Saturday Jan 11

   Our last day off.  Actually, we have gone in every day since we arrived.  Yesterday we completed the last of the 10 required training modules on the computer. After we finished the last module ( Golf Cart Safety) we were looking for something to do next.  Bill H was getting ready for his tour of the Big Room.  He said he would welcome us tagging along because he had a full tour (15) and no help.  So we became "trailers".  Trailers help the leader by being near the rear of the group, keeping them together and preventing any urges to touch the formations.  Trailing will be a regular duty here, but the first time was special.
    Tomorrow we start our work shifts  We will be working Sun - Wed.  Four 5 hour shifts per week. Two of the days are mornings and two afternoons.  Sundays are mornings so we can't sleep in.  Randa has training at the Gate House at 8am and I am training as a trailer in the Rotunda room.  (See yesterday)  The first tour tomorrow is 9am so I will need to be on duty 15-20 minutes earlier.  I will tell you more about the job when I know it better.

By the way this Verdin landed on the Mesquite tree outside our window while I was typing this.

A cutie isn't it?

Dusting

Cold this morning.  38 but with gusts of 20 - 30 mph it feels colder.  Notice the dusting of snow in the mountains to the south.  I don't know the names yet.

Training, Training

   The first days at a new site are always crazy-busy.  Getting the rig set up.  Externally, leveling, electricity, water, sewer, satellite are all necessary.  Plus, in the desert you need to put lights under the rig to deter the desert rats from building nests in the bottom of the trailer and in the engine compartment of the truck.
    Internally, opening the slides, of course, but more importantly, setting up the "house".  Went you are on the road, many items sit in boxes or on chairs waiting to come out.  Well, they are now out!  The place feels like home.  😊 
   On the job front, we have been busy.  We arrived at Noon on Monday the 6th.  By the end of the day we were set up.  Tuesday we went into headquarters, met Kyle, the volunteer coordinator, signed a bunch of forms, got our uniforms, name tags,and met many employees and volunteers.  This is a very busy park, the busiest in the Arizona State Park system, so there are many ( I don;t know the number yet) of employees and 20 volunteer rigs so nearly 40 volunteers.  So meeting everyone and remembering all of them will take time.
    Randa and I have most of the online training components completed.  The final two are our targets for today.  Our official work days are Sun, Mon, Tues, and Wed.  (5 hr shifts, some morning , some afternoon.)  Next week we train at the gate, greeting visitors and collecting the state park fee. and at the front desk, greeting folks and answering any questions.
     We will also be trained to be trailers, a helper to the cave guide, answer questions, close doors, and watch for "touches".  KC is Very Careful to insure that the cave stays pristine.  Any time the formations are touched by us humans, oil and other residue is left behind.  This is a source of mold and bacteria growth in the cave.  To prevent this, any "touch" is marked and at the end of the day volunteers walk thru the cave and spray a water solution to disperse the pollution. 
   Randa and I were invited by Mark and Leslie to help them close one of the cave chambers last night.  What a privilege to be in there taking care of this valuable resource.  We hope to do it again.

The Marines have landed !

Got here at Noon on Monday Jan 6, 2020.  A new adventure begins anew.

Day 3

Day 4 of the Journey

  Cal Nev Ari to Arizona City

   Grand vistas continue.  Left Cal Nev Ari about 8.  The boys liked exploring the desert on our morning walk, but we needed ot get on the road because we lose on hour when we crossed into Arizona (MST).  Hwy 95 south from Vegas to the California border is smooth and wide, but changes when you cross into California.  It narrows and becomes less maintained the next 40+ miles to I-40.  There it's 25 miles east to Needles and then 60+ miles south on 95 to Hwy 62 to Parker, AZ.  More up and down and curves.  Kinda like a highway roller coaster. 
   At last we are in Arizona,  Our home state for the next 4 months.  No need to stop in Parker, we had fueled up in Searchlight, Nv. the day before. After 60 miles of two lane got on I-10 eastbound.  Next stop Fry's ( Kroger's brand in Arizona) for fuel in Buckeye.  Buckeye is just on the west edge of Phoenix.  I-10 goes through Phoenix.  If possible avoid driving through Phoenix.  Drive south on Hwy 85 just west of Buckeye to Gila Bend, jump on I-8 and go east.  I-8 joins I-10 about 30 miles north of Tuscon.  Much faster and less congestion.
   The two roads join at Arizona City.  We spent the night parked in front of a house there.  Catching up on our friendship.  Got to use her garden hose to rinse off the pumice residue from our trip over Willamette Pass.  It was good to have the rig looking good again.   Ready to hit the road for Kartchner.  106 miles for tomorrow.
   

Day 2 Friday 1/3/20 and Sat 1/4/20

Alturas,Ca to Hawthorne, Nv
   Left Alturas at about 9am to truck on down 395.  After an hour or so we passed the rest area where we had our "adventure" last year.  It is still barricaded with concrete barriers and closed signs all over.  It was creepy driving passed it anyway.  We continued on to Reno, then Fallon for fuel and then south on 95 to Hawthorne where we spent the night at Whiskey Flats RV park.
Hawthorne to Cal Nev Ari:
      Got on the road at 8ish to lots of sunshine.  This section of the route has quite a bit of elevation gain and loss.  Hawthorne's elevation is 4331ft.  100 miles down the road is Tonopah at 6000ft.  It is a mining town set in the mountains of Nevada that contain many mines.  The chief employment opportunities in Tonopah are in the mining industry.  I asked a clerk in town what people do for work in Tonopah.  She pointed in three directions and said "There's a mine an hour that way, a mine an hour that way, and a mine an hour that way.  The high school teams are called the "Muckers".
   We passed through Tonopah and stopped 100 miles south in Beatty where fuel was 50 cents per gallon less.  Gas Guru is a wonderful app.  Another 100 miles and we were just north of Vegas.  It's more than 45 miles through town, nerve-racking even on Saturday afternoon.  Another 30 miles to Searchlight, fuel, and then 20 to Cal Nev Ari where our RV spot is for tonight.  Because of the pointed end of Nevada, this spot is sorta in three states at the same time.  Hence, the name.

On the road again 1/2/20

Yah I know, it made me think of Willie Nelson too.

  The time came for us to head south.  Thursday Jan 2, 2020.  We had been loading the truck and trailer (the rig) for several days.  Randa and I would think of one more item that we needed to load.  So, of course, we have way too much, but we are going to be gone for 7 months so we might need it.
   I had a tentative departure time of 8am and we actually drove away at 8:38 so I was pleasantly surprised.  Truck on down I-5 through Eugene and then east on Hwy 58.  Stopped for fuel and food in Oakridge.    Gas was $2.40 for regular and $2.83 for diesel !  (Cheapest in the whole state, I bet.)  90 minutes later we were at the top of Willamette Pass.  Only about 8 inches of snow on the roadside and none on the road, only wet pavement and pumice.  It makes for a dirty rig.

Once we reached the summit, it was less stressful and partly sunny, which was welcome.  Stopped in Klamath Falls for fuel and then south into California.  Spent the night in a small RV park in Alturas.  Old, but adequate.  21 overnight, but we were warm with heaters and under lots of covers.  More travel on Friday.  Nevada.