Creepy Crawlies!

In the spirit of the day, here are some nasty critters we have come across! Thankfully our neighbour found the tarantula. He stepped on him before he came crawling to our trailer. Next time the mission is to capture and get live pictures! The excitement never ends on the road! Happy Halloween!!

A day trip to Oatman Arizona!

Drive along Route 66 about 30 minutes northeast of Needles California and you end up in Oatman Arizona. A former mining town over 100 years old… Some say it's a ghost town! Oatman was named in honor of Olive Oatman. As a young girl she was kidnapped by an Apache tribe, sold to Mojave Indians and later rescued through a trade in 1857 near the current site of the town. In 1921 a fire burned the town down. The only building saved was the The Oatman Hotel, built in 1902, it is the oldest two-story adobe structure in Mojave County. It has housed many miners, movie stars, politicians and other scoundrels! Apparently Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned there in 1939! 

Oatman is now a busy tourist stop along Route 66, with souvenir shops, restaurants and a couple of small saloons! Wild burros also roam freely. They are descendants from a pack donkeys turned loose by early prospectors, and are protected by the U.S Department of the Interior. For a dollar we bought a pack of donkey treats, and became quite popular LOL!

Hunkering down in Needles!

So we have decided to stay on in Needles for a little while. The temperature is perfect, 33 degrees today, and the RV park is great! A pool, 2 hot tubs, and a tiki bar! We have met great neighbours, Jim, Linda and Dude from Pennsylvania. I can't even begin to express how amazing people are when they are on the road and travelling. We have met so many nice people! So friendly, generous, curious and supportive of our journey. Jim and Linda had us over for breakfast this morning, and some other RVers, Walt, Mary, Jack and Tom have been inviting us down for 4 o'clock hot tub, and trips out on their ATV's! Anyways, I will try and post pictures of our new acquaintances soon!

Today's activities were mostly grocery shopping and hitting the local casino to pick up our "Players Card"! With this card we can get a 99 cent breakfast and Saturday nights are King Crab legs and steak for $14.99…. for both of us! Woo hoo!!

Here we are in Laughlin, Nevada for a couple photos… Oh who are we kidding… We hit the
"In-n-Out Burger"!!!

Mango makes a new friend… and Jen makes two!

Here is Mango with her new boyfriend "Dude".

Here I am with my new friends, Vella and Franzia….. Don't judge me.

Route 66!!

As we were driving east along the I-40 yesterday, we kept noticing this old 2 lane road running parallel to us. We eventually pulled in for gas and noticed a sign pointing towards this old road... "Historic Route 66"!

Our original plan never involved this old piece of Americana... But now that we have seen it.... drove beside it.... we feel like it is calling our names... How can you ignore this once in a life time opportunity!!? So here we are in Needles. Which just happens to be a major stop on the historic U.S. Route 66 highway from the 1920's through the 1960's. For immigrants from the mid-west Dust Bowl in the 30's it was the first town, marking their arrival into California!

Here are a few photos we snapped as we drove along the historic Route 66 in Needles California.

Needles, California

Currently staying at the "Palms Resort" RV park in Needles California. Needles is named for a group of pointed rocks on the Arizona side of the Colorado river. It is also the gateway to the Mohave National Preserve. We have already met a nice group of people here at the park. While setting up our trailer yesterday one fellow came over and asked if he could take a picture of us and the trailer. This morning we woke up to our photo neatly tucked under our BBQ. How nice is that!! I will be hitting the next Walmart to buy a frame... Our first T@b decoration! Starting to feel more and more like a home!

Some great photo opportunities along the I-5

A little crop burning along the way... I don't think David Suzuki would be happy.....

The Orange Grove RV Resort, Bakersfield, California

Did you know that California grows 1/2 of the fruits and vegetables supplied to North America... and that Bakersfield grows 1/2 of that?! That's a lot of produce! We stopped in at a fruit and nut stand today to load up on our treats!

On our way to the fruit stand we were accosted by a neighbourhood gang....

We are staying 2 nights here in Bakersfield. Our Oregon friends recommended this beautiful park. "The Orange Grove". We are parked in amongst an orange grove and you are allowed to pick as many oranges as you like.. Unfortunately they aren't quite ripe.

Here is Mango considering a modelling career......

A great weekend with friends!!

As some of you may know. Debbie and I have been friends since we were 20 something. We are both from Vancouver Island, and moved to the big city of Vancouver. We became room mates and had a ton of fun together! She now lives in Alamo California with her husband Rob from Manitoba, and their 8 year old son Max, who loves science, soccer and is a proud Canadian!

We had a fantastic time! Totally spoiled with good food, great wine and fantastic company! Thanks again guys!

Had to post some photos of their amazing house and landscaping! They had grape vines, as well as fig, avocado, lemon, and orange trees growing in the garden..... Love California!

Red Bluff, California

We spent a quick night here before the drive to our friends Debbie, Rob, and their son Max in Alamo California. Great RV park, unfortunately it was right next to the I5, and as usual we were placed a mile away from the washrooms. We are the only campers without a bathroom, yet we always end up at the wrong end of the park. The bonus about everyone else living in their 30 foot plus rigs is we are the only ones using the washrooms and showers.... It's like having our own master suite LOL! Here is a photo of our spot... As you can see it was much to small for our huge trailer.

Seven Feathers Visit

Had a great visit with our Oregon friends, Chris and Gary! Spent 4 nights relaxing, hitting the casino and doing a little sight seeing of the small towns in the area. Starting to get a little more accustom to our new trailer. So far no major disasters! Hit the Walmart for some tax free shopping and equipped our trailer with a few more doo dads to make living a little more comfortable. An outdoor carpet, a garbage can (exciting eh?), some cute patio lanterns, $35 at home and $14.99 down here! Woo hoo! We also bought our first box of wine LOL! Thought we would give it a try!

Home Sweet Home!

Curious as to what is inside our little home on wheels? Well.... you'd be surprised! It does have some of the creature comforts of home! A t.v. & dvd player, stereo, stove, fridge, a large bed, a.c. and a powerful heater for the cold nights we are expecting in New Mexico. Nope, no washroom, but most of the parks and resorts have great facilities. Take a look! Kind of a glorified tent... or a kids dream fort!

The Launch!

We are finally on the road! After spending 2 months on Salt Spring Island, here we are at the BC ferries terminal. Day one was long and tiring. Up early, 2 hours on the ferry, followed by three hours of nasty Vancouver traffic. Picked up our bikes, mail and extra camping supplies and headed for the border. No issues crossing over, unlike the last time when we were shook down for possessing an apple without a sticker, good thing he didn't see the rifle and ammo! Haha! I kid, I kid!

After two days of driving, here we are at one of our favourite campgrounds in Canyonville Oregon, "Seven Feathers". Indoor pool, hot tub, laundry, free hot showers, and a casino across the road! What more could you ask for! Today we are waiting for our friends to arrive from Salem, Oregon. For those of you who followed our last blog, http://www.travelswithmango.blogspot.com We met them on our final trek home. They were kind enough to invite us to their home, cooking us a delicious meal and offering us a comfy bed to sleep in! We will spend 2 more nights here before we tackle Grants Pass. This is a big test for the car pulling the T@b trailer. If we can get up and over, we should have no issues for the rest of our journey. Knock on wood! Once we clear this mountain range we will only be a couple of hours from the sunshine of California!