Saturday December 23rd 2017

It is starting to look a lot like winter here in Las Vegas. It isn’t snowing, but it has become cloudy and cool. The temperature peaked around 55 degrees today. There hasn’t been any recorded precipitation in Las Vegas in over 100 days. If it makes it past Christmas without rain or snow, as it is forecast to, a new record for longest dry spell will be set.

After yesterday’s encounter with traffic around the shopping areas, I wasn’t going to venture very far on the roads today. My solution was to take the shuttle downtown from the nearby Sam’s Town casino. I caught the 1PM shuttle which is actually a full size tour bus for the five and a half to six mile ride. You could tell it was a weekend in Las Vegas, there were already a couple of well lubricated riders. They weren’t disruptive, but they had a very loud creative vocabulary on the three quarter full bus.

Is this the Grinch?

The raindeer head was moving back and forth.

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A gold Father Christmas.

The Freemont Street Experience area of downtown was loaded with tourists. All of the buskers and general weirdos looking to make money off the tourists were out. The showgirls had their fake furs on to keep warm and the almost naked people were in body suits. One of the strangest was the woman dressed as a leather clad dominatrix complete with a whip and a Santa hat on her head. They were all getting plenty of picture taking business. Not from me thank you.

I wandered around looking for signs of Christmas. The big outside tree was uninspiring during the daylight hours. I hope it is more impressive at night. The only hotel and casino I found with any sense of the holiday was the Golden Nugget. It had many holiday scenes around the indoor pool area. They were hard to take pictures of with the bright background of the pool area.

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As I visited each casino I paid my toll in the slot machines. The goal was not to spend more than forty dollars. It was tough going. I was down under ten dollars when my fortune turned around a little. By the time I headed out to catch the shuttle back I was up thirty five dollars. I think this is the first day since October that I haven’t left a casino with less money than I started with. It’s a good thing I don’t go to the casinos every day. That’s another way this stay in Las Vegas is so much different than a vacation.

I caught the four thirty shuttle back to Sam’s Town. This one also had a couple of inebriated souls in the back of the bus. Once I arrived back at Sam’s it was only a few minutes before I was back in my RV home at the RV park. I had fun walking around the downtown area but I doubt I’ll be back before I leave Las Vegas next month. Downtown continues to be edgier and more in your face than the strip. I think it is best taken in small doses.

Friday December 22nd 2017

The temperature crossed the thirty mark going in the wrong direction last night. My indoor outdoor thermometer read twenty nine a little before seven this morning. The inside temperature was at forty eight. I turned on the heat and went back to bed. Overall the day was a couple of degrees warmer than yesterday peaking just above sixty this afternoon.

Saguaro cactus in red lights at the Ethel M Chocolate Cactus Garden

I’m not sure if it is the cooler temperatures or the season, but the RV park was very quiet and relaxed today. I met fewer people on my walks around the park. There also seemed to be less traffic on the park roads. Clearly some people are gone for the holidays and others may be busy with last minute shopping.

There were plenty of people out shopping. I made the mistake of going to Walmart for my grocery run. I prefer shopping there, but today would have been a good day to go to a regular grocery store. Getting in and around the parking lot was a nightmare. I parked near the end of a row a long way from the store entrance. The only problem with that was dodging the cars crossing the parking lot. I even managed to see one fender bender on my trek in the parking lot.

Inside the store, in the grocery area, it was congested, but manageable. I have no idea what it was like in the rest of the store. I was afraid to venture into that area. The grocery area had plenty of bewildered and distracted shoppers. Shoppers watching the shelves while pushing their cart into the people in front of them was a recurring theme. I ended up leaving the cart in one area and walking to other areas of the grocery section. I saw one guy with a variation on this approach. He would stop at the end of an aisle and send his granddaughter(?) down the row to get the desired stuff. Of course she didn’t always come back with what he wanted. All of the checkouts were staffed, so paying for my groceries didn’t take as long as I feared.

I need to avoid going near any of the shopping areas until after Christmas. That means I’ll probably be spending money in the casinos or walking in the parks this weekend. Probably I’ll do both, unless I come up with another idea.

Thursday December 21st 2017

Yesterday’s wind continued all night and throughout most of the day today. Sleeping last night was a challenge. Each line of gusts shook the RV and made enough noise to wake the comatose if not the dead. The temperature on the first day of winter was paying attention to the calendar. The high for the day was right around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Tonight is forecast to get down into the twenties in some areas of the Las Vegas valley.

The wind was down enough that I got a chance to use my new gas grill this afternoon. I grilled a nice hunk of steak in the middle of the afternoon. Let’s call it a late lunch early dinner. The grill did a good job of searing and cooking the meat. I cooked a baked potato in the microwave to go with the steak. It was a big enough cut that I had leftovers for another meal.

O-grill 500 with a piece of steak cooking.

Late this afternoon I went in search of Christmas light displays. I went to the District shopping area at Green Valley Ranch. The road through the area of upscale shops was well decorated, but the over the top draw I’d been lead to believe I’d find wasn’t there. The Green Valley Ranch casino got a few bucks of my money instead. I managed to see a few light displays on my way home from a distance. Traffic and gated communities make seeing the lights by driving around a difficult task.

Christmas tree at the District shopping area in Green Valley Ranch.

This blog entry is going to be short. I don’t know if it’s the recent Microsoft Windows automatic update or my internet connection, but competing this entry has been a challenge.

Wednesday December 20th 2017

It warmed up into the mid sixties today, but it came at a cost. The winter strom passing to the north has produced a major wind event in this area. The wind during the day was out of the south at a velocity in the mid 20s with gusts around 40 mph. As the evening approached the wind moved into the west and around to the north. The gusts have increased as well. Areas in the valley have experienced sixty mile per hour gusts.

Dust and debris have been blowing all day. Visibility on the roads has its moments of near zero feet ahead. Here at the RV park I was OK during the day with the wind out of the south. Other RVs and structures give me a little shelter. There are also fewer things on the motorhome to catch the wind on that side. This evening with the wind out of a more northerly direction the wind is shaking the rig and causing the slide out awning to flap in the wind. It is noisy rough ride and I’m parked.

O-grill 500 with the lid closed. It has a large cast iron surface area and 9000 BTUs of heat output. The legs fold for transport.

Today my year long search for a new gas grill has come to an end. I bought an O-grill 500 by Iroda. It has the compact size I was looking for and the online reviews are pretty good. While it’s made in China, the quality looks pretty good.

O-grill 500 with the lid up. The lid isn’t high enough to cook a whole chicken, but that is one of my menu items.

I was almost ready to buy a Weber Q-1000 series grill, but wasn’t happy with the amount of space it was going to take up in my basement storage bins. The Weber is very popular with other RVers. Monday when I was at Camping World to buy Windshield Wipers I saw the O-grill 500. I liked what I saw, but wanted to do more research. After all I already been shopping for a new grill for over a year. What’s another few days. A couple of minutes on the Internet yesterday convinced me that the O-grill 500 was a good choice. So I went back to Camping World today and bought one. It was on sale for a lot less than the cost of a Weber Q1200.

When I got home from Camping World I unboxed and setup the grill. The only assembly was putting the grill grate in place. It came wrapped in bubble wrap outside the grill unit. The box also contained a bag with carrying strap for the grill. The bag will help protect the grill while traveling. I added a disposable propane tank and fired it up. It seem to produce good heat, but actually using the grill to cook a meal with happen another day. Today’s wind and grilling don’t go together well.

O-Grill 500 in the box.

Tuesday December 19th 2017

It is getting cooler overnight so it is downright cold in the morning. I was greeted by the low forties inside this morning. Outside the sun was starting the process of warming the day. With a little help from a heater or two the inside was warm and toasty in a few minutes. I have to turn the heat off by eleven or so to prevent it from getting to hot inside. The solar gain from the sun keeps the inside in the low eighties until it starts to set. Tonight and each night going forward toward Christmas Eve is forecast to get cooler. Christmas Eve is forecast below freezing.

Two blossoms on my Christmas Cactus. There are a few more buds yet to open.

I have a minor horticultural miracle going on in my RV. The Christmas Cactus that I’ve been dragging around the country with me for the last three winters is in bloom. It hasn’t bloomed since the winter of 2013-2014 and that wasn’t around Christmas. I transplanted it into a new bigger pot in the summer of 2016, but I haven’t given it any plant food other than the nutrients that might be in the tap water. Getting some indoor plant fertilizer was one of the things on my to do list. The plant sits on the passenger side dash when I’m parked and on the floor in front of the passenger’s seat while I’m traveling.

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In addition to admiring my Christmas Cactus I got some chores done. The laundry was over due. The hamper was full and I was on the third towel rack searching for a clean bath towel. It went a little quicker today only taking an hour and a half. There wasn’t as much of a rush on the laundry facility as there has been. I have a feeling many of the residents have left for the holidays. Walking around the RV park, many rigs don’t have a car at the site. This is one indicator that there may be no one home.

Monday December 18th 2017

The temperature started in the 40s and peaked just above 60 this afternoon. A very nice day weather wise.

I’ve fallen into a daily pattern of behavior that doesn’t take advantage of the sunshine and nice weather. I’m getting up a little late by my standards around 9am. Breakfast, catching up on my Internet reading and watching TV seems to drag out until one or two in the afternoon. When I finally leave my RV home I’m already fighting the setting sun. There is around two and a half hours of daylight left.

Little animated deer fawn in the Sam’s Town atrium.

One of the things on today’s agenda was a trip to the Camping World Store in Henderson NV. I had a coupon good for $25 off that I needed to use. There is always something I need for the RV. Today I bought two thirty two inch windshield wiper blades for the RV. It’s a good thing I had the coupon, they were $25 apiece. The wiper blades on the RV got cooked in the summer sun. I knew it was advisable to cover the blades from the UV in the sun, but it wasn’t high on my list of things to do. I have a couple of pieces of pipe insulation that I used my first winter in Florida, but I haven’t put it on the blades since then. Now that I know how quickly the blades dry out and crack, I’ll start using the pipe insulation covers more often.

I don’t plan on putting the new blades on until it is closer to my departure date from Las Vegas. That is closer than you might think. I plan to start for Florida on the 17th of January. It is hard to believe that it is only a month away. I am emotionally ready to leave, but I have a number of tasks to complete before I hit the road. My plan is to take my time returning to the east coast. I’ll stop for two or three nights here and there. I also have to account for the weather. Even on the southern route along Interstate 10 winter storms can bring bad weather conditions for travel. I have plenty of time. My first Florida reservation is February 25th. Dodging Mardi Gras on February 13th in the south and the Presidents day holiday are other considerations in my travel planning.

Here in Las Vegas the Christmas visitors are starting to arrive. One telling sign is the increase in out of state license plates. There are always a lot of California, Arizona and Utah plates, but today I was seeing many plates from the next group of states. In this tier are the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon and even a few from the country of Mexico. The always bad traffic is going to be worse until after the new year.

Sunday December 17th 2017

It was sunny with cooler temperatures today. The high for the day was just under sixty, right above the normal high for the day. The area is starting another warming trend for a few days.

I spent most of the day watching football. Watching the Patriots squeak out a win against the Steelers was a very entertaining. If the Patriots and Steelers meet in the AFC championship game, the Steelers will have the extra motivation of their belief in a “bad call”. The Steelers pass that was ruled incomplete after review with under a minute to go was good for the Patriots today, but may come back to haunt them in January. Some of the other games were less dramatic.

After the games I drove over to the Ethel M Chocolate Cactus garden winter display. This time I took my new camera to take more pictures of the lights on the cactus plants. There were many more people tonight than my visit a couple of weeks ago. Families with little kids were lined up to visit Santa Claus and a few brave souls were putting on ice skates to try their skill on the artificial ice being used for skating. It is fun to walk the pathways and look at the lights. You see something different from every angle.

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Saturday December 16th 2017

It was a cloudy day. This was one of the few days that the sun hasn’t shown brightly all day since I arrived in Las Vegas the third week of October. According to last nights TV weather forecast they are currently in there third longest stretch with no measurable precipitation at ninety three days. A cloudy day is nothing to complain about, but it did have an impact on my day.

First the lack of direct sunshine on the RV slows the process of heating up the inside of the RV. I need to run the heater longer before the inside temperature climbs from the high forties to comfortable room temperature. The dull day also doesn’t do much to encourage activity. I spent the day at home watching TV and doing odd jobs around the RV.

The excitement for the day was the arrival of paramedics and an ambulance for the lady in the motorhome at the next site. I’ve known that something wasn’t right since I arrived at the RV resort. They rarely came out of the RV. The male member of the couple came out to complete an occasional chore or to run an errand. I saw his wife a few times as he helped her into the car for a trip somewhere. Generally there was not a lot of activity. I exchanged hellos with the gentleman the day I checked in, but have only seen him to wave at since then. She appeared kind of frail when they took her out of the motorhome, but there didn’t seem to be any urgency to the transport. The man followed (I assume) about a half an hour later, but hasn’t returned as I right this. It has been several hours.

The generally cloudy day produced a nice sunset tonight.

As usual I broke up my day with a couple of walks around the RV park. I get some exercise and things to ponder from these walks. Today I continue to ponder the ebb and flow of visitors to this RV park. Many of the sites typically used for shorter term stays are full tonight. In contrast several of the longer term residents have departed. I’m guessing the new arrivals are traveling for the holidays, but I don’t have a theory about the departing longer term residents. This isn’t really a snowbird park, it has a real diverse combination of resident types. Some people live here year round. Others stay here while completing different forms of temporary work in Las Vegas.

Friday December 15th 2017

The weather is starting to cool down a little. The temperature peaked about sixty today. Tomorrow and Sunday are forecast to be cooler and windier.

This afternoon I decided on a whim to go to the Cowboy Christmas Sale. I went once a few years ago. It is a part of the National Finals Rodeo. The south exhibition hall at the Convention Center is a dedicated to all things cowboy. The convention center is about five miles away and should take twenty minutes in Las Vegas traffic. This afternoon it took over forty minutes.

At the convention center there were people in cowboy hats all over the place. There was a steady line of people going in and coming out. What there wasn’t was any place to park. The two nearby lots were full even at a ten dollar charge. I wasn’t expecting to pay ten dollars to park for an event that is free to enter. The northwest lot about half a mile away from the south exhibit hall had room, but I was loosing interest fast. The thought of paying for parking to fight the crowds walking around an exhibit hall full of stuff I’m not going to buy just didn’t appeal to me anymore. I have no use for a saddle or custom shaped cowboy hat.

I turned the car around and fought the traffic back home. I was in the car around two hours driving five miles toward the strip and five miles back by a different route. This was normal traffic in the middle of the afternoon not Christmas traffic.

Well decorated park model trailer.

A couple of palm trees (out of focus) are the center piece of this motor home’s Christmas display.

Walking around the RV park this evening I tried to take a few pictures of the way people have decorated for the holidays. Most of the displays are simple and rather subdued. Many people are using the light projectors to cover the sides of their RVs with twinkling lights or snowflakes. Only a few of the sites are over the top with lights. My Christmas tree and LED lights in the front window are about the right level of decoration for this park.

Thursday December 14th 2017

Today’s weather was more of the same nice slightly above normal temperatures with lots of sun. The only wrinkle in the pattern was a strong wind out of the north. Wind gusts made things interesting from time to time.

It was a slow day. For exercise and diversion I went to the Wetlands park again this afternoon. I hiked the trails and watched the birds in the ponds. Even with good pictures of the water based birds and the internet I haven’t figured out what I’m watching beyond diving ducks. Regardless of what you call them, they are entertaining. Here are some of my duck pictures.

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There are four ducks in this picture

“You go that way and I’ll go this way.”

Testing the water before taking the plunge.