Sunday, September 30, 2012

Got up this morning bright and early to a picture perfect day. The Harvest Moon last night was spectacular. We were on our way to see a live television production by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Our shuttle met us promptly at 8:15 in front of the clubhouse. A short drive later we were dropped off at Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. After entering the Square we were directed to door 11 and entered the Tabernacle Hall. The acoustics in the hall are second to none. After the concert, we toured the downtown area including Temple Square. After a hearty breakfast at JBs, we returned to the shuttle for our ride back to the campground. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing what we love to do....nothing.....






We rode a shuttle van that dropped us off at the North Gate visitor's center at Temple Square, in downtown Salt Lake City.











This is the tabernacle building. It is oval in shape to enhance the acoustics inside. Picture yourself inside a chicken egg...without the yolk of course...


Here you can see the Choir and the musicians down front. They practice for about an hour before their live 30 minute presentation that is carried on over 2000 television stations worldwide every Sunday. It has been a continuous production since 1929. That is the organ in the middle consisting of almost 1200 pipes.  Photography is allowed during their practice but not during their performance.



Inside the visitor's center, we found religious statues and many of the teachings of the Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormons.




This is the temple itself. It is not open to the public. The entire area is opulent and very beautiful. We found touring the square to be very relaxing and peaceful. The weather was sunny and warm which helped out a lot.....if you're ever in Salt Lake City, this is an event you won't want to miss.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Left California behind, and I must say it's good to be on the road again. Had a wonderful visit with family while we were there and as always, it's difficult to leave them behind. Arrived in Reno for a few days of R&R and then off towards Salt Lake City. Nevada might have legalized gambling and tons of casinos but there is very little between the cities....other than desert, that is....here's where we stayed in Reno. There is very little in Winnemucca, Nevada. In Wendover, we stayed at one of the Casino RV Parks which was nice and was able to visit the Bonneville Speedway. Arrived in Salt Lake City today and we were invited to attend a live performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir tomorrow. We are looking forward to that.....




As we left the Sacramento area on I-80 we were pleased to see that they finally have some semblance of a roadway. Historically, I-80 has been one of the worst roadways in America. We found some construction, of course, but all in all it was pretty smooth. Whether it remains so after this seasons snow storms is anyone's guess....







I-80 towards Reno, follows the Truckee river and the Union Pacific railroad. Very picturesque, but the water is very very cold.



Another view of the Truckee river. As you near the Donner Summit, there is an overlook of Donner Lake. It was here where the Donner Party attempted to wait out the fierce winter that resulted in many deaths.











We finally arrived in Reno, Nevada.



We prefer the Grand Sierra Resort and RV Park in Reno. It is actually a destination resort, with a theater, bowling alley, many shops, a beach complete with pool, spa and cabanas. There is a surf shop, a Johnny Rockets and a country western themed dance hall.




Here's our site at the GSR RV Resort....



After Reno, we set out towards Salt Lake City. Since we limit our travel time to only 3 hours per day, we chose Winnemucca as our first stop. As you can see from this picture, there isn't much to see between Reno and Winnemucca.


After leaving Winnemucca, we headed for West Wendover. Wendover is notable for the Army Air Base that was built there for WWII. Many of the buildings are still standing and the runways are still used by commercial and private aircraft.

Wendover spans the border between Utah and Nevada, with the City of Wendover in Utah and West Wendover in Nevada. 








 The City of West Wendover welcomes visitors with this much bigger than life lighted statue. What's also interesting in these cities is that Nevada is on Pacific time and Utah is on Mountain so there is an hours difference depending on where you are in their town. We stayed at the Nugget Casino which is in Nevada but the adjacent RV park is in Utah.




Not to be forgotten, Nevada has it's version of Beverly Hills....certainly not 90210...consisting of a single barn and about 300 acres....



No trip through the top of Nevada/Utah would be complete without heading out to the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Bonneville Speedway.


The Bonneville International Speedway consists of nothing more than a groomed stretch of salt, 80 feet wide and 10 miles long. It has been the scene of many attempts at breaking speed records, the fastest to date has been 640 mph. That's fast.....



No, we didn't take the car or the motorcoach onto the salt. We did hike a ways out through the salt. Interestingly enough, the salt is hard packed, it crunches as you walk on it and it sticks to the bottom of your shoes like mud. More pictures and stories about the Great Salt Lake in future pages. We are touring Temple Square tomorrow after the Tabernacle Choir concert.....

Monday, September 10, 2012

Another quick note....Wedding is over !!!...normalcy sets in once again.....after several nights at the Placerville Elks Lodge, we decided to head down to Jackson California and spend some R & R, and a little money at the casino. Their RV Park/Resort is second to none and is rated consistently at a "10"....we won't be on the road again until the 24th of September.....






Sunset over Lake Minden, Nicolaus, California











Placerville, California is located in the upper foothills of the Sierras. It is about halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. Above the fog and below the snow.



The Placerville Elks Lodge has 13 RV spaces with water/electric. 50 amps and free wifi. The spaces are wide and accommodating. Our 45' rig fit easily in the site and even with 4 slides, there is ample space between the rigs. If you're in the area, this is one of the best and cheapest.
Here is our site at the Jackson Rancheria RV Park and Resort. It has a large pool, two jacuzzi's, free cable TV, free wifi, a dog run, laundry facilities and a huge clubhouse with several big screen TVs for Monday night football. The casino shuttle will pick you up at your site and take you to the casino, which is about a mile away. There is also a car wash for your car and/or RV with discounts available with a stay at the park. It's one of our favorite California parks.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012


Just checking in.... we are in the Sacramento area for a wedding. Weather is cooperating but it's pretty warm. Today it's overcast with some big puffy clouds but it's not supposed to rain. Here's some pictures of last night's sunset......





Now if we can just figure out how to combat the mosquitoes, we'll be all set. There are a large number of rice fields just north of Sacramento where we are. This time of year, they drain the fields in preparation for this year's harvest. The mosquitoes are disturbed and their water is dried up, so they come out in full force. They love me and usually leave Debi alone, but she's gotten a couple bites too....ugh! Maybe I'll call Vector Control today and see if they can help.