GnomadicLife

Vegas: Shows, Hoover Dam, Fun

When we made reservations to go to Las Vegas we immediately looked for a show to go to and immediately knew we wanted to see Penn & Teller. We booked that show almost as soon after as we booked our campsite there. We decided after seeing the reviews of campgrounds in Vegas to not camp at Circus Circus as there’s been some bad reviews of theft there in recent years. After some research and Google review hunting we decided to stay just off the strip at the Sam’s Town KOA and are so glad we did. We thoroughly enjoyed our little “paw pen” site with the patio and pergola along with a small dog enclosure on our own site. It was nice and shady so in the afternoon we’d take the pups out to be off leash in their own little spot.

In our planning we ended up revamping some of our time there and extended it by a few days more than we originally planned. When we did that we found out that Gabriel Iglesias “Fluffy” was going to be performing at the Mirage Theater and we ordered tickets as fast as we could. We sat in the fourth row from the stage right dead center. He was about 25 feet in front of us and it was an amazing show. Neither one of us had ever been to a comedy show before so it was a big thrill that the first show like this was someone we both find hilarious. His show was not like his usual shows we’ve seen on Netflix in the past – he got a bit more real and personal with the audience and it was like seeing the “real” side of him for a few moments. We hadn’t made plans for dinner that night and ended up having a walk down the strip as the afternoon was changing in to evening before catching a Lyft back to the RV Park.

We spent Monday in Vegas doing some odds and ends before having an afternoon visit with one of my friends (now Michael’s as well) from my video gaming who lives in the area. She came over to our site and Michael made her his famous chicken wings which she absolutely loved (I think they are amazing and he swears they are part of why I married him). We had a wonderful time chatting and made plans to meet up again for dinner before we were to leave Vegas.

Our Tuesday was our late night – we planned and ordered our Lyft rides ahead of time to see Penn and Teller at the Rio. We used a Lyft so we didn’t have to worry about trying to park our big truck in the weird parking garages after battling the crazy traffic along the strip – it was a bit more expensive but so much easier than trying to drive ourselves there. We had seats right at the front of the mezzanine for the Penn and Teller show. We were just up over the floor people and in the very front row so no one’s head in front of us blocking our view of the action. They truly did not disappoint in their show. Their showmanship is just unbelievable. Their illusions/magic are wonderful – but the way they interact and engage with their audience is something you don’t see as much of these days.

Wednesday was our day to go to Hoover Dam and while we didn’t end up taking the convertible we’d planned to rent – long story of a rental that was not turned in on time and a company who did not clearly explain that to us – we still had a wonderful drive out there. It was a beautiful and windy day there but we enjoyed the views, walked through the museum, and had lunch in their cafeteria there which was really quite tasty. We ended our evening by having dinner again with my friend who treated us to Mexican food – a great way to our hearts.

Our final day in Vegas we prepped for our travel to the Grand Canyon – picked up a few groceries, picked up an order we had sent to an Amazon locker nearby, had dinner at the Sams Town Casino at TGIFriday’s before putting a few dollars into a few gaming machines and calling it a day. We’re not big gamblers but we wanted to try our hand just to say we had gambled in Vegas. We enjoyed Vegas it was a ton of fun and excitement but it felt very much like we never stopped there – which from reading what I’ve typed we really didn’t stop much. We were ready to get on our way to the Grand Canyon which will be the next part of our blog adventures.

Las Vegas Bound

Leaving Brookings we chose to do something we don’t normally do. We did 3 solid days of driving to have an extra few days in Vegas. The first day was absolutely exhausting. While my anxiety while riding in the car is getting better it is not fully fixed yet – and that first days curvy, winding, mountain filled road with several one lane construction areas put it all to the test for me. We had looked at the route the night before so we were prepared that we were going to be going through some national forest land and that it was curvy. However, we were not prepared for the several times we had to stop for one lane roads under construction. The last one we were at the flagman told us we’d want to kill our engine it was going to be a while – so we did. About 5 minutes later another work crew truck came up along side to talk to the flagman and we heard them say the pilot car taking people through the construction area had taken off and they weren’t sure when they would be back. We ended up sitting at this one for almost a half hour.

That drive took us through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the scenery – when you could enjoy it between curves and construction was gorgeous. We saw several areas where fire damage was evident on the trees. It was the first time I’d ever seen so much fire damage in person. We crashed our first travel night at a cute little private RV park just off of the highway we were traveling. After so many dry and drought ridden areas the green of the little yards at this campground was pretty refreshing to us.

Our second travel day was much smoother mostly down I-5 in California where we stopped near the Sequoia National Park area for a night. It was a cute little KOA and a nice place to rest for the night. Inside the map of the park and the information about the area and saw that there was a pizza place that delivered to the campground. After a long 2 days of driving – pizza was exactly what we needed that night. We streamed some cooking shows – our favorite to watch and had pizza – a relaxing night that was definitely needed.

Day three traveling to Las Vegas was the longest for driving distance it went very uneventfully through some gorgeous scenery along the edge of the Mohave National Preserve. We weren’t expecting some of the mountains and views that we encountered on that leg of our trip. We hit busy traffic when we got to Vegas and got to the KOA there just about 8 miles off of the Strip and just collapsed. We had a cute site with a “paw pen” – we had a patio with furniture and a pergola and a little pen for the pups to hang out in off leash right at our site. We spent our first night there decompressing and getting ready for a show we had tickets for on Sunday.

Fabulous Foods in Oregon

While in Brookings we made some amazing foods. We utilized our grill outside a lot again and actually needed to refill the propane for the grill as well as one of the tanks for the RV. We hadn’t actually filled any of our RV tanks for about 6 months so it wasn’t a huge surprise that we had to at this point.

Redwoods in California

One of the perks of where we were staying in Brookings, Oregon was the close proximity to the Redwoods in California. We spent a day and drove into California to see these legendary trees. I don’t think either one of us ever really had them on our “bucket list” because it seemed like a far off idea that we’d get there. Our drive into Oregon took us on a short dip into California where we got our first glimpse of the Redwoods we were hoping to see.

We headed to Crescent City to make our way into the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and the Redwood National Parks. We had done some research and we found a path that went through the park via the Howland Hill Road. We stopped many, many times on the narrow dirt road we took through the parks and were awed by the enormority of the trees and beauty surrounding us.

We spent several hours along this road and found a small pub to have lunch at before we headed back to Oregon for the evening.

Scenic Corridor Oregon and Farmer’s Markets

When we got to Brookings-Harbor Oregon we went to a visitor center to see what sights we might want to visit in the area and/or nearby here. As with most places around here there were amazing views as well there and we keep having these moments of “Oh my word…this view is so amazing”. I’ve found such peace in the mountains, Michael is very drawn to the trees and forest – but we never expected to find a connection to the ocean.

We have stuck to the harbor area a lot and stuck close to the RV a lot as well just enjoying cooking outside and relaxing by the water. A couple of the informational brochures and maps we picked up at the visitor center was for the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor which goes along Highway 101 along the coast. we decided to pack some sandwiches and the pups for a drive along the coast. We enjoyed our sandwiches from the truck while watching the waves.

The maps we found had some great information on lookout points and places to stop and see the ocean. It was a great help in knowing which places we could and/or wanted to stop. We thought about taking the dogs back to one of the areas to get in the water but the weather turned cooler so we didn’t get to do that this trip.

In researching Brookings we found that they had a farmers’s market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The first Saurday there we checked out the market and were impressed by the variety of veggies we could get there. We picked up some green tomatoes to try frying, some corn and zucchini. We went back two more times while we were there. The prices were amazing and the freshness couldn’t be beat. We actually made the fried green tomatoes and they turned out really well. We want to try to make them again in the future. It’s definitely put us on the path of finding local farmer’s markets when we can (of course when it’s the season for them).

In Search Of Cooler Temps

One of our main focuses that we’ve had in our travels was to escape the heat of Texas and Oklahoma. We finally…FINALLY…got our wish to enjoy cooler temperatures and it’s been absolutely heavenly. We left Memaloose State Park in Northern Central Oregon on a Wednesday had a decent sized travel day to Sutherlin Oregon for a one night stopover on our way to our long awaited destination – THE OCEAN. Thursday just before 2pm (I was in a panic because I had therapy at 2 and the last part of our drive had no cell service at all) we got to the ocean at Beachfront RV Park in Brookings-Harbor, Oregon.

I would not say this is the prettiest park we’ve ever stayed at. The sites are a bit on the small side and quite close together (though we’ve had closer a few years ago), no real grass to speak of, the amenities are iffy (the cable doesn’t really work although the internet seems okay after our first night here), and it’s not exactly what anyone would call aesthetically pleasing on the eyes. HOWEVER, what it does have is the ocean. I’m currently sitting in my usual spot in our theater seating while I write this and I can hear the waves of the ocean – it is absolutely amazing. The warmest day we’ve had here was in the mid 70’s with the evenings in the 50’s and we’ve hardly run the AC. The main reason we’ve run it is when we’ve left the dogs to go eat or run errands so they aren’t barking out the windows like fools.

As we headed to the beach our route took us through a small part of California which involved crossing the border to then re-enter Oregon. Crossing the border into California is an interesting experience. Because of invasive species of bugs attacking specific parts of the agriculture in some states there are checkpoints to enter to make sure you may not be transporting an invasive species into the area. However, it led to an interesting question, as we entered into California the agricultural inspector asked us where we were from. We said Oregon as that’s the state we just left – she said no what state are you from? While we are technically and legally Oklahoma residents these days I was born and raised in Upstate New York, lived in Michigan 20 years and then Texas for 2 – Michael was born in one place and lived all over as a kid due to his father’s work and then he was in the military before living in Texas for many years where we actually met. When we sold the house we kind of became Oklahoma residents which has helped us in many ways for mail and medical purposes. But it’s led to a weird question when people ask where we’re from or where our home is. Our neighbors in the RV park tonight asked where home is – I said right here as I pointed to our RV. I then explained that we are full time RV living at this time and don’t really consider anywhere home other than wherever we’ve parked at the time.

One main thing this park has had is dogs. Dogs are everywhere here – Little dogs, Big dogs, old and young, quiet and barky ones. I wish more of them were on leashes as they are supposed to be but, we are making it work. Our Bella seems to be slightly afraid of small dogs especially when they come running at us off of a leash – we’re working on it with treats as a distraction. Bella will squeak when she sees bigger dogs and people – she thinks all people are there to pet her and tell her she’s pretty. She also squeaks at bigger dogs I think she wants to play but was never socialized well so we try to keep our distance. We’ve also started to believe she’s older than we first were led to believe. In the last month and a half her face has started showing more white in the blue/gray fur parts of her face and we are starting to think she’s about 2 years older than we originally thought and closer to 6 instead of 4. Moki seems to be adapting wherever even though his right hip is trying to slow him down some. He’s gotten a bit of a limp and stiffness in it lately but we’re trying some meds to help him and we’ll see if it starts helping soon. I’m pretty sure that the evening dampness here is slowing him down as well – I know come evening the fog and dampness in the air slows me down as well.

Labor Day weekend was slightly crazy and packed at the RV park – we expected that especially when we realized exactly how on the ocean this place is. We made the best of it and knew things would quiet down as the Labor Day weekend ended. We had a quiet afternoon Monday and Tuesday morning – but then it started filling up again some. Not nearly as packed as the weekend but more people than we thought would be here for the weekdays. Honestly though – we get it. The campground seems to be city/port of Harbor-Brookings owned, there’s the road to the sites and a road to a day use parking area and then the ocean between us at our campsite. However, it’s still, even with as many people as are here now – quieter than the weekend it’s the end of summer camping/school is starting crowd than was here over the holiday. We’ve been grilling a lot of delicious foods – be prepared for another food picture blog soon of our latest attempts including baking/grilling brownies on the grill – and have eaten at a pretty decent restaurant as well.

It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up our first week here but we still have plans for the next week coming. We’re heading to the Redwoods in northern California on Friday, we’re only about 10 miles from the Cali border here and about 20 miles from the Redwoods so it will be an easy trip from here. We also want to take the pups to a beach while we’re here and let them put their feet in the water as well.

Have a great week everyone and thanks for checking us out!

Food Pics from Memaloose State Park

Homemade steak fajitas with fresh roasted corn

Our first homemade fish tacos – they turned out amazing

Steak with grilled sweet potato medallions and homemade coleslaw

Homemade Philly CheeseSteaks on the Grill

Amazing pizza and spinach dip from a brewery and some wine tastings

Finally Living The Way We Want

We left Plymouth Park Campground on one of the prettiest drives we’ve had to date. The highway took us along the Columbia River and it was so beautiful. We saw barges as we got further west and the mountains and terrain started to shift into what I would expect from the Pacific Northwest. We started to see more of the mountains and the tall pines that I pictured as part of the landscape in this area.

We checked in to Memaloose State Park in Oregon for two weeks – definitely one of our strangest state park stays to date. The state park is attached to a rest area off of I-84 in Oregon and on the Columbia River as well. We could see parts of the river from the back of our site as well as as we walked down further into the campground. Being on the highway it was a very transient campground with a lot of 1 and 2 night stays. We saw very few people there long term – we were there the maximum they allowed which is the 2 weeks. Our site was not nearly as large as the one in Plymouth but we enjoyed our time outside all the same and grilled lots of yummy food – warning a second food pic blog is coming after this one.

While in the Hood River/Gorge region we spent time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather while seeing some of the sights of the area. We took the Mt. Hood Railroad ride which while it was not all we had hoped it would be still took us on a pretty ride and we were able to see both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from the layover point. We also tasted some decent wines while at the layover as it’s right at a fruit market and a winery.

We had a few lunches right on or near the water at Full Sail Brewery and The Bargeway. We saw barges and trains at the Full Sail Brewery – and while we hoped to at The Bargeway we didn’t see any there but did see some personal watercraft going by.

Our last Sunday there we drove the Hood River “Fruit Loop” which is essentially a loop around the Gorge area through and among the orchards and vineyards. It takes you towards Mt. Hood and we had some beautiful views of the other mountains as well. We did a few wine tastings, grabbed some fresh corn (it was so good), and had lunch at a really decent bbq restaurant in Parkdale.

Montana Part 2

We truly enjoyed our time at the KOA in Billings. The staff were like little bees buzzing around in their carts and utility vehicles. For me every day was great getting to watch the flow of traffic in and out of the park. I love getting to see all the RV’s coming and going. It’s kind of my “thing” to try to guess different rv styles and brands as we see them go by our site.

Tuesday we went to the Pictograph Cave State Park in Billings. It was a pretty decent hike up a hill to get up to the cavern to see the little bits of drawings that are still visible. For us I think the real joy was getting there, to be honest. The drive up to the State Park had some tremendous views of the city as well as beautiful rocks and mountains that we were enjoying getting to see.

We had a lot of relaxation days while we were there. We did go up on Thursday to use the hot tub and pool – it was super empty at this point in the day. We went about lunch time – just after check out and before check in time. That hot tub felt nice but the pool was chilly as heck. I couldn’t bring myself to go under the water completely – when we were there it was just about 80 degrees. Somehow I feel if it had been a bit hotter outside it would have been much easier to get in that pool water.

Friday morning we had a delicious brunch at a local place called Stella’s. The size of our breakfasts were huge. There was no way either one of us could finish either of our meals. After brunch we picked up a few things we’d had shipped to an Amazon locker center. (Previously we had noted that there was some burned marks around one of our RV electrical plug prongs. We ordered a new cord to be delivered ASAP). Michael surprised me and we went to the T-Mobile store where I got my birthday present – a new Apple Watch. I was not expecting that at all. We stopped at Albertsons on our way back to the RV and picked up a cake and even some little shrimps that Michael grilled for me along with the chicken wings we had planned for dinner.

We spent Saturday getting last minute supplies, groceries and fueling up the truck to get out Sunday morning to Garrison, Montana. The drive to Garrison was probably the prettiest drive I’ve ever been on. Just east of Butte we rounded a curve to an amazing view of the valley and mountains and I literally lost my breath a minute. I got teary eyed and had to force myself to breathe a minute – it was the most amazing sight – I never did get a picture until a few minutes later. It took me a few minutes to compose myself and try to get my brain to comprehend a little bit of what I’d seen.

We spent the night in Garrison at a cute little mom and pop campground just off of the highway we were taking. The sites were a bit grassy and it was a lot of long term campers but it was a nice spot to spend the evening. Outside of our slideout window we had a pretty view of the mountains in the distance. I also got some really nice sunset shots that evening.

We made homemade Reuben sandwiches for dinner that night – we both love them and were craving one. It was a delicious dinner and super easy after traveling all day. We had a quiet night while we prepared to head into Washington the next day.

Really Yummy Food (and more food)

We grilled and made so many amazing dishes in the two weeks we spent in Plymouth, Washington. I wanted to make a post just to share some of the amazing food we had during our two weeks. The first morning we grilled breakfast – we haven’t ever done that at all in any of our adventures before.

One night we made a new recipe with sausage and peppers with a cheesy sauce in the Ninja Foodi. We had it as sandwiches but can see how amazing it would be with pasta or rice in the future. We’d definitely try it again.

Going back to a recipe I had a lot when I was a kid and that my mom made earlier this week (both of them made it actually). We grilled some pork chops and sauteed squash, zucchini, onions and a bit of garlic with some butter. It reminds me of summer and it was delicious.

We had a day that we went up to Kennewick for a few things and had lunch at a local bar. Michael had a fish and chips basket while I enjoyed some different fried seafood on a platter.

Can’t have the grill out and not make Michael’s amazing chicken wings and we tried a new type of pizza. We found some flatbread at the store and made some amazing pizzas.

One of our last breakfasts in Plymouth was grilled with bacon, biscuits we cooked in the bacon grease (terapins are what his family calls them), and some eggs. It was an amazing breakfast. So much yummy food and a wonderful two weeks.