Monthly Archives: March 2019

Our Winter Trip – February 2019

This turned out to be a most unique trip.  Though we did not plan on doing winter camping, as our itinerary took us from Atlanta to Arkansas, southwestern Texas, Arizona, and Nevada, it turned out that way.  We were thankfully pleased (more than pleased, really happy) that in the below-freezing temperatures and snow, the RV lived up to expectations: its front wheel drive, by keeping us safe on the slippery roads; its “house” furnace by keeping us warm inside; and the inside water hoses and heated storage tanks that did not turn to ice.  It may not officially be a four-season camper, but it comes close.

We took the weather in stride and focused on new experiences: we visited three new national parks (Hot Springs, Big Bend, and Saguaro), one of which was our first urban national park; a new state (Nevada); beautiful state parks; and – as mentioned above – experienced winter camping.  There was also the historical city of Tombstone and the legend-rich Lost Dutchman State Park, and further educating ourselves about the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) at Davis Mountains State Park, all in Arizona.

We ended our trip in Las Vegas and moved the RV to a new home, NIRVC Las Vegas, the same company that housed it in Atlanta, as our future trips (G-d willing) will be on the western side of the United States.

Readers tell us how much they enjoy the photos, so the following is a pictorial review of this trip:

1. Entrance to Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
2. Main Street, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
4. Promenade, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
5. Mineral Deposit, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
6. Mineral Deposit, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
7. Historic bath house, now spa, restaurant with beer and root beer made on premises from underground hot springs, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
38. Smoke from underground hot springs, 143 degrees F, in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
9. Spa Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
10. Female treatment room, Spa Museum, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
11. Entrance area to male treatment rooms, Spa Museum, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
12. Hiking path in forest behind treatment spas, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
13. Water fountain of hot underground water cooled to 100 degrees F, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
14. Free drinking water from clean, pure hot springs, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
15. Campsite, Abilene State Park, Texas
16. Bird sanctuary, Abilene State Park, Texas
17. Abilene State Park, Texas
18. Abilene State Park, Texas
19. Flood gauge marker, Abilene State Park, Texas
20. Cardinal, Abilene State Park, Texas
21. Abilene State Park, Texas
22. Abilene State Park, Texas
23. Abilene State Park, Texas
24. Abilene State Park, Texas
25. Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend National Park, Texas
26. Fossil Discovery Exhibit, Big Bend National Park, Texas
27. Fossil Discovery Exhibit, Big Bend National Park, Texas
28. Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas
29. Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas
30. Sunset, Big Bend National Park, Texas
31. Big Bend National Park, Texas
32. Big Bend National Park, Texas
33. Big Bend National Park, Texas
34. Big Bend National Park, Texas
35. Boquillas Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
36. Boquillas Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
37. Boquillas Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
38. Boquillas Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
39. Santa Elena Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
40. Santa Elena Canyon Trail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
41. Santa Elena CanyonTrail, Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas
42. Santa Elena Canyon Trail, Big Bend National Park, Texas
43. Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas
44. Tombstone, Arizona
45. Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday, Tombstone, Arizona
46. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral reenactment, Tombstone, Arizona
47. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral reenactment, Tombstone, Arizona
48. Main Street, Tombstone, Arizona
49. Crystal Palace, Tombstone, Arizona
50. Epitaph Newspaper Office Museum, Tombstone, Arizona
51. Woke up to snow, Tombstone, Arizona
52. Drive from Tombstone, Arizona
53. Entrance to Saguaro National Park, Arizona
54. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
55. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
56. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
57. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
59. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
60. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
61. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
62. Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
63. Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
64. Sunset, Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
65. Sunset, Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
66. Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
67. Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
68. Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
69. Snow driving, Kingman, Arizona
72. Snow on the way to Bullhead City, Arizona
73. Colorado River, Bullhead City, Arizona
74. Pictographs, Spirit Hill, Bullhead City, Arizona
75. Pictograph, Spirit Hill, Bullhead City, Arizona
76. Casinos across the river from the Bullhead City campground in Laughlin, Nevada

Lost Dutchman to Bullhead City, Arizona to North Las Vegas – February 22 – 25, 2019

We left Lost Dutchman State Park and headed to our Shabbat destination, Bullhead City, Arizona, a four-hour and 19-minute drive that took us over eight hours.  Snow was the reason; as we kept driving higher in higher in altitude, the snow kept falling in the mountains of northern Arizona. 

Driving through Kingman, Arizona we were right in the middle of it, with a good deal of snow on the ground.  Several highways were closed in different areas and we were down to a standstill three separate times.  It seems there are truckers who do not know how to drive in snow and jackknifed (three of them were FedEx).  This stopped traffic (again and again) until the transportation department could clear the road.  However: we had coffee, food, and a bathroom in the RV and were not in a hurry to get to our destination.  And the snow-covered mountains were beautiful.

Bullhead City Municipal Campground is a comfortable place on the Colorado River just down from the Davis Dam, and across the river from the Nevada state line.  We could see in the distance a whole row of casinos, but they held little interest for us.  Having the beauty of the river behind us did.  Shabbat was comfortable and quiet.

Sunday morning, we hit the road for the final leg of our trip – to North Las Vegas.  We made a short stop to photograph some petroglyphs on Inspiration Rock that we discovered while taking a Shabbat walk.

February 24 – 25, 2019

It was only a two-hour drive to NIRVC in North Las Vegas where we will be storing the RV for the immediate future.  It is part of the same organization that owns the storage facility we were using in Atlanta, and since our future trips will be in the western part of the United States, it will save us some cross-country driving time.

We took Monday to get our van ready for storage, and then started on our journey home.