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SMOKENATOR 1000

2011-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

My favorite outdoor cooking appliance is my Weber "Performer" Kettle BBQ. I cook an average of two meals a week on this rig and I am on a quest to do everything I cook outdoors on the Weber, too include "low and slow" smoke BBQ as well as Rotisserie Coooking with my AuSpit setup.

I was fairly successful with a simple, "indirect heat" cooking procedure in the Weber on a previous batch of Pork Back Ribs but, i was not completely satisfied with the outcome. Recently, I found the Smokenator 1000 addition for the Weber and ordered the deal pronto.

The Smokenator insert is installed to the left.

The unit arrived mid last week and once unpacked, it is clearly and very simple, yet very efficient design. This last Saturday, I picked up 3 slabs of the same Pork ribs and set to it.

The install takes a whole ten seconds. It's that easy. About the only complex aspect of the deal is that the propane, charcoal lighter my Weber Performer is offset a few inches from where the Smokenator would reside. I will look to modify the lighter to change this. The unit does come with important instructions. read them, to clearly understand what to expect in the cooking pricess.

I transfered the coals to the Smokenator partition, added cherry wood chunks and filled the water tray. I added the ribs and set my feet up while I monitored the Smokenator/Weber with the aid of a good amount of beer.

As the instructions stated, the dome temp in the Weber was extremely well regulated at @ 220-250 degrees. Sure, I had to add more wood chunks and a few more charcoals but, that was really minimal over this 3 hours of this part of the cooking process.

About 2 hours into the process

As you can see, I did move the ribs around on the grilles whenever I opened the lid to add wood chunks for smoke or one or two briquettes for heat. Again, the was really a lot less work than I thought it would be - certainly a lot less than the old method of indirect heat before the addition of the Smokenator.

At hour three, I pulled the ribs about 80% done as this was more than enough smoke. The rest of the process would be in my Kitchen Oven in foil, with added flavor steps.

Ready to be cut up and served.

Sorry for the messy plate, this was my 3rd helping!

The outcome was fantastic. These were likely the best batch of Back Ribs I have ever cooked. The kids gobbled them up and stated the same. To make them perfect, I would have liked the meat to release from the rib bones a bit easier. I have a few ideas on how to make that happen in the next batch.

Details on the recipe:

3 Racks of Pork Back Ribs
Remove membrane from back of ribs.
Clean and dry ribs
Dust with Dizzy Pig, "Dizzy Dust" rub.
Add other favorite flavors and sparingly sparingly. Avoid excess salt.
Let stand in your fridge for an hour or so.
Prepare Smoker to reach cooking chamber temp of 225-250 degrees.
Smoke Ribs for @ 3 hours or until about 90% done as measured by the "Bend Test".
Place ribs in foil and add your favorite sauce sparingly. Sprinkle with brown sugar and any other spice that you like. I add cumin at this stage. Wrap them fairly tight.
Place the foil wrapped ribs in the pre-heated, 250 degree oven for @ 1 hr. Test again with the bend test. Pull when finished.
Tent the foil a bit and let the ribs rest in the foil for about 20 minutes.
Cut up and serve.

The Smokenator 1000, manufacturer's website is HERE.

Ponderings:

You might think that the Smokenator/Weber combo with it's 5-6 hour cooktime by design will not be ample for large cuts of meat, such as Brisket or Pork Shoulder which often are in heat for 10-12 hours.. Not so! Remember, care is need to not provide too much smoke. With that, the Smokenator/Weber combo can be the sole appliance for the smoking part of the process, moving the big cuts to the Oven in the same foil process as mentioned above.

HAT TIP - Blue Beacon Truck Wash

2011-11-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

One off the best values around for owners of large RV's is a quick, quality wash at any Blue Beacon Truck Wash. I have been using this service for 6 years, visting dozens of times and I have not a single complaint. Sure, you still need to do some touch-up on the windows and on my rig, the stateliness steel. No matter - the alternative of doing the entire rig by hand is simply not advised for proper mental health.

Today, was the first time I witnessed a high percentage of RV's on their way through. This is good!

$35.00 USD gets the job done for my rig. I generally tip the crew another $5.

Visit Blue Beacon HERE

Gearhead Mecca - THE SEMA SHOW

2011-11-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's been 6 years since I last attended the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV.

SEMA! What's that??? For the unknowing, unchristened and non-ordained - you can find all the genric info you want about SEMA at Wiki = SEMA .

Onward... Only the vast convention halls of Las Vegas, NV can properly house all the exhibitors, seminars and massive crowds that attend each year.

Just one floor of three, major halls

To be honest, not a whole lot has changed since my last visit. The most notable was the complete lack of the car stereo crowd. Maybe they have their own shin-dig now. Too bad, I was hoping to see the latest "double din" navigation and sound boxes as it's time to replace the perennial, piece of junk system in my '04 Dodge, Cummins pickup.

No matter, I was able to visit a number of vendors who's wares I partake in for my regular vehicles and of course, for the race car. Autometer found the high-emp, gauge I needed for the clutch pack fluid temp on the race car trans. GoPro informed me of firmware upgrades to allow more simple interaction with their camera and I visited a number of off-road light manufacturers as we prepare for a few night races in 2012.

Best of all - in regards to new products, I spied the latest, cool stuff in the "new product, showcases at the rear of the south hall, second floor. This is where all the latest innovations are centrally showcased in large display cases and tables. One of the waves of innovation from many, many vendors included the Apple, Ipad, Iphone and Ipod as rich data displays for everything from vehicle telemetry to GPS services. In fact, there was so much of this that these applications seem to be in a price war. As an example, an Ipod based ODBII report system sold for hundreds of dollars just a few years ago - now, many can be had for $30 to $75. NICE!

Another new product in abundance was very well featured vehicle alarm systems, in particular for stationary vehicles. These systems would reach out and call, text or email you if the vehicle moves or is intruded upon. Hopefully this will reach the RV community soon as this would be a boon for RV owners while their vehicles are in storage or left unattended for any length of time in a park or while boondocking.

Of course, SEMA is full of eye candy too include pretty booth girls and awesome vehicles. For the former, see the articles that set the standard for these beauties in my old publication HERE...

I still say.. WOW!!

Back to the wheels...

A COPO Camaro anyone? This version came with a

supercharged 327 LSX motor. A variant is the LSX,

naturally aspirated 427. Both are backed by the

venerable Powerglide Transmission.

There are hundreds of extremely nice vehicles
on display, from the concept cars of the big
manufacturers to relics like this '32 Ford Coupe in

Lakester trim. This car was truly one of

the most interesting at the show. It looks
extremely authentic for the period, as if it just
came down Cajon Pass from El Mirage in 1956.

ENJOY!

Far nicer than the Dukes of Hazard "General Lee" around the corner.

Just a few mods to this old Caddy!!
The workmanship was incredible.

It gets better. This 1967 Pro-Touring Nova was a true
work of art. I looked hard and outside of the body shell
itself, I doubt there was another original component
of the car in the vicinity.

A very, very nice and very, very fast Old Goat! ...

Like me - well, the "nice" part, anywaze..

See the full scoop on this car in the video below.

Enter to WIN THIS CAR HERE

This is a Kit Car, a "Super Car, Kit Car" no less, by
Factory Five Racing. Me thinks that with a well mannered,
900HP, LSX motor, it could pretty much embarass a number of
Euro-exotoc cars. I may have to look into this.

The build could be as much fun as the drive.

Ah, the innovators of Land Speed Racing!

Behold the "under 100 cubic inch" class record holder at
Bonneville this year. In there is a small, four cylinder, Suzuki

Hyabusa motor. More than enough power to pus the

car to 120+ MPH. That coot in the background on the
cellphone is the owner and builder.

LSR is comprised of the most fervent of gear heads.
And, if you haven't been to or, are not planning to go
to Bonneville, you simply don't fit the mold.

Speaking of the LSX Motor... This is the latest,
state of the art, push-rod V8 available to the masses.
454 Cubic Inches and over 700HP

as it sits, removed from the crate.

My oldest Son has just been hired by UPS. A great
company to work for while the young man attends college.
This 1953 Ford Panel, UPS truck was a fine tribute to the
company and it's employees.

How about a Cummins, 12 Valve powered Funny Car!

God Bless America!

Outside there were many, many vehicles on display. The
"Car Crazy" people from Meguiar's invited custom car
owners to bring their passion from around the globe.
Here are just a few.

A stunning, Ford Falcon from Down Under.

Last but not least, there are the oddities of SEMA,

where strange construction, crazy ideas and sometimes

stuff that is downright ugly is on display.

Behold the MOST UGLY CAR at SEMA 2011

The "Storm Chaser Ball of Crap"!

This incredible pile of shit has the most horrid craftsmanship
I have ever witnessed. Every weld looks like it was made
with a coat hanger and a car battery. The phrase "booger weld"
has never had a better factual basis. The car is as ugly and stupid
as the TV show and it's moron characters of shrill, "dramatic girl" voices.

Yes, it's that bad.

The builders of this car must have been sponsored by a
metal abrasives company. I can only imagine that hundreds
of flapwheel, grinding pads were used to semi-smooth
the pile before they tried to hide the remaining horrror with
multiple coats of spray-on, bed liner material.

Check out the masterful buffoonery in the work on the
door below. My 10 year old son can weld better than this!

Can you believe that the WSJ gave these pinheads some print?

Enough of that! 'Till next year.. I'll be back!!!

Hot Weather Test for #177

2011-08-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

We have an off-road race in two weeks at Lucerne Valley, CA. This last weekend we finished up a lot of work and preparation to get the car ready. Our culmination was to test in severe heat. The car held up really well. We are still confused with the high transmission temperature readings which are made right as the fluid leaves the transmission to the coolers. We will add a second gauge to measure the temperature in the pan. If that temp stays in check, we are good to go.

Bonneville Speed Week - Sunday, August 14th

2011-08-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

WOW! What cool stuff we saw today! We stayed almost all day at Course #3 and #4 - both 5 mile runs. By far - the most obscure, most amusing and interesting was the Bio-Diesel powered motorcycle of Gene Hill from Odessa, MO USA.

This bike is powered by an Italian, Industrial/Farm motor more fit for a water pump than a motorcycle. Performance add-ons include a turbo charger from a Geo Metro. As of the moment I published this Blog, there is not an official time for the bike although, Gene says it has gone 27 MPH in the past.

Update: From the SCTA Official Timing Gene did just 17 MPH on his runs, Saturday. We'll watch for his results the rest of the week.

And see the video!

There is a lot more like Gene and his vehicle at Bonneville. How about a supercharged, 175cc Honda. Yes, that is a roots blower on the little motor.

The "Screwball", 500cc Special Construction Motorcycle

The Somers and Somers, 250cc BSA Motorcycle

The Shinya Kamura, 1350cc, Harley Davidson "Knucklehead" Motorcycle.

An old Harley Davidson, 1000cc Sportster - Super Chief Racing @ Speed!

Anticipation!

"SaltBiscuit", a 175cc Shanghai Shenki Motorcycle. Todd and Terry Reuhs.

Instruction......

THE WEATHER!

As I publish this Blog, the weather has turned in great contrast. First, we has a monsoon rain, then clearing skies and now high winds. I can only imagine what the racer's pits look like out on the lake bed. We'll miss that story as we will head back to Hell's Half Acre tomorrow morning, leaving behind Bonneville 'till next year.

This has been an awesome trip, a new and lasting experience..

Now if we can just get Joe Hauler on a Diesel Motorcycle.

Bonneville Speed Week - Saturday, August 13th

2011-08-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of racing for the 2011 event. Our plans were to hit the start and staging area, then the mid course spectator area and finally, the big car show at the Nugget Casino in the evening.

'Following are photos from each venue.

START and STAGING

My first subject was the amazingly tiny "Nebulous Theorem Streamliner". I think this car was about 20" tall, total.

At Bonneville, you will see the widest variety of vehicles.. Behold the Ferrari Enzo with Rat Rods as a backdrop.

The same diversity exists for Motorcycles as well. This is a 175cc Motobecane of many decades past.

Then there is the vintage SAAB with an 750cc, two-stroke motor that has gone 103MPH!

MID-COURSE on The 8 MILE RUN

A roadster at well over 200 MPH passing the mid-course, timing tower.

An old "Belly Tank" Streamliner being pushed back to the pits.

An unknown motorcycles at a very high rate of speed.

A "Big Dog" Streamliner heading to the Start and Staging area.

The record holding "Salt Toy" Diesel Truck.

STUFF SEEN on The SALT!

The Salt gets everywhere and sticks like glue!

Chop Job - Extreme!

Automotive Art...

As Seen at The NUGGET CAR SHOW

A great crowd of Gear Heads and their cars, both spanning many generations.

Tomorrow, we will be back out in the Start and Staging areas again - this time on the shorter, 3 mile courses so that, we can see more of the motorcycles and smaller displacement cars up close. Stay tuned!

Also! Next week, I should have a nice photo album added to my Picassa account with hundreds of photos from the event weekend.

Bonneville Speed Week - Friday, August 12th

2011-08-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

As planned, myself and 2 of my sons as well as a Dirt Mob Regular and a new extended family member are here in Wendover, Utah for Bonneville Speed Week. We plan to catch the big days over the weekend and then head back on Monday.

Today was "tech day" for the racers: they set up their pits, got their cars and motorcycles checked out and made some last minute tuning changes before the timed runs start tomorrow on Saturday.

The cluster of pits, the contingency and vendors area is along side the longest, 8 mile course. We plan to stake our claim there tomorrow to watch the racers go by.

Speed Week is a de-facto gathering of Gear Heads and outside of the race vehicles the area is teaming with Hot Rods, Rat Rods and a variety of American, Vintage cars and a ton of really fast motorcycles.

Following are a sample of the rides we saw today.

HD Panhead Sidehack good for 110 MPH

Truly a craftsman's work of art. This 145 cu in, Harley has run 156 MPH

A Turbo-charged, Harley Panhead that runs 150+ MPH

Another fine Harley

Harleys and Hot Rods .... NICE!

Tin Lizzy on The Salt

-----> SMILE!

The trip was a breeze. I love to drive the empty, smooth, Nevada highways and with that, 360 miles clicked off in no time at all. Here is our route today.

We are parked at the most popular, dry camp area by the salt, known as "Bend In The Road".

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will take in the race action as well as the big, cruise and car show in downtown Wendover and West Wendover.

Stay tuned!

ROAD TRIP - Wrap Up

2011-07-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

The whole route!

Looking back on the trip, I can rate where I/we will return to and what will be avoided as follows.

The Good to the bad..

Silverton, Colorado - (10) This is unfair because Silverton seems like a second home now. We have returned 4 years concurrent and it will surely be the base from more exploration of the rockies in the future.
Taos, NM - (9+) Another favorite. I'd like to spend a good month in Taos exploring everything there is to see in that region including visits again to Chama and Eagle's Nest.
Tombstone, AZ - (8) I'd like to be in town when there are more festivities. I/we will return.
Bluff, UT - (7) I'd like to base out of Bluff and explore the surrounding area, dipping back into Monument Valley.
Liberal, KS - (6) this town and surrounding area looked to be very nice and should make a great base to explore the plains states.
Carlsbad Caverns and area - (4) I have seen all I need to. A return trip will be unlikely.
Amarillo, TX - (3) This area reminds me of an older, Inland Empire in the LA, California area. I will only stop to visit The Big Texas Steak House again, for RV and Truck parts or service or to see Palo Duro Canyon which we missed,
Dodge City, KS - (1) What a joke! What a disappointment! What a waste of time!
El Paso, TX - (-1000) The town reminds me of East LA on Very Bad Steroids yet far, far from the cooling breezes of the Pacific Ocean.

Next Trip -- Bonneville Speed Week!

ROAD TRIP - @ Monument Valley and a bit of The Grand Canyon

2011-07-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is our second trip in a few years to Monument Valley. Previously, we were in a bit of a hurry and did not take the scenic loop in the Navajo Tribal Park, which is included in the $25 a car load entry fee to the observation point at the "The View Lodge". This time, we had the entire afternoon available and the Dodge 4x4 Pickup behind the Monsterhome, instead of my Wife's Caddy Escalade. The Loop road is definitely rough and sandy in spots. The Navajo folks are right to only allow vehicles with decent ground clearance to make the trip.

More info on Monument Valley can be found as follows:

WikiTravel.org
WikiPedia - Monument Valley
Navajo Nation, Parks & Recreation

Needless to say, Monument Valley is a Photographer's Paradise of color and contrasts. I will attempt to live up to my formal experience with the following images.

A panorama shot from The View Lodge

A pano from the Loop Trail

RV PARK REVIEW - Goulding's Lodge Campground

Hmm, the highest priced park we stayed in, the entire trip. We paid $70 for one night with a Good Sam discount!! Add filthy bathrooms, a lousy wi-fi signal, cramped quarters. I rate this place a 2 of 10 and only deserving points for the close proximity to the tribal park. Without question, these rip off artists need some serious competition!

Info on this RV park can be found as follows:

Company Website
RV Park Reviews

Grand Canyon National Park

We had my wife's sister aboard for the trip from Silverton, Colorado to Las Vegas, NV and we agreed that it would be a fitting surprise for her to see the Grand Canyon again, having last visited when she was a very young child.

We entered from the east side on the south rim and stopped first at "The Tower". This attraction had a good number of vistors that by all indications were made up @ 60% foreign countries. I say "thank you, we appreciate the business you bring. I hope you enjoyed your stay, and lastly please come again".

Pano from The Tower edge of the Canyon

Another!

Just something neat @ The Tower

Next stop was Mather Point. Wow, was it ever crowded. We stayed at nearby, Trailer Village in 2007 and the crowds were much less intense. This time, the parking lots were full with many, many people fighting for parking spots, bumping into each other and also into polls and other objects.

We had planned to take lunch at the Yavapai Lodge but, there was certainly no room to park our rig as we had before.

I loathe crowds but, I have to be happy for the Park and it's employees that are enjoying a high visitor rate this year.

Pano from Mather Point

ROAD TRIP - Silverton, Co to Monument Valley, UT

2011-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to leave paradise but, the Salt Mine has us all on a leash for now. We bid Silverton and our friends farewell, thanked them for their hospitality and camaraderie and hit the road for a two day journey back to our home in Las Vegas, NV.

This route would take us through both Monument Valley for a nightly stop over and the Grand Canyon National Park for a quick stop.

The drive to the southwest takes us to Cortez, Colorado where we make a fuel stop at Fraley's Sinclar, one of the last "easy in and out" truck stop in our path for the next 400 miles. Out of Cortez we are on the former Highway 666, now 160. this road is a bumpy mess all the way down to the junction off to Monument Valley where the road just gets worse. There is some construction to fix things up. Hopefully the next pass through this stretch will not toss all the clothes off the hanger pole in the RV closet.

To Monument Valley, we turned off on Colorado 41, Utah 162. Now this road is narrow, real narrow, like driving on some of the more remote stretches of Highway 1 in Baja, and then you have the bicyclists!!! We counted over a dozen spread out widely on this route, all fit woman, all heading west on a 12" wide shoulder.

Three in a row of a dozen. Check the heat waves
on the road horizon

Bluff Fort, Bluff Utah

There is a new reason to visit Bluff, Utah - The Bluff Fort is the benefit fo some very outstanding care-taking, restoration and craftsmanship. here are a few photos:

Pano of the cabin area of fort

Inside Pano of a Pioneer's Cabin

Inside the Meeting House

More info on Bluff, Utah and the surrounding areas can be found HERE .

Out of Bluff we descended into the magic of Monument Valley. Stay tuned for that entry, coming soon.

ROAD TRIP - Small Town 4th of July

2011-07-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Vets in front of the American Legion Hall on the 4th of July
God Bless America!

There is nothing more patriotic on the 4th than celebrating this special holiday in "Small Town, USA", and Silverton Colorado is one of the best. The entire town turns out for the parade putting on a show that attracts 30,000+ people from surrounding areas.

There are events all day long - the highlights are the parade at 10:30am, followed by the Fireman's Water Fight, ending with the 45 minute long fireworks display at 9:30 pm.

A Good Article on the Silverton parade.

ATV's and Jeeps are a big part of the parade!
Not a Prius to be seen in town - period!

A sailboat?

The Silverton VFD cooling of the crowd!

Let the water fight commence!

Click HERE to see the entire photo album.

Hi-Def Video- Fireman's Water Fight and Fireworks

ROAD TRIP - Off-road - The Alpine Loop

2011-07-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Truly on top of the world at "Oh Point" near Engineer Pass, elev 12,800'

The Alpine Loop over Cinnamon Pass to Lake City, then back over Engineer Pass is a "must do trip" for anyone with a 4x4 vehicle. The trip takes about 6-7 hours all told when traveling from Silverton, Colorado and then back. The road is very easy in the lower elevations near Lake City and slightly challenging in the higher elevations. Any 4x4 can make the trip.

You can download the Google Map HERE.

More photos from the top.

Looking East

Looking West

Info on these sections at TrailDamage.com

Cinnamon Pass
Engineer Pass

Traffic on the loop. Two guys on big BMW GS1200's in front of us.

Heading down after Cinnamon Pass near the Sloan Lake fork.

Switchbacks!

Once down in Lake City, we stopped at the famous "Southern Vittles" restaurant for their legendary Country Fried Steak meal. Many Texans hang their hat in Lake City in the summer and with them has come this great eatery.

You can find more about Southern Vittles HERE.

Southern Vittles Restaurant

AWESOME Country Fried Steak!

Heading back, we follow Henson Creek which was really roaring, and then up to Engineer Pass.

Huge snow pack at Engineer Pass

Wet roads yet, with great traction.

ROAD TRIP - Off-road - Clear Lake

2011-07-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

Clear Lake Panaorama

One of the most interesting destinations near Silverton is Clear Lake. A turquoise, crystal clear, alpine lake, high above the timberline. In most years, you can drive to this lake by the 4th of July weekend. Any 4x4 vehicle can make the trip. A low range transfer case and some extra ground clearance is a bonus as the road does become steep and has some very mild rock crawling spots near the top.

Full Map

Detail Map of Switchbacks

You can download and see this Google Map HERE

Still lots of snow. The road had been open for only one day.

Looking down from above.

Just back under the Timberline heading down from
Clear Lake. The view of the valley below.

SOUTH MINERAL CAMPGROUND

The nicest, public camp areas near Silverton are at the South Mineral Creek Campground and Dispersed "Dry" Camp areas.

You can find more info HERE. Scroll down to the listing.
Also at the USDA for this site.

Campers along Clear Creek in the Dispersed "Dry Camp" area.
First come first served.

The South Mineral Campground.

ROAD TRIP - Off-road - California and Picayune Gulch

2011-07-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Silverton Pamorama from the Kendall Mtn Road

Time for some off-roading! Me and the boys will make a short loop up to Animas Forks on County Road 2 and then into the loop on County Road 9 that goes into California Gulch, by California Pass then down Picayune Gulch back to County Road 2.

This short trip can be done by any 4x4 vehicle *car, truck, UTV or ATV" and will give you a good mix of the scenery, elevation and the more mild road conditions in the Alpine Loop area.

Full route map from an back to Silverton, Co.


Detailed loop map

You can download this route via Google HERE.

From Silverton, take County Highway 2 north. You will pass the old Mayflower Mill which is open for tours on an irregular basis and also the road to the Old 100 Gold Mine which has regular tours well worth your time.

Mayflower Gold Mill
Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour

You will pass the very small town of Howardsville and the Gold Mill in that locale which may soon be back in operation. Farther up north past Middelton is the old townsite of Eureka, Co. This was the next biggest town in San Juan County for many years of it's heyday. Very little is left of the old towns or the one huge, Sunnyside mill. The locales are now a popular, dry camping areas.

Eureka, CO @ Ghosttowns.com

Campers at Middleton

The Eureka Townsite from the north

Past Eureka, the road narrows and the scenery continues. One incredible and commonly photographed scene is this cabin across the canyon, complete with waterfall.

A great summer house?

Once in Animas Forks, we are also at the junction of County Road 5 which is a leg of th Alpine Loop over to Lake City, Co. We'll cover that in a future post.

Animas Forks is one of the best preserved, old mining camps and ghost towns on the planet. There is ample parking and some interpretive info at the site. There is much data on the Internet about this attraction as follows:

Animas Forks - Wikipedia
Animas Forks @ Mountains Rule Blog

We proceeded up County Road 9 to California and Placier Gulch and then into Picayune Gulch. Along the way are more very well preserved old mining structures and mills. Soon you will be way above the timberline!

California Gulch @ TrailDamage.com
Picayune Gulch @ TralDamage.com

An easy climb up to California Pass

Sound Democrat Mill in Placier Gulch

More on the: Pacier Gulch & Sound Democrat Mill

Leaving Placier Gulch, you will traverse a few easy switchbacks. Only one required a 2 point turn in my Big Dodge Pickup. From there the road is easy passing a remote cabin before it takes a fairly steep descent back to County Road 2.

Plenty of snow in the last week of June.

An old Skidoo abandoned along the road

Steep descent! Normally the uphill vehicles have the
right of way. In this case there was no valid place
for me to backup to so the UTV's made the yield.

ROAD TRIP - @ Silverton - Around Town

2011-06-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

We are in Silverton, CO - "God's Country"!

Besides being a top tourist town Silverton is a mecca for the off-road community, featuring some of the most breathtakingly beautiful and challenging alpine roads and trails as well as being a favorite for folks looking for a small town, Fourth of July celebration.

We will talk about the off-roading in future posts, for now I leave you with a few photos from around town.

Last Train to Durango!

Old Dirtbikes - Popular Silverton Transportation

Old Cabin display off of Blair Street


Our camp at the Red Mountain RV Park

Looking north on Green Steet

Cold draft, local brew at 5%

ROAD TRIP - Taos, NM to Silverton, CO

2011-06-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

On our way to God's Country!

Out of Taos, we took Highway 68/285 north, up to Antonito, CO then left to Chama, NM on Highway 64/17.

The north leg is a great road, easy to drive and with great scenery. Next time through, a stop will be scheduled to check out the sustainable-dwelling hobbyists and their structures at Earth Ship. You have heard me lambaste the "Dirt Worshipers" in the past in this Blog but, let me be clear that I admire any type of technical ingenuity and the dwellings at Earth Ship are pretty much the top of that class.

You can find more about Earth Ship, HERE.

The leg west of Antonito really starts to put you in beautiful country as the road parallels the Conejo River. This area had a lot of Fly Fisherman at work on a Monday! We will be back to check this out. The highway starts climbing like a Cable Car in San Francisco. My guess is that the Monsterhome steamed up a 8-10% grade on that route topping off at La Manga Pass, over 10,000' feet up.

I love my Lowrance IWay!

On this grade was an intrepid and very fit soul peddling to the top!

Find out more about Colorado, Highway 17 HERE.

At the summit we intersect the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway. Much the same livery runs this railroad as does the Durango and Silverton, NG RR.

At the Osier, CO yard.

The Cumbres and Toltec operation claims to be America;s Highest & Longest Coal Fired, Steam Operation, Narrow-Gauge Railroad. You can find more about the RR here:

Cumbres & Toltec Website
Wikipedia Page

CHAMA, NM

The route down into Caham, NM was much more gradual and just as beautiful. Chama is a cool little town with a lot of history and some "genuine characters". I will be back to this locale again for a longer stay. A few photos of the rail yard and around town.

An old Rotary Snowplow

The old station in Chama, NM

There were a few vehicles adorned with stickers in political
statement. This one is a good read!

The best sticker of all!

It's 4x4 country. This old M38 as seen in Chama is very cool!

Onward to Durango and then Silverton.

Out of Chama, we head west again and then north to Pagossa Springs, CO via Highway 84. This is an easy road with light traffic. Once in Pagossa Springs we take Highway 160 west to Durango. I hate this road ! It's a winding, sometimes narrow, two lane road with tons of traffic. I'd rather deal with the old, Interstate Highway intersections in El Paso, TX than this route.

Once in Durango, we head north on Highway 550. This road is simply superb up to the San Juan County line where it narrows a bit and then even more right before you descend into Silverton. Take your time here, make sure your rig is not overloaded. Make sure your brakes are top notch and be rested and alert before you take this route.

It is truly spectacular scenery on this route through God's Country with Silverton as a place that we come back to time and time again like a second home.

You can find out more about the Highway, Durango and Silverton as follows:

Highway 550
Durango, CO - Official Website
Silverton, CO - Offical Website
Silverton Standard - On-line Newspaper

ROAD TRIP - @ Taos, NM

2011-06-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why Taos is one of our favorite destinations. We now visit every other year. There is excellent dining, great natural scenery and history. The town is also very laid back with a tinge of simplicity and most people here have a little dirt on their shoes, i.e. without the pretentious air of Santa Fe.

Most folks that visit hit the Town Square and the Taos Pueblo. We like to roam about the edges. The following photos cover some of that scene.

I also have a few photos of the Pueblo in my Face Book Album. You can see those HERE.

RV PARK REVIEW - TAOS VALLEY RV PARK

I give this park a 7 of 10. It is close enough to old Taos. The spaces are not too tight, the facilities are super clean. The downside is the expensive price of $45 a night for a 50amp pull through and again a non-existent Wi-Fi service. Fortunately, my Verizon 3G service was adequate.

More on this park can be found here:

Taos Valley RV Park
RV Park Review - Taos, NM

----

We are off to our main destination of Silverton, CO today. We will be there for a week to 10 days. Stay tuned!

ROAD TRIP - Dodge City, KS to Taos, NM

2011-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a contrast in roads on this leg. From the straight, "over the horizon roads" of the plains to the mountain roads up into Eagles Nest, NM and down to Taos.

We left Dodge and back tracked a bit on highway 56, west to Sublette, KS. This highway is near perfect. it is a wide, two lane road with large shoulder areas. One of the well kept little town along this route is Montezuma, KS. Like so many we passed through, the Grain elevators are on the north side of the road and the town on the south.

Montezuma, KS

We kept on going straight on Highway 56 at Sublette heading directly for the corner of the state and into Oklahoma. The road west of Sublette was fine but nearly as nice as what we had just traveled. Once in Oklahoma, the road narrowed and the shoulder area disappeared. Still and easy road that is mostly straight and easy to navigate with mild crosswinds.

Oklahoma Roads - Highway 56

On into New Mexico. The crosswinds became very strong yet, still not an issue for the stability of our rig which is based on a Class 8 Semi-Truck chassis. We stopped in Clayton, NM for fuel at $3.88 a gallons and a quick lunch. Staying on 56, we met up with Interstate 25 in Springer, NM and jogged up a bit then due west on NM Highway 58 to Cimarron, NM. Now that road is narrow, bumpy and a good challenge in the very high crosswinds we encountered. Once in to Cimarron we headed due west on Highway 64 up and into THE Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Eagles Nest, NM. This is where the contrast took effect. Highway 64 is a great mountain road and easy in any RV with an experienced driver. I enjoyed the drive!

EAGLES NEST, NM

Eagles Nest is in a beautiful valley at @ 9000' elevation. The people are friendly and the fishing in the nearby streams and the lake itself are reported to be "epic".

Eagles Nest, NM History Page


Eagles Nest Lake from Mt Baldy.

South of Eagles Nest is the Angel Fire ski community. Angel Fire is a big operation with an airport that can easily accommodate a small passenger jet or the Gulfstreams of the vacation home owners. We drove on past as places like this fit my rule of "bad and or challenging roads = good people", "Airports for Biz Jets = bad people". Or, at least people I don't care to be around.

Highway 64 took us up out of the valley and then down into Taos. The people on the highway were very courteous to our 65' long travel train and I again enjoyed the mountain road.

Today's route

Our route so far, this trip.

We are in Taos now. This is our second visit in a few years. Taos is a mix of people that I will talk about in the next Blog entry. It's time to relax now!

ROAD TRIP - Amarillo, TX to Dodge City, KS

2011-06-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Gettin' out of Dodge... EARLY!

We came to Dodge City for the western heritage. Past the Boot Hill Museum, there isn't anything else to see in town. Even that attraction is a restoration of the old part of town and not even close to being on par with the locales of Virginia City NV, Tombstone AZ or Silverton CO. Add the predicted high temp of 107 degrees on Sunday and there is no reason to stay.... We'll be heading to Taos Saturday before noon and likely abbreviate that stay for a day as we run to the cool weather of the Colorado High Country in Silverton.


I find happiness on rural, two lane roads of America! Don't mind the bugs on the windshield..

I will say that the drive from Amarillo to Dodge was enjoyable. The small and slightly larger towns of Kansas are very well kept in all respects. The nicest small town we have seen this trip was Liberal Kansas. Ya, I know... the town name could be better but it's far from what the name belies as it even has a Haliburton office. The town also appeared to be void of Old Hippies, Dirt Worshipping Eco-Freaks and all their trappings such as neo-Hippie Hostels, Tie-Dye T-shirt shops, Dumpster Diver Co-ops and what these lazy loons call "The Vortex of the Harmonic Convergence" <---WTF IS THAT!! ....Anywaze. good on you people of Liberal KS, you have a nice town.

Seen on the side of the road in Liberal, KS USA.. a very nice BBQ Smoker outfit.
Hippie Towns don't have such things as "Smoked Tofu" is not the rage.

RV PARK REVIEW - GUNSMOKE TRAV-L-PARK

I give this older park an 8 of 10. It is spacious, well kept, has very friendly staff, the 50amp spot for a party of 5 was $30 a night and the old pool is in great shape offering a nice cool dip after a hot days on the plains.

I did not use the free WiFi as my Verizon 3g service was perfect, as usual.

You can find more on the park at these links:
Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park
RV Park reviews for Dodge City, KS

ROAD TRIP - Carlsbad Caverns NP - Amarillo, TX

2011-06-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

Our most eastern stop on the trip is Dodge City, KS. A good halfway stop is Amarillo, TX where just east of town on I-40 you can find nice RV parks, well equipped Truck Stop-o-ramas and The Big Texan Steakhouse.

Leaving east out of Carlsbad, NM it is evident that the energy industry and the towns that serve same are doing well. Unlike most locales in The Obamination, towns such as Hobbs, NM are teaming with activity and business. The same extends over into Texas where governor Perry can boast a 4% unemployment rate, the very best in the nation.

Leading into the panhandle of Texas, the roads are very good and the land very flat. North of Lubbock, I was scanning my Lowrance GPS for a nearby lunchtime, Rest Stop when I drove right past what I was looking for. This was a good omen because the next exit led to the small, rural town of Hale Center and The Hale County Farm and Ranch Museum right next to the Interstate.

HALE COUNTY FARM AND RANCH MUSEUM

The museum is free of charge yet any person of integrity will leave a donation. The displays cover the equipment, homes and business of the area dating into the early 20th century. Much of the equipment is as it was found with decades of weather to make an artistic patina. Other displays consist of perfectly restored farm equipment and tools. There is an entire early 20th century, farm home where a couple raised nine children. A few highlights are as follows.

The weathered equipment and vehicles
make for a photographers paradise!


1930's era Beauty Salon display. YIKES!

Perfectly restored tractors.

This was considered to be a "Potable TV" from the late 1940's!

A great, local TV station story about the The Hale County Museum can be found HERE .

ALSO: The staff mentioned that RV's can park overnight, for free at the museum lot.

CADILLAC RANCH

Everyone has heard of the Cadillac ranch, just west of Amarillo on I-40. We stopped in to leave our mark and with that, we have a few photos to share with you.

You are encouraged to bring a spray can and make your own graffiti on the old wrecks. So many people have done this that the paint is over an inch and half thick on the cars. The sad part is that many sloppy people leave the empty cans behind. Bring your own can, along with a trash bag to cart out the empty cans you find.

A side of one car where the paint layers have been cut away.

AMARILLO

This town reminds me of one of the semi-bad areas of Los Angeles. There is much decay, much poverty, many empty buildings and much that people simply do not care about. On a high note, the Amarillo Ranch RV Park and some well equipped Trucks Stops along with the Big Texan Steakhouse are all at the same exit off of I-40 just east of town.

We tanked up at TA, stayed at the Amarillo Ranch RV Park and hit the buffet at the Big Texan for breakfast the next morning. The Big Texan is a good value in both food and entertainment especially for the kids.

You can find more about the Big Texan HERE

RV PARK REVIEW - AMARILLO RANCH RV PARK

I give this park a 8 of 10. The park is spacious, the staff is extremely friendly, the facilities clean and the indoor pool was a very refreshing extra after a hot day on the road. I did not use the free Wi-Fi as my Verizon 3g service was top notch, as usual.

More info for the park can be found as follows:

Amarillo Ranch RV Park
Amarillo Area RV Park Reviews

ROAD TRIP - @ Carlsbad Caverns, NM

2011-06-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Not much to post for this leg. The wife and youngin's are at the caves and I am in the Monsterhome catching up on business, work and such.

This is not picturesque country by any means. It is mostly flat, flat and then flat again, covered by a mixture of cacti, prairie grass and rocks. I can't imagine why any settler stopped here to stay a century and half ago.

There is a substantial amount of business at hand though. The oil and gas industry seems prosperous. The oil and gas industry is active with lots of rigs being tended to by the roughnecks. I imagine this is only possible because the environmentalists do not see some controlling or sentimental value in the vast, flat expenses of New Mexico and Texas. Nah, they'd rather inflict their "hall monitor BS" and mismanage our forests first, turning them into tinder boxes and then, burnt out wastelands.

I hiked up to the old castle and cell phone towers above White's City for my morning sojourn. Like I said, flat, flat and more flat.

The history of White's City, Jim White and the Carlsbad Caverns can be found here:

Jim White
Cavern Pictures
Psrk Info

White's City is a mix of mostly dilapidated old Hotels, a semi occupied store complex and the RV park. Many buildings are uninhabitable and on the last leg.


The old Pueblo Inn waiting for the bulldozer

RV PARK REVIEW: WHITE'S CITY

The RV Park is the most convienient park to the caverns by a long mile. The nearest competitor is a good 12 miles up the road into Carlsbad and is likely as questionable as this one.

Until recently, the park has seen some bad days, falling into the same despair as the Pueblo Inn. About 2 years ago, new owners took over and started fixing things up. There is now 50 amp service and a good amount of the park plumbing has been replaced. The showers and bathrooms are looking better with new tile but all in all, the place has a ways to go.

I did not try the free WiFi service as the park sits under the shadows of both an AT&T and Verizon Wireless towers. AT&T offered 2G access and Verizon, offered 3G with superb service and speed.

I rate the park a 5 of 10 and that is mostly based on the effort of the new owners to get things a bit better.

More info on the park can be found here:

Carlsbad, RV Park Reviews

The next leg takes up into the Texas Panhandle with a stop in Amarillo.

ROAD TRIP - Tombstone, AZ to Carlsbad Caverns, NM

2011-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

A long day on good roads.. Except the path through El Paso, TX. I'll avoid that one from now on. Just too many people in too little a space and a long, long path of stop lights on US 180 out of town.

Our route today.

Our route so far.

US 180 east of El Paso travels a true area of Texas Outback. There is one hell of a lot of dirt between light bulbs out there.

Straight as an arrow into the horizon and beyond.

Tomorrow the family will visit the caverns and I will conduct business from the Monsterhome. Thank you Verizon Wireless.

We are settled into the old RV park at White's City at the gate of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The RV park has a number of good updates. I'll have a review tomorrow.

ROAD TRIP - In Tombstone, AZ

2011-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in Tombstone, AZ. Did the OK Corral show as well as the tour of the Bird Cage Theater.

OK CORRAL SHOOTOUT

Doc Holiday

The shootout show is worth the $10 admission which includes a tour of various western artifacts as well as a Diorama and History movie. The actual shootout is well done by the actors, especially with Doc Holiday's poetic discourse. Of all the actors, he was the most into his role.

BOOT HILL

A visit to Boot Hill is part of the fare in Tombstone. here lies the remains of Old Man Clanton, father to the Clanton boys that died at the OK Corral.

DOWNTOWN TOMBSTONE

Mid day on Allen Street, Tombstone, AZ.

Early evening, sunset light on Allen Street. This shot looks up the historic street that bustled with life 140 years ago. The buildings are well preserved and filled with various saloons and gift stores.

We had a nice Pizza and cold beer lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon. The food was good and the service outstanding. The owner visited our table and had our teenagers and 9 year old pose with various, period attire around the Saloon for free. That's great hospitality!

RV PARK REVIEW

Wells Fargo RV Park.

You can find more about this park at the following links:

Wells Fargo RV Park Home Page
RV Park Reviews

Overall I give this Park a 3 of 10. All it has really going for it is the close proximity to the main tourist area of Tombstone and clean restrooms and showers. The staff was very bossy and the price was ridiculous at $49 a night! Add a very poor quality, non-secured Wi-Fi service as status quo.

TOMORROW

We are heading to Carlsbad Caverns for our second visit to this attraction. It's a 450 mile haul that dips into Texas before returning back to New Mexico.

ROAD TRIP - Wickenburg, AZ to Tombstone, AZ

2011-06-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hot and Windy! Arizona is suffering through a very windy period that is the devil's hand on the local wildfires.


The Monument Fire burning into Hereford and Sierra Vista, AZ

The Monument fire remains out of control and has burned over 50 homes or business buildings in Hereford, AZ, With the strong winds there is no hope to stop the advancement.

PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

Instead of fighting the strong cross winds without rest on Interstate 10m we stopped off at the Pima Air & Space Museum south of Tuscon, AZ. The museum has the largest display of aircraft of any private museum in the world. Here are a dew select photos that depict some of the best of the collection.

A nicely preserved B-29 Bomber

B24 Liberator, Nose Art

B36 Perspective. A very rare bird!

More info on the Pima Air & Space Museum can be found HERE .

TOMBSTONE

We arrived in the late afternoon and settled into the Wells Fargo RV Park. The jury is *well out* on this place. I will make my comments after our second day here, tomorrow.

We were able to score a superb dinner at The Depot and Johnny Ringo's Bar. See my comment and others at Yelp.com

We will be in town all day tomorrow before heading out to Carlsbad, NM. I leave you with this photo of the early, Arizona evening sun casting shadows and warm light down old, Allen Street.

ROAD TRIP - Las Vegas, NV to Wickenburg, AZ

2011-06-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's nice to be back on the road again. I love to drive our big old Kibbi Renegade Motorhome, aka "Monsterhome". It is so stable and so easy to drive. A far cry from the run of the mill, overloaded bread truck chassis based, motorhomes.


Stopping for Lunch just west of Kingman, AZ

TODAY'S ROUTE

The first day was a short 252 miles. We are staying the night at the Horspitality RV Park, just south of town on Highway 60.

TOWNS

Wickenburg was established in the Mining Era back in 1863. The railroad came to town a while later and kept the burg from blowing away when the mines played out. There is a clean, historic business district with nice shops and a number of good restaurants.

I always have an eye for well restored, vintage cars and this old Caddy fits the bill. The setting was perfect for this photo: small town, city park, nice car = 10+.

DINING

We visited a few shops before their, off season, early closing hours and dined at Anita's Cocina which had the highest ratings on Yelp.com of all eateries in town. See the Yelp Listing Link for more details.

RV PARK REVIEW

Back to Horspitality RV Park.

You can find more about this park at these links:
Park Web Site
RV Park Reviews, Wickenburg, AZ

Overall, I give this park a 5.5 of 10. The rate was $32 for a 50 amp pull through site.

Good:

The lone staff member was friendly and helpful.
The park was clean and quite.
Easy access for our big rig.

Bad:

Wi-Fi was non-op. The park staff could not fix the problem.
A bit too far from town.
Cash or Check only. No credit cards.
No swimming pool and it's 105 degrees out!

INTERNET ACCESS

As mentioned the Park Wi-Fi did not work.
Verizon Wireless 3G, data service was superb.
AT&T only offers 2G 'Edge" data service.

Verizon Wireless, 3g Data Speed Test

ALONG THE WAY


Fast Boat heading to the water and a Saguaro Cactus along Highway 93. Yep, we are in Arizona!

TOMORROW

We are heading to Tombstone for a full day stop over. There are many wild fires in that area and we hope that the fire fighters are making progress.

ROAD TRIP !!!!!

2011-06-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are heading out in the Monsterhome again for a trip across the southwest, landing in Silverton, Colorado for an extended stay. We pull up anchor on Saturday morning heading southeast.

I will do my best to make daily posts along the type I made for my old Blog located HERE

Car Show Best

2011-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

The impromptu car show near my home each Sunday is beginning to attract the highest quality vehicles. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

ARTWORK!

This 1959 Chevy Impala is the finest, most unique version I have ever seen. The car was loaded with factory options from "true, factory AC" to a smokeless ashtray. The restoration was 100 points.

This 1932 Blown, Hemi Powered Ford Roadster is another fine peice of art and workmanship. The car has an all steel body from Europe. I would guess that the cars has in excess of 1000 horsepower and likely weighs under 2500 lbs.

Yes, that is an 1969 COPO Camaro to the left.

American Afternoon

2011-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Softball on the National Mall with the
Washington Monument as a backdrop.

I was in Washington DC recently to attend the ITW Conference and to visit some folks on The Hill. Normally these trips are wall to wall business with little time to venture about the city. Due to a later flight out the next day, I had free time on my last afternoon and evening in the Capital. Here are a few photos that are worth sharing.

Washington DC is a city of young people. Some are from nearby George Washington University. I suspect that the majority are from the various staff positions on The Hill. This afternoon and I am sure like all - when the weather permits - brings the people out for athletics on the National Mall. It seemed that every inch of crass was covered by a softball or kickball game. I saw little in the way of Soccer, and that is fine by me.

Obama was cavorting in the UK with "fringe type" celebrities while the "fly over state" folks in Joplin where doing their best to pick up the pieces of their lives. I'd shame Obama but, I doubt that concept of morality registers with the man.


The First Division Monument in front of the Old Executive Office Building

The Smithsonian Castle

Row Houses near Dupont Circle


Steps to the Capital

Easter Sunday Car Show

2011-04-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Within a good toss from my base abode, there is a great, impromptu car show every Sunday - weather permitting.

Here are some highlights with a hint on the variety of vehicles seen each weekend.

This beautiful, vintage Oldsmobile motor
was in a 32 Ford, Coupe

How often do you see a Ford Model T with era specific, performance mods?

The owner says it will touch 100 MPH!!

Overhead valve cylinder head!

No shocks but this car has, period specific, aftermarket springs
to help with body sway and load.

60's Dodge Gasser

An immaculate 1968 Camaro SS

A real "Lead Sled" - 1966 Lincoln Continental

This 1964 Chevy Wagon was perfectly restored. My son and
daughter loved the rear facing, this row, bench seat.

A remarkable survivor! 1959 Chevy Impala. Only a repaint
and upholstery and a few minor performance parts make
this car differ from the day it came off the assembly line.

RAT ROD! That front seat is not conducive
to long trips.

You can find the car show at the Blue Marker on the map below.

The event is across Rancho Drive from the Santa Fe Casino.

Racing the Infamous MINT 400!

2011-03-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Our Team Beat The punishMINT 400 and Won!

We didn’t stand on the podium, we weren’t the fastest car out there, we did not pose excitement for all the photographers and we may not make the video but our Team - The Dirt Mob, scored a major victory when it comes to Team Work and a “never say die” attitude - a mental state that pushed the FreeConferenceCall.com, #177 Truggy across the finish line with time to spare.

Desert Racing is a sport of skill, experience, lots of hard work, some money, some luck but most of all it’s about The Team. Without this team, no car or truck ever makes it to the starting line and most definitely, no vehicle ever makes it makes it to the finish line.

Now for the whole story.. It’s a good one!

It all started out on Thursday night where the teams and their vehicles are available on Fremont Street in old ‘Vegas for the enjoyment of the fans. Dave Erickson signed up a great gal to help promote our brand and team and we pretty much stole the crowd's attention away from General Tire and other big outfits. Good job Amber, you are a sweetheart all around!

Thanks Amber!

On race day, Dave Erickson and I started the race at 35th off the line amidst some of the fastest in the sport in both Class 1 “unlimited” and Trophy Truck. We immediately settled down into a 75% race pace, on plan to stay in line, pick off those with less self control and hand the car off to Joe Desrosiers and John McMurrin to put the heat on and finish well.

The course was simply brutal. It never gets better year to year, only worse. There are no bladed roads like Best in The Desert, not a one – just the nastiest washes, silt beds, rock fields and totally beat down, whooped-out race course you can experience in North America. Some say that the Mint 400 has regained the title of The toughest off-road race in North America”, I agree!

Pat and Dave at speed!

We made decent pace, passing a few and being passed as well and pulled into our primary PIT at race mile 72 a few cars ahead of our starting order. This pit was important to gauge fuel consumption. The fueling revealed high fuel use and that our rear transfer pump was not working. Now we would need to fuel twice per lap instead of just once, each time around. We also suffered a leaking transmission cooler that got a lot worse in the next 35 miles as we headed to the start/finish line and the main pit area.

At the main pit, The Dirt Mob made the decision to bypass the leaking cooler and replace the fuel pump. All told we were down for repairs for about 45-50 minutes.

Dirt Mob in the PIT!

We set off on the same conservative pace for the second lap and immediately lost the alternator. The battery voltage was dropping fairly fast and the only way to save it was to back off a bit more and use the cooling fans only when needed. With no fans and one of three trans coolers down, we really had to juggle speed, cool down stops and high transmission temps. We were not sure if the fuel pump was fixed so we had The Dirt Mob dump fuel again at Pit B near the half way point of each lap. We also informed them of the alternator issue for replacement at Pit D.

In Pit D, the alternator was changed and the second bad fuel pump was replaced and some wiring was bypassed. Joe and John now had the car and were off.

Joe and John go!

At race mile 56, on lap 3, they broke the lower a-arm also bending the steering tie-rod, putting them on the side of the course until they rigged up a fix and limped the car out to Pit C where the good people of COPS Racing loaned us a welder to make a more permanent fix and our friends of Car #144 (Jim Knox) lent us a replacement tie-rod. All told, we lost over two and a half hours with this problem.

At Pit A at the end of lap 3, the Dunn-Tech crew found some loose fasteners and a cracked sway bar arm. All fixes were made in about 15 minutes and the car was off. Back in the race and heading to a finish after lap 4, Joe and John drove into the night. Altercations with the front bumper and other cars smashed a few HID lights while Joe and John made the fastest night lap of the race in two hours and 39 minutes.

The beauty of a night race!

#177 crossed the finish line just after 10:15pm, 8th in class and 63rd overall after 15 hours and 15 minutes on course. This makes 4 finishes for 4 starts in a new car and we’ll take that, especially at the Toughest Race in North America!

Thanks are in order for:

FreeConferenceCall.com
Wide Voice, LLC
Joe Hauler Motorcycle Carriers
Off-road.org
Dirt Racer Pics
The Dirt Mob

"FCC Dave" Erickson
"Joe Hauler" Desrosiers
John "USMCGUNROCK" McMurrin
Allen "Martein" Burris
Jimmy "JFD" Delaney
Ryan Cohee
Brian Shannon
"Buffalo Dave" Stalter
Kenny Schwartz
Tommy Koch
Greg Ostwinch
Fred "Gunny" Mooney
Marc Lewis
"Cadillac Bob" Gunion
Reed Chicas
"Yucca Mike" Shannon
Todd "Wheezy" McMiniment
Cindy "Crazy Daisy"
Lisa Burris
Sue Shannon
Molly Koch
Keala Chicas
Lauren McMurrin
Libben Schwartz
Teri Shannon
Lindsey McMiniment
Linda Gunion

Sean Dunn
The Checkers
Jim Knox and everyone with car #144
Tim Scott and everyone with car #1051
Adam Jacob of Freeconferencecall.com
Chris Macy of Freeconferencecall.com
COPS Racing
S.N.O.R.E.
The Moapa Band of Paiutes, Indian Tribe
The BLM

Finishing this race with such an outstanding team effort will never be forgotten. It will be the lore of many campfire stories for our friends, family, their kids and beyond. This collective pride of accomplishment is what being an “American Desert Racer” is about. Congrats to you all that were involved and "thank you!" to our friends and fans. We all earned it!

Unofficial results can be found at: http://www.live.snoreracing.net/

Additional photos:

Left to right: Dave Erickson, Joe Desrosiers, Amber,
Reed Chicas, Cole Chicas, Pat Chicas, John McMurrin

#177 heading to MobTown!

Joe and John ready to go fast!

Racing into the night!

Joe and John at the Finish Line!!

This is "Inspiration"!

2011-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Please take a moment to view this video. this fine, country gal is the epitome of American Spirit. God Bless her!

Finally, an IPhone that is reliable!

2011-02-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

It truly is The Network!

As a telecom career dog, I spent a good amount of time in the wireless arena. One stint was with GTE Mobilnet in Hawaii where I held numerous technical and some management titles. It was a tough job in paradise and all but, someone had to do it. A bit later, GTE Mobilnet became one of the main parts of what is Verizon Wireless today.

Fast forward: I pretty much live and work by cell phone and Internet connection and Appe's Iphone was a Godsend with a superb user interface to all the tools that let me walk out of my office in confidence to continue the business day while mobile.

Unfortunately, Apple teamed up with AT&T Wireless and AT&T's horrid cellular network. When I say "horrid" I relate to dropped calls 90% of the time, spotty coverage, poor audio quality, and slow call setup time.

None the less, the Apple features and functionality made dealing with that rotten network tolerable.

It goes without saying that I was thrilled to learn of the Iphone on my former employers, superior network. I took the invite for an early buy and ordered my phone on February 3rd. The phone arrived today and within 30 minutes, I was on-line with call quality and reliability that was light years ahead of what AT&T Wireless offered.

As an example, I have received or made 5 calls today. Of the calls made, most were very long: 57 minutes, 22 minutes and one for 10 minutes. All of these calls were while driving. Inbound calls were generally short. On every occasion, the calls were crystal clear and never, ever dropped. As a comparison, 55 minute calls were unheard of on AT&T Wireless as a call could never be maintained for a fraction of that time period.

There are fears that the Verizon Wireless network will become overloaded. We shall see, In the mean time I am just happy to hold much more professional calls while mobile.

As Seen In Quartzsite..

2011-01-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

Every winter the annual gathering of Rv'ers at the Big Tent RV Show and surrounding flea markets and mineral and gem yards in Quartzsite Arizona, or "Q" as many call it, is something that is rare on this earth. This sleepy little down turns in to something akin of an "Old West, Boom Town" overnight, with the same energy lasting for a few months afterward.

This was my first year to see this phenomena after a long desire to do so. My youngest son and I rode the Monsterhome down from V-town with the White Rhino in tow. We landed at the Hi Jolly, 14 day BLM camp Friday night and commenced a little reconnoitering to town that evening to get our schedule tuned for the next day.

Into Town

I had heard and read all about the massive crowds that descends on the town during the first weekend of the big show so, we decided to pick up the tail end of the shin-dig in an effort to avoid the herd and with that success, I think that's a recipe we'll adhere to in the future as well.

Now a lota other folks will get into some good detail about "where is what", "when is what", "where to go" in Q and all those high pressure details but, I won't do that instead, I am just gonna post a few pictures of "As Seen In Quartzsite" and let your imagination wander from there.

The Big Tent

The Big Tent at 0915hrs! We drove right up into a ringside parking spot and wondered
if we shoulda brought our bowling balls. 'Glad we didn't 'cuz the place filled up well by 1000hrs.

The Big Tent is the center of the show and it's a must if you are an RV'er. The highlights were:

Lots of LED light vendors. LED's are a must for every RV boondocker. I picked up some for my computer desk that I am typing under right now. The LED's dropped the current draw by 80% and they are brighter than the old Halogen bulbs.
A superb display and literature by the Canadian Tourist Bureau. I walked away with at least 5 lbs of literature and after creasing the cover of the first glossy, I am ready to head that way - some day.
I hooked up with the Blue Ox folks to get a tune-up on the tow bar for the White Rhino.
The good folks at The Good Sam Club insured that my son was a winner of one of their prize give aways. And with that, I will no longer be annoyed by their postal mailing of offers that rarely seem to fit my needs.

The "Bigger Show"

By far, the bigger show is what makes up Quartzsite overall. There are many swap meet, flea market and individual trader lots around town. I won't confuse you with all the names and locales because that would confuse me too and like you, I was just happy to wander and enjoy what I discovered.

Contrasts

Quartzsite is a place of contrasts that starts in the outlying BLM campgrounds where folks in million dollar coaches are as comfortable as their fellow RV'ers in pop-top, tent trailers camping on the spacious, BLM camp areas, all within a distance of self perceived privacy.

As big as it gets!


As small as it gets. These two rigs were within 100 yards of each other.

Rocks!

My son starting digging in the dirt before he could walk. His interest in gems,
minerals, mining and the related process is one of those things that makes
being "a dad" special. With that interest in mind, we had to go to Q where at one of
the bigger yards he found a nice gem for his sister and another for his teacher.

The Flea Markets!

No Fleas but, a whole army of Ants made from scrap steel and river stones.

Adult Day Care!

Ha! A great sense of humor here. One swap meet entrepreneur
sells beer instead of all the stuff everyone else sells.

Modern West Boom Town

Every Old West Boom Town started in tents including
grocery sales and more. Across the dirt path was a Drug Store, also in a tent.

The Blacksmith has moved in

150 years ago, he came in a wagon, today the transport is an old School Bus.

Need a ship's wheel?
How about a Wooden Indian?

Remember what I said about "Contrasts?

Just More Stuff!

These would have been better with a full demonstration -
a tub if water, white smoke and all.

This line up of photogenic junk caught my eye.

Junk to Art!

At a private junk lot on the main drag had the most eclectic collection of stuff in town. The caretakers were characters themselves that could obviously arrange junk into a string of art.

One of my favorite shots of the trip.

The Best for Last and The Theme of this Blog Entry

At one of the Flea Markets was a double wide tent that was right out of the era of the Hudson Bay Company. It was stocked full of every hide, horn, skull and other animal remnants that you could imagine yet, more. I looked for the PETA protesters for a good laugh unfortunately, none brave such a frontier as the town of Q.


The Trappers Tent!

By far, of all the stuff we saw today, nothing was as different, as "outside the box" as flat out entertaining in this theme as the what you see below.


Need any Muskrat Jaws? Hah! I didn't think so!

Ya gotta be kidding me! It's a Ford not a BMW!

2011-01-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

My teenage son drives a 1996 Ford Ranger. We picked the little rig up from a BLM auction at a paltry sum and have steadily added good maintenance to make the truck reliable. As of late, he has noticed a gasoline leak from the tank when the tank is full. Today we removed the bed from the truck for inspection and found the rubber filler neck, cracked and porous at the base.

A quick call to the local Ford Dealer "Team Ford" in our neck of the woods was in order. It kinda went like this.

1 More Mile: I have a 96 Ranger and need a filler neck for the fuel tank. The truck is equipped as .....

Team Ford Parts Guy: Ah sure, we have a lot of those in stock. They are in high demand.

1 More Mile: Great, what are the damages?

Team Ford Parts Guy: Lemme see here, the total is $572.19.

1 More Mile: I don't need the gas tank, just the filler neck.

Team Ford Guy: That's right, it's $572 for the filler neck.

1 More Mile: It's a God Damn rubber hose! How can you charge $500 dollars plus for a rubber hose?

Team Ford Parts Guy: Ya, I know, seems like it costs more than the truck is worth!

1 More Mile: You are INSANE!

Team Ford Parts Guy: Well, I do have them in stock.

1 More Mile: Well, that's one for me that you will keep in stock forever. See ya! (CLICK)

Off the phone, I immediately stalked the 'net to see if this price is as radically crazy as I thought it was or, to be more blunt, to see if Team Ford is hosing all it's customers like rabid Gorilla.

The first searches turned up non-OEM version for as low as $28 with free shipping and full OEM parts as low as $148 with free shipping.

So, let's imagine that the dealer cost for this part is $148. The selling price is $572 or 280% profit. Folks, that's "Highway Robbery" in the tallest order.

I opted for a non-OEM from a highly reputable Ebay seller for $60 delivered.

Links of Interest:

Road Trip, Car Show, Chili and the Nevada Outback

2011-01-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

I decided to take a couple of the kids on a short road trip today to get out of town. A bit east from our base is the town of Mesquite, NV and this weekend the Town and Hotels were hosting a custom car show and chili cook-off.

Cars

Today was the last day for the car show and I'd guess that 40% or more of the entrants had already packed up and headed out of town. The cars that were left varied in quality with a few that were simply superb.

1970 Chevy Nova, Drag Car.

"All Business" Office!

This Nova was a beautiful - truly top quality. I suspect this car runs in the 7-8 second range in the quarter mile.

1934 Ford Coupe

Coupe Motor

I see a lot of "Typical Hot Rods" at our local car show, especially in the 1932-35 year arena. Every once in awhile one stands out. This one surely is one of those. This car appeared to be a fresh build with the latest technology used in all area.

Chili

We then hit the Chli cookoff. It was one of the ICS "International Chili Society" deals, good for entertainment and that's about it. I'll delve more into my ICS experience some time soon and, it will be entertaining.

I did do my duty and tasted all 30 or so People's Choice concoctions and made my vote for the one I liked best. Of all, only one was worth remembering.

I also remember the horrible service by the Outdoor Beer Bar hosted by the Casablanca Hotel of the "Black Gaming Companies". Will someone tell me why patrons have to wait 30+ minutes in line for a beer at a chili cookoff? ...Even when the event announcer is remarking about the single server and the long lines! Black Gaming should be ashamed!

Nevada Outback

After we toured the little town of Mesquite, we decided to take the river road out of town and wander as far as we could to determine if their was an alternate route other than I-15 from Mesquite to Overton, NV.

We didn't find that route but we did find ourselves on the Back Country Byway heading for Gold Butte. This really turned out to be a fun drive of excellent Nevada back country, dirt roads. Hell, most of this road in the dirt sections was more smooth than the majority of California freeways.

On the way we spied some awesome off-road trails, and roads that were all well marked by the BLM as well as spectacular camp spots among very serene and beautiful rock formations. We'll be back for that, for sure!

Lowrance GPS Screen

The town of Gold Butte is gone. Not much but a few littered pieces of the old abode lying here and there. Come to think of it, I really didn't see much in the way of mining activity either. Perhaps we missed some of the old town.

The slim remnants of Gold Butte

We continued on past Gold Butte and down a fork in the road that was marked to lead to lake Mead. The trail became a lot more technical in the last 10 miles and I really enjoyed the ride in the old Dodge. Tht truck is just made for this kind of stuff.

The "White Rhino" Dodge Chase truck down below the
high water mark on the north east shore of Lake Mead.

Links of Interest:

GPS Information:

Today's Route - CLICK for Google Earth File

Saturday, July 7th

2007-07-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

We are heading home today. We may do the 430 miles in one day or break it up with stops and an overnight in Goldfield or Tonopah.

Update: 2200hrs

We are home. The Nevada roads were perfect. I can't remember a single pot hole in 400+ miles. We left Carson City at 1100hrs and arrived home at 1900hrs. We stopped three times, once for lunch, a 15 minute stretch in Tonopah and 30 minutes in Amargosa where I talked to a husband and wife, trucking couple that had just done a big portion of our overall route in reverse. Good people!!

The Monsterhome performed perfectly. Not a single issue with the coach or truck. The Renegade-Kibbi product remains a "ten" in my book!

We averaged just under 8 MPG for the whole trip. The Eslcalade was towed 80% of all miles and our avereage speed for the trip was 47 MPH, too include all the tight twisty roads of California Highway 1 and US 101.

---

I will be editing the photos and the blog over the next 30-60 days. The best photos will be made available on my http://pjcnlv.smugmug.com/ gallery site and the Blog will be edited to add road conditions and RV park reviews as much as possible.

Looking back, there are a few places we definitely plan to camp out for extended stays in the future. In order:

1) Virgina City, NV - This town has great future potential with the reconstruction of the V&R railroad by 2010.

2) Charleston, OR - The southern and central Oregon Coast is breathtakingly beautiful and adds a real working environment of fishing and logging towns to make it real.

Friday, July 6th

2007-07-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

We will be touring Virginia City and possibly circling Lake Tahoe today. Here is our planned route.

Update: 2215hrs

Virginia City was a hit! We spent almost the whole day there.

Downtown Virginia City.

One of the restored storefronts, era 1865.

Harleys out in front of the Union Brewery and Brass Rail Saloon.

The bar inside the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

Another vintage bar, this time at the Delta Saloon.

More motorcycles, out in front of the Silver Queen.

The bar inside the Union Brewery. Look closely, thee are about a hundred, women's bras hanging from the ceiling.

The desk Mark Twain launched his literary career from.

The inside of the Mark Twain Museum. Not to be missed.

One of the Vintage Fire Engines on display at the Comstock Fireman's Museum.

The Old Washoe Club. The upstairs portion housed the Millionaires Club where back in the 1860's you had to have a minimum net worth of one million dollars before you were considered for club membership.

An old timer playing at the original piano from the Old Washoe Club.

We only managed a quick trip up to Lake Tahoe. This photo is from the east side.

Thursday, July 5th

2007-07-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are heading to Carson City, NV today which is just 170 miles away. The last two days have been 350 miles plus per day on two lane country highways, and a bit tiring.

Our route is as follows.

Update: 2145hrs

Sorry, I did not take photos today. We will be touring Lake Tahoe, Virginia City and hopefully, the local Railroad Museum tomorrow.

CAMPGROUND & ROAD REVIEWS

CAMPGROUND:

Comstock Country RV Resort
URL: http://www.comstockrv.com/

Pros:

* A great base for the area to reach out to Tahoe, Virginia City etc.
* Clean, well maintained common facilities.
* Easy to find, right on Highway 395 at the west, Highway 50 intersection.
* Friendly staff.

Cons:

* Lots of highway noise.
* Sterile, gravel and asphalt park.
* Extremely tight quarters.
* Wifi is worthless!!

ROADS:

California, Highway 44 - South from Hat Creek to the Highway 36 Junction. The typical, beat up, poorly maintained California road 'till you cross the Lassen County line to the Highway 36 junction, where the road is excellent.

California, Highway 36 - A good to excellent road from the Highway 44 junction to Susanville.

California, Highway 395 - The typical, beat up, poorly maintained California road along with construction to resurface the highway, starting about 10 miles north of the Nevada border where the road is resurfaced and superb.

Nevada, Highway 395 - California Border to Carson City, NV. A perfect road except for a few rough patches in Reno. The new freeway, presently under construction between south Reno and Carson City will just make it better.

Wednesday, July 4th - GOD BLESS THE USA!

2007-07-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

What's a trip on Oregon, Highway 97 without a side jaunt over to Crater Lake?

Here is our route for today.

I surprised the family and diverted our route today to include Crater Lake, National Park. It has been 40 years since I was here last. The Lake is as beautiful as ever!

Can you say "BLUE" and "WOW"!

From the village on the south side of the rim.

Also from the south side.

From the rim near the north entrance.

We have been blessed with superb weather this trip. The photos above are indicative of being in the right place with the right climate.

We are in Hat Creek, CA tonight - truly in the Northern California outback. Highway 97 was a superb road 'till we crossed into California where it either presented complete disrepair or, as the mother road of makeshift repairs. I think all Caltrans does is patch pavement cracks with what must be an endless supply of road tar. The question begs - what in the is California doing with all the tax and lottery revenues?

Tomorrow we will head to Carson City, NV for a one day layover with visits to Comstock Country, i.e. Virginia city as well as Lake Tahoe.

Just a reminder, all the photos you see here will be available at my http://pjcnlv.smugmug.com/ photo gallery site, within 60 days.

Cheers!

CAMPGROUND & ROAD REVIEWS

This is my first, formal review on the campsite we stayed at and on the roads that led us to our destination. I hope that you find this information useful.

CAMPGROUND - Hat Creek, Hereford Ranch, RV Park & Campground
URL: http://hatcreekrv.com/

Pros:

* Great for kids!
* The creek side, swimming beach was refreshing.
* Superb Wifi access.
* Spacious sites - easy navigating for very large rigs.
* Beautiful grounds.
* Friendly staff, the office was open 'till 2000hrs,

Cons:

* The park is about 30 years old and the facilities show it although everything is maintained well.
* 30 amp AC outlets only.
* A little tricky to find if you are heading eastbound on Highway 89. There is no sign 'till a 100 yards or so before you need to turn off the highway.

ROADS:

Oregon, Highway 97 - A superb road the entire length. Well maintained, marked and safe.

Crater Lake Access - Note: Disconnect and have your Tow'd follow if you plan to take a large RV through the park.

We entered the park via the northern gate. The road from Highway 97 and to the gate was excellent. The rim road to the village on the south side is extremely narrow, steep and winding with no shoulder and no guard rails. The parking area at the village is small and tight and barely has turn around facilities for larger rigs. The southern access route to the park via Oregon, State Highway 62, starts out south from the village with fairly sharp curves and a steep downhill grade. The road progressively straightens out into a very good, well maintained road all the way through Fort Klamath and back to Highway 97. The route through the upper Klamath Valley is very beautiful with expansive ranch land bordered by mountain ranges.

California, Highway 97 - As soon as we crossed the border, the road went downhill and became a fairly bumpy patchwork of new and old asphalt. The road is straight and fast with the exception of turns and grades at the area nearing Weed, California.

California, Highway 89 - A good mountain road but also in disrepair in many places. Watch for road construction between Bartle and Cayton.

Tuesday, July 3rd

2007-07-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

We are at the Crooked River Ranch RV Park near Bend, Oregon.

We clicked off 360 miles today to include a route along the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, through the sprawling city of Portland and along side, towering Mt Hood.

After 7 hours in the saddle, I was a bit lazy to set out on serious photo subject hunts. I hope the following will tide you all over for a bit.

The Hama Hama River Bridge on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula.

Towering Mt Hood as seen from Highway 26.

The Crooked River Bridge, north of Bend, OR. Once the highest, single span bridge in the US at nearly 300 feet above the Crooked River, it was built in 1926 and designed by Conde B. McCullough.

Fidel mentioned "Raw Americana" earlier. Here is another taste - American, RV Families enjoying perfect evening weather in the Crooked River Valley, Oregon.

We have another full travel day tomorrow. We will drop the tail hook in Hat Creek, CA.

Cheers

Monday, July 2nd

2007-07-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Victoria, BC.

I went for a walk today at 0600hrs to capture the still harbor waters and morning light near Fisherman's Wharf. There is a good sized, house boat community moored in that area which always make great photo subjects.

A row of sailboats at the wharf.

The Gatsby Mansion, built at the beginning of the 20th century by William J. Pendray who made his early fortune in the California Gold Rush. The home is now the forefront of a large, well appointed Hotel.

Update: 2230hrs

We are back in Port Angeles, WA USA!

We visited the Butchar Gardens today. By far, the most famous of all on the island. 'Following are a few photos that barely touch the visual experience.

As our Ferry was departing the inner harbor at Victoria, a float plane landed nearby and had to skirt around our vessel to reach its mooring. In the background are a few of the houseboats I covered earlier today.

For the sailors - A Panamanian Tankers lies in wait outside of Port Angeles.

We are off to central Oregon tomorrow on our return leg home.

Sunday, July 1st

2007-07-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

We are in Victoria, BC Canada. It is Canada Day!

The Canadians celebrate Canada Day much like we celebrate the 4th of July in the US.

We left the Monsterhome in Port Angeles and loaded up the Escalade on the ferry, MV Coho of the Black Ball Line and departed for Victoria. The MV Coho is over 47 years old but is immaculate. We recommend the Black Ball Line for any applicable travel in the Puget Sound area.

The photo below is as we depart Port Angeles with snow capped, Hurricane Ridge in the back ground.

We were in Victoria and at our Hotel on the waterfront in 90 minutes. The downtown area and inner harbor area of Victoria is in 100% party mode to celebrate Canada Day.

Earlier in the day, we set out to walk the town. The photo below is of Johnson Street, with many buildings from the 1800's.

The Empress Hotel which first opened its doors in 1908 was built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad for a huge sum - at that time of more than $1.5 million dollars.

The Craigdarroch Mansion, built by rags to riches, coal baron, James Dunsmiur.

One of the interior bedrooms in the mansion. The home and grounds are open to the public via self guided tours. The mansion has extensive history to include being a Military Hospital, post World War II.

Canada Day at noon. A band stage is setup in front of the Legislative Building.

Later in the evening at 2130hrs, the bands are playing and crowds gathering.

The fireworks show comes at 2230hrs. Already, the best harbor side spots are staked out.

A shot of a very fast paced and well done, fireworks show. It was all over in 10 minutes.

Tomorrow, we will venture out of town a bit to visit the Butchart Gardens and perhaps more. To end the day, we will cruise back to Port Angeles at sunset.

Update: July 3rd, 0800hrs

Notes on Vancouver Island and Victoria:

* Gasoline is $4.40 a gallon or roughly $1.15 a litre. This is must be attributable to high fuel taxes as Canada has immense petro resources.
* Very friendly people and accommodating to visitors - much like the people of Hawaii.
* Victoria presents a considerable Bohemian Side similar to other northwest cities.
* Victoria, had a considerable and evident homeless population as well as apparanelty productive people that present themselves to live with one foot in the street and the other under a roof at night.
* In our brief travels of the city and island we found it hard to find restaurants that were family friendly.
* Private properties are very well kept especially in the more rural areas. There was not a mobilehome to be seen.

Will we return to Canada? Absolutely! We are planning an Alsakan Highway venture and I would also like to explore the western interior of the country to include Calgary during the annual Stampede as well as travel throughout the Canadian Rockies.

Saturday, June 30th

2007-06-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

We are heading up to Port Angeles today with a lunch stop in Forks, WA to visit the Logging Museum.

While you are the next post, I invite you to see "Rocky, the Motorhome Driving Daredevil" as he attempts to jump 35 cars in a motorhome. http://rvvideos.blogspot.com/2007/06/daredevil-jumps-cars-with-motorhome.html

Update: 2100hrs

Spectacular weather today! Just perfect!

As we were heading up Highway 101 on the east side of the bay from Long Beach Peninsula, we captured one of four air boats navigating the wetlands at good clip. Yesterday, I forgot to add that we really liked Long Beach. The property values are sane, the town hosts everything from one of the biggest Rod Runs, to Harley meets to a Sand Castle competition and more. It is good to see a local community with life in perspective and not too influenced by lesser humans that live in great concentration, in small boxes, hundreds of miles away.

Highway 101 from Long beach to Port Angeles is a superb road. We made great time. I reccommend this route for any sized vehicle. We stopped briefly on the coast at "Beach #4" for a few photos. On the beach were local, Hoh Indians catching perch by the bucket full.

As mentioned, we stopped at the Forks, WA Logging Museum and bypassed the Hoh Rain forest. The museum, operated by a friendly staff is small but packed with artifacts. Below is a vintage, chain saw display.

My youngest now wants a Log truck for his toy collection, and that is just right!

For 15 miles, Highway 101 sits right on the edge of Lake Crescent, a very deep lake with the most blue waters I have ever seen. The photo below captures the hues of the water from crystal clear to the immediate drop off and deep blue waters.

We are in Port Angeles. The scene out our RV window includes the snow capped mountains of the Olympic National Forest to the south. It's nightfall now and a Circle Track Raceway a few miles away has added proper music for the evening.

Tomorrow, we plan to visit Victoria, BC Canada.

Friday, June 29th

2007-06-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

We are in Long Beach, WA today. We plan to visit the Lewis & Clark interpretive center at Cape Disappointment as well as Oysterville today. It rained most of the night and the forecast calls for 60% chance of rain throughout the day. Like in Hawaii, the rain is periodically interrupted by bright sunshine.

Update: 1915hrs

The sun came out and stayed most of the day for really nice weather.

Below is a shot down the Lighthouse Keeper's trail to the "North Head Lighthouse" at Cape Disappointment. Until 1961, the lighthouse produced light by burning kerosene via a very complicated, multi-wick lamp. The lighthouse keepers toiled daily to haul fuel oil to the lighthouse and to make sure the lighthouse lens and windows were kept clean.

This is the actual lens that has been removed from the North Point Lighthouse. It is on display at the Lewis and Clark interpretive center at Cape Disappointment. Each facet of the lens is a separate piece, hand crafted in France in the 1800's.

The remnants of an old pier in Ilwaco harbor. In the background is the US Coast Guard lifeboat station and training school. This USCG lifeboat base is the most active in the US.

A photo from Oysterville, WA, looking across Willapa Bay. Oysterville is a tiny, sleepy, historic town with a few restored homes and structures that were built in the mid to late 1800's. The town once supplied the majority of Oysters to the newly, wealthy 49'ers in San Francisco during the Gold Rush.

Thursday, June 28th

2007-06-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

We are heading up to Long Beach, WA today.

Update: 2130hrs

We are in Long Beach on the sand. The drive up the coast was in rain the entire way. The sky partially cleared for a nice sunset at about 2100hrs.

We made a late start today after finding one of the tires on the Escalade flat this morning. I aired it up with the RV air supply and stopped at a Les Schwab Tire Store for repair. The techs found a small nail and had me out the door in 25 minutes - FOR FREE!

That's right, Les Schwab http://www.lesschwab.com/ does not charge for fixing simple flats. What a contrast to Ted Weins Firestone in my home town of Las Vegas, NV where it seems that every slow leak or puncture always turns into a new tire purchase.

Also, if you ever travel the route we traveled today do not expect "RV friendly" gas stations or parking lots from Newport, all the way to Tillamook, although there are more "Rainbow Flags" on this section than I have ever seen prior, anywhere else.

Wednesday, June 27th

2007-06-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

We are in Charleston, OR.

I took an early morning drive to grab my required, 44oz Diet Coke. The scenery around this small, working fishing town is spectacular. I know where I will be at Sunset with my Nikon in hand.

Update: 2100hrs

We drove up to Reedsport and Winchester Bay. Both are in the heart of the open areas of the Oregon Dunes Recreation Area. I also spent time in Charleston harbor and out to Cape Arago during the late afternoon and early evening hours.

ATV's on the beach!!! Just north of Coos Bay.

ATV's up and down a steep dune near Winchester bay, OR.

The vast dune system south of Winchester bay, OR.

One of the many, vintage fishing boats in Charleston Harbor.

More of the old boats in the afternoon light.

Another!

An old fishing boat in a Charleston Boatyard.

Low tide near the Charleston Municipal Dock as a fishing boat and fishermen unload their catch.

At Cape Arago, looking north up the coast. The Cape Arago Lighthouse can barely be seen in the photo.

Sunset above the offshore marine layer and through the trees at Cape Arago.

Whenever we find a great local eatery we will report! Today, we had lunch at Crabby's Cafe in Winchester Bay, OR. I had a fresh Cod Melt Sandwich and the fish was as light and delicate as fresh Opah in Hawaii.

An outside view of Crabby's Cafe.

Inside the eatery.

Tuesday, June 26th

2007-06-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

We are driving to Coos Bay, Oregon today. Our route follows Highway 101.

Update: 1840hrs.

We are in Coos Bay, Oregon. The Oregon Coastline north of the California border almost rivals the beauty of the California coast north of Bodega Bay. I have a few photos that I will post a bit later.

One stark realization was that as soon as we crossed the border into Oregon and stopped for lunch in Brookings we found ourselves back in small towns and cities that displayed economic vitality. The roads are better as well and the timber harvest is active. All of this was good to see after witnessing widespread economic depression in the Northern California Redwoods. Perhaps this can be attributed to the wise Oregonians keeping the San Francisco Bay Area, radical, environmentalists at bay with their common disrespect for Californians as a whole.

Coos Bay is a big city with it's own share of issues both good and bad. We will set out tomorrow to capture some of the natural beauty of the coastline via our faithful, Nikon D200.

The Brookings Harbor with the marine layer still overhead at 1400hrs.

A look up the coast, north of Brookings.

Monday, June 25th

2007-06-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

We are off to the Lost Coast today and then a dinner up at the Samoa Cookhouse in Eureka. Here is our route for the day.

Posted on Tuesday, June 26th due to the Internet be unusable at our campground the evening prior.

We left camp off of Highway 101 about 0930hrs and went west to Shelter Cove on the south end of the Lost Coast. The road was a patchwork of asphalt with sharp switchbacks and very steep grades at what I estimate to be 12+% at times – a tough road.

I was not too surprised to see a sign near Shelter Cove counting the RV accidents on the road. What really surprised me was the amount of RV’s at Shelter Cove as well as large truck traffic. Like I said, this road is tough and no place that I would ever take the Monsterhome.

Regardless, Shelter Cove is a clean and orderly small town dependant on dollars from vacation homes and a very strong fishing industry. I was told that the local catch is flown out daily from the local airport.

Here is a look up the Lost Coast from the Black Sand Beach, just north of Shelter Cove.

From Shelter Cove we took Horse Mountain road and Wilder Ridge road to Honeydew. Horse Mountain Road is a well maintained, gravel and dirt road with steep grades and the sharpest switchback I have scene outside of the Baja outback. Kim’s Escalade handled the road easily with superb, processor controlled, all wheel drive.

Honeydew, CA is like something that might rival a forgotten town in Appalachia - a run down little berg with idle characters and not much else.

We took Mattole road west to the ocean, stopping near Petrolia in the heart of cattle ranching country. Below, local kids hang out at the swimming hole on the Mattole River.

This barn has a date plaque that states its date of construction to be 1880.

The coastal road rides along a coast like none I have ever witnessed. It is barren, windswept, with shallow shore rock formations and all gray. The only standout was the large rock at Cape Mendocino as scene below and as we climbed up from the shoreline on another very steep grade. Cape Mendocino is the western most point of the continental, United States.

The road back to civilization was more of the same - tight, uneven asphalt, gravel and with very, very steep grades and switchbacks, and no people! Just the way we like it.

We finally dropped down into Ferndale, a Historic city with many buildings of Victorian Architecture. Below is the ‘Gingerbread Mansion” which is now a B&B.

A photo of the Ring’s Rexall Drug store on the main drag, the oldest continuously operating drug store in the California.

After Ferndale, we were off to Eureka for a planned dinner at the Samoa Cookhouse. The establishment is a genuine, logging camp cookhouse that ceased camp operation a few decades ago yet, is serving up the same fare in the same style to all takers and as a working relic of a proud and bygone era.

A small museum of logging tools and equipment as well as old kitchen equipment from the very early days of the cookhouse, circa early 1900’s is also on the premise.

Inside view.

Outside view.

Great food and a super price. We recommend the Samoa Cookhouse highly.

On the way out town we spotted the Carson mansion, the most photographed, Victorian architecture building in the US. The mansion now belongs to some strange, private club where a myth surrounds the amount of actual members of 1 member short of 400.

Sunday, June 24th

2007-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

We are just south of the Avenue of Giants and Garberville, CA. We are off to find the Drive Through, Redwood Tree among other "must see" natural attractions!

Update: 2030hrs

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We found the "Drive Through Redwood Tree". The Escalade squeezed through with just an inch or less on each side of the fold-in side mirrors. We may have been the first Escalade through the tree, according to staff.

A scene on the Avenue of the Giants, just south of Myer's Flat, California.

All these kids need is a big 'ol STIHL saw,

We stopped at "Founders Grover" for the walking loop. Below is a shot up through the canopy near the founder's tree which is 346 feet tall.

A young redwood sapling, reaching for sunlight.

The fallen, Dyerville Giante tree, said to have been the tallest Redwood in the forest at 380 feet high.

When I was a boy, we traveled through this area in the 1960's. The logging economy was vibrant and every little town was teaming with life and economic vitality. That is no more, in fact it is just the opposite, almost every town appears to be severely depressed and largely void of productive young people.

At the hands of radical, self serving environmentalists with the "Spotted Owl" as their surrogate for extortion, the logging industry is less than a shadow of its former leadership in life long multi-generation employment, economic infusion and reliability. Today, it is replaced with Marijuana farmers, shoddy and almost comedic tourist industries and geriatric Hippies - all likely locked into monthly welfare checks.

Very sad!

Pacific Lumber Company operates the only working mill in the area located in the company town of Scotia, which by the way is the only town showing a degree of housekeeping and economic vitality.

Exactly alike company houses in Scotia.

Saturday, June 23rd

2007-06-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here is our route today. At over 200 miles on country roads, I figure we will be traveling for 7 to 8 hours today. We have a planned stop at the Point Arena Lighthouse and likely in Mendocino.

Update: Sunday, June 24th @0930hrs

ICE ROAD TRUCKERS! -- I am ready!

The route north of Bodega Bay to Mendocino is by far, one of the most scenic we have ever traveled. Highway 1, below Monterrey is not even close. This area warrants a complete week to see the incredible natural beauty. Our schedule this year unfortunately does not allow. We will be back with camera in hand and the time required to do this place justice.

Back to the road! WOW that was fun! I really enjoy these roads, tight, twisty and little traffic. I'll take them any day over a more straight, more crowded and more stressful road.

This switchback required that I use the outside, oncoming lane to make the turn. A first ever in the Monsterhome.

We witnessed bike riders pulling trailers, pumping up incredible hills along this stretch. Notice how these errant riders are outide their designated bicycle lane!!!

We found another "top spot for eats" - Bone's Roadhouse in Gualala served up superb BBQ. I had beef brisket and Kim had pulled pork. Both were super tender and championship quality. The service was superb and friendly.

We stopped at Point Arena to visit the Lighthouse which has been in constant service since the 1870's and is one of the only lighthouses where you can ascend to the top.

I have always been fascinated with technology from the 19th century. Think about how the lighthouse had to operate in that era. The light was a pressure fed, oil lamp that had a type of carburetor. The huge lens rotated on a base of liquid mercury via a weight and pulley system that had to be reset every 60 minutes via manual action from one of the three light keepers. Then there was the Fog Horn - how did that operate so reliably in the 19th century? Here is a great link to learn how - http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/ltcomp.htm

The view from the lighthouse to the northwest.

The staircase in the lighthouse.

Friday, June 22nd

2007-06-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

In Bodega Bay!

15:05hrs - With fast and free Internet access.

19:00hrs - The best food is found in the small, local eateries. Last year, we traveled the central west of our great country and found our best meal at a small cafe in Palisade, Colorado where we were treated to an awesome country style, western breakfast.

This year, the majority of our route follows the Pacific Coast, in and out of small fishing towns such as Bodega Bay, California where we made camp today. As a family we have been sticking to ordering local seafood dishes whenever possible. Today we sopped at "The Boathouse" in Bodega Bay and found, by far the best Fish & Chips, Fried Clam Strips and Seafood chowder of the trip so far, all for a price nearly half of what we paid the night before at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The chowder was super rich, the fried fish was Rock Cod caught the very same day. Below is a photo of the restaurant. Stop by for an excellent, cheap meal on our recommendation if you have an opportunity to travel this route.

After Trip Update: "The Boat House" remained as the top value and quality, Seafood eatery the entire trip.

The Northern California Coast is all new to me and our family. We have never traveled here before. The following photos were shot around Bodega Bay in the afternoon and early evening sunlight.

Bean Avenue homes along the salt marsh, just north of town.

Homes along Highway 1 and right on Bodega Bay.

Fishing boats moored in the west marina.

The rugged coastline near the mouth of Bodega bay.

My favorite, an old abandoned pier in the harbour.

Tomorrow, we have a long drive of over 200 miles up to Garberville, California and the heart of the the Redwoods. Our route will be slow with a few stops too include the Point Arena Lighthouse.

Point Arena is also the location of a major, trans oceanic, fiber optic cable landing. If we find this facility, we'll snap a photo.

Thursday, June 21st

2007-06-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

In San Francisco - Updated at 10:00hrs on Friday, June 22nd

Whew! We were on the move and on our feet from 0800-2200hrs today. The walking tour of working, Chinatown was awesome. I can highly recommend http://www.allaboutchinatown.com/ for their services. The tour stuck to the "day to day side of Chinatown" and away from the tourist streets. We saw how the locals live, where they shop, how they shop, where they worship, and basically how live their daily lives.

Below, an herbal pharmacist doles out his medicine from a list provided by a very elderly, Chinese man. The rudimentary scale you see in the pharmacist's hands was used for all measurements.

There are many, open air, produce markets in Chinatown. At 1030hrs, each store was packed with shoppers picking over very high quality produce.

The store in the photo below, sold a wide variety of dried foods and nuts, some bizarre and most recognizable.

Ah, the Chinatown meat market. This was a real treat for the kids. This market not only sold fresh fish, poultry, pork and beef but there was also live chickens, frogs, rabbits, quail and various sea creatures that could be slaughtered , wrapped and prepped for purchase on the spot. I will cover this establishment in detail in my photo gallery at http://pjcnlv.smugmug.com/ in the months ahead.

Croakers! Their demise is near and PETA is nowhere to be found to save them!

UMMmmmmm!

The architecture and colors of Chinatown are a photographer's paradise. I shot many images that will be in the above mentioned gallery. Here are two as a sample.

One of the many alley's in Chinatown. Some are just as busy as the main streets.

We also visited Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf and what follows are just a few of the images from Alcatraz.

Looking, north, north-east from the Island through ruins near the powerhouse.

An area of the old Military fort and prison, vintage 1850's.

The main cell block area of the former US Penitentiary.

Fisherman's Wharf - Crab stands, not to be missed for fresh Clam Chowder, local crab and shrimp salad sandwiches.

Sunset on the wharf.

It's time to roust the troops to hit the road to Bodega Bay.

Just in time! This weekend there are two featured events in the San Francommieco area, the Gay Pride parade and the NASCAR event at Sears Point Raceway.

WE ARE OUTTA HERE!!!!

Wednesday, June 20th

2007-06-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

At Santa Cruz Boardwalk

We sidetracked today on our way to San Francisco and made a stop for the kids at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Not completely removed from the unabated socialism of the area, the family attraction is on the beach in Santa Cruz where the following activities are against the law:

Alcohol
Pets
Bottles
Motor Vehicles
Fishing
Skateboarding
Baseball

That’s right, “baseball”.

Of course there was no mention of laws against pan handling or sleeping on the beach and a few of the locally coddled parasites (read “BUMS”) were out plying their knowingly entitled trade.

Back to fun, the boardwalk and muni pier have seen a revitalization over the past few years. Once inside the gates, the crowd was all families having a good time.

Our older kids stuck to rides that challenged their digestive systems to keep the lunch down they had eaten, thirty minutes prior.

----with diversions that gave them their best bang for the buck on their athletic abilities and to shoot projectiles, large and fast.

* On Thursday, the 21st, we will be in San Francisco. We will be on a walking tour of Chinatown with a Dim Sum lunch and then off to Alcatraz. By the end of the day, I am sure I will be longing for narrow, windy, vacant roads again.

Tuesday, June 19th

2007-06-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

At Big Sur and up to Monterey Bay and back.

Today we drove north from our Big Sur camp to Monterey to visit the aquarium.

The aquarium is a must see for families. It represents the best variety of sea life on display in the US. With two stories of displays across two buildings, it took us 4 full hours to see everything.

A Coastal Sunfish, the biggest fish I have ever seen. It's huge and it look like it came out of a spaceship. This one is reported to way more than 500 lbs.

On the way back to camp, our route included Scenic Drive and Seventeen Mile Drive in Carmel. We also stopped to capture the Big Sur Coast in an afternoon light.

On Scenic Drive we found a 4000 sq ft lot for sale across the street from the ocean for a discount price of $4,700,000.

Tomorrow we are off to San Francisco with a full day stay to visit Chinatown via a walking tour and luncheon and then, a visit to Alcatraz.

I suspect that in San Fran, we will finally have decent Internet access again. The service in Monterey was horrible. When I could connect, the speed was 10% of dialup. This is what we get when the big phone companies monopolize wireless – crap service.

Monday, June 18th

2007-06-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

Morrow Bay, CA to Big Sur, CA

We found the model for the architecture of the new Chicas compound.

June Gloom was out in force as we left Morro Bay and was compounded with an even temperature of 60 degrees. Kim likes this kind of weather, I do not.

We made the short trip to San Simeon and Hearst Castle in no time. We boarded the taxi bus and as we climbed hill to the big house, we started to break through the clouds and fog. Once on the top of the hill the sun was out strong with the coastal breeze occasionally pushing streaks of fog through the former Hearst compound.

We were back on Highway 1 by 1230hrs heading for Big Sur. Because of the many sharp curves on this stretch of Highway 1, instead of flat towing the Escalade, Kim followed behind.

Ninety five of one hundred RV owners avoid Highway 1. Because the Monsterhome has a wide and stable chassis, has great brakes and great power (unlike 90% of the RV’s that make up that scandalous market), we had no reservations about the highway.

We maintained a good clip where I only had to pull over for faster vehicles four times in 80 miles. My queue was 2 or more cars piling up behind Kim who was in close follow of the Monsterhome. All passing driver’s were courteous and happy to not have to follow a large vehicle. Many waved a friendly hand with all fingers extended.

Overall, there were only two, really narrow sections of the road, one as seen below. Going north is always preferred in a big vehicle instead of southbound on the edge.

We landed at Big Sur Cabins and RV Resort about 1500hrs. This rustic camp is full of people from all ethnicities and background. The resounding thing we hear from them as the wander past our camp is about the size of the Monsterhome. Unfortunately, there is no WIFI Internet in the campground and that little dweeb from Verizon hasn’t done his job again as the entire area is void of voice and data cell service.

The kids have never seen such trees before. Wait ‘till we drive the Escalade through the “Drive Through, Redwood Tree” in a few days. Now, that will be "politicaly perfect"

A few more photos from W.R. Hearst's digs - the indoor pool.

Dining room. many more photos will be in my http://pjcnlv.SmugMug.com gallery soon.

Sunday, June 17th

2007-06-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tehachapi, CA to Morro Bay, CA

We enjoyed perfect weather on this leg. The traffic was light on all routes except CA State Highway (SH) 41/46, between James Dean Memorial Intersection and Shandon. The eastbound traffic in this section looked like an exodus before a Tsunami. Just wild!

CA SH 41 is a real hoot of a road. narrow, twisty and without a lot of traffic, all of which I prefer over a road with bad statistics like the run from Shandon into Paso Robles, CA we just avoided.

CA SH 41 is marked as "restricted" and not for use by semi trucks with trailers longer than 30 feet. The picture below was taken near one of the remote ranches along this route.

We had a few folks pile up behind us on the twisties but, never too stressful as there were opportune turnouts to let them by.

In to Morro Bay.

We arrived at our destination by 1400hrs and took off for a tour of the town. We visited the Natural History Museum and walked Embarcadero a few times to find the right restaurant for the evening meal.

We also stumbled across a revolutionary new bicycle design and ordered one for Kim and myself. I asked for a new option that makes both wheels "steerable". Imagine that !

Tomorrow, we are off to Hearst Castle and Big Sur. We will be navigating California Highway 1 in the Monsterhome. Photos to follow.

Saturday, June 16th

2007-06-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

We are on the road for the big three week road trip of 2007.

We left V-town at noon Saturday. West on I-15 to Barstow facing 30mph head and cross winds the whole way - no sweat in the Monsterhome. We set the cruise for 60mph and motored on. Everyone riding in back, hadn't a clue of the weather.

For awhile a driver of an RV from El Monte Rentals attempted to keep pace in the wind. Each time the driver attempted a pass and came up alongside, his bleached white fingers clutched to the steering wheel stood out like a beacon of light. On the occasion that he actually got by the Monsterhome his big, Rental RV would be "crabbing" down I-15 like a 747 landing at the old Hong Kong airport in hurricane force crosswinds.

We left I-15 and headed due east on Cal State Highway 58 west of Barstow. By Boron, the winds were 40-50 mph and were the strongest most aggressive winds I have ever driven in. The gusts were actually noticeable in the Monsterhome as we passed lesser rigs parked on the side of the road, often sans the driver's side awnings that were removed by the crosswinds. Too often one member of the sidelined party was sprawled out on the roof clutching awning remnants like something out of a cartoon show.

As usual, our party was unaffected.

Once we crossed into the Tehachapi Valley, the weather settled down and was down right nice. We landed at Mountain Valley RV Park situated right next to Mountain Valley Airport an abode that caters mostly to Glider Planes and Pilots.

Tomorrow, we are off to Morro Bay, crossing the Cntral Valley of California into the coastal foothills and down California Highway 41 which is a "twisty road" warmup for driving on CA Highway 1 up the coast.