Updates.. first about our journey… then about … well… ‘right’ and just plain ‘wrong’.
First the journey:
Las Vegas…Las Vegas…. (well at least Henderson, NV… still littered with casinos and slot machines :-) My sisters will never believe we actually got that close and didn’t drop one single quarter into a machine… Oh well, we’ll be back.
This trip was, of course, to take a look at a 2001 Casita 17’ travel trailer… I’d mentioned they are hard to find, and indeed, we’ve missed out on several because the first person to view, bought. So, when Kathy spoke with the owner of this trailer and, voila, it was still available… well, we decided to make a run for it; and so began our trek to Nevada.
The drive from Williams to Nevada was, in a word, LONG. We slipped (that’s nautical for ‘left’, but I have to stay in practice.. it’s been so long I feel like I’m losing my edge)… we slipped Williams at 0500 hrs… and headed out onto the southbound roadways, highways, slip roads, and dippsy doodles… It takes two of us to navigate our way in and out of each city.. well actually three if you count Emily the GPS without which we would be totally lost. Once onto clear roadways we charged south, driving…driving…driving… Our breaks were shorter than normal (dear Sophie didn’t even complain.. just did her part) but we had to keep going as it was to be the longest drive yet. We knew we needed to stay out of the mountains, what with the cold weather, rain, and possibly snow that was being forecast in higher elevations, so we skirted the row of National parks and mountains that run down the center of California… all the way to almost Bakersfield, at which point we curved east and began to cross the state on route to Nevada. We arrived in Henderson at 1700 hrs and were able to have our first view of the trailer before dark. It was perfect.
The trailer needs a little clean up but, basically, it’s all there and in good condition. You can google 17’ Casita Spirit Deluxe if you want to see what it looks like. This is the one with not only the usual table with bench seats that drops to a double, but also a smaller table with two seats that drops to a single… plus a toilet and shower, closet/hanging locker, fridge, two burner stove, microwave and air conditioner with a heat strip; all in a 17’ trailer light enough for Chuck to tow. We’ve laid claim to it (deposit paid) and will meet the owner (who lives elsewhere) on or around Feb. 16th (at which time I’ll no doubt invest a little into the Nevada infra-structure) to transfer the paperwork and complete the sale. This works out very well for us as we’re due in Cathedral City on the 8th for a week with Kathy’s mom and friends Ron & Dal.
The next morning (yesterday) we headed off again.. this time heading west towards La Quinta and dear friend Jake. La Quinta is a very cool place, small, and near to Palm Springs… lots of history and gorgeous homes (including Jake’s)… We’re here now, being spoiled by Jake and enjoying the chance to catch up. Tomorrow we head to Cathedral City…. today we kick back and relax. Kath’s got some work to do and I may have some shopping to do, but other than that… this is a wonderful place to put our feet up and rest.
It seems kind of funny tho’… our friends Alison and Craig are camping on the beach in Chacala (remember our absolute favourite anchorage) and we’re travelling through the ‘best’ of civilization… (still missing Chacala). But, life goes on and so shall we. In case you’re wondering… no, we have not given up on sailing… just making the best use of our time we can… and continuing to watch the ‘doings’ in Mexico. FYI, most of the boats have been released now… and we’re waiting to see what rules the MX government will decide to impose on future foreign cruisers… we may or may not qualify…. only time will tell.
Now the bad news… and what is so terribly ‘wrong’…
We continue to read with deep sadness of the violence and hatred being levelled against gays in Russia and ask that you take a moment to learn about what is going on. This life throws many challenges at all of us, many we can’t do much about, but some we can. Opening ourselves to at least be educated as to what is going on is a first and major step. Please take a few minutes to read through the information contained on the following sites; and then follow your conscience.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/02/04/winter-olympics-winter-games-russian-anti-gay-laws/5210651/
http://www.globalnews.ca/news/1128646/rights-group-releases-video-of-russia-anti-gayattacks-ahead-of-suchi/
http://www.allout.org
Thanks for taking the time to learn about and monitor what is going on in Russia and other countries. These atrocities must be stilled somehow and acknowledging they are occurring seems like the logical first step.
As for our current journey… for now, we work towards one of our other goals… or several of them.. relax, get healthy, slow down a bit… soon. :-) For now, we say adios and we’ll write again next week… Know we’re well and thinking of you… CJ
