Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 22, 2020

Temperature 91 Degrees

Electric Vehicle Museum at The Powerhouse Visitor Center

Burma Shave

Dustbowl

Today was another day of sightseeing.  We were up early since we had an hours drive ahead of us.

This was today’s destination but before we cover our travels today we’re going back to The Powerhouse Visitor Center to finish up yesterdays sightseeing.

This was the second museum we visited yesterday when we went to The Powerhouse.

As museums go it is not the largest we have visited nor the best.  Nevertheless, it was interesting and did have on exhibit a few notable vehicles.

The oldest vehicle in the exhibit.

Still in business today.

This is the centerpiece, literally,  of the museum.  I would love to take a ride in this.

From another angle showing just how long, low, and narrow it really its.

An electric drag bike.  I wonder if this is the future of drag racing?

An electric hot rod.

Yup, the first all electric Hot Rod built back in 1995.  I don’t know, no big block Chevy engine? No guttural tones from a custom exhaust system?  No spark plugs to change, nor oil or filter changes.  What’s a guy do to then with his Hot Rod on a Saturday afternoon.

The fore runner of the golf cart for seniors?

Miles of Smiles For A Penny.  Now what locker could I fit something like this in?  Maybe if it collapsed.

Another exhibit.

Really?

We both agreed this was one of the most haunting exhibits we have visited in our travels to date.  Interesting to note that most who fled west eventually returned back to the Midwest.

I can’t even image what it must have been like to try and move your whole family to a new home in a vehicle such as this.

Let me ask you, I agree times are tough right now and the future is uncertain but in light of what happened during the Dust Bowl do we really have it that bad?

The final exhibit we saw.

Oh yea, I remember these signs.  Do you?

And it all started as a way to save a failing shaving cream business.

 

This brings to an end our tour of the Powerhouse Visitor Center.   It was a fascinating place to visit and we learned a lot while we there.  Hope you did too.  Tomorrow we’ll move on and share with you our travels of today.

Today, on our way back from Lake Havasu City we decided to treat ourselves to a special afternoon supper.

I had fish and chips and Barbara had roast beef.  Cracker Barrel once again did not disappoint.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Once again one thing we noticed over the course of the last two days is that almost no one is wearing a mask and you can forget keeping six feet apart.  In fact, if you awoke from a four month sleep you would probably not notice a thing different in our society today.  Especially, if you decided not to listen to the evening news.  The perspective it seems of most individuals today is what virus?  Nah, no one is dead.  You mean there is really a pandemic?  We can only imagine what the months ahead will hold for us as a country.  Especially with leaders pushing full speed ahead for an opening of our country and the resumption of church services.  And  leaders stating no way will we close the country if the virus hits again.  Honestly, taken in total it makes both of us extremely nervous.

Food for Though.

Thanks for joining us today.  Hope you had as wonderful a day as we did.  Always appreciate your comments.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  See you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 21, 2020

Temperature 74 Degrees

Arizona Route 66 Museum at The Powerhouse Visitor Center

Mr. D’s for Lunch

Even as a fish needs water, so Barbara and I need to go sightseeing.  So, today was the day to get back to doing what we love to do.

We had a great breakfast to start the day.  I had a delicious cheese and mushroom omelet with a side of fired spam.  I added a glass of juice and a couple cups of coffee.  Barbara had a plate of scrambled eggs and coffee.  Tummies full we were now ready to get back to doing what we love to do – sightseeing.

We were off to the Kingman Visitor Center and the Arizona Route 66 Museum located in the

Refurbished Desert Power and Water Company Building.

Today it is listed on The National Register of Historic Places.

Let’s get going because a world of discovery is waiting for us inside these doors.

Before we go in, though, when was the last time you saw one of these? It’s all in one piece, it works and there is no graffiti anywhere on it,  Amazing

Our goal today was the Arizona Route 66 Museum.  We’re here to learn a bit more about Route 66, its history, the good days, and what brought about its end.

Long before U.S. Route 66 carried travelers back and forth Native American tribes created the first roads.  Well worn footpaths served as trade routes linking the current day Arizona area to the Pacific Ocean.

Fr. Garces is believed to be the first European to have traveled these native trade routes and left a detailed account of his life in this unknown land.  Today, the area surrounding these early trade routes is known as the 35th parallel route  denoting a measure of latitude which passes through northern Arizona.  This route has historically served as the foundation for east/west travel and eventually became the southwestern portion of the U.S. Route 66.

In 1851 Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves provided the first technical mapping of the region.  His many months of research concluded with a practical recommendation for building a road along the 35th parallel rather than along other existing trails in the West.

In 1857 a contract was awarded to former Navy Lieutenant Edward F. Beale to survey and develop such a route.  Beale and his team began their mission from Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory  and on the 49th day of their journey they reached the Colorado River.

The result of this expedition was the Beale Wagon Road, the first federally funded wagon road in America.

Now knowing that when we leave here we are headed east through Williams this part of the topographic map was of particular interest to me.  I was especially interested in the route between Ashfork and Williams.  Yup, definitely will have some more mountains to climb!

Just months after Beale’s team had completed their work, travelers were already eager to use this new, improved route called the Beale Wagon Road.  The covered wagons used by the overland pioneers were often called prairie schooners.

Conflicts with Native Americans were also common, as the trickle of settlers became a steady stream through native lands.

The capture of Olive Oatman.

The Rose Massacre. News of this massacre ignited fear and outrage in the U.S.  New measures needed to be taken to protect settlers moving west.  In 1859, Fort Mojave was established on the Colorado River and proved to be a successful strategy for sheltering and protecting fearful travelers.

In time the early settlers prairie schooners were replaced by the automobile.  This in turn necessitated the need for even better roads.

Look closely, just above the running board, note what is at the end of the writing Shortest & Best Route – then read below

I was dumbfounded when I read this.

Over time Route 66 continued to grow and evolve.

Finally, in 1938 it was paved from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The Good Times for Route 66 after WW II.

Alas, the good times would soon come to an end.

Well, we’re finished with one part of this fascinating museum.

Of course we had to make a stop at the Gift Shop. Barbara picked up some post cards, a few pamphlets and I

got a new T-shirt after a long drought.

I have more to share with you from this fascinating museum but for now let’s conclude with where we stopped for lunch.  Yea, we really got bold and brave and actually went to a Route 66 roadside diner.

When I discovered that they had home made root beer I had to go.

Their dining room was open.

We decided, though, to stay outside and practice social distancing.  About the food, it was out of this world.  Especially the root beer.  We will be back again before we leave this area.

Hey, Winslow – we’re going there.  Why?  Just to say that we also stood on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.

 

In the parking lot.

Across the street I discovered this road sign.  Where do you want to go?

That brings to an end our day on The Road of Retirement.  We actually got to travel a part of historic Route 66.  We spent some time discovering its history.  We had a fantastic lunch.  All in all an absolutely dynamite day.

Let me finish with this delightful plaque that I discovered at the museum.

Thanks for joining us today.  Hope you had as wonderful a day as we did.  Always appreciate your comments.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  See you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 20, 2020

Temperature 72 Degrees

A Chip In Time

Begone Oh Head Knocker

This morning I discovered that the heat pump works quite well.  Why you ask?  Because when I awoke this morning the temperature was at 49 degrees!  OK, I didn’t really need to use it, but it was a good excuse to make sure it really worked.  Now I know if we need it we have it.

Back about a month when we were on the road to Congress a truck kicked up a rock and we ended up with a chip in the passenger side windshield.  While in Congress we called a mobile glass company but they never returned our call.  In time we forgot all about it.  I did at but Barbara didn’t.  Immediately upon our  arrival here she made a number of calls to different glass repair companies.  She was successful in scheduling Jim’s House of Glass for today.

It was fascinating to watch how they make the repair.  They have this gizzmo that attaches to the windshield with a suction cup.  The big knurled part of this contraption holds a special type of resin that is injected into the chip.

On the inside of the windshield they stick a small mirror to the windshield that allows them to see when the resin cures.  The whole process takes about an hour.  When they are done the chip is gone and you have to really look hard to find where they made the repair.

This monster otherwise known as an AM/FM Radio was hanging above our bed when we purchased Elvira.  I never could get it to work right but I could and did bang my head on it more than once.  Today, I decided enough was enough it had to go.

Removed and ready to take to the dumpster which I promptly did.

Forgive me but I need to rant for a bit.  I keep checking to see if any of the major attractions we wanted to visit this summer have opened back up.  To date everything is still closed.  It is just so frustrating that it appears as if we are going to have to scrape the whole summer tour we had planned.  OK, I know I have no right to complain.  I just needed to get that off my chest.  I realize what we are going through is nothing compared to the misfortune of so many others.  Indeed, as I have said in the past we are two of the most blessed and fortunate people.

That brings to an end our day on The Road of Retirement.  Necessary repairs have been made.  A head knocker has been disposed of.  Not a bad day by any means.  Oh, for supper today we had mashed potatoes, chicken cutlets and green beans.  My drink of the day was an Arnold Palmer.  It’s been a great day from start to finish.

Food for thought.

Enjoyed your company today.  Hope you had a great day.  If not, resolve to make tomorrow a great one.  Always appreciate your comments.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  See you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 19, 2020

Temperature 74 Degrees

Odd Weather

Out and About

New Water Pressure Regulator – This One Is Going To Last

Another Five Minute Project

What odd weather of late.  Usually we can leave the windows open at night and we’re perfectly comfortable.  We also usually leave a fan running in the bedroom.  Let me tell you, around 2 am last night there was such a strong breeze blowing in my bedroom window I had to shut it.  I also had to turn the fan off.  It was down right chilly.  The weather forecast is for more of the same tonight.  They’re telling us the temperature will be down in the mid 40 degree range.  Yet, by next week we’ll be back every day in the 90 to the 100 degree range during the day and the mid 70’s at night.  Bizarre.

Cabin fever struck today and we just had to get out.  It didn’t matter where we went we just had to go.  In the end, though, we had a plan.  I needed some materials for a couple of projects I was working on.

Our destination today was Home Depot.  This store and all the stores we typically frequent we discovered are only about fifteen minutes away.  How convenient.

The typical water pressure regulator for an RV usually looks something like this or

something like this.  The first is relatively inexpensive but you never really know what the water pressures is.  It is supposed to be preset at 40 to 50 pounds of pressure.  It works, sort of.

The second picture is a type of water pressure regulator of which I have a couple.  They have a gauge which allows you to set your desired water pressure.  The problem that I have had with all of them is they work fine for only about three months.   Then, you come out one morning and you discover your preset 45 pounds of pressure has all of a sudden jumped to 60 pounds of pressure.  Not good at all since older rigs like ours can’t take much more pressure than this. I’ve tried to discover the reason for this and the answer I always get is That’s not possible. Oh, but it is.

What to do that was the question.

This is the answer that I discovered while reading through a number of online blogs of RV’ers who have had the same problem with the common RV water pressure regulators.  This is a Watts Commercial Water Pressure Reducing Valve.

This is a heavy duty valve, all bronze construction, used with confidence by plumbers everywhere, and if necessary it can be rebuilt.  I purchased a couple of adapters that would allow me to use it with the typical water hose hookup we have.

Fifteen minutes later, a few wraps of plumbers tape where necessary and we were in business.  The valve can be installed either vertical or horizontal.  My water pressure gauge confirms a preset water pressure of 45 pounds.  Perfect.  I still have a few modifications I want to try that will make its hookup even easier.

This was my next five minute project.  You know what kind of projects they are, correct?  They’re the kind of projects that should take no more than five minutes but end up taking an hour or more.  Such was the installation of this towel ring.

The question was, how to first securely fasten the mounting plate to the wall.  Use screws?  That’s what someone before me tired with no success.  It didn’t work because the wall was too thin and the screws just pulled out.  I first tired putting up the mounting plate with a pop-rivet which had always worked for me in the past.  It worked for a couple of months but then for some crazy reason it came loose.  Well, how about using

a couple of toggle bolts?  The challenge here was finding a screw that when tightened to make the toggle expand would not pop through the outside wall.  It took a couple of tries and more than five minutes to get the right length but in the end I figured it out.  That towel ring isn’t going anywhere now – I hope!

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  It really felt good to get out and about.  It is also quite surprising to see hardly anyone using a mask or practicing social distancing.  I can only wonder what the future holds for our country.  Are we going to be alright?  Or will such social behavior come back to bite us in a big way?  We’re still wearing our masks.  Keeping our distance.  Yet, we are also planning on doing some sightseeing in the very near future.  We’ll be careful, take it one day at a time, and if it appears that everything is going downhill again, we’ll just scrape any further plans for sightseeing.  What will be, will be.

On the lighter side.

Thanks for checking in today.  We trust that you had as great a day as we did.  Always appreciate your comments.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  See you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!