"Hocus Pocus", Our Friends Appear

Our drive to our next destination in Salem, Massachusetts, was eventful to say the least.  First, it was a long trip; we would be driving for over five hours, not including stops.  Second, we drove along New York and Massachusetts Highway 2, also known as the Taconic Trail in New York and the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts.  The road is two lanes, with sharp curves, and sometimes rather narrow.  Third, because of the heat, the altitude, and the constant braking while descending on the hills, our tire monitor warned us on two different occasions that the front tires were getting too hot.  This meant that we had to stop two different times to let the tires cool off.  We made the first stop at a grocery store and took advantage of the stop to get groceries and eat lunch.  We made the second stop at a scenic overlook park with a historic graveyard from the early 1800s.  Indeed, the positive thing about this drive is that we got to see some amazingly beautiful hills, valleys, and rushing rivers along the way.

We finally arrived at our destination in the late afternoon: Winter Island Park in Salem, Massachusetts.  Winter Island Park is situated on the waterfront of Salem Harbor and our RV site backed up to Salem Bay, which is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.  The RV sites are located in a large parking lot that also accommodates cars and boats.  Our RV site had a picnic table, but no fire pit or grill.  We had water and electric hookups, but no sewer hookup, which meant that we would have to use the park’s shower facilities so we wouldn’t fill up the gray water tank.  

That evening, our friends Tommy and Don, who live in Salem, came to tour the RV, and brought us dinner.  Tim met Don over 30 years ago when they were both in the Turtle Creek Chorale in Dallas, Texas.  Separately, Pat met Tommy in Dallas through a mutual friend almost 30 years ago.  Tim and Don knew each other before Don and Tommy started dating, and Pat and Tommy knew each other before Tim and Pat started dating.  So, there is a lot of history there; including history before either couple started dating.  This makes for interesting conversation.  Tommy and Don stayed with us at the RV until late in the evening so we could have an opportunity to chat, just the four of us, before Don had to leave town on business.

The next day, Tommy and Don picked us up early afternoon and drove us to their new house for a tour.  We had visited Tommy and Don in Salem and stayed with them at their previous home before they moved to Iowa for a few years.  When they returned to Salem, they purchased a new home.  While at Tommy and Don’s home, we did some laundry, and Tommy took us to the grocery store and liquor store.  That evening, we ate dinner at a restaurant called Barnacle in nearby Marblehead, Massachusetts.  Tim had shrimp scampi, while Pat had baked stuffed jumbo shrimp.  

Later that evening, we went to the home of our friends Greg and Jimmy for a Tiki Party.  Greg and Jimmy have been friends with Tommy and Don since Tommy and Don first lived in Salem.  We met Greg and Jimmy on a cruise many years ago when many of Tommy and Don’s Salem friends took the same cruise that Tommy and Don had invited us to take.  Since then, we have been on many cruises with Greg and Jimmy and other Salem friends of Tommy and Don’s.  In fact, Greg and Jimmy were on the cruise we took from Ft. Lauderdale this past February (2023).  At that time, when Greg and Jimmy found out that we would be traveling through Salem, they promised then that they would throw a party to welcome us – and they did!  We had a great time at the party and really appreciated that Greg and Jimmy put it all together!

The next day was our last full day in Salem, and we wanted to invite the whole Salem crew over to the RV for grilled burgers and hot dogs.  We ignored the park rule stating that “public consumption of alcohol is prohibited” – oops. 

We laughed all afternoon with these wonderful guys: Tommy (Don left for a business trip), Greg, Jimmy, Paul, Shawn, Bob & Bob, Jim & Jim, and James.  These are all great guys, and we are lucky to call them friends.  We hope to have many more cruises and other parties with these guys.   

That evening, we cleaned, relaxed, and went to bed early since we would be leaving early the next morning.  We also noticed a small water leak on the bathroom floor near the corner where the sink meets the shower and wondered what was causing it.  We had many theories.  More to come in a future blog entry on the bathroom water leak mystery.

Review of Winter Island Park

Winter Island Park is owned and managed by the historic city of Salem, Massachusetts. It is situated on the waterfront of Salem Harbor, a short distance from the downtown area.  It is the closest campground to Boston, Massachusetts, on the North Shore. The campground offers 22 tent campsites and 28 RV campsites (eighteen 50-AMP and ten 30-AMP RV sites).  All RV sites have water and electrical hookups, but no sewer hookup (the park has an arrangement with the nearby Sewage Treatment Plant for campers to dump sewer for free).  Each RV site also has a picnic table, but no fire pit or grill.  Tent sites are equipped with a grill and picnic table, but no water or electricity.  The front gate locks at 10:00 p.m.; any cars returning after 10:00 p.m. can obtain a gate code before 10:00 p.m. or wait until 6:00 a.m. the following morning to enter.

Amenities include a public beach and a playground. There is also a bathroom/shower facility, which all campers must use since there are no sewer hookups.  We found the bathroom/shower facilities to have really muddy floors since it is also used by those utilizing the public beach.  Otherwise, the showers worked well and had hot water.  

In addition, Winter Island Park provides a number of recreational opportunities for the public including swimming, fishing, camping, and boating.  The Winter Island Office and Store provides basic camping necessities including snacks, drinks, and toiletries as well as Winter Island memorabilia such as T-shirts and sweatshirts.

We enjoyed the beautiful view of Salem Harbor that we had outside of our back window.  We also loved that the park was located close to downtown Salem, and it was not difficult to get an Uber or Lyft from the park (as our friend, Tommy, demonstrated when he decided to Uber to and from our RV site on the day we grilled).  Once in Salem, it is also easy to get a train to Boston.  For these reasons, we would consider returning to Winter Island Park if we find ourselves in Salem again.

Fun on the Lake with Close Friends

We were extra excited to be on our way to our next destination because we would be seeing and staying with our very close friends from New York City, Brad and Tony.  Tim and Brad sang together in the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus for over 15 years.  Tim and Brad hit it off almost immediately after Brad joined the chorus and Tim moved to the Bass section of the chorus.  Tim and Brad made a point of sitting together at rehearsals; and to the dismay of the conductor, making jokes with each other and gossiping throughout rehearsal.  After Tim and Brad introduced Pat and Tony to each other, we all became fast friends.  Brad and Tony own an apartment in Manhattan, but also have a lake house on Great Sacandaga Lake in upstate New York.  When we lived in New York City, we traveled on a few occasions to Brad and Tony’s lake house to spend a long weekend.  This time, we would be parking the RV at Northampton Beach Campground, which is located on the same lake (it is actually reachable by boat from Brad and Tony’s lake house).  We would be splitting our visit with two nights in the RV and two nights at Brad and Tony’s lake house. 

Our drive from Jones Pond in western New York took us south to the Southern Tier Expressway, and briefly into Pennsylvania along I-86, before heading back north again toward I-88, and then north on NY State Highway 30 to Mayfield (we avoid toll roads when we drive).  It started raining about a third of the way into the trip from western New York to upstate New York.  We made stops at Walmart for groceries and at a gas station to fill up on gas.  

The drive was about 6 hours, with stops, but we finally arrived at our destination: Northampton Beach Campground.  Northampton Beach is the eighth state park we have stayed in since we started full-time RV traveling.  Our RV site was dirt/grass with a picnic table and a very nice brick firepit.  The RV site backed up to Great Sacandaga Lake and was nestled under and next to trees, so we couldn’t get a signal on our Starlink.  The RV site was large and there was plenty of distance between us and our neighbors on either side.  Northampton Beach RV sites have no hookups though, so we needed to run our generator to run air conditioning and to keep the battery charged.  We also needed to use our freshwater tank for basic water needs and the nearby shower facility for showers.  There was a dump station located at the campground to dump our tanks upon exiting.  

We spent our first evening at Northampton Beach in the RV.  We were only allowed to run the generator between the hours of 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.  By the time we arrived at Northampton Beach and leveled the RV it was about 6:30 p.m., so we only had a half hour to run the generator and the air conditioning that evening.  It was a little warm trying to sleep through the night, but we made it to the morning when we were able to start the generator at 9:00 a.m.  

Later that morning, on the 4th of July, Brad and Tony came to the campground to pick us up for an Independence Day party at the home of their friends, Bruce and Jay.  First, we gave Brad and Tony a tour of the RV and answered the many questions they had about RV life.  After the tour, we went to the home of Bruce and Jay for the party.  We had the traditional burgers and hot dogs and enjoyed the sunny (and hot) weather.  We met a lot of people at the party, but particularly hit it off with Amy and Patricia (she goes by Pat but for purposes of our blog we will call her Patricia so as not to confuse her with our Pat), who we planned to meet up with the following day.  

Later that afternoon, we went to Brad and Tony’s lake house because we would be staying there that evening.  First, we went by the RV to run the generator a bit and check on the status of the house batteries, which were low (it seems the batteries are not holding a charge as well as before we ran them down in Chicago).  Once at Brad and Tony’s, none of us were that hungry because of all we had to eat at the party; so, we had some cheese and crackers, fruit, and wine, and headed down to Brad and Tony’s boat on the lake to watch the evening fireworks.  One of Brad and Tony’s neighbors is trained in handling the biggest and brightest fireworks, so he puts on a show for the neighbors each 4th of July.  The firework show was spectacular!  Very professionally done, and LOUD, since we were very close. 

After the fireworks, we retreated to Brad and Tony’s home and chatted for hours about our parents, work, retirement, New York City, the chorus, people in the chorus, and many other subjects.  

The next morning, Tony had to work but Brad took us to check on the RV battery, which was running low again, so we ran the generator for a bit to charge up the battery.  We also set the Automatic Generator Start to come on in the afternoon to charge up the battery when we wouldn’t be around.  

Around noon, Brad took us out on the boat to a restaurant on the lake where we could have lunch.  Brad’s friends, Art and Kenny, came along with us and we enjoyed laughing and chatting with our new friends, who also knew people in the chorus.  We had lunch at Sports Island Pub on the lake; Pat had a French Dip sandwich and Tim had the Cardon Bleu sandwich, which were delicious.  After lunch, we rode the boat back to Brad and Tony’s. 

Later that afternoon, we, along with Brad and Tony, met Amy and Patricia for happy hour at the club they all belong to, called The Eccentric Club. 

The club was founded in 1882 and is strictly a social club.  The club has been housed in the same building in downtown Gloversville, New York, since 1908.  The club only started welcoming women about 20 years ago, and Patricia was one of the first female members.  Brad and Tony most recently joined when the club started outreach to recruit “younger” members.  We thoroughly enjoyed our happy hour drinks with Amy, Patricia, Brad, and Tony.  Then, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Sam's Seafood and Steakhouse; Tim had the surf and turf (sirloin steak and crab legs) while Pat had the crab-stuffed halibut. 

We all had some really deep conversations about sexual identity and loved ones.  We don’t know how it was possible, but we liked Amy and Patricia even more after that dinner.  We hope to see them again sometime.  We spent the evening at Brad and Tony’s lake house.

The next day was our last full day at Northampton Beach.  Brad and Tony took us back to the RV, where we grilled burgers and had fries.  After dinner, they took us to their favorite place for ice cream, called Zippy’s Ice Cream.  Oh, so good.  Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes afterward, as we would be staying in the RV at the campground that evening since we were leaving early the next morning.  It was difficult to say goodbye, because we don’t know when we will see Brad and Tony again, but we made a vow to work on meeting up somewhere within the next year.  

Sleeping in the RV that evening was even warmer, and the house batteries were draining quickly.  Tim got up early in the morning and found the house batteries to be nearly dead, so he tried to start the RV engine to charge up the house batteries.  For some reason, the RV engine would not start at first (we think Tim accidentally flooded the engine), but we did get it started about 30 minutes later and left the engine running until we left the campground.  Onward to see more old friends in Massachusetts!

Review of Northampton Beach Campground

Northampton Beach Campground is in the state park run by New York State and is located on the northwest corner of Great Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield, New York.  The lake was created by impoundment during the 1920's.  The reservoir regulates the flow of the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers, providing a conservation pool of water, minimizing floods, providing flow at drought stages, and affording recreational boating and fishing opportunities.  

The campground has 223 campsites available for RVs or tents.  Campsites include those that are completely secluded within tall white pines and northern hardwoods, and those that are on the open shoreline.  All campsites have a picnic table area and a very nice firepit.  The campsites do not have any hookups.  There are bathroom/shower facilities, but these tended to be a bit dirty during our stay, given that everyone must use these facilities for their shower (and maybe bathroom) needs.  

Additional amenities include a beach on the lake, a boat launch, and fishing; and rowboat, canoe, and kayak rentals are available.  There is also mini golf and an ice cream parlor about a 5-minute walk from the entrance to the campground.

On the plus side, the campsites are spacious and beautiful.  On the downside, there are no hookups, so campers must rely on generators (or solar panels) and use the restroom/shower facilities provided for showers, which tended to be a bit dirty but were located near to our campsite.  We feel like this campground could rival the best state parks we have visited with a few changes and upgrades but after the difficulties we had with our house battery, we vowed never to stay at a place again that did not at least allow more generator use time.  So, we would not likely return to Northampton Beach Campground.

Museums and a Reunion with Friends

We stopped to fill the gas tank just outside of Chicago, then made our way east to Ohio.  Along the way, we stopped at the RV and Motorhome (MH) Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.  Elkhart is home to many RV manufacturers.  Part of the mission of the RV/MH Hall of Fame is to honor the leaders in the industry, archive the history of RVs and MHs, and display historical RVs and MHs.  The museum has RVs on display from over 100 years ago to the present, including a 1913 Earl Trailer with a Model T Ford (pictured above); Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar; a 1935 Travel Trailer; 1954 Holiday Rambler; 1958 Airstream; and 1967 Winnebago.  We were awestruck by these old, classic RVs and really enjoyed the stroll through history.     

We had a great time at the RV and MH Hall of Fame, which was nice considering that we had another maintenance issue just before we arrived at the Hall of Fame.  As we pulled off the highway onto the ramp for the exit that took us to the RV and MH Hall of Fame, the wooden support that holds the windshield blind came crashing down onto the dashboard.  It blocked Tim’s view of the road, so we stopped in the middle of the exit ramp until we could clear it out of the way and safely proceed.  The cars behind us were not pleased that we had stopped on the exit ramp, but safety comes first.  This all took less than a minute, but now, we would have to find another repair person to fix this new issue.

We drove on to our next destination: Sauder Village Campground in Archbold, Ohio.  Erie Sauder started a woodworking business in Archbold, Ohio, in 1934.  Today, Sauder Woodworking is the largest maker of ready-to-assemble furniture in the United States.  As he grew closer to retirement, he worried that future generations wouldn’t understand the hard work and sacrifices that his pioneer ancestors made in coming to settle in this swampy area in northwest Ohio.  So, he built Sauder Village.  Now you can take a walk through time from 1803 through the 1920s to enjoy engaging stories, demonstrations, and fun activities while exploring historic homes, barns, gardens, and craft shops. 

Sauder Village includes a campground, which is where we stayed.  Our RV site had full hookups, and it was gravel with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  On our first night in the campground, we made a few calls and sent a few text messages trying to find a person to repair the windshield blind support to no avail.

We had a number of Amazon packages shipped to Mike and Eric’s home in Chicago and picked them up while we were there, including something called an Ultrasonic Pest Repeller, since we discovered that our mouse friend had not yet left the RV.  It came in a pack of six plug-in devices, and we plugged them in various rooms of the RV on our first night at Sauder Village Campground.  It had an immediate effect as we watched not one, but two mice scramble out of the bathroom and run toward the cab of the RV (where we think they came in originally), but then run back to the bathroom when they saw us.  It took a few hours before they made it to the cab of the RV without worrying about whether we were in the room.  We haven’t heard or seen them (or any traces left of them) since.  Alleluia! 

The following day, we took a tour of Sauder Village.  We enjoyed the museum with the history of Erie Sauder and northwest Ohio.  We stopped in a few of the historic buildings and listened to the stories of the people who reenact history and demonstrate pioneer skills.

We spent several hours in Sauder Village, then headed back to the RV as we were expecting guests.  Specifically, our friends John and Jade drove down an hour and a half from Ypsilanti, Michigan, where they have a home, to meet us in Archbold, Ohio, for dinner and drinks.  They brought John’s twin brother, Jim, and Jim’s wife, Terry.  We had a good meal at the Sauder Village restaurant located just outside of the campground, called The Barn Restaurant.  Tim had fried chicken.  Pat chose the buffet and had a variety of delicious home cooking style food items.  After dinner, we all returned to the RV for drinks and to watch LSU in the College World Series on our outdoor TV (Jade was too nervous to watch).  We really appreciated John and Jade coming all the way to Archbold to visit us, and we had a great time catching up.

Only two nights at Sauder Village, so onward to our next destination.  

Review of Sauder Village Campground

Sauder Village is a great weekend getaway for the family.  In addition to the campground, Sauder Village has an Inn, the Historic Village, the Museum, a General Store, the Barn Restaurant, and the Doughbox Bakery (featuring pies, cookies, donuts, muffins, and more).  

The campground has 77 sites for RVs and 10 sites for tent camping; 55 of the RV sites have full hookups, 11 have electricity and water only, and 11 have only electricity.  Each site has a picnic table and fire pit (no grills).  The campground has bathroom/shower facilities and a laundry facility.  The campground is located near a railroad track and there is some train noise during sleeping hours.

Other amenities campers can enjoy include a splash and spray water park area, indoor pool, and a playground.  There is also a basketball court; gaga ball pit; and areas to play shuffleboard, volleyball, and horseshoes.  Additionally, there are walking trails, a lake for fishing and the Erie Express train which is a detailed miniature replica of the original 1863 C. P. Huntington train, a steam locomotive built in 1863 for the Central Pacific Railroad.

We enjoyed all that Sauder Village had to offer.  We particularly liked that there was a general store and a restaurant located on the property.  We didn’t get an opportunity to hike the trails at the campground, but we understand that these are scenic and fun.  We likely won’t be back in this area again, but if we are, we would consider staying at Sauder Village Campground again.

Great Friends in Chicago

Leaving Starved Rock State Park Campground, we were excited to get to our next destination because we would be staying with two great friends in Chicago: Mike and Eric.  Tim and Mike have known each other since Tim was in law school at LSU and Mike was working in Baton Rouge in the mid 80s, so almost 40 years!  Having known each other that long, Mike holds a special place in Tim’s heart.  Tim and Mike reconnected on Facebook more than 10 years ago and we have been lucky enough to spend time with Mike and Eric on many occasions since.  We even visited and stayed with Mike and Eric nine years before to the day when they lived in Nuremburg, Germany.

Since that trip, we have seen them in both New York City and Chicago.

On our way to Chicago, we stopped to pick up a few groceries knowing that the trip from Chicago to the next destination would be a long one and we wouldn’t have time to stop at a grocery store.  We also stopped to get the RV washed at a Blue Beacon just outside of Chicago.  

We finally arrived at the location where we would be parking the RV for the next two nights: McCormick Place RV and Motorcoach Parking.  This is basically a parking lot behind the convention center where RVs and 18-wheelers can park overnight.  It has no hookups.  This is the only place to park an RV in or near to Chicago, but we wanted to visit Mike and Eric as we drove through Chicago, so we were willing to park here for a couple of evenings.  Mike and Eric graciously invited us to stay in their home while we were in Chicago, so we didn’t have to boondock in the parking lot (we had packed a suitcase the night before).  This meant that we wouldn’t be hooked up to electricity or running the generator, so we needed to come to the lot daily to run the generator for a little while so the house batteries wouldn’t die on us.  When we arrived at McCormick Place, we had some difficulty trying to figure out how to get into the area we had reserved for parking (bad signage).  It took us about 30 to 45 minutes, but we finally figured it out and parked the RV.  We also had a little difficulty getting an Uber to take us to Mike and Eric’s home, because the first Uber driver said he couldn’t locate us (try this new thing called GPS)!

We finally arrived at Mike and Eric’s home, and they had martinis and snacks waiting for us!  We met their new doggie addition to their family, Yumi, who has her own Instagram page: @yumigubert.

We ranted about our difficulties finding the entrance to the parking lot and our trouble with Uber, but our woes slowly eased away courtesy of the martinis.   

Mike and Eric ordered pizza for us for dinner, and we later went to the rooftop to chat and share stories about what we had been doing since we last saw each other.  They had also encouraged us to bring our dirty laundry to wash, so Pat started some laundry.  Additionally, they had kindly allowed us to send our mail from our mail service in Texas, to their home, along with Father’s Day gifts for Pat from the kids; so, we sorted through those as well.  Mike and Eric settle into bed a little earlier than we do, so we stayed up watching some tv downstairs.

The next day, we took an Uber to McCormick Place so Mike could tour the RV (Eric had work), which also gave us an opportunity to start the generator to charge the house batteries a bit.  All of our Uber or Lyft trips back and forth between McCormick Place and Mike and Eric’s home took about 20 minutes and cost about $25.  Other than the initial trip from McCormick Place, we didn’t wait too long for the Uber/Lyft; approximately 10 minutes.  When we arrived at McCormick Place, the house batteries were lower than we anticipated, but we started the generator and recharged the batteries.  Mike enjoyed the tour of the RV but declared that he could never do it.  

When we got back to Mike and Eric’s home, we had sandwiches for lunch.  Tim walked to the Apple Store, which was only a few blocks away, to get the lint cleaned from the charging area of his phone (he had been having trouble getting the charge cord to fit tight enough inside to get a charge).  Then, we went with Mike to his hair stylist, named Jeremiah, to get haircuts (after reading of our fiascos with haircuts on the road, Mike had made the reservations for all three of us at Jeremiah’s salon, Ulibarris Salon).  Jeremiah did a great job with our hair and was fun to chat with.  

After our haircuts, while Mike was getting his haircut, Pat and Tim went to three different places trying to get a passport picture for Tim, because he needs to update his passport; we had no luck.  Instead, we decided to go to a bar called Sidetrack for frozen drinks.

Afterward, we met Mike and Eric at a restaurant called Wood.  Tim had Korean fried chicken (which was spicy) and Pat had duck.  Mike and Eric’s friend, Jennifer, joined us for a drink (and fries) and we all had a great time!  After dinner, we returned to Mike and Eric’s home for nightcaps.  

The next morning, we had some breakfast then headed back to the rooftop to chat before we had to say our goodbyes.  We always have a great time with Mike and Eric, and this visit was no exception.  We hope to see each other again at least within the next year.

When we returned to the RV the house batteries were even more drained than they had been the evening before, but we were able to charge the house batteries by starting the RV (the batteries were too low to give the generator the spark it needed to start).  We have since been told by our friend John that the batteries can survive being low but could be damaged if the charge gets too low.  We will need to remember this for the future.

Review of McCormick Place RV and Motorcoach Parking

McCormick Place RV and Motorcoach Parking is the only place you can park an RV overnight in or near Chicago.  It is literally the parking lot behind the convention center.  There were at least two other RVs parked there when we were there, and there were hundreds of trucks (or their trailers) parked there also.  

The reviews of McCormick Place on-line were good and stated that it was a safe place to park overnight.  We saw a security guard in his car while we were there at one point, and we didn’t have any trouble while we were parked there.  Since it is a parking lot, there are no hookups.  You could stay in your RV overnight and run the generator, which we didn’t need to do.  Not ideal, but if we want to park our RV in Chicago again, we feel we could do it at McCormick Place safely.

What Happens in Vegas...(still makes it into our blog)

When we left Palm Springs, California, heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, there were severe wind warnings for both areas; with forecasted gusts as high as 50 mph, which is our limit for traveling in the RV.  Sure enough, as we left Palm Springs and rounded the mountains to get to I-15, we encountered the strongest winds we had ever experienced while driving the RV.  The winds rocked the RV from side to side, whipped the slideout awning even though it was pulled in, and we heard what sounded like something hitting the roof hard.  We contemplated stopping somewhere off of I-15 until the winds died down.  We dealt with this wind for about 10 miles before we made it to I-15.  Once on the interstate, the winds were not as severe, and we ventured on to our next campground: Main Street Station RV Park in Las Vegas.  Once we got to the RV park, we walked up the ladder to the rooftop of the RV to search for any damage from the wind, but luckily, we found none (we still aren’t sure what we heard hitting the roof).

The drive to Las Vegas from Palm Springs took approximately 4.5 hours.  Our RV "campground" in Las Vegas was located just a short walk from the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino.  The RV parking is literally a parking lot with full hookups for RVs.  We were one of the few RVs in the lot, which was a bit surprising.  Also surprising is that our RV space was almost adjacent to the I-15 overpass, which was less than a one-minute walk away, between the RV parking lot and the parking lot for the Main Street Station.  As you can imagine, this meant lots of traffic noise, which wasn’t so bothersome during the day but was annoying at night.  Nonetheless, we turned up our white noise machines as loudly as we could and slept pretty decently.  

Upon arrival at the Main Street Station RV Park in the late afternoon, we were still having some difficulty with the water pressure, so we took about 30 minutes trying to get it set appropriately.  Ultimately, the water pressure was better than what we had in Palm Springs, but still a little low.  

Once our setup was complete, we sat and relaxed for a bit before walking to Fremont Street nearby for dinner.  We ate at a restaurant called Triple George Grill; Tim had the Petite Filet Mignon and Pat had the Seared Atlantic Salmon with lemon beurre blanc sauce.  We shared a Caesar salad for an appetizer and a giant baked potato as our side.  It was pricey, but we needed some rewarding food after our hazardous driving experience.  

After dinner, we walked out to Fremont Street to see the light show.  Fremont Street is much like Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  The covered street has lots of shops, bars, restaurants, and street performers.  People just wander up and down the street, with drinks in hand, having a great time.  Tim had been to Fremont Street on a previous trip to Vegas, but this was Pat’s first time experiencing the debauchery (it’s called the Fremont Street Experience for a reason).  The street also has a zip-line that you can ride from one end of Fremont Street to the other over the heads of all of the people below (Tim had done the zip line on his previous visit to Fremont Street; Pat has no desire to do a zip line due to his fear of heights).  The Viva Vision light show on Fremont Street is the largest digital display in the world.  There are shows at the top of every hour from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., and people stop what they are doing to watch the show every hour. 

 

After the light show, we walked to the Main Street Station Casino and did a bit of gambling.  We both lost our limit for the evening and headed back to the RV.

The next day, Tim did some laundry in the early afternoon, while Pat caught up on emails.  The weather in Vegas was nice, with sunny days, highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s, and lows in the upper 50s.  So, later that afternoon, we walked to the California Casino for more gambling.  We again lost our limit for the afternoon and walked back to the RV for dinner.  

The following afternoon we walked to the Fremont Casino for more gambling before taking a Lyft to the Palazzo Theatre on the Vegas Strip to see SIX, the musical, which is about the six wives of King Henry VIII.  The musical uses original pop songs to tell the story of each of the six wives from their historical perspective; each trying to convey to the others (and the audience) how terrible their lives were with King Henry VIII.  It is educational as well as fun to watch as these six women sing and dance their hearts out!  The musical was on Broadway when we were living in NYC, but we never got a chance to see it then.  For our 25th Anniversary, Pat gave Tim two tickets to see the show in Vegas, and Tim graciously chose to take Pat as his guest. 

After the show, we walked around the Venetian Hotel and Casino, which is adjacent to the Palazzo.  We did some gambling at the casino, then went to a bar in the Venetian called The Dorsey for drinks. The bar is laid out like a library, and it is fairly quiet (like a library) for being on the Vegas Strip.  Tim had a Coney Island Express (dark rum, cold brew coffee, vanilla, and amaro ciociaro), while Pat had a Spicy Flamingo (blanco tequila, lime, watermelon, agave, and spices).  

After our drinks, we took a Lyft back to the RV (the trips to and from the Venetian in the Lyft took approximately 20 minutes, cost approximately $20, and the wait time for the Lyft to arrive was less than 5 minutes).

On our last full day in Las Vegas, we did some laundry in the early afternoon and caught up on writing and posting blog entries.  That evening, we took a Lyft to a restaurant called Chicago Joes to meet our friend Bobby for dinner.  Bobby has lived in Las Vegas since 2006.  Tim and Bobby went to LSU at the same time and were in Sigma Nu fraternity together.  Both lived in the fraternity house for most of their time at LSU and have many memories of parties, football games, trips to New Orleans, hell week for pledges, and everything else you experience while in college and in a fraternity (of course they were both in Songfest).  Bobby also marched in the Golden Band from Tiger Land, LSU’s premier marching band. 

We had a lot of fun at dinner, so much so that we spilled two different drinks. Tim had the crab-stuffed ravioli, which was a special that night; Pat had beef lasagna.  After dinner, Bobby chauffeured us on a driving tour of the Las Vegas Strip and then back to the RV (where he got a quick tour of our home).  We hope to see Bobby again when LSU plays USC in Vegas in 2024.

One of the things we wanted to do when we started full-time RV traveling was to spend at least one night in our RV in every State in the United States (except Hawaii, but we stayed in Hawaii without the RV on our 25th Anniversary in April 2023).  This marked the 10th State that we have stayed in in our RV at least one night (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Nevada), so we are 20% of the way to meeting our goal!

Review of Main Street Station RV Park

The Main Street Station RV Park in downtown Las Vegas has 65 RV spaces with full hookups in a parking lot that is adjacent to the parking lot for the Main Street Station Casino and Hotel.  To get to the casino and hotel, you walk from the RV parking lot to the Hotel and Casino parking lot under the I-15 overpass.  There are no other amenities on the RV parking sites themselves, like picnic tables, grills, or firepits; however, there is a nice laundry room and a very nice bathroom/shower facility, both of which can only be entered by using a key card.  RVers can also use the pool and fitness center at the nearby California Hotel and Casino.

The Main Street Station RV Park is a short walk from Fremont Street and all of the fun that goes along with that experience.  Plus, it is a short walk from several casino hotels, including Main Street Station, California, Fremont, and Circa.  Additionally, it is a quick Uber/Lyft ride to the Las Vegas Strip and all that it has to offer, such as shops, restaurants, bars, casinos, shows, etc.

The biggest drawback to the Main Street Station RV Park is that it is located so near to the I-15 overpass that you constantly hear the traffic noises, which can be very disruptive when you’re trying to sleep.  So, there is the weighing of the positive of the closeness to all of the things you come to Vegas to do and the negative of the traffic noise.  We think the fun overrides the traffic noise and would consider coming back to the Main Street Station RV Park.

Joshua Tree National Park (plus Palm Springs)

After a cold night, we left Hearst San Simeon State Park and headed east.  Our next ultimate destination was Joshua Tree National Park (staying in Palm Springs, California); however, Palm Springs was 333 miles or a 5.5-hour drive from Hearst San Simeon State Park.  So, we had a layover in Bakersfield, California, at Orange Grove RV Park, which was approximately 2.5 hours from Hearst San Simeon.  Along the way, we had to travel east on California Highway 46, where James Dean came to an end on an evening in 1955.  There is a memorial marker for him on the spot where he died.

We arrived at Orange Grove RV Park in the late afternoon and were pleased to finally connect to water, electricity, and sewer hookups.  Contrary to our experience of the last several weeks, it was 85 degrees in Bakersfield, so we changed into shorts.  

Our RV site at Orange Grove was a pull through site (meaning we didn’t have to back in).  The site was gravel, with a picnic table on the dirt next to the parking area.  There was no grill or firepit.  The site was slightly unlevel, so we had to manually adjust the jacks to level out.  Oh, and the RV Park is in an orange grove.  Seriously.  Campers are welcome to pick as many oranges as they want!  The scent of orange blossoms outdoors was constant and almost overwhelming (but not quite, it was perfectly fragrant).

Since this was a layover stop, we didn’t do much at Orange Grove.  Pat took a nap and Tim caught up on writing blog entries in the afternoon.  Then we ate leftover ham that we had frozen from Easter, along with some rice and green beans; watched some tv; and headed to bed to rest up for the next leg of our trip.

In the morning, we drove to our next campground in Palm Springs, California, where we would be staying at a campground called Happy Traveler RV Park.  Along the way, we stopped for gas in the Mojave Desert.  Again, seriously, in the desert!  By the way, gas in California is expensive y’all; over $5/gallon! Tim also picked up a Subway sandwich for lunch.

When we arrived at Happy Traveler, we had a long chat with the camp host, who told us that she was 87 years old and from Germany.  She told us a story about how her teacher and fellow classmates made fun of her red hair but one day they had a special visitor to the classroom, Adolph Hitler.  She said that Hitler touched her red hair instead of the blond hair of her classmates and said it was beautiful.  What a unique story, if true.  But I’m sure, if true, he was touching her red hair and pointing her out for other reasons.  She’s lucky she’s still with us.

We had been complaining about how unseasonably cool the weather had been at all of our most recent stops; well, we could stop complaining when we got to Palm Springs.  It was 95 degrees upon our arrival in Palm Springs and was over 100 degrees for most of our stay here!  RVs are not well insulated unless you are willing to pay top dollar for a fix.  So, when the temperature is that hot, it is almost impossible to keep the RV cool during the day even running the air conditioning almost constantly.  The inside temperature typically reached 93-95 degrees, and on the hottest day it reached 100 degrees inside the RV.  Once the sun set, the temperature outside was a lot cooler and we were able to cool down the temperature in the RV with the air conditioning to a comfortable 72 degrees.  

The day we arrived at Happy Traveler and hooked up to electricity, water, and sewer, we noticed that our water pressure was very low.  We spent some time trying to set our water pressure gauge to allow for more water pressure in the RV, but to no avail.  We don’t know if it was only our particular site that had low water pressure or if the entire park has that issue.  The low water pressure wasn’t really a problem for the kitchen faucet, the bathroom faucet, or the toilet; however, it was a significant problem for the shower, which barely had a small stream of water - not enough to wash off soap efficiently.  So, we had to use the RV Park showers, which is not an issue for Pat (he likes to use them when they are well kept) but Tim finds it totally inconvenient (he doesn’t like walking outside to and from the showers and hates wearing shower sandals).  

After trying, unsuccessfully, to regulate the water pressure appropriately, we walked to the nearby Pizza Hut to pick up a pizza for dinner.  We also stopped at a convenience store that was around the corner to pick up a few grocery items, beer, and wine.

On our second day in Palm Springs, Pat took a Lyft to Hertz to pick up a rental car.  Pat waited about 7 minutes for the Uber, it cost approximately $11, and it took about 15 minutes to get to Hertz.  In the afternoon, we had appointments to get our hair cut at Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon, which was recommended by our friend Jeffrey who is friends with the owners of the salon.  Miranda was the hairdresser for both of us and did an excellent job.  During Pat’s haircut, Tim drove to Walgreens to pick up a prescription refill.  After both of our haircuts were complete, we drove to Walmart to restock groceries and other items.

That evening, we met our friend Jeffrey for dinner at a restaurant called The Tropicale.  We all ordered cold alcoholic drinks to cool us off from the hot day and had Crispy Nori Ahi Tuna Rolls as an appetizer.  Then Tim had the Crispy Boneless Southern Fried Chicken, with mashed potatoes and succotash (you can take the southerner out of the south…); and Pat had Grilled Wild Alaskan Halibut, with asparagus risotto and blue crab, celery, and chive salad (one of the specials for the evening).  For dessert, Pat ordered fresh baked cookies which Tim got to sample.

We spent the evening catching up with Jeffrey, who we hadn’t seen since the last time we were in Palm Springs five years ago.  Tim and Jeffrey sang together in the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.  Jeffrey was born and raised in New Jersey but fell in love with Palm Springs and moved there about a decade ago.  Jeffrey’s career was in the arts while he was in New Jersey, and he continued that career after he moved to Palm Springs.  Jeffrey is now fully entrenched in his newfound community in Palm Springs and is flourishing.  It was great to catch up with Jeffrey and spend some time reminiscing and hearing about all that he is involved in in Palm Springs.  

The next day, we visited our fourth national park: Joshua Tree National Park.  Joshua Trees, found mostly in the Mojave Desert, are spread throughout the park.  Many birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects depend on the Joshua tree for food and shelter.  Within the park there are six distinct mountain ranges: the Little San Bernardino Mountains in the southwestern part; the Cottonwood, Hexie, and Pinto Mountains in the center; and the Eagle and Coxcomb Mountains in the eastern part. Much of the park lies at elevations above 4,000 feet.  Between the park’s mountain ranges, there are valleys such as Hidden Valley, Queen Valley, Lost Horse Valley, and Pleasant Valley.  Each of these valleys contains unique formations of boulders and plant life.  

We entered the park at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center entrance at the northwest section of the park (there are also entrances at the northeast and the southeast).  It was about a 50-minute drive (35 miles) from the RV Park to the visitor center entrance.  We got our passbooks stamped and bought a few souvenirs at the visitor center.  

Then we drove into the park; taking a route that would travel southeast and eventually exit through the Cottonwood Visitor Center on the southeast and back to I-10; about a 2.5-hour drive without stopping, but we stopped several times to take pictures.  We were in awe of how the boulders in the valley were stacked on top of each other (how did this creation occur?).  We were also awed by the dense clusters of Joshua Trees that give the park its name.  We were lucky enough to be visiting the park during peak bloom season for the flowers in the park. 

We eventually arrived at the Hidden Valley picnic area and trail head.  We ate the sandwiches we brought with us, then walked the 1.7-mile Hidden Valley Trail, which took about an hour.

Afterward, we drove to the “Keys View,” which gave us an extraordinary view of San Bernardino Mountains and other mountain ranges, the Mojave Desert, the Coachella Valley (the Coachella Festival ended just days before we arrived in Palm Springs), and a large part of the national park.  We spent almost the entire day in the national park and felt lucky to be there on a beautiful day. 

When we got back to the Happy Traveler RV Park, Tim did some laundry and then packed for a trip he was taking to Minneapolis the next day for an in-person meeting of the Board of GALA Choruses.  The next morning, Pat drove Tim to Palm Springs International Airport for his flight to Minneapolis and returned the rental car.  This was the first time we have been apart overnight since we began full-time RV traveling.  Tim was gone from Thursday morning until Sunday evening.  During this time, Pat did a lot of chores around the RV, including transferring all the items to the outdoor fridge and defrosting the (indoor) refrigerator.  Pat also spent a lot of time at the pool trying to keep cool, since these were the hottest days that we (well, Pat) experienced in Palm Springs (Tim had rainy days in Minneapolis with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s).  

On Sunday evening, Tim took an Uber home from the airport, and we had a nice reunion.  We didn’t stay up long though because the next morning we were leaving early to get to our next destination, which was approximately a 4.5-hour drive away.

Review of Orange Grove RV Park

Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield, California, has approximately 177 full hookup RV sites (a few have just water and electric hookups).  As mentioned previously, the RV park is located in an orange grove, and campers can pick as many oranges as they want.  

Amenities include a pool, gym, laundry room, bathroom/shower facility, clubhouse, horseshoe pit, recreation room, and a “barn” for large events.  The RV Park also has a small store with camping supplies, cold drinks, and snacks.  Uniquely, Orange Grove RV Park has an RV and car wash.  Since we only stayed overnight, we didn’t take advantage of any of these amenities.  

Nearby attractions include the Kern County Museum (about oil drilling in the area) and the Kern River Golf Course.  You can also fish, waterski, and boat in nearby Lake Ming.  Valley Plaza Mall is about a 15-minute drive from the RV Park.  

Orange Grove RV Park is definitely unique but isn’t really located close to any major attractions.  So, we can’t see ourselves going to Orange Grove again unless we need a one-night stay someplace in the area again.

Review of Happy Traveler RV Park

Happy Traveler RV Park in Palm Springs, California, is located at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains and offers spectacular views of the mountains that are literally less than a mile drive away.  The RV Park is also within walking distance (approximately 15 minutes) of downtown Palm Springs, which includes restaurants, bars, shops, and historic landmarks.  

Happy Traveler has approximately 130 RV sites with full hookups.  The maximum RV length allowed is 40 feet.  Amenities include a pool, restroom/showers, a laundry room, shuffleboard, billiard tables, and a clubhouse.

We were at Happy Traveler for 7 days and really enjoyed the RV Park (except for the heat, which wasn’t the park’s fault) and the low water pressure.  We loved the beautiful views, and that downtown was within walking distance.  It was also fairly quiet at the RV Park.  We would definitely consider staying there again when we are in Palm Springs.