Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Panorama

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

Neighborhood Building Activity

Pad

For the past two days, there has been some activity on the lot immediately to our east. They are clearing a pad for potentially building a new home there. When I say “immediate” I mean the property boundary and not the site where the work is being done which is at least 150 feet east of our property line.

When crews completed their work for today (the second day of work), I went over to the area and made the panoramic image seen above. Click on the image to enlarge.

I also took a panoramic image of the access road to the pad. The road connects between the next street to our north and the pad in the image above. Their lot size is a little over two acres.

I spoke with the owner who says he is going to speculate on building and selling a 1900 square foot home (excluding an attached garage). He may be in luck since the housing market has started back toward the positive side in our area.

I may post progress updates as the work continues.

25 May 2014 by Arizona Panorama

Back Lot Panorama

Back Lot Panorama

I took a couple of images from approximately the center of the back property line in the “unimproved” part of our property this afternoon. I combined the images into this panoramic image using Canon’s ZoomBrowser Photo Stitch software.

The image from left to right shows the west corner of the house at the left and gradually sweeps to the right to cover Damsel’s cactus and rock garden, the southwest property corner, the little wash with all the natural desert vegetation and the several neighbors buildings in the distance. The northwest property corner (circled in red) is just above the bottom of the wash below and approximately halfway between neighbor’s house on the hill (right of center with the flags) and the house with the Spanish tile roof on the right side. Click on the image to enlarge.

19 Mar 2014 by Home & Garden Panorama Photography Retirement

Rodeo Season in Town

Not only does Wickenburg get the “snow birds,” but the rodeo circuit also kicks into gear during the winter months. This rodeo setup popped up recently between US 93 bypass and the Hassayampa river in town.

Rodeo

This panorama is of the rodeo setup behind the cattle pens and hay bales in the foreground. The horse pens are to the left of this view. We have seen a LOT of equestrian trailers in town this week, some small and some in the “big rig” class. Click on the image to see the full panorama.

14 Jan 2014 by Arizona Culture Panorama

Chores Day

2012 August View

Damsel and I spent today doing some of the many chores that we have neglected for the past two months. I had a notion to trim the lemon tree by the RV drive, but the wheelbarrow had a flat; I knew about the flat tire, but only remembered it when I needed the wheelbarrow to haul the trimmings to the trash bin. I had a patch kit for the inner tube so I would be able to repair the flat.

But first, Damsel wanted to drain and refill the spa, so I hooked up the hose to the drain spout and got that going. I then attacked the flat tire issue. Lacking tire shop tools, I improvised with a wrench handle to get the tire and tube off the rim. I took the tube and inflated it a bit, immersed it in a tub of water and found the leak. I patched it up and reassembled the wheel. I was so tired after fixing the flat that I abandoned tree trimming for another day.

Damsel finished draining the spa and mopped it out. I then hooked up the hose for her to refill the tub. By the time the spa was filled, I rolled up the hose and started the spa heater. This weekend, we are planning to take a couple of dips now that second spring has arrived. We look forward to that.

The image above is from August 2012. Click on the image to enlarge.

27 Sep 2013 by Home & Garden Panorama Retirement

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