Ash Springs, NV to Las Vegas, NV
Spent a couple of days at the RV park, but didn’t spend much time outside because of the heat. Took Dinky Dawg on a couple of walks around the property and visited the What Not Shop. Didn’t buy anything, but it was interesting to look.
Went in to get dinner yesterday and ran into a rough gang of Racoons. Those little gangsters stole my yogurt that I had set down while taking their picture. They couldn’t figure out how to open it, so Lee opened it and gave it back to them. (I decided that I could probably afford to buy a new one, since they had no water to wash their hands before they touched it).
We broke camp and actually got on the road by 9 am. We went to the Alien Research Center to look for some Area 51 stuff and ended up buying a couple of tee shirts.
Headed down the highway and got behind one of those motorhomes that couldn’t maintain their speed. Followed them for about 70 miles or so. No passing lanes, and just enough traffic that we couldn’t pass. Don’t you hate following those things, LOL.
Got to Vegas about 30 minutes before checkin time, but they let us in anyway. Got camp setup and was able to watch most of the Nascar race. Sweet.
Gonna be here till we can check into the track on Wednesday, but that’s okay because they have a saltwater pool to help cool us down.

Preston, NV to Ash Springs, NV
Just a short 111 mile trip today. We are about 100 miles north of Las Vegas in the tiny town of Ash Springs. Population of 150 (Preston has 78, so I guess this town is twice as big, LOL).
We were the only campers in Preston, although the Motel had some business and there were semi trucks off and on. We never even went into the convenience store or the restaurant. The RV park had about 8 spots and was $24.97 per night.
We had our first taste of the monsoon rains. Thunder and lightening cracking right above the trailer. Bristol ran and hid, but Dinky was really scared. I gave him a couple of drops of HomeoPet Anxiety TFLN, that I picked up at Zamzows in Boise. It is a homeopathic medicine for pets that works almost instantly. Never saw a rainbow, but the cloud formations were awesome, so I forgave Mother Nature. Knocked out our power for awhile which reinforced the need for a surge protector. They are spendy, but well worth it.
The RV Park in Ash Springs has 22 spots, and is super cheap. $44 for 2 nights. The Green Valley Grocery store has a full service grill where they cook your food to order. We have never been disappointed with the food. I definitely recommend stopping by when you are traveling up US93 in Nevada.

Jackpot, NV to Preston, NV
Wow, what a weird feeling this is. We are retracing our steps from when we left Idaho in November. The only differences are that there is no snow, and we are seasoned travelers, and we have little fear of what’s next.
We spent the past 6 days in Jackpot staying in the RV Park. Did you know that they will comp you spots? All you gotta do is ask. Uncle Jerry came down with us in his trailer. It’s kind of neat to be camping with someone that we actually know. Don’t get me wrong, meeting new people is great, but nothing beats spending time with people we love.
We did a little gambling, but kept it within reason. We spent most of the time in the RV park where we met a lot of great people. It is amazing how much easier it seems to talk to people when you live in your RV. When we were camping, we tended to keep more to ourselves, but now we talk to everyone that we pass by.
We ran into a bit (ha ha) of trouble when we pulled into the RV park in Jackpot. Lee cut the corner a little tight and decided that he should back up. Not a good option since the tires fell into a sink hole. The more we tried to get out, the deeper the trailer sank. Finally we realized that we were never going to get out without help.
Cactus Pete’s was great during our ordeal. They sent over a couple of guys to assess the situation. Then the County workers showed up and together, with the largest forklift I personally have ever seen we were lifted out of the hole so that the county guys could put wood over the hole so we could drive out.
Took about an hour in the rain, lightning and thunder, but we finally got into our camp site and got set up for the night. Just as we got it all done, the storm ended.
Believe it or not we can’t find any damage except for a slightly bent stabilizer. They finally came to fix the water leak that caused the sink hole and the guy had to dig a hole almost 5 feet deep to find the problem. It probably had been leaking for months. Glad I wasn’t paying the water bill!
We decided to stop for the night at the Lesh’s Travel Center in Preston, NV. They have a tiny little RV park, along with a hotel, gas pumps, convenience store and restaurant. The restaurant was closed in November when we stopped here, but it appears to be open now. $24.97 a night, fill hookups. Not the nicest place we have stayed, but the scenery is beautiful and we don’t have any neighbors close by. It’s located on Highway 318, about 30 miles South of Ely.

Boise, ID to Jackpot, NV
Spent the week in Boise getting caught up on everything that I needed to do before leaving town again.  Boy was I busy.  But I did get a chance to do a few of my favorite things.  Picked blackberries with my mom, and my brother Dale came along to supervise.  Got to have lunch with both of them.  It was a really nice day.  Mom and I had our usual Tuesday lunch date and did a little thrift store shopping.
Lee and I got up on Thursday at 5:30 am to watch the Balloon launch for the Spirit of Boise Balloon Festival.  It was really awesome, but a little sad too as it was always something that Frank, my father-in-law, and I did together every year. 
Then it was time to hit the road.  We made it in to Jackpot just as the storm hit.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, Lee got stuck in a mud hole with the trailer and the more he tried to get it out the deeper it sank, almost up to the top of the tires.  It was now officially a sink hole.  Called the hotel security at Cactus Pete’s and they sent over a couple of people to check it out.  Next thing we knew a county work crew arrived to assist and one of the biggest forklifts I have ever seen came and lifted the trailer out of the hole so the county guys could get some boards under the wheels.  It was a really tense hour with rain, thunder and lightening.  But finally we were free.  Need to do some further checking, but it looks like we made it through the ordeal with minimal damage.
We finally got into our spot, got the entire camp setup in the rain, then sat down to take a breath.  Seriously, the sun is coming out now!?!  Oh well, they say that rain water is good for your hair and makes it really soft.  Believe me when I tell you that Lee and I have the softest hair in Jackpot.  We’ll be here until Wednesday,  so stop by if you are feeling lucky (after all we are in a gambling town).

La Grande, OR to Boise, ID
Spent the night at the Rendezvous RV Resort in La Grande. It was a nice park and was actually the cleanest of all the parks that we had been to, since Apache Junction, AZ, that allowed full time living. It was a little pricey at $40, but we were just happy to land before the storm hit.
Met a neighbor when he came over to let us know that the wind was blowing the trees into our TV antenna. You’d think after all this time we would know everything we needed to check. But like my daddy used to say “if you don’t learn at least one new thing every day, you might as well have stayed in bed.” Still following your advice dad, after all these years.
Took Dinky Dawg for his morning walk around the park, and looked out the window as I was putting up his leash and saw a thrift store. You know that I had no choice but to check it out. It was the People helping People thrift store and it was HUGH. 4 buildings full of treasures. I picked up a yoga style mat to use when we have a picnic. Won’t get no stickers in that. Could’ve spent hours, but it was time to head on down the highway.
Couldn’t believe the changes that have taken place in Caldwell and Nampa along the freeway. Did you know that Caldwell has an Airstream dealership?
Finally got to Boise. Gonna boondock at Uncle Jerry’s house for a few days. Will be leaving on Thursday morning. That’ll give me a chance to see the Spirit of Boise Balloon Festival on Wednesday morning. Can’t wait…..

Priest River, ID to La Grande, OR
Had an awesome visit with my brother Bruce. We were able to park the trailer next to his house, so it was almost like boondocking, with all the benefits of home.
One of the best parts of the trip was being able to spend our 25th wedding anniversary with Bruce. He was there when we got married, so it was great sharing that milestone with him.
There were several deer that walked through Bruce’s neighborhood. We saw momma, daddy and 3 babies one day. Believe it or not, I have never seen a deer out in the wild. We saw at least one doe every evening, but last night there were two. One evening we saw just a fawn, but I am sure momma wasn’t too far away.
Met a bunch of Bruce’s friends and co-workers. It was great to see how well liked he is. One woman asked if we were twins, and I laughed and said yes, but I shaved my beard so people could tell us apart. For those of you wondering, Bruce is actually 3 years older than I am. Hum…do I look that old or was he looking particularly youthful?
We went fishing on the Priest River where it meets the Pend Orielle River. Lee and I got skunked, but Bruce caught one. Went fishing another day on Priest Lake. Lee and I got skunked again, but Bruce caught 4. Both areas are awesomely beautiful.
We ran into Sandpoint to the Walmart. Bought Bruce an air fryer for putting up with us. Showed him how to use it and off he went. No stopping those home cooked meals now. LOL
Lee and I had breakfast at the VFW (Veterns of Foreign War) post on Saturday while Bruce was at work. It was really cool. I had never been inside a post before and was impressed by all the memorabilia they had. Frank, Lee’s dad, was a big supporter of the VFW, so it was cool to be able to make a donation to them.
Priest River only has about 1800 people in it, but believe it or not there were 5 thrift stores. I was in heaven.
We finally found a tire shop that was able to fix the trailer brake that broke when we had the blowout in June. Didn’t think that was ever going to happen.
We decided to come home through Washington and Oregon instead of driving through Idaho. Much nicer as the roads were mostly 4 lanes. Less tension for Lee. The GPS took us off the main highway and took us on a country drive. It was okay since we traveled quite a few miles right along the Columbia River. It was weird because the water looked as high as our road. The only thing between the highway and the river were the railroad tracks.
We were a little worried about pulling the grade up the blues, but the ‘Blue Beast’ (my affectionate name for our truck) did awesome. Never fell below 45 mph. Pulled easier than up White Bird in Idaho. We were really impressed.
Checked out the Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, near Meecham, OR on top of the Blues mountain, hoping to camp for the night, but they did not have any pull through spaces and we didn’t want to unhook just for one night. We ended up finding an RV Resort just off the highway in La Grande. Glad we stopped when we did since there was a storm rolling in.

Winchester Lake State Park, ID to Priest River, ID
We had a great night at the state park. Never even turned on the TV. We just sat outside until dark and enjoyed nature. It rained quite a bit during the night, but it was pretty soothing once we got used to the noise. Seems a lot louder in the pine trees than in the desert. Maybe the sound was amplified by the trees. It was really weird to be surrounded by 100+ foot trees.
Dinky Dawg and I saw a few different types of birds on our morning walk. We also saw a rabbit and a chipmunk. We are used to jack rabbits, but this one was much smaller. We heard a weird chattering sound and hoped it wasn’t a rattlesnake.
There was a Blue Jay in our camp when we were having breakfast. It was so cool because I have never seen a Blue Jay in real life. He was busy eating Bristol’s kitty treats that she left outside. Seemed kind of strange to see a bird eat cat treats.
The park must really be a popular destination since almost all of the spaces were reserved for the weekend. I guess we were really lucky to get a spot for the night.
We decided to drive up US195 through Washington, once we got past Leweston. It was a nice drive, but it seemed like the “hills” would never end. And seriously, who ever heard of making slower vehicles drive on the shoulder when being passed? Couldn’t they afford real passing lanes?!?
Made it through Spokane, WA okay except we got off the freeway too soon. Our GPS lady really needs to be a little more clear than to stay right and veer left. Anyway, we made it okay.
Got to my Brother Bruce’s house about a half hour before he got home from work, so we sat in his front yard while we waited. Of course his neighbors came over to make sure we were okay. Nice to know that he has someone looking out for him.
We were thinking of going through Oregon on the way home, and it looks like we made the right decision since there was so much rain that US95, the main North-South highway through Idaho, is closed due to mudslides.
I saw 2 deer walking down my brother’s street at dusk. Awesome! Hoping to be able to get some pictures tomorrow. That darn Dinky Dawg barked and scared them away! Guess I’m going to have to learn him about missed photo opportunities.

Weiser to Winchester Lake State Park, ID. Had a great couple of days in Weiser. Met some really cool people and got to know Lee’s cousin Cindy and her husband Jake. Cindy found us an RV spot in the backyard of the local bar. How cool is that? Didn’t have to worry about having too much fun. Dinky Dawg even went in for a visit after he escaped from the yard. Thanks Jake for hearding him into the bar so he didn’t get out on the highway
Went to 3 thrift stores and spent 6 bucks for 4 blouses, a skirt. Even got rid of a bunch of donations.
Dinky Dawg and I went for a walk and saw a real live Eclipseman Wolverine. Heard about them, but have never seen one before.
Brenda got stung by 2 different bees/wasps, but luckily she didn’t have an allergy attack. Thanks, Cindy for telling us about the tobacco. Took the sting right out.
Saw a sign for a State Park just 2 miles off the highway. Decided to stop for the night. It is beautiful. Pine trees everywhere , a pull thru spot and the bathroom is only about 50 feet away. Sweet. It has a picnic table and a firepit/bar-b-que. For only $25, with water and electricity. Can’t even see the neighbors because of the vegetation.
Brought Miss Bristol outside and she is having a blast in the dirt and pine needles. She is tolerating the leash.
It’s really cool outside, just 79 degrees, so we aren’t even going to hook up the satellite. Just enjoying the peace and quiet and the fact that the bugs didn’t follow us.
Find us at RVillage.com.

Garden City/Boise to Weiser. We took the back roads to Weiser, via Emmett. It was nice seeing the ole town again, but sadly we couldn’t stop to reminisce, LOL. Had a great time at the Riverside RV Park. It was so nice being right in town without having to drive 20 miles first.
Lee’s cousin’s lived in the RV park that we were staying in, and we spent an evening just catching up. The RV park was right next to the Boise Hawks baseball stadium, so we could hear the spectators cheer on the home team. The Hawks won 2 games while we were there. They have a fireworks show when they win, and let me tell you, they do put on quite a show. Dinky Dawg was not impressed, since it was so loud.
Dinky and I took our regular morning walks every day, at least 1-1/2 miles. He is so used to those long walks that he gets quite stubborn if you try to cut it short. We headed east along the Greenbelt most days, but decided to head west on Saturday. So glad we did. We came across the River Point Park that was home to the Pollinator Habitat. What a beautiful place. It was like finding a hidden treasure.
Lee and I finally got to ride our bikes. We took about a 4 mile ride along the Greenbelt to the new White Water Park. It was really cool. Only 1 kayaker on the water, but at least we got to see what it was all about.
I got to do the Bi-Mart Tuesday with my mom, and we went Blackberry picking. My friends Tina and Jess came by for a visit, and my old neighbor from Emmett came by and took me thrift store shopping (like she really needed to twist my arm for that). My friend Randy smuggled us onto his activities bus and we got to go on a wine tasting tour. I met a lot of great people and tasted some great wine. I think that I would enjoy being the activities director for a retirement home. Those senior citizens sure know how to have a good time.
We met up with Diane, a friend of Lee’s, and had dinner with her. It was nice getting a face with a name. We also went to Lee’s neighborhood bar, The Little Dutch Garden and got to see some of the old gang. They sure have made some nice improvements to the outside area since I was there last.
And to top things off Fred Meyer was having its Friends and Family sale. It was like getting my employee discount again. I stocked up on some things and finally picked up my buckets that I am going to use to wash my clothes in when we are boondocking. I have been wanting to try it out for a while and now I finally have everything I need to do it. I ended up spending $119, BUT I saved $58. Not too shabby. Got to love that coupon stacking.
We are here for a couple of nights, then we are headed north to Priest River to see my brother. Sooo excited…

Emmett to Boise. It’s been 36 days since I last posted at day 219. This is the longest that we’ve ever stayed in one place since we left Idaho in November. Apache Junction, Az was the next closest at about 30 days. You get really spoiled when you are in one place too long, especially when you have full hookups. We only have water and electricity here, so we need to conserve or we will fill the holding tanks too fast. Mom gave me a cool tower planter so I bought 12 markdown flowering plants to brighten up our asphalt jungle. I even bought a tomato plant that has already produced one tomato, and has about 15 green ones on it.
We met some great people in Emmett that we are definitely going to miss, but we swapped numbers so we can keep in touch. Michelle, Robert and Hunter lived right next door to us and hung out with us a bunch. Michelle and I went to a lavender farm in Payette, the Honey store in Fruitland, the Historical Museum in Emmett, and got to watch 3 hours of old cars cruising up and down Washington street, which was awesome, by the way.
Spent a lot of time with my mom. We resumed our Tuesday Bi-mart ritual and even won a couple of prizes. We had a yardsale, didn’t make a lot of money, but got to spend the whole day together catching up. Mom and I got to spend our birthdays together and Dale, my brother, took us out for dinner. Even got a chance to see my nephew, Sean.
Lee and I took my guy BFF, Randy out for his belated birthday lunch. Boy it was great to see him again. We talk on the phone about once a week, but it isn’t quite the same as being there in person.
We also went fishing at Black Canyon Dam. Didn’t get any bites, but had a good day anyway.
Lee had a couple of Nascar play dates with Uncle Jerry, so I was able to get some major cleaning done and rearranged the furniture so the old homestead looks a lot bigger than before. Definately appreciated the quiet time.
Went to my Urologist and got a clean bill of health, 5 years cancer free! No more cameras in my bladder. Hooray! Our regular GP doctor said we were both doing great, and my eye doctor said that contrary to the last doctor’s report I did not have cataracts. Double and triple hooray!
After so many months of small towns we reverted back to big city life again. Ah, the thrift stores. I am in heaven. Lee says it’s time to hit the road…too many thrift stores. LOL
Already had a couple of visitors at the new camp. Lee’s cousins Matt and Mary stopped by and said hi. Lee got to go tripping down memory lane with Mary. (I think he was happy to be away from mine and Michelle’s girl chatter). He’s looking forward to hooking up with more cousins now that we are back in town.
Our camp backs up to the Boise Greenbelt, which runs along the Boise River. We are looking forward to riding our bikes along the greenbelt and swimming in the river. I bought Dinky Dawg a cute little doggy life vest so he won’t be scared to get in the water. Wish us luck….