Opening Week – Pelton Park

Last Friday at 6:00 AM I unlocked the main gate at Pelton Park, kicking off the 2015 camping season.  The weather was cool and overcast.  The campers began arriving at 2:00 PM, fourteen sites were rented.  Judy checked to see how many sites we rented last year (10) on opening day so a few more campers showed up this year.  Saturday was the first day of trout fishing.

The park is in great shape.  PGE assigned four extra staff members to the park two to four weeks prior to opening day to help get the park cleaned up. Last year it was only me and the other host. Six workers can get a lot more done than two!  During the off season the park got a couple of really nice capital improvements, a new three bay garage and two (still under construction) lake front cabins, making the park even more awesome. I almost forgot, the dog swim area floating dock, yes the park has a dedicated swim area for dogs, was upgraded and the people swim area floating dock is going to be replaced. PGE is dedicated to keeping Pelton Park the best campground in central Oregon. That is one reason Judy and I came back.

New Improvements 

Lake front cabin                                            View from cabin

     

Dog Swim Area  

   New Garage

Park Pics

     

     

That is all for now thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: in about a week

Nevada to Oregon

The blog needs a little catching up so that will be the goal of this entry.  The last entry focused on the day trips Judy and I took while in the Las Vegas area. In this one, I will address the 900 or so mile drive from Vegas to Madras.

Usually we take a month or so to get to our workamping job, so we can take in the sights along the way. Since we postponed our departure date from Arizona by a month the trip back to Madras was a “Point A to Point B”  kind of a trip. 

The six hundred miles from Las Vegas to Oregon were pretty much what I call “ nothingness” miles, filled with desolate and  rugged landscapes.  Just what you would expect when you drive through places like Death Valley and Area 51! It amazes me at the vast amount of “nothingness land” this country has to offer. Even these lands have their own beauty.  These lands can’t be found back East.  While at an overnight stop in Hawthorne NV I noticed one of the RV tires was worn pretty severely on the outer tread. It would have probably been ok for the rest of the trip but I always like to err on the side of caution so I made a stop at Les Schwab Tire Center in Fallon, NV and had the tire replaced.

     

The last three hundred miles of the journey were after we crossed the Oregon southern border.  The land was just as open but the landscape changed from brown to green.  We ended up driving over four hundred miles that day. Judy and I stopped in Burns, OR for the night. Due to the long drive and the night’s low was forecast to be 22* I surprised Judy when I told her we were going to get a room for the night, so we pulled into a “Best Western” with truck and RV parking. It was about 10:PM.  Judy was a happy camper.

The next morning we woke up to the coldest temps we had experienced in a long time. After a good breakfast we drove the last 180 miles to Pelton Park.  Judy an I pulled into the Park just after noon. We both are glad to be back. We took our original camp host spot and set up.  Our first work day wasn’t until Monday so we had five days to take it easy and get settled in.  The first two weeks are get the park ready to open weeks.

Arriving at Pelton Park, Madras, Oregon

Judy and I drove to Portland on April 11 to visit our son Jason.  We had a belated 35th birthday celebration for him. We also saw the home he had recently purchased.  Jason took us on a tour of the hospital’s new neuro-ICU where he is a critical care RN. It was very impressive.

Near Mt. Hood, going to Portland

      

That is all for now, more about the park once we open next Friday. Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: in a week or so 

 

Valley of Fire & Nevada Southern RR

Before Judy and ended our three day visit in the Las Vegas area we explored the area during day trips. I have already mentioned our visit to Hoover Dam. We also returned to Boulder City to take in the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum. Judy and I really enjoyed the time we had there. We even took the forty minute train ride excursion.

NSRR MUSEUM

     

     

The Valley of Fire State park is 45 NE of Vegas. We reached the park after a short drive but it took us two and a half hours to drive the ten mile scenic drive through the park and visit the visitors center. It is well worth the time. The sandstone formations date back centuries.

The Valley of Fire State Park, (click on the link for more info)

    

         

We are back in Madras now, more about that later.

That is all for now. thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: in a few days.

Moving ON

Desert Eagle FamCamp, Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV  H74  L55

We pulled out of Apache Junction Wed around 11:00.  Judy and I left out of the park at 7:30 AM and took the fiver over to Apache Junction Tire Service for an appointment to have the wheel bearings re-packed on the RV. While that was being done Judy and I finished up the final paperwork on the investment property we purchased.  So when we return to the area the house will be completed. 

Model of property:

Since we didn’t get an early start, we only drove 200 miles to Kingman, AZ.  The drive was easy and uneventful, just the way we like it.  Once in Kingman, we fueled up and found a spot for the night. We thought we would stay at the Flying J, but after getting in a space I noticed a Big K (K-Mart) nearby. It can be very loud in a Flying J lot at night so after consultation with Judy, we moved over to the Big K.

Thurs AM we continued our drive to Las Vegas.  It was easy driving the 100 miles and reached the “Desert Eagle” famcamp at Nellis AFB in early afternoon.  It is a nice park but spaces are assigned by the staff without any input from the camper. I was assigned a water and electric site even though I would have preferred a site with a sewer connection.  I guess for $18.00 per night in Las Vegas, I should be happy. I did add a night to my stay.  We will continue our northward trek on Sunday.

Friday Judy and I took a day trip to the Hoover Dam.  It would not have been right to pass up the opportunity.  It was well worth the visit. Like many places full-time RVers visit and write about, the Hoover Dam must be seen in person to fully grasp the engineering feat.

"Click, to learn more about the Hoover Dam"

    

Driving across Hoover Dam 

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Sunday