The beat goes on! Cortez, CO to Barstow, CA.

Made it to Cortez, CO as planned, but didn't expect more snow. We were pleased with the location of the campsite, for it was centrally located around some awesome hike around old Indian Ruins in La Mesa State Park and the Four Corners Monument. Food was also good there, especially this one Thai Restaurant! The day before we left Cortez, we experienced a snow storm and the morning of our departure to the Grand Canyon, it was 29 degrees and the truck's tailgate and trailer locks were all frozen in place. A little warm water did the trick in freeing them up. After 5 days in Cortez, we headed for the Grand Canyon.
                                                     (Click on thumbnail photo to enlarge)

Pueblan Indians lived here many years ago. The ruins were everywhere on the trails of La Mesa State Park

Navigating the narrow stair was fun!

Indian Ruins.

Petroglyphs writings left by the ancients who lived in the area

Doris with a body part in four states at the same time. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado

Geo Marker indicating the 4 different states

I tried the Indian Fry Bread, which was outstanding!

Doris heading for the Reservation Casino

Our next stop was the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for 10 days. We stayed at Trailer Village and hike over 40 miles up, down, and across the Canyon on various trails. Our hikes ranged from 3 to 14.5 miles long. Definitely got the old hearts pumping. We did experience a day of snow there and used it as a day of rest. My favorite trail was the Hermit Trail. The Hermit Trail is an old unmaintained trail that contains a lot of history. Years ago, it was one of the most elegant trails and the trail contains the elegance from years past. There is something about the Hermit that touches the soul. We also did the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, South Kaibab-Tonto-Bright Angel, Hermit to Dripping Springs, and Rim Trail for Doris. Our friend Deb flew from North Carolina and joined us for a couple days of hiking. We all had a great time at the Grand Canyon. It is hard not to. Ten days flew by, for before we knew it Deb was flying back home and we were moving on to our next stop....Laughlin, NV.

Hermit Trail. Notice the laid stone.

Dripping Springs

A cool bench at Dripping Springs

Hermit Trail

Hermit Trail unmaintained and great!

Doris and Deb

Doris the Tree Hugger

Greg and Deb

Some tourist ride the mules to see the canyon below

The Tonto Trail located at the bottom. Pure Solutide

Laughlin, Nevada is a city that contains about 11 major casinos and a lot of businesses that cater to the gambling tourist. A nice place that we felt lucky. We visited a couple of the casinos looking for a good deal for a dinner buffet. We got lucky everyday in Laughlin by breaking even or getting slightly ahead on the slots, We found it more friendlier then Las Vegas. Definitely not overwhelming. We did take a side trip to Oatman, Arizona located approximately 18 miles away from Laughlin on the old Route 66. Oatman is a small old miner's town with a population of 150 people. In its day, the population was over 10,000 due to the gold rush. In the present, Oatman is a tourist attraction for its wild burrows that wander the streets looking for a snack from curious tourist and its selection of souvenir shops selling inexpensive cloths, hats, and memorabilia from Oatman. There was a small car show that had some beautiful cars. It was a fun place for the both of us.

A cairn made by US on Route 66 on our way back to the RV from Oatman, AZ.

Oatman, AZ

Clark Gable spent his honeymoon at this hotel

Doris looking for gold in this makeshift mine

Doris and her new friend, "Da Burro'.

Loved this Packard!

The walls and ceiling in this Oatman Restaurant was covered in $1 bills

Another shot of the restaurant.

After a couple days enjoying Laughlin, NV and the surrounding areas, we headed to Barstow, CA. We got here yesterday and only time will tell what is in store for us, for our first impression of dust, wind, and bums was not a good one.

Until the next update!