Las Vegas, NV

We arrived in Vegas on March 7, coming  down a very long steep stretch of road    the brakes  were heating up and it was stressful.   We arrived at Circus Circus rv Park early.    They did not let us check in early.    When we finally checked in it was no great  place.   $457 for a week  of camping on asphalt.    We set up and I headed to the airport to get nic.    When we arrived at the Rv Yogi  was ecstatic to see her.    The next day  we brought nic to have dinner  with  her friend  samanthas.    They made plans for  the  next day.  After work  I picked up Sam and she returned to the Rv,  they went into the casino and norm and i went out  for a bit.   We walked  on the strip.    The place does not have the allure it did last time  we were here.   During the week  we did a variety  if things.    We took  nic to Freemont St.    We had dinner at the golden nugget casino.    Then we used $25 in free  play.    We went outside and the street  was lit up and music was playing.    Nic insisted she saw brittney Spears  singing.    She did not.   Nic slept over her friends house one night.     We did a little  gambling.    Didn't  win a thing.     One day  we went to Hoover Dam.   We took the tour.    It was massive.     Another  good  history  lesson.     One night  nic went to the casino and won a large  stuffed minion.    I  wasn't  sure it was gonna  be accepted on southwest,  but it was.    I brought  nic to the airport on March 14@8AM.    Norm and  I packed up  and headed out if this expensive  city.   

Death valley national park and Tecopa Hot Springs campground

Following  Joshua tree national park,  we headed to Tecopa Hot Springs, CA.   We stayed  at a passport America place for $10a night.    This includes use of their  hot spring  natural pools.    But,  we found out you  must go nude.   Men and women are separate.    The shower room  had naked people  walking  around.    I  wasn't  real comfortable with this.    We rented  the private  pool for ten dollars  a night.    There is white  stuff all over the ground.   It looks like snow,  but it is not.  It is borax.     We took  our car to Death Valley  national park.    The weather  was great  at 70 degrees.   

Joshua tree national park

We are heading  to Las Vegas to meet Nicole  on March 7 we have 7days with no plans.    I  said  we must at least  go to California we are so close.   So we made a plan to go west.    We went to  Joshua  tree campground  for two days    It was a rainy  dismal day.    Due to the weather we didn't  do much here.   We will  have to  give  it another chance  next time.  We went to  nearby  Palm Springs and had lunch.   

Catalina state park, Tucson Arizona

We arrived  at Catalina state park on February 15, 2015.  We stayed  for two weeks.     Norm's mom,  Laura  and his nephew, Eamon road in the Rv with us.    We arrived at our site.    It is perfect,  a gorgeous  view of the mountains.   Laura returned home.    Eamon stayed with us for a few days.    We hiked to some pools and Eamon  declared this is  Eamon Island.    We returned another day  with his mom,  Carolyn,  eamon made and brought  a flag to mark the place.   During this week we had a great  time  enjoying Eamon.    We went to his birthday party at a gym,  we took him to Peter piper pizza after picking him up at school.    We had dinner with Michael and Carolyn at their house.    We went out for roof meat at El Charro Mexican restaurant.    And the most fun  was watching  movies outside at the campground.   Eamon  enjoyed our hammock.   Yogi enjoyed sleeping with Eamon.    I was terribly afraid of rattlesnakes.  So I attended  a snake  exhibit that is done on Saturday at the  park.   We also  went to  see the sponge Bob movie.    And now I know what a hard salami  and bacon  emergency  is.   (thanks Eamon).   Eamon  would  ask for this food so he could give it to the dogs.    We sure are gonna miss him!

Colossal Caverns, Arizona

After leaving  Laura's house,  we headed towards  Tucson.    Laura  came with us for a couple  of  days.    We  met at  the  caverns with Michael,  Carolyn and Eamon.    We had breakfast  and then went  for a cave tour. The caves are dead and  dry.    After the tour Eamon and Laura each picked out a geode and had it cut open.    They  were  both pretty.   Now I  know  the trick to a good geode,  get the lighter  one.    We had lunch afterwards  and took Eamon back to the campground with Laura,  Norm  and myself.  

Jack Daniels Distillery and Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House, Lynchburg TN

Today was a two hour drive to Lynchburg TN.    We arrived at the Distillery for a tour.    We paid the ten dollars for the  tasting tour.    It is a great tour and informative.   Unbelieveable that all  Jack daniels whiskey is made here.    At the end of the tour we tried  three types of whiskey.   The gentleman jack,  old number  7 and single barrel.    Norm had a double tasting because I don't like whiskey.    He liked the single barrel best.    Afterwards we walked to downtown Lynchburg and went in some souvenir stores.  Then we had lunch  at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House.    It was family  style.    We were called to our dining room,  we sat with people from Alabama and Texas.    We chatted and had a delicious meal of Southern cooking.    Ribs,  chicken,  fried  okra,  macaroni and  cheese,  baked apples,  corn salad and custard  pie. All served with  sweet tea.   We were full!

Lock A campground, US army Corp of engineers, Ashland City, TN

We picked this location  to be near my cousin,  Tina.    I  haven't  seen  her in 18 years.   Lock A is a nice  campground.    The sites  are large and  paved with stone picnic tables.   They  are  clean and  quiet.   On the Cumberland river.    Barges come and go  up and down the river.    They are surprisingly quiet.    Reasonably priced $25  a night at our waterfront  site #32.  Tina came over she stayed we cooked out,  caught up and had a couple  of  drinks and spent  the  night.    

Loretta Lynn Ranch, Hurricane Mills, TN

Today we took a 1.5 hr drive to Loretta Lynn 's Ranch.    It is on 6200 acres.    She and her husband  bought it in 1966.  The tour was $25 each.   The Bucher Holler replica house is actually  a  movie  set from the movie  Coal Miner's daughter.  ,  next was the plantation house that her family  lived in for 22 years. There was a tour through a replica  coal  mine  in honor of her father.  The last part of the tour was the museum.    This had memorabilia and lots of pictures of  her family  and  Conway  Twitty,  also  her sister ,  Crystal Gayle.