of the cultivated energy is used for lighting up Las Vegas beyond imagination.

Happy trails.

The Pirate's Den RV Park beach alongside the Colorado River. It was a nice spot along the Parker Strip to watch the sun go down across the river on the California side.

The Thirsty Pirate Beach Bar which seemed busy no matter what time of the day it was. Within a short walk of everyone's RV site it was a smart decision by the Park owners and paid dividends for them.

The Emerald Canyon Golf Course across the road from our Parker Strip RV park. The course as in good condition with wonderful views so we made multiple visits.

The Court of the Matriarchs at Zion National Park. We never get tired of returning to the park which also means a lunch or dinner stop at Oscars in Springdale.

The Sand Hollow Golf Course near St. George, Utah. The Clubhouse is in the background.

The 13th hole at the Sand Hollow GC. Accuracy was important otherwise you said goodbye to many golf balls.

We took in a Keith Urban concert while in Las Vegas at the Bakkt Theatre (Planet Hollywood). All 7,000 fans  were frequently on their feet while the country music star entertained everyone with a lively 2 hour performance.

While wandering around the F1 track looking for a sneak peek at the race cars during their first practice session I noticed the sound die down and then came across this screen explaining why. A couple of cars were damaged due to an unsecured manhole cover causing the cancellation after only 9 minutes. In the background on the screen is the new MGN Sphere which holds 20,000 concert goers and just wrapped up an opening residency by U2.

Old Favourites and New Finds

I wasn't going to publish a blog for this Fall 2023 campervan trip covering the U.S. Southwest since we had covered the area many times. However, never say never! Since we had no particular destination in mind, a review of October temperatures in the SW uncovered the north end of New Mexico as a favourable landing spot so away we went. We had previously spent time in the south end of New Mexico but never the north end because at 5.000 feet above sea level the weather was cold when we were nearby in the past. As a result I will post infrequent updates to the blog when previously uncovered places emerge or an old favourite resurfaces.

 Our trip began with a return trip to Yellowstone NP. While we had been to the World's first national park (1872) before, we had only covered a portion of the 2.2 million acres that expands into 3 states (Montana, Idaho and Wyoming). We discovered some new features within the park but with only one day spent in the park due to cooler temperatures, it was clear that another return or two would be necessary.

3 days later, via Wyoming and Colorado(enjoyed Pueblo, Co), we landed in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 4 nights. It is the oldest state capital  in the U.S., founded in 1610, with streets lined with pueblo style adobe buildings. The old town was a treat to walk around with the many artisan shops selling authentic Native American items, although at more inflated prices than found at non-tourist sites. Highlights included the Old Town Plaza, the Santa Fe Chapel (1610), the Railyard Arts District and Market, and the Canyon Road art stroll. The Shed was also a hot spot for lunch which earned the long line-ups.

A one hour drive south led us to Albuquerque and our timing was perfect, even though we were unaware of it at the time. The International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was in full swing upon arrival limiting RV park vacancies but we eventually found a spot due to our ability to change sites on a daily basis. With over 500 balloons in the air every morning it was a treat to watch, enabled by an app provided by a local TV station. I posted some screenshots from the app since they were much clearer than our longer distance shots. But that wasn't all. The 31st Arts & Crafts Festival was also underway with live music and food trucks providing a break from the many covered aisles of beautiful artisan work from across the U.S. Albuquerque is also home to Petroglyphs National Monument, home to over 24,000 carvings sketched into the rocks on the city's west side. We followed a trail to see hundreds of glyphs until the high 20's C temperature took its toll on our energy source. The final highlight occurred at 10:30 am on Oct. 14th when an annular solar eclipse happened. An "annular" eclipse happens when the moon is further away in its orbit, and does not fully cover the much larger sun, creating a golden ring overhead that does not fully shadow the earth below. Looking up for a glancing view of the sun delivered a normal bright sun, but when wearing the special safety glasses being handed out, the golden ring was very visible and also when the glasses covered the lens of our camera. It was an amazing sight to watch the moon start to partially cover the sun until it reached it's perfect spot in the centre, at which time hoots and hollers erupted from the crowds in open spaces.  At the same time it was hard to understand nearby road traffic seemingly unaware of this awesome lifetime sight. We also managed to squeeze in a couple of golf games (Sandia Golf Club recommended) along with visits to the National Museum of Nuclear Science (good and bad use) and the Rio Grande Nature Centre. 

Both Santa Fe and Albuquerque will be trip highlights on this venture and very worthy of our almost 2 week stay. We have now moved on to Prescott, Arizona, an old favourite with it's round boulders a sight to behold as we continue to try and deal with the extreme high 20's C heat in this El Nino year even though we remain at 5,000 feet elevation with higher than normal temps everywhere we have been.

One of the many hot springs at Yellowhead NP. The beautiful colours are created by the various bacteria types that can survive at hot temperatures.

The lovely riverwalk at Pueblo, Colorado where they have recreated the site where the recently diverted Arkansas River used to flow through, eliminating any floods within the city.

The colourful Cultural Art Museum pillars in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Colourful ristras being sold at the Santa Fe market. While stringing drying chili peppers together with garlic bulbs and other vegetables for later consumption was quite common, this artisan took it to another level.

This screenshot was taken on Special Characters day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. You should be able to spot quite a few.

There was an Evening Glow every night at the Fiesta. The balloons did not actually take off, so the packed festival crowd roamed around the grounds for the views. We watched it on TV!

One of the many petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. Many others could be spotted further up the hills but we were only allowed to walk higher up when the paths took us there.

The 10:30 am shot of the annular solar eclipse in Albuquerque, taken with the special glasses in front of our camera lens. Without the glasses on it seemed like a perfectly normal day outside, yet one would not have been able to see the eclipse.

Young flamenco dancers performing at the ABQ Old Town Plaza.

A short hike from our Prescott, Arizona RV park led us through the round rock boulders to Watson Lake.