The China Ranch Date Farm

Last Saturday, April 18th, Teddy and I took a day trip to visit the China Ranch Date Farm. The China Ranch is located near Tecopa, California on the southern periphery of Death Valley about 45 miles from Pahrump. We decided to make a day of it so took our time and enjoyed the drive there. We left Pahrump on Nevada Rt. 372 which turned into California 178 at the border.


Along the way between Pahrump and Shoshone we spotted these delicate beautiful desert flowers growing wild along the road shoulders and had to stop and photograph them. They grew in bunches and the individual blossoms were about an inch and a half in diameter.






Reaching Shoshone we turned left (south) toward Tecopa.



We stopped in Tecopa to visit the hot springs which apparently are a natural phenomenon in the area.
The cost was $7.00 per person to go into the hot spring baths. It was highly commercialized, bathing was in the nude and there were separate baths for men and women. I couldn't see sitting in a pool with a bunch of other naked men so we decided to pass. If Teddy and I could have went together we might have went in. The kicker was that later in the day on the way back to Pahrump, about three or four miles north of Tecopa we spotted several cars pulled off the road on the shoulder of the road and people walking into the desert. Curious, we stopped and I waited in the truck while Teddy investigated. She came back about a half hour later and said that there was a natural hot spring pool/pond and several naked people were lounging there in the muddy water. Wrinkly old men and sagging breasted women, so I was probably better off that I didn't go with her. ;-)


Continuing on we finally arrived at the date farm.

These date palms are entirely different from the date palms that we saw two years ago down by the Salton Sea. I never realized that there was such a great variety of date palms.








While there I snapped these macros of some desert cacti.




















...and these three classes of wildlife...avian...reptilian...mammalian.



Needless to say we also sampled several varieties of dates before leaving.
And guess what?
Teddy made some date cookies when we got back. MMMMMMMM.

All fixed!

Update on blog of January 11, 2009.
Readers may recall my shower door fiasco last January. Well, in view of my initial research on replacing the door costing in the neighborhood of $600 (a neighborhood that we didn't want to visit), I rigged up a shower curtain solution as a temporary fix until we were a little more solvent. I had also contacted a glass dealer in Lake Havasu City and they didn't want to handle it.
So after we arrived here at Terribles Lakeside I decided to investigate local glass dealers here in Pahrump. Found a family owned business called "Quality Image" and they were confident that they could install a new tempered glass for less than $200. They said that they could cut the glass to size, then have it tempered and installed in less than a week's time. I was, WOW, go for it. The very next day an installer named Steve came out to the park, made measurements and true to promise came back with the glass a week later. The installation took about an hour and we are pleased with the new shower door. This time we opted for clear glass instead of opaque. Gives the shower an entirely different look and now I can watch Teddy while she showers, or vice versa.
Hmmm...well...probably not! ;-)

Home Improvements (floor project)

We have often thought of replacing the carpet in the Cardinal with a hard surface floor. Carpet is fine for occasional use RVers but for we fulltimers it can be a real nuisance trying to keep it clean. We have met other RVers who have replaced their carpet with "Pergo" or a similar wood floor laminate with good results. Our only concern was if the slides would mar the floor. I called Forest River, the manufacturer of our Cardinal, and they assured me that there would be no problem as long as the new flooring wasn't thicker than the carpet. I had also previously noted that there didn't seem to be any track marks on the carpet after extending the slides. So armed with this information I began researching alternative flooring ideas and discovered Allure flooring sold by Home Depot. On Thursday the 10th my friend, Hank Syberden and I visited the local Home Depot and were both impressed with the product. So on Friday afternoon in view of the fact that Hank volunteered to help with the install, we bit the proverbial bullet and I returned to the store to purchase the flooring.

By the time I returned Teddy had most of the carpet torn out...










...and was working on the kitchen vinyl.

We decided to start in the Cardinal's rear living room and work our way forward toward the Kitchen.







By six PM we were about halfway done and decided to quit for the day.












The following day (Saturday) we attacked the floor again with renewed gusto and by noon were well into the kitchen.
Here is Hank on his beleaguered knees trimming another piece.







Almost done!










Although the directions said that it was not necessary except in commercial applications, we decided to roll the floor for better adhesion.

Here is Teddy wielding the 100 lb. roller like a professional.
















So two days later, here it is all done except for some molding.
Teddy and I are quite pleased with the appearance and no more carpet cleaning.
We owe a big, big thanks to Hank Syberden for his help. My poor knees and flabby body make it difficult to get down to floor level and Hanks help was a godsend.





Hmmm...now...what project can I start on next? ;-)

Scotty's Castle

We are now in Pahrump, Nevada at Terribles Lakeside RV Resort. We left Florence Sunday morning, spent Sunday night in Henderson, NV and arrived here about noon on Monday the 30th. Monday afternoon we got together with our friends Don & Carol Dingman who were already here in Pahrump at the Winery RV Park. We then made plans for the following day to visit the famous "Scotty's Castle" located in Death Valley National Park. It was about a three hour drive to get there so we left here early Tuesday morning at 8 am.Arriving at 11 am we were greeted with this view of the building and grounds.


Admission to the "castle" is only available via a conducted 40 minute tour and our tour guide shown here sure looked the part. We entered through the door in the circular tower...




...into this inner courtyard.
Note the clarion clock tower in the background











From there a door on the left led to this sitting room on the lower floor of the living quarters.







We then were led through several rooms in succession with stops in each where the guide described what we were seeing.

We toured Scottie's bedroom (not shown) and this lower level music room with this large Don Quixote tapestry on the wall. This room also housed this player piano.

On the left, note the small keyboard for the clarion.









This hallway then led to the dining room and kitchen in succession.










Dinnerware in dining room.












Kitchen stove.









At this point in the tour we were led up a staircase to the second floor which contained several bedrooms, a bathroom and ...a glorious upper level music room complete with a Welte-Mignon theater organ with more than 1,000 pipes.
Chandelier in upper music room.


And now for the rest of the story!
It turns out that Scotty's Castle is essentially a big sham. Walter Scott aka Scotty, was a flimflam man that managed to talk a rich Chicago insurance magnate named Albert Johnson into investing large sums of money in a non existent gold mine in the desert. Mr. Johnson on discovering that he had been flimflammed decided that he liked the area so much that he undertook to build this magnificent Spanish themed manor house here in the desert as a vacation retreat for he and his wife, Bessie. He also became so enamored with the Scotty character that he entered into a quasi partnership with him using Scotty as a front man.

Florence Prison RV Park

While we were at the Desert Gardens RV Oasis we visited the prison outlet store in Florence at the Arizona State Prison Complex also known as Florence State Prison (FSP). It is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC). FSP is located in Florence, Pinal County, Arizona, 55 miles east from the state capital of Phoenix.
There we found good news for RVers that enjoy a different kind of camping experience. We discovered that they are building an RV Park addition in the prison. There RVers will be able to mingle with the prisoners in the yard and participate in their various activities such as body building and running. Part time employment opportunities for work-campers will also be available in the prison laundry and license plate shop.
It is also rumored that it will be possible for minimum security prisoners to purchase their own RV, albeit with bars on the windows & doors, and live in them as opposed to a cell; motorhomes will, of course, have to have their engines disabled as well. This should go a long way in relieving the overcrowded prison conditions and may become a model for prisons around the nation.
So...if any of you RVers should find yourself in south central Arizona I suggest that you investigate what should turn out to be a unique camping experience. And who knows, some of you single or widowed RV ladies out there may even discover a new romance. ;-)

John & Sally

Yesterday, Sunday March 22, our friends John & Sally Dickinson from Tucson motored up to visit us. John & I worked together as summer intern recording engineers at the "Interlochen Center for the Arts" some 45 years ago when we were college students. We have kept in touch through the years but have rarely seen each other due to the distance of our homes. John works for IBM in Tucson and Sally is a retired school teacher. I regret that we got so caught up in visiting that I neglected to snap a photo...oh well...I'm sure that I'll get the opportunity next fall when we return to Desert Gardens. We introduced them to the full-timing RV lifestyle and gave them a tour of the park ending with an ice cream social at the clubhouse. After lunch we went for a drive and visited the museum in Florence, stopped at the prison outlet store and toured the town. Then we drove through the grounds of St. Anthony's Monastery but didn't stop as we weren't suitably dressed.

Noisy visitor

This is the view from our back (Living Room) window here at The Desert Gardens RV park. As you can see Teddy placed a hummingbird feeder in the tree directly behind the trailer in hopes of attracting an Anna's hummer which are prevalent in the area. As you can see we certainly didn't get what we expected.
This morning at around 6:30 am I was awakened by a rapid "rat-a-tat-tat" noise.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a Gila Woodpecker assaulting my ear.
Nazzie and I were amazed to see this little guy whacking away at the top of this electrical box. I grabbed my camera and Nazzie got downright excited. He was apparently thinking, "Woodpecker Pie, woodpecker pie, gonna get me some woodpecker pie", but alas it was not to be.

Next he flew into the tree and by cleverly clinging to a branch adjacent to the hummingbird feeder, was able to enjoy a hummingbird breakfast. Later in the day he came back with his girlfriend to buy her lunch. On reflection, I believe that the pounding away at the electrical box was just an attempt to impress his girlfriend with what a strong pecker he had. ;-)

St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery

Yesterday we visited St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery with our friends Hank & Eva Syberden from Cochran, Alberta. The monastery is located about five miles from the park and it is truly amazing; the monks have turned their little patch (107 acres) of the Sonoran desert into a veritable oasis. We had to comply with a strict dress code in order to tour the complex. The men had to wear long pants, long sleeved shirts, and closed shoes with stockings.



The women were required to wear a long dress that reached the ankles, and a long sleeved top with a closed front. Women were also required to wear a scarf over their head and closed, flat bottomed shoes with socks.
Here is Teddy dressed in the prescribed garb.










Once we had passed the clothing inspection we were turned over to a monk, Brother Nicholas for the first part of the tour. He gave a brief description of the church, answered our questions and even allowed us to photograph him, though it was proscribed that we should not take photos of the monks.

Our first stop was the main church, St. Anthony's. Entering we were gobsmacked at the complex ornateness of the sanctuary shown here.

From there Brother Nicholas turned us loose to wander the grounds on our own with no restrictions to photographs as long as we kept to the prescribed paths and buildings.


The grounds are absolutely stunning, lush with tropical vegetation of all kinds with gazebos, fountains and chapels interspersed throughout.





Such as St Nicholas' Chapel shown here.









Brother Nicholas said that although they were not completely self sustaining for food, they did have grape arbors, orange groves such as this and gardens where they grew fruits & vegetables.







Perched on a hillock overlooking the church and gardens was this beautiful white building which as it turns out is Prophet Elias' Chapel, under construction. It is expected to be completed sometime this summer and will then be open to visitors.













I did some digging on the internet and came up with this exposé part 1 and part 2 on the monastery done a couple of years ago by a Tucson TV station. This might explain why they were reluctant to have photos taken of the monks.

Florence

We are in Florence...no we didn't put pontoons on the RV and float to Italy, this Florence is in Arizona. We have some friends that we met in Lake Havasu who were staying in the Desert Gardens RV Oasis about five miles south of Florence on Hwy 79 so we decided to come down and join them for a couple of weeks. From here we plan on staying once again in Pahrump Nevada for the month of April.
This is a real nice park with a many varieties of desert flowers, plants and cacti. As you can see from this photo we have a magnificent saguaro right behind our trailer.

Yesterday, Sunday the 15th, we explored the little town of Florence which as it turns out, is the fifth oldest city in Arizona. Apparently it used to be quite a boom town in the old days with copper and gold mines.

I shot this panorama on main street which looks like it is right out of a western movie. We drove around town and discovered the Pinal County courthouse which, except for the palm trees, reminds me of the courthouse in the movie Back to the Future. This from the website: Florence contractors, A.J. Doran and T.A. Adams built the courthouse in 1891 for a cost of $29,000. A shortage of funds resulted in painted metal clock faces in the distinctive cupola. Thus, "time stands still" at 11:44.
There are a lot of attractions in the area so it appears that we will be busy exploring for the next couple of weeks.
Tomorrow we plan on visiting a Greek monastery not far from here.

The Desert Bar (revisited)

On Sunday afternoon several of us journeyed out to the "Desert Bar". Teddy and I had been there once before (see our blog of February 12, 2007) but not since. The occasion was to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of our friends, Pat & LaVerne Schumacher of Alden, Iowa. Some of us had gotten togather and suprised them with a mock renewal of vows. We had made up a wedding veil for Pat and a wide, wide tie for LaVerne, I had the music "Love and Marrage" on my notebook computer and our friend Gary Clark, from BC, Canada, acted as the priest complete with a paper collar. It was great fun and a lot of laughs.




Of course Teddy as is her wont, had to climb up to the top of the nearest peak to take a picture looking down on the rest of us.


















It would have taken me about a month and a half and a stout rope to get up there. ;-)

Potato salad and more!

click on photos for larger size

Sometimes some of the best times are those events that happen spontaneously with no advance planning. Such was the case early this evening. One of the RV campers here in the park left this morning so suddenly there was an empty RV site on our end of the park directly across from our trailer. Someone suggested that we should have a cookout on the empty pad and before long several of our friends were preparing snacks and drinks, bringing chairs and setting up a grill for burgers. Two of us expropriated a large round table from the clubhouse, rolled it over to the site and set it up for a serving table. Beginning around four o’clock we started in on the snacks and drinks followed by cheeseburgers with all the works including sliced tomatoes, two kinds of beans, pasta salad and Carol Babcock made some of the best potato salad that I have ever eaten. My willpower completely failed me, as I couldn’t resist going back for seconds of that.
And just about then Don Dingman started dishing out bowls of ice cream, which we topped with an assortment of goodies such as nuts, pineapple, banana chunks, crumbled brownies, and chocolate and caramel syrup.
What a wonderful time we had, even if it was a diet buster. It was one of those days that you hate to see end.
Finally as if to punctuate the evening we witnessed this glorious sunset

Verde Canyon Railroad

On Monday February 17th thirty of us (15 couples) from the park sojourned over to Clarkdale, AZ to take a daytrip on the Verde Canyon Railroad. Most of us drove over on Sunday in seperate cars (trucks) and spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Quality Inn in Cottonwood. Clarkdale is located in the north central part of the state north of Phoenix near Sedona. Because of the ubiquitous mountain ranges here in Arizona we had to loop around to the south or north in order to get there from Lake Havasu. Even so we still had to traverse some 6 to 7 thousand foot snow covered passes. It was a delightful drive though and the roads were bare. Teddy and I chose to take the somewhat famous mountain road from Prescott Valley through Jerome to Cottonwood. It is about thirty miles of mountain road with numerous switchbacks with sheer cliffs on the outside lane.






There aren't many places to pull off for pictures but Teddy did manage to snap a few out the truck window.












Jerome is an historic mining town built on the side of a mountain with houses and shops perched precariously on the side hills.

Several of us went out to dinner at an Italian eatery on Sunday evening and then gathered at the depot in Clarkdale on Monday noon for our train excursion.
The train trip that day was the Valentine's weekend Chocolate Lovers’ Festival an event that they run each year and because we had thirty people in our party we were given our own private car.
Included in the fare was complimentary champaign, snacks, sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres and more chocolate than I've eaten in the last year. A continuously flowing fountain of chocolate w/various dippers, and several cakes, truffles and the like. If chocolate does indeed cause pimples there's sure to be an epidemic here at Havasu Falls (smile).













We had a hostess, (Sallie with an ie) assigned to our car who pointed out landmarks as we passed them,










...such as this photo of a cliff dweling that ancient natives used...












...and this picture of a landmark called "Turtle Rock"











Teddy leans out of the doorway window on the platform between cars taken from the doorway window in the next car.







This proved to be a good vantage point to take photos as well, such as this shot of the following cars taken on a curve.





Here we are entering a tunnel along the way.



















... "the light at the end of the tunnel"























Then when we arrived at the turnaround point they unhooked the engines and shuttled them on a second track to the other end of the train for the trip back





.







There was an open outdoor car that we could walk to which I took advantage of on the way back to snap this pict of the Verde River Canyon, sometimes known as Arizona's second "Grand Canyon"
What a fine time we had!!! Teddy says that she would like to do it again. Trouble is though there are still too many other things to see. (Grin)