Author: Easin' Along

Throughout Sherman’s March to the Sea, we’ve had some great stops along the way.  Helen (adorable wife) and I both loved White Sands, NM, and Cottonwood, AZ, but we probably saved the best for last.

As we pulled into our assigned campsite at Point Mugu, CA we were filled with mixed emotions. First, there was the exhilaration of arriving at such a beautiful setting and being joined by our son, his lovely wife and our grandchildren. There also was the acknowledgment that Sherman had reached his destination and another chapter of Easin’ Along down the retired road was about to conclude. Oh well, we didn’t dwell on that for long, there was much to do before we delivered Sherman to the stable and flew home.

Our campground was at the Point Mugu Naval Air Station, an installation located about 50 miles north of Los Angeles.  We drove north from our son’s home in the South Bay area of LA County and traveled through Santa Monica to our destination.  A marine layer had settled in over the coast and the sky was a bit gloomy during the trip and our first day in camp.  Nevertheless, we all brightened up when we were assigned to the front row directly above the beach. We backed into our spot, faced the Pacific Ocean, and hit the horn with a quick blast to signify the successful completion of Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Although there were a significant number of campers around, the beach seemed almost deserted. Our grandchildren changed that situation quickly and scampered about the sand building houses and teepees out of the tall bamboo poles they found along the seashore. Our grandson and his Mom constructed a teepee while our granddaughter built a playhouse, complete with a door and roof. Being the proud grandfather and a retired homebuilder, I was fascinated with the entire operation and offered my services as a consultant.  The offer was appreciated but rejected so I spent the afternoon taking pictures. Here are a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first evening was spent around the campfire watching our son teach us the finer points of grilling pizza. The grandchildren wandered in and out of Sherman, delighted to have a new place to play. My job was to shake the sand out of my bed sheets after each of their visits.  It kept me busy.

This visit to Point Mugu would be a little different from previous stops on this trip.  Usually, we do a lot of sightseeing and exploring of the areas where we are staying.  Not so with this stop.  We were going to enjoy the beach and the family that we don’t see often enough since we live so far apart. Besides, Sherman wasn’t about to go out in that heavy California traffic until he absolutely had to. We were looking forward to day two.

The next morning Helen and I were up early and prepared our own breakfast in Sherman’s kitchen then welcomed the grandchildren for theirs.  Helen, known as BeBe to the children, was beaming at the pleasure of being surrounded by these two as is evident by this picture.  Her smile says it all.

At 7:00 am, the Star Spangled Banner could be heard all over Point Mugu.  I caught a great picture through Sherman’s windshield of a Dad and his two boys standing at attention until after the National Anthem finished.  Later, I found the Dad in the campground and got his email address so I could send him a copy of the photo.  I learned that he was the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles and a Navy Reservist.  He was a great guy and certainly a good influence on his sons.

Day two turned out to be glorious. The marine layer burned off around noon and we were treated to the outstanding view of the beach and the northern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. A seal was swimming a short distance off the shore and made an occasional appearance above water.  

 

 

Point Mugu sits on a peninsula with the ocean on the western side and an estuary on the eastern side.  We were visiting during the time of the year when seals swim into the estuary for the annual mating season. During our morning beach walk, we could see hundreds of seals lying along the shoreline of the estuary.  We weren’t certain whether they were resting up for the big event or recuperating after it. Either way, they appeared very content.

Helen found several colorful clam shells to add to her shell collection while the rest of us played a game of Bocci Balls. I would love to tell Easin’ Along readers that we enjoyed an adventure a minute that afternoon, but frankly, we just reveled in the opportunity to walk the beach, sit beside the fire and enjoy each other’s company. Helen and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The next day was Sherman’s day to return to the stable.  What began as casual research into the RV lifestyle had ended in one more trip of a lifetime. Our mission had been to pick up Sherman from the Cruise America headquarters in Chicago and deliver it to the dealership in Carson, California within three weeks. We had completed the mission, making nine wonderful stopovers and traveled 4,083 miles.

 On the morning of our scheduled turn-in, Helen and I spent considerable time giving Sherman a good cleaning and made a quick stop to refill the propane tank as required. We arrived at the dealership at the appointed time and waited while Sherman was given a thorough inspection. Helen contacted Uber for a ride back to our son’s home and I gave a hearty wave to Otto in his usual position at the window in the door. I said my goodbyes to Sherman and gave him a gentle pat on the hood. “Well done, lad,” I said. “You’ve earned some time off.  I’ll remember forever Sherman’s March to the Sea”. 

After one more wave, it was time to be Easin’ Along.

(Note to subscribers: Earlier this week I had a “senior moment”. Somehow I accidently published this article long before it was ready for Easin’ Along readers. As a result, you received an email and I apologize for that. Here is the latest chapter in Sherman’s March to the Sea.)

Sometimes it’s just better to be lucky.  We left Arizona on a gorgeous day and began making our way toward Nevada in a northwesterly direction. We had a five-hour drive ahead of us to Las Vegas and a bit further to Nellis Air Force Base on the north side of town.  We had been told that Las Vegas traffic could be heavy and Sherman (our Cruise America RV) doesn’t like heavy.

The drive was going well but as we approached Lake Mead traffic began to thicken up.  That’s when the thought hit me…maybe we could get complimentary rooms at Harrah’s. Easin’ Along readers may recall that when we were driving to Shreveport ahead of a big storm, we called Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Bossier City, LA to ask if rooms were available. We received a complimentary room that night because we are members of the Harrah’s rewards program. Maybe we should try our luck again.

I placed a call to the hotel, gave them my rewards number and asked about rates and availability for two nights. I was put on hold and then…Bingo! Like three cherries rolling up on a slot machine, we were told that we had complimentary rooms for two nights. There were high fives all around.  Even Sherman was looking forward to a couple of nights on the prowl…after all, “it’s Vegas, Baby”!

The sun was low in the sky as we pulled into town.  Our GPS led us toward the hotel, but it was slow going. Finally, we made a right turn and found ourselves among some huge high rise hotels and casinos.  It had been thirty years since I had been in Las Vegas and a lot had changed in that time. This is a big city now. Sherman marched down the strip like he owned it.

Check-in took some time, but it was worth the wait.  We were given a large suite with a view looking to the east.  Dark was approaching and the contrast of the evening sky and the Ferris wheel behind the hotel made for some interesting pictures. After dinner in the hotel, we made our way to the casino to see if we could capitalize on our good fortune for this day.

The next morning we took it kinda lazily. Although living in Sherman was in no way a hardship, it was nice to have large beds and a big shower. I looked out of the window and could see Sherman all by himself in the parking lot and gave him a big wave. He looked a bit lonely out there. 

Our first task for the day was to drive out to Nellis Air Force Base and do some commissary shopping. We also wanted to check out the camping area for future reference having been told that it was one of the nicest campgrounds in the military inventory. The drive from Harrah’s took about 25 minutes going north along I-15.

The campground was nearly full.  There had been a NASCAR race in Las Vegas the previous week and some of the race fans were still enjoying the Las Vegas atmosphere. I am always amazed by the size of some of the RVs and this campground was loaded with a few whoppers. Altogether, the campground was laid out nicely with full hookups and Wi-Fi. We hope to come back.

In addition to having a nice campground, Nellis AFB also has a great commissary and we had no trouble finding enough provisions to get us to California.  From the commissary parking lot, there was a lovely view of the snow-capped peaks in the distance. Again, we were blessed with amazing weather and I wanted to capture it with the camera.

Back in town, it was time to walk the city. This week was a big one in Las Vegas as it was the beginning of NCAA March Madness, the college basketball tournament. There were thousands of gamblers in town to fill out brackets and have a few bracket parties at the same time. The sidewalks were filled with fans waving banners of their favorite team while checking out whatever temptation was available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw it all.  There were scantily clad ladies making themselves available for picture posing that were upset when I took their picture before realizing that I needed to pay them.  They got over it.  I spotted only two Elvis impersonators, and only one of them was singing (badly). Sidewalk buskers were everywhere playing instruments, dancing, and some who were hawking escorts for the evening. I decided I couldn’t live like this and moved off the sidewalk and into one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen…The Bellagio.

The lobby of the hotel was enormous and made to look like a grand Italian Villa.  The ceiling of the lobby was adorned with brightly colored Chihuly glass flowers and I found it almost impossible to stop staring at the color.  There were huge sculptures elaborately decorated with flowers both real and artificial. This was an entertainment venue in itself.  We walked outside to watch the fountain display.  After our visit, I concluded that gambling must be good business.

That evening we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner of Bouillabaisse in the hotel before trying out our luck once more. I did ok…Helen probably should have stayed in the room. Nevertheless, we had fun and called it an early evening.

Sometimes it’s good to be lucky. Walking back to our complimentary suite, we still considered ourselves to be extremely fortunate in many ways.  We’re living our dream and doing it while Easin’ Along the retired road. We’re both glad and lucky that you came with us.

Next week—Point Mugu, California, and our grandchildren will join us!!   

Sherman, our Cruise America RV, pulled out of Kirtland AFB raring’ to go. We had rented a car for a couple of days in order to explore the area around Santa Fe so Sherman was given the weekend off. Now, rested, ready, and with a full tank of gas, he was heading due west on I-40 to Cottonwood, AZ.

About three hours into a very scenic drive we passed the entrance to the Petrified Forest National Park and decided to pull over to commemorate the event with a picture.  We coaxed a young lady into doing us the favor of snapping the shot. That picture is shown below.

In Flagstaff, we turned south on I-17, and shortly thereafter detoured on Highway 89A in order to see what Sedona, AZ was all about, having heard from friends that this was a can’t miss. The highway took us through the Coconino National Forest.  There was a lot of highway and tree work underway and we were slowed somewhat, but that only provided the opportunity to view the incredible red rock formations visible from the highway.  The blue sky really made the awesome structures stand out.

Traffic in Sedona was bumper to bumper.  The crowds were large and Pink Jeep Tours were doing a landslide business on this day and there were Pink Jeeps everywhere. I thought the town was well done but looked newer and more “touristy” than I had anticipated. I should probably come back when we have time to explore.

Our original plan had been to stay in the Fort Tuthill Recreation Area in Flagstaff, but this installation, operated by Luke AFB, did not open until mid-April.  We went to Plan B. We did just fine. We were able to secure the last site available at Dead Horse Ranch State Park on the outskirts of Cottonwood.  The drive was almost six hours and we arrived around 3 pm in plenty of time to locate Sherman’s new home for the night and check in. This area is absolutely beautiful.

The campground is located in a small canyon with short hills to the east and west. Campers were sitting outside their trailers enjoying the absolutely perfect weather. There were enough trees to give each campsite a few degrees of separation from its neighbor and provide a dab of shade. All in all, Dead Horse Ranch looked very inviting.

We were greeted by the camp host who verified our registration gave us a rundown on the facilities. The showers were located conveniently close to our camping spot and Helen (adorable wife) verified that they were immaculate. Our site had connections for both water and electric, but before we hooked up, we made a return trip to Cottonwood and Hog Wild BBQ to “pig out” for dinner.    

Hog Wild was a small BBQ restaurant, but the food was large on flavor and larger still on portions.  We ordered a sampler platter to share and took it back to the campground. This may have been our best meal to date…the ribs were out of this world good. I’ll torture BBQ lovers with a picture.

The next morning we were up before sunrise.  I wanted to walk up the hill to the west of our campsite and take pictures of the sunrise as it came over the canyon. This excursion turned out to be fraught with peril, however.

As I walked up the hillside and turned to get a bearing on the sunrise, I tripped over my own feet, fell, and introduced my nose to a big rock. At first, I thought my nose was broken, but I had only cut it open (and scratched my glasses).  I was a bit woozy but determined to take pictures and continued on up the hill holding a handkerchief on my face with one hand and holding my camera with another. I’m so thankful I continued on because the sunrise over the canyon was spectacular.  There was a red glow everywhere and the moon was still high in the western sky to add an accent piece to the picture. I snapped away, even finding Sherman in the distance. It was now time to return to Sherman and care for my wounds. I was fine and eventually found my spare glasses.

I sincerely regret that we had only booked one day at Dead Horse Ranch and made a promise that we would return, but our next stop was Nellis AFB in Las Vegas and we wanted to arrive before five o’clock traffic which we understood could be quite heavy. Sherman agreed. We did have one stop planned on our way out of the area however and turned into the Tuzigoot National Monument for a quick tour of the ancient pueblo.

The pueblo was built around A.D. 1000 by the Sinagua people who were agriculturists and traders. The pueblo sat on a hillside which offered a view for miles and enabled the inhabitants to watch for oncoming traders or threats. The pueblo was quite impressive to be as ancient as it was.  It had a total of three stories.

According to the displays in the museum, the original inhabitants had departed the area around 1400 A.D. In the early 1930’s an excavation of the area was completed and uncovered hundreds of relics including tools and pottery from the period of occupation. Tuzigoot was named for an Apache who worked with the excavation team. (link here)

Having added to our knowledge base for today, we left on a route that took us through some beautiful countryside that included the town of Prescott.  Glorious doesn’t describe the views.  Please note the snow-capped peaks in the distance.

(Picture Gallery next week).

Retirement is still the best gig going and we’re determined to prove it.  Next week…it’s Vegas, baby! We’ll be Easin’ Along now.