Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Panorama

Camping – Moab, UT

Campground Panorama

Rather than my usual portrait of the RV parked somewhere, I thought I would compose a panoramic image which shows our RV on the left and pans right to the next big rig parked along our row in the campground where we are tonight. The sites are terraced up a hillside along US 191 near Moab, Utah and this panorama shows the view from our site looking east.

This is a very popular campground and is nearly filled to capacity with visitors from far and wide. The view above shows most sites occupied and as I write this, more rigs can be heard arriving.

We saw some wonderful scenery today as we crossed Utah mostly along Interstate 70. We had some gusty winds in the mountainous areas, but nothing we couldn’t handle.

Tomorrow, we’re going to pop into Arches NP just up the road and then head south, eventually arriving at another campground near Monument Valley. We anticipate more breathtaking scenery as we head south into the Diné (Navajo) Tribal Reservation.

Click on the image to activate the image viewer and scroll to the right for the full panorama.

Damsel took this image of the RV parked in the Sand Bench Rest Area on I-70 with a spectacular vista of the red rock formations in the background. Click on the image to enlarge.

Parked at I-70 Rest Area

07 May 2017 by Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Throwback Panorama – Vacant Wickenburg Lot

Six years ago this month, Damsel and I had purchased our property in Arizona and were awaiting for the financing to fall into place so the construction of our new home could begin. Despite the unpleasant delay, we still had plenty of business to do in Town, so we continued to spend about a week per month here. Construction would begin in August and the contractor had already placed the stakes in the ground where the corners of the building would be. Click on the image to view the large panorama.

Vacant Wickenburg Lot

We had considerable difficulty getting a title lien released on our California property which was preventing our Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) approval. Finally, I found the lien holder and had it released and the funds were then in the bank to start the Arizona home construction.

Reminiscing about our experience six summers ago, Damsel and I are very happy to be where we are now. The California property is sold and the HELOC and primary Mortgage are completely paid in full.

07 Jul 2016 by Arizona Panorama

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth/Ninth Day Out Camping

Sixth day – Stockton, CA

Stockton, CA

Our excuse for not posting when we were in Stockton is that we were camped at Damsel’s sister’s place. Naturally, having not visited with family for several months demands that we sit and yack about whatever until after midnight. It was a good visit and the sister took good care of us, feeding us supper and breakfast the next morning.

Seventh Day – Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CA

We were unable to post anything while staying at Bear Mountain RV south of Bakersfield. The WIFI connection was so piss-poor, that we were barely able to check mail. Trying uploads resulted in timeouts and extremely slow uploads, so we threw in the towel, set up the TV and watched some DVDs we brought along.

Eighth and Ninth Day- Palm Desert, CA

Palm Desert, CA

We are currently in Palm Desert this evening and will be here for a couple of days while visiting the other grandparents, the new baby grandson and his parents. Damsel set up the little charcoal grill and cooked up a delicious porterhouse steak, which we split and still had leftovers much to the puppies delight.

21 Sep 2015 by Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Fifth Day Out Camping

Cloverdale Camping

This evening, we are camped at the Cloverdale (CA) KOA, about forty miles north of Santa Rosa, CA, about seven miles up in the hills east of US 101. It is a nice place once you get here, but the road is narrow and twisty, not exactly fun pulling a trailer behind the truck. Plus we get to leave the same way. Oh, well.

We crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains and followed I-80 most of the way across the state. I swear, the next trip I plan will exclude traveling through major urban areas. The traffic and the road construction in Sacramento was terrible. Traffic in the North San Francisco Bay area had its level of suckage, too. We came through this same part of the Bay Area a year ago and the traffic hasn’t improved. Despite those drawbacks, camping in wine country is scenic, quiet and restful.

Tomorrow night, we will be in Stockton camping in Damsel’s sister’s driveway. But, before that, we’re stopping in Santa Rosa for our great grandson’s first birthday party. It should be an interesting day.

18 Sep 2015 by California Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Second Day Out Camping

Nevada Treasure RV

Today started out pretty good. Damsel got to do some shopping in Kingman for gifts, souvenirs and such. We fueled up the truck and pressed forward toward our intended route of via Hoover Dam and Las Vegas to Pahrump, NV where we are camped this evening.

We picked the route through Vegas because we wanted to go across the new Hoover Dam bypass. As we approached the Lake Mead area, the weather took a turn toward gusty winds, making it a bit more difficult to keep the trailer between the lines. At the bypass, we were disappointed to find no scenic turnouts near the dam. Moreover, the concrete sidewalls along the bypass bridge were too high for us to see the dam – a total bummer. Plus the gusty winds and generally miserable weather with intermittent rainfall made the experience less than optimum, to say the least.

But wait! There’s more! Transiting Las Vegas on a mid-Tuesday had it’s challenges; drivers there are every bit as crazy as any in a large metro area. We struggled along the route using extra caution to cope with the situation and finally got out of the area along Nevada State Route 160 towards Pahrump. Then, the steady rain came. The rainy weather was exacerbated by winding roads through mountain passes and fog. We passed an incident on the other side of the road where emergency crews were extracting a victim from an overturned vehicle (did I mention crazy drivers?).

The rest of the drive was without incident. We got to Pahrump, stopped for more fuel and headed to the RV park for the night. This park is very nice, featuring a bunch of stuff we don’t need, but the campground RV spots are level and paved. The main facility just south of us features a grill, a gift shop, showers and a workout gym, a pool and a bowling alley. Wow!

Tomorrow, we’re going to have a longer drive, with brief stops for grocery shopping, a short visit in a Death Valley gift shop and then on to Hawthorne, Nevada. The weather is forecast to be favorable tomorrow, so we should be able to pull the trailer in better, rural roadways.

15 Sep 2015 by Arizona Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

First Day Out Camping

Camping

We took off for the first leg of our excursion this morning. It was a short leg in comparison to others along our route, in that we are only a couple of hours up the road from home, camping in Kingman, AZ. There is good reason, however, to stop here tonight. We originally were going to go the distance to Pahrump, NV, but a closer look at that plan showed us transiting Las Vegas at a peak traffic time.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Pahrump with a trip across the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge. The last time we went that way, the bridge was still under construction. Damsel plans to photographically record our entire trip, as usual, including the bypass. I don’t know if there is a place to stop in a scenic overlook up there, but I guess we’ll find out.

14 Sep 2015 by Arizona Panorama Retirement Wanderlust

Late Afternoon Panorama of the House

Panorama

Late today, I realized that Damsel’s wide-angle lens that she has had for years would likely fit my new camera. She brought it out to me and it did fit the new rig. Just for a subject to try it out, I went out front and snapped three wide-angle images which I later stitched into this super wide-angle view of our little house and lot.

I’m going to save this image to compare to another that I will take in the not to distant future after our contractor installs retaining walls and paves the RV drive with concrete. The house and lot should look more complete then, although we’re a work in progress for landscaping and other home improvements. Click on the image to view the full panorama.

30 Dec 2014 by Arizona Panorama

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