Awake: 6:11am Temp 37 sleep 6+26 sunny overnight @ Pahrump, NV.
After drinking my cold coffee, I climb our telescoping ladder to scrape the frozen dew from (2) slide tops before retracting those slides. Then we each eat a hot & healthy Kathy muffin before leaving the Saddle West Campground @ 9:00am.
A beautiful travel day with little wind & extremely smooth roads on state road-160. Leaving the town of Pahrump, one slowly but steadily begins a climb when heading south to Las Vegas; probably about (2300) ft to the peak of the highway thru the Red Rock Mountain, then it’s all downhill into Vegas. I never make up the fuel I’ve used in the climb when descending. We arrive @ the OROA (Outdoor Resorts of America) @ 10:00 am sharp. Park the bus, register @ the main office & then follow a security guard in his golf cart to our assigned campsite. Dick C. sees us coming down the road & monitors my backing in while watching Kathy’s guidance with hand signals.
Today’s travel: 51.7 miles 1+15 time (includes parking) 10.3 gal 5.0 mpg 41.4 avg speed.
Kathy chats with Dick while I expand the bus, then Dick & Kathy come aboard & we bring each other up-to-date. Before long, Dick’s wife, Christine, joins us for the occasion. After considerable yak-yak time, someone mentions food. D & C want to try, “The Diner” just outside the security gates of the OROA. K & I go along with that idea since we’re running on muffin power now & we’ll need more energy soon. Well, “The Diner,” decorated in the 50’s style with juke box, red vinyl booths & counter seats & black & white tile floor, was great, as well as the food.
Later, Dick visits & asks for my help with his entertainment system; he has a High-Definition DVD disk that won’t play on his DVD unit. We pretend to know what we are doing while Christine is watching, but later admit to ourselves that we just wasted about (15) min. Dick suggests: “why not try it on your DVD unit.” So I do & it doesn’t work on our DVD unit either. We finally realize that both our DVD & VCR units are similar & both units only play HD on the VCR but not on the DVD. Without any further ado, Dick wants to visit a Fry’s Electronics store & buy another unit that will play both HD on DVD disks & HD on VCR tapes. Christine & Kathy both agree to accompany Dick to that shopping area. However, they first stop at the outlet mall for Christine to buy a present for her mother in France.
Wanting to make some notes on our travel record, I opt to stay in the campground. Then shortly after they speed off, I don a jacket & start my campground exploration for curiosity, fresh air & exercise. What a hangout: (407) big rig campsites with palm trees, green grass, well groomed vegetation, flowers, outdoor kitchens, etc. My walk didn’t last long; I was picked up by the gang returning from shopping & given an auto tour of this camping Mecca. It is without a doubt, a beautiful & true motorhome resort.
Dinner: Ivar’s Clam chowder with toast.
After dinner, Katrina calls while driving in Denver & we gab for a good (30) min. Her Honda is running good, Sara, her 3rd roommate is fitting in well & she is feeling more comfortable with the hominess of her condo.
Evening movie: “The Prisoner of Shark Island” with Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart, Claude Gillingwater, John Carradine, etc. Excellent film based on a true story of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who treated John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg after Lincoln Assassination & was sentenced to life imprisonment. Carradine memorable as villainous sergeant. 1936.
Google info: Dr Mudd was released from Ft. Jefferson prison on March 8, 1869 & arrived home on March 20. He had served less than (4) yrs in prison. He partially regained his medical practice & lived a quiet life on the farm.
Dr. Richard Mudd, a grandson, who passed away @ the age of (101) on Tuesday, May 21, 2002, argued vehemently & sincerely for the innocence of his grandfather. In a taped interview on July 7, 1999, Dr Mudd was extremely articulate, impressive & eloquent in his arguments. The effort to exonerate Samuel Mudd will now be carried on by Richard Mudd’s son, Thomas B. Mudd.
Travel high temp=61 Lights out: 11:11pm
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