Thursday, January 20, 2011

Hawthorne

Tonight we are parked at a RV park in Hawthorne, Nv. home to the "Hawthorne Army Storage Depot". Coming into town from either the north or south you notice acres and acres of land covered with bunkers, half buried in the earth. What are in those bunkers, you can only imagine, but I guess it isn't chocolate chip cookies.

This barren land is full of "government land". The A bomb was tested within 200 miles of here. Nevada contains thousands of square miles of testing areas, bombing zones, and military bases. Tomorrow we will continue our drive south on Hwy 95 past these areas. As I drive by the test site, I will be sure to keep my windows rolled up.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Movies for 2011

So we have been hanging around and watching a few flicks, some good some average.

MY SON JACK. ( Masterpiece Theater - PBS) A story of Jack Kipling, the only son of Rudyard Kipling who was sent to France as an Army officer in WWI. He died one day after his 18th birthday. The story is of his relationship with his father who was a very influential person in England and the war and the family's coping with the loss of their son. The movie works because so many people can relate to having a loved one killed or missing in action (whether it was Viet Nam, Afghanistan, or any other war).

SALT. The Bourne Identity with Angelina Jolie instead of Matt Damon. Lots of action and fun.

INCEPTION. Have you ever turned on the TV and it is in the middle of the movie so you are scrambling mentally to understand the story? Well, that's the way I felt with this movie. I watched this with five other people and none of us could figure it out. Maybe if I watched it again, it would make more sense, but I didn't like it enough to do that. The story is too twisted to enjoy without a program.

TRUE GRIT. Enjoyed the original last night. Great John Wayne movie. Went to the Coen brothers "remake" this afternoon. It is a definite "must see". Interesting story, great characters, good dialogue. Actually, it is not a remake but a re-telling of a story. I must admit that I did not miss the Duke for one minute.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE. Chick Flick

Thursday, January 6, 2011

First Post of 2011

No resolutions. Don't need them.

Christmas is over. The tree is lying unceremoniously in the front yard waiting for the Boy Scouts to pick it up. The decorations are back in their numerous boxes in the cabinets in the garage. The pine needles have been vacuumed up. By looking at the number of needles on the floor after taking the tree out, you would think that the tree would have been bald by the time you got it out of the house, but it doesn't. In fact, it looks pretty good. It feels dry, but the color is still nice and green. It seems kind of wasteful to grow something for 8-10 years and then just throw it away after 1-2 months of use. At least it will be ground up for mulch.
Now that the clean up is done, it is time to get ready for our trip south. This year we are headed for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona. I mean southern. The park is situated on the US/Mexican border about half-way between Yuma and Tucson and then south on Hwy 85. If you love the flora and fuana of the desert, you will love the park. The campground is one of the most beautiful I have ever been in. There are no hook-ups so generator use is permitted two times a day 8-10am and 4-6 to allow the charging of batteries and microwave cooking, etc. There is a dump station also.
R and I will be volunteering there for the months of February, March, and April. I am not sure what our duties will be but we are looking forward to the time spent in this goreous area. Watch for further blogs to let you know what we are doing.
With the trip in mind, this short time period will be used to get the truck and trailer ready. The trailer has been checked over; brakes, connections, etc. The water tank has been filled to the half-full level. The water heater has been drained and flushed. The only thing left on the trailer is packing it and most of that won't be done until the last couple of days, especially the food.
The truck is in the dealer right now to have the drive shaft lubed. I read about it in the Trailer Life magazine and it is something that I had noticed and wondered about. Next I will have the transmission serviced and it should be ready to go.

Vroom, Vroom.