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SilverRanger · 12-24-2010, 08:02 PM

We've done a lot of traveling in our Airstream, but this is the first time cross country. I'll try to report in occasionally, perhaps with some pictures. With one exception, we (intentionally) didn't do much planning for the trip. The only agenda item we have so far is a brief stop in Las Vegas. It seems my lovely wife talked me into to renewing our wedding vows on our 30th anniversary (New Year's Eve). Elvis, himself, will conduct the ceremony. I agreed on the condition that we only do this every 30 years. Our Daughters and their husbands, and some good friends will meet us there. Well be staying at Circus Circus CG, and have rented one of their two Airstreams for our kids, and our friends have rented the other.

After that, the only other objective is to reach the West Coast, and stay there until we decide it's time to move on. Then we'll head south near the border, and eventually wander back to Delaware. The Salton Sea and Slab City are possible destinations.

So far, we left Delaware late Wednesday afternoon, and traveled over to Washington DC, then headed west to I-81 and took it south to I-40 west. This evening, with 1710 miles behind us, we find ourselves in a little campground in Amarillo, TX. Tomorrow, we'll continue west on I-40 through Mew Mexico.

If anyone has any suggestions, advice, information on road conditions, or just have any questions about the places we end up, please feel free...

**moosetags** · 12-24-2010, 08:37 PM

Sounds like a great adventure. Please report as often as you can. Pictures would be appreciated.

Brian

airdreamers · 12-25-2010, 03:06 AM

My wife and I did cross country last Summer 2009 just before we brought our AS. We motelled it. We did not go to Vegas but we did do Laughlin. I wish we knew about the new bridge over Hoover Dam at the time, we would have gone that way to CA from CT. We have a beautiful country to see the way you are doing it. We hope to airstream it someday! Try to see Santa Fe and or Grand Canyon careful of the snow!! As moosetags says, send pics!!! CHEERS!

xrvr · 12-25-2010, 05:58 AM

Motorcycled it from Fl to Oregon to Ohio and back to Fl several years ago and it was great. Can't imagine the thrill of doing it in an AS. That's our goal. Only suggestion, get off the interstates as much as possible and stop and talk to the locals when you can. Slow and easy and ENJOY YOURSELVES. Merry Christmas. zz

SilverRanger · 12-29-2010, 08:12 AM

Instead of continuing on I-40, because we we're ahead of schedule (should one exist

), we decided to head south through Lubbock, then westward to New Mexico. We traveled through Roswell, then south to Ruidoso where we spent the night. (More on that campground later.) The next morning we continued southward to Alamogordo, White Sands (beautiful!), then to Las Cruces where we got on I-10 to Tucson. From Tucson, we traveled north to Phoenix, then headed to Wickenburg where we picked up Rt. 93 up to I-40.

We are now at the Lake Mead RV Village in the Lake Mead National Area near Hoover Dam. It's one of the nicest campgrounds I have experienced in a long time. It's quiet, and the view is spectacular. I'll give a further description later. Tomorrow, we'll head over to Las Vegas.

In the meantime, here are some pictures:

1. Burro Creek Bridge on Rt. 93
2. Over the edge of the bridge at 60 MPH.
3. Joshua Tree off Rt. 93
4. The campsite at Lake Mead NRA.

SilverRanger · 12-29-2010, 08:22 AM

Views from the campground at Lake Mead.

SilverRanger · 12-30-2010, 11:32 AM

We left the Lake Mead National Recreation Area yesterday around 11:00 AM and arrived at the Circus Circus KOA about an hour before check-in time, but our site was available and they took us in early. The staff was courteous and very helpful. As it has been described before, the campground is like a huge parking lot with hookups. The facilities are excellent condition, and well maintained. We're located across from the office, just one site away from the rental Airstream where our kids will be staying. They were actually willing to put us next to the kids, but the sites alternate between back-in and head-in. Last night there were small motor homes parked on both sides of us. No problem, they blocked the wind, which was horrendous. (There are many rented MOHO's here, and I cringe every time I see one backing up near us.

) The sites in this location are spacious, but too short for the really large units, so there is a parking space for the TV is beside each unit.

The WiFi signal, and is as fast as I've experienced to date in any campground. For those who may be interested, there is no cable television available, and local reception is amazingly limited. I did a quick OTA channel scan and I believe I saw 2 or 3 digital HD stations, and 3 or 4 snowy analog stations. At our site, even a satellite signal may be a challenge. I rather doubt there will be much time for this anyway. There's a lot to do here but, as always, I'd rather be out of town.

Here are some pictures of our location. If anyone has any requests for pictures or information, please let me know.

1. The rental Airstream.
2. The back side of it.
3. Our AS next to the rental.
4. The CG office.

Ahab · 12-31-2010, 10:55 AM

Thanks for the picts and comments. Your shot of the Burro Creek Bridge reminded me that there is a great campground on the south and west side of the bridge. You can walk under the bridge to the east and come to the only stand of native palm trees in Arizona.

TWaugh · 12-31-2010, 11:23 AM

Dang! You know I'm jealous.

Wish I could be there.
But I'm still at work today.

Great pictures. (Maybe I can put together a special interest article for the next issue)

Give Lori my love

Tonights the Night!!!!

SilverRanger · 12-31-2010, 12:09 PM

Thanks, Tom. You can bet there will be lots of pictures. We''l have more time after we head west. Yep, that's ice collecting under our neighbor's water connection.

Mexray · 12-31-2010, 12:18 PM

"If anyone has any requests for pictures or information, please let me know"

Toss a "hundred" on 'RED' for me...I'll collect the winnings later...

Have fun in Vegas Town...a buddy just got back from there and reported the 'machines' were extremely 'tight', these days!

Regards,
Ray in Northern Calif

webtrippin · 12-31-2010, 12:40 PM

Man, ya'll are moving fast!

If you're heading to SoCal, Ventura Beach has a cool campground. It's not cheap though, but being right on the beach in Cali is hard to find. You can also park on the Ricon Parkway but the atmosphere is not all that great being on the side of a road and climbing over boulders to get to the sand.

We are headed the opposite way but going much, much slower. Every time we move I post a review of where we stayed with photos so maybe it's helpful for other people. You can see our reviews at RV Park Reviews

Pismo Beach is also a fantastic place on the Cali coast, but we haven't stayed there in the RV parks. The town is worth a stop though.

SilverRanger · 01-05-2011, 06:49 PM

We ended up in Malibu for a few days. Maybe longer if the weather holds.
Here are some pictures:

1. Malibu sunrise this morning.
2. Airstream from the west.
3. Airstream from the east.
4. View from the rear window in the campground.

More later!

Jim Foster · 01-05-2011, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webtrippin

Man, ya'll are moving fast!

Pismo Beach is also a fantastic place on the Cali coast, but we haven't stayed there in the RV parks. The town is worth a stop though.

Pismo Coast Village is within walking distance of town. Good food at Splash, Brad's, Mo's and Hoagies, Pennie's All American Cafe. There are a couple of other RV parks as well. A short drive to Avila, another nice little town, fresh seafood on the pier.

SilverRanger · 01-06-2011, 03:26 AM

We left Las Vegas on Tuesday around 11:30 AM. While being with family and friends (and Elvis) in Vegas was a truly amazing experience, it's not my kind of place. I love the lights, but I don't gamble. Anyway, it appears that no one got arrested, or tattooed. So, we headed west towards California.

The trip down I-15 was a nice ride, and uneventful. We did encounter some interesting grades and water on the road near Barstow. We were fortunate enough to get down off the hill before it started to freeze. In Victorville there was snow covering the ground, but the roads were clear.

After deciding on Malibu, the strategy was to get some rest and navigate Los Angeles in the early hours to avoid traffic. Since we only needed a few hours sleep, we consulted "The Next Exit", and found a Walmart just Off I-15 in Rancho Cucamonga. We called ahead to confirm it was OK to park there, and when we arrived we checked with the security guard, who recommended a good location. We hit the road at 2:30 AM. Aside from some poorly maintained freeways and detours, with the help of two GPS units (which are in perpetual conflict with each other), and a city map, the drive to Malibu was uneventful... yet exhilarating. We arrived in Malibu just before sunrise, and found a place to park and get some pictures and explore the town a bit. I'm pretty sure I spotted Malibu Barbie, without any makeup, walking some kind of poodle-like dog this morning. That's my story...

We're staying at Malibu Beach RV Park. It's an excellent location, with reasonable off-season rates (electric/water, cable, wifi @ $34). Like most everything here, it's on the side of a hill that appears as if it will slide into the Pacific at any moment. The sites are small, but level, and the scenery is spectacular. The weather today was great, but right now the wind is gusting at 39 MPH. There are three other Airstreams and an Avion here.

Here are some more pictures:

1. Our neighbors-Casita, Avion, Airstream
2. Sunset from the Pacific Coast Highway.
3. Sunset from the campground.
4. Towards the east.

SilverRanger · 01-06-2011, 03:38 AM

1. Cowabunga!
2. From our site towards the west.
3. Before we were flanked by SOB's.

TWaugh · 01-06-2011, 05:02 AM

I admire you for getting up early enough to take those great pictures.

Stay where its warm as long as possible.

Just a reminder what might greet you if you come back too early.

YouTube - Snohoboth - December 26, 2010

SilverRanger · 01-14-2011, 10:05 PM

I'm a bit behind in my pictures. Been busy. Coming soon, the Salton Sea, Slab City, Salvation Mountain, and Bombay Beach.

This is where we are tonight.

Moses · 01-15-2011, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

I'm a bit behind in my pictures. Been busy. Coming soon, the Salton Sea, Slab City, Salvation Mountain, and Bombay Beach.

This is where we are tonight.

These are some very fine photos. Well done.

SilverRanger · 01-15-2011, 07:01 AM

Thanks, Moses. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog, especially the latest entry about your experience with the border guards, and the pictures are spectacular.

Just two days ago, after we left the Salton Sea and were headed east on I-8, we enjoyed yet another checkpoint. The sign indicating we should merge for an inspection came upon us rather quickly, and my first thought was "Great, this must be another agricultural inspection" like to one we had entering into California, and asked my wife if we had any vegetables or plants. A few tomatoes, some salad mix, an orchid, and a couple of potatoes. I told her to get ready to open the Bambi. To my relief, it was a Border Patrol checkpoint. Those guys have a sense of humor.

When we stopped, the officer said "Good afternoon, is it just the two of you?"
Yes, sir I replied.
He then asked, with a straight face, "Are you sure you don't have that nice trailer packed full of illegal immigrants?"
No sir, it's just us two of us.
He said, with a smile, "Then how can you explain those guys waving at me through the window?"
I told him he was welcome to take a look, we love to show it off.
He laughed and said, "That won't be necessary, you have a safe trip", and waved us on.