Pahrump, NV

Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Wine Ridge RV Resort & Cottages
Pahrump, Nevada

It was nice to have two nights reserved here so we could make a grocery run, fill our propane tank, catch up on some laundry, go for a swim, get a movie (Deadpool 2) from Redbox, and just relax. 

I was almost tempted to go for an early 

morning swim, but the air was still a little too cool.

A small vineyard on the property. 

We planned to try the wine, but never got around to it.

The Resting Spring Range 

and the Nopah Range (in the west).

A jet flew over as I watched the sunrise 

on the 17th anniversary of 9/11.

Another day for a nice swim.

Salmon on the grill.

Another beautiful star-filled sky
(which my camera failed to capture).

Tonopah & Pahrump, NV

Monday, September 10, 2018
Tonopah to Pahrump, Nevada
Distance: 173 miles
Campground: Wine Ridge RV Resort & Cottages
Cost per Night: $35
Duration: 2 nights
Weather: Hot (97!) and sunny

The benefit of waking up early.

Probably the least desirable RV park, thus far.

Not a terrible view, in spite of the gravel parking lot.

Another long, boring drive through the desert. There is so little to look at, so the time passed very slowly. We saw a couple of donkeys (or maybe they were burros), but other than that, not much in the way of wildlife. The empty landscape was occasionally filled with yucca trees (Joshua trees) and some small cacti.

Lunch break. No crowds. No waiting.

We were so bored, we started to pay attention to all the semi trucks as they flew past us. We couldn't get over how many Sherwin-Williams trucks we saw. Far more than FedEx, UPS and Amazon!

Wine Ridge RV Resort

The RV resort is at the edge of Pahrump, with mountains to both the east and west. We got settled and got the A/C going. This park has 2 pools, a horseshoe pit, pickleball, a club house, RV wash area, laundry, fire rings, a fitness center, and a vineyard with free wine tasting. We had very good WiFi, but uploads and streaming weren't allowed.

Bliss!

Another gravel RV park, but at least this one has trees.

Pretty evening glow on the mountains.

(I think these are the Spring Mountains)

Another pretty sunset.

I would love to know what this is.

There were so many stars out, so we used an app to see what we were looking at. Very cool! We saw Mars, Saturn, Venus, and, of course, the moon. 

Wordless Wednesday

Route 66

Near Albuquerque, New Mexico

September 2018

Click on image to enlarge.

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Sparks & Tonopah, NV

Sunday, September 9, 2018
Sparks to Tonopah, Nevada
Distance: 227 miles
Campground: Tonopah RV Park
Cost per Night: $35
Duration: 1 night
Weather: Hot (90+) and sunny

Some days it's just about getting from Point A to Point B. No fun outings or sightseeing, just traveling down the highway. Today was one of those.

We got a good night's sleep at the Sparks Marina RV Park and I was able to take a nice little walk around the park after breakfast, before we headed out of town. We made a quick stop at the grocery store, but it took longer than expected and we weren't on the road until 11:30. We (ok, I) prefer to be on the road by 9:00, but it doesn't always happen.

 I'll take Astroturf over dirt or gravel any day!

 Over 200 sites (oh, and a putting green), 

but at least there are trees between each site.

There's our rig, second from the right.

Oh, Nevada. I wish I could say we enjoyed you, but you are so flat and arid and BORING! At least that was our reaction as we traveled down Hwy. 439, Alt. 95 and Hwy. 95. 227 miles and 4 1/2 hours of pure boredom. Even Tom Petty and Van Morrison couldn't keep us entertained. 

OK, maybe not completely flat, but boring nonetheless.

Where we've been...

and where we're going.

Not much difference, is there? Ugh.

Not only was it boring, but it was hot! At least 90, if not higher. We saw one sign warning about wind gusts and the risk for high profile vehicles, but thankfully the warning light wasn't flashing. Back to your boring drive, folks.

We finally arrived in beautiful (Ha!) Tonopah around 5:00. Just in time for cocktails! We got set up in our site, which amounts to a gravel parking lot with a picnic table. Nothing like the previous night's stop (at least it had astroturf and a pool!), although we still had full hookups and showers, so it wasn't terrible. 

 Just a little hot inside the RV. Thank goodness for A/C!

 No trees, Astroturf or pool. Sigh.

 At least we saw a pretty sunset.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the most restful night. The park also has small cottages (and I use that term loosely) for rent (perhaps for locals working at the casino?) and a few of those guests weren't respectful of the "quiet hours" most RV parks mandate. The road noise (Hwy 95 runs right past the park) was also loud and annoying.

Given a choice, we wouldn't return to this particular RV park. Or Nevada, for that matter, although I just took a peek at the state's travel site and discovered Valley of Fire State Park. The Ruby Mountains look enticing, too. Maybe Nevada deserves a second chance.