Railroad Rally Reflections, Part 3

Sunday, our optional day. 20 people signed up for the River Raft down the Colorado River from just below the dam to Willow Creek.  This morning we had breakfast at the Hacienda Casino where they have a bargain breakfast for $2.95 that includes 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast; drinks extra.  That is still a bargain in my book.  We were seated in our own area as the buffet and café area is huge.  Getting the River Raft trip together was a little bumpy because the lady in charge of registering us and taking the money must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.  Boy, was she grumpy.  Don’t you wonder why they assign people with little or no personality and an attitude as the first person you meet at an event that is supposed to be fun?  Fortunately we had already talked to Leslie several times and she confirmed our price and we got all release signatures and boarding passes.

 

We boarded our bus and took the short steep trip down to the base of the dam.  This was the road the workers took in the 1930’s and is not open to the public.  We could sure see why, even the buses had to back up to make one hairpin turn.

There was lots of picture taking once we got down to the water.  Since this is a restricted area by road or boat I didn’t ever think I would see the dam from this angle. 

		View of the Dam from below VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Almost everyone on our raft was with our group so it was almost having a private tour by our raft pilot, Jerry. 

		Our own private raft–Almost VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

He explained the by-pass tunnels, the building of coffer dam, how the men hung over the side to place the dynamite and do the clean up afterwards.

They were called High Scalers and were paid more than any other worker, $4 a day.  This was during the depression so that was a lot of money, but a very dangerous job.

 

Jerry gave us all our rules and also advised us where the least ‘wet’ area would be.  This was a very good tip because we were expecting winds of 50 to 60 MPH this day and Tom & I were sitting in the wettest seat.  Jerry said, “No problem about the wind.”, but later admitted he was a little concerned.

We had a wet and wonderful time; some of us wore ponchos supplied by Jerry, some sat up front and just got wet.

We saw a couple of dozen desert sheep, moms and babies, down by the water. 

I think this guy might have been a male watching over the flocks.

These are some of the vistas along the river.

		River sightings from our raft VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

One of the interesting spots was one where the magma heated water is turned into steam, rises up through cracks and is cooled back to water and squirts out from this cave.  Look cool, but it is actually over 140 degrees.  We got the opportunity to test it – HOT!  For those who know Tom you will remember the joke with the punch line, “It doesn’t take me long to look at a horse shoe”'; that came to mind as everyone stuck their hand in and jerked it out fast.

		Hot water show VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We ate our box lunch along the river and were not too hungry by dinner so we heated up left over lasagna, added bread, and salad.  By all time all the deserts were finished, we were too.  It was nighty night as the song says.

Monday morning it was hugs and goodbyes to our ‘crew’.   We did relax a little, had a late lunch-early dinner with Nick & Terry Russell and Greg and Jan White.  As always our time with these fun folks always goes by too fast and it was time for more hugs and goodbyes.  When we got back to the RV we both took naps!!!  That’s what retired people do.

Until next blog we will be On the Road Again, Caching Places We’ve Never Been.

Railroad Rally Reflections, Pt. 2

Saturday morning, 7 a.m. and it’s time to set up the ‘Lite’ breakfast of Strawberries, bananas, Blueberry & Strawberry breads, Costco muffins, English muffins, butter, jellies, Yogurts, Yogurt drinks,  cheeses, and Orange juice.  Everyone brings their own coffee at 8 a.m. and we socialize fast because we have to be at the Nevada So. Railroad Station by 9:30.  Most everyone carpooled the short drive into Boulder City and toured the beautiful restored stock.

First order of business was the ‘official’ group picture. There are 24 in our group minus the photographer of course.  This engine was originally from Scotia, a lumber company town south of Eureka.  We have toured the lumber plant many times, but I don’t remember seeing this engine.

We had a ride in the oldest passenger car owned by the N.S. 

The ride was only 4 miles just past the Railroad Pass Casino where the rails were pulled up after the last turbine went into the dam in the 60’s.  We were told that if and when the state of Nevada builds the bypass highway around Boulder City, the track can be extended several more miles. 

One of the interesting sights along our ride was this beautiful waterfall above a golf course.  This is a man made waterfall that is only turned on when there are golfers on the $500 green fee course.  Must have been golfers playing today.

We went to the end of the line, reversed, and went back to the station.  We were treated to a narrative of how the railroad helped to build Boulder, now Hoover, Dam. 

When we returned some of us rode the the “Goat” that was built by the Museum staff out of parts.  It takes the track toward downtown Boulder City but stops at the Hwy 93.  Alberson’s grocery store built right on the original right of way so we know the train will never extend down that way.

We road past many unique cars, cranes, bottom dumpers, and old once expensive private cars. Many of these will never be restored as they are just too far gone.

We were on our own until we met our Volunteer Ranger Host, Tony Sturla for lunch at the Railroad Pass Casino.  Tony had almost adopted our group since we arrived at the Lake Mead RV Village.  We heard Tony tell us about the flag that flew over the face of the dam following the Olympic torch’s passing through Boulder City and the dam, so we were looking forward to hearing Tony talk again.  Tony had made arrangements at the Casino for us to have the buffet at a reduced price which turned out to be the Childs’ Price, $4.50, for a fabulous spread.

I confess I had my favorite breakfast, Belgium Waffle with fresh strawberries and blueberries and Ice cream on the top.  Following our yummy buffet, we were taken to the original payroll office for the Union Pacific.  The floor was on a 6 foot foundation, the walls were 1 foot thick, and the room was built around the safe, hence the safe could not be removed.  It sits where it was, a safe inside a safe, but no one knows the combination.  Some of us tried… no luck.

		A Visit to the Safe VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We looked through a very small museum, then someone asked to see the pictures of the ‘ladies’ that were supplied just outside the city limits of Boulder City where prostitution was banned.  We did notice a familiar name in the picture.

Chance, like DAN Chance?  What’s that about, Dan? Speaking of Dan, his blog, Travel by Chance, was mentioned in Nick Russell's Blog as one of the 15 “Must Read” blogs.  So here’s your chance (pun intended). 

Back to the park to get ready for MORE FOOD.  We will never starve at a Golden Spike Rally.  This was our Potluck preceded by Happy Hour.  We had lasagna, meat and vegetable, salads, bread and 6 different deserts. We know life’s short, but we did not eat desert first.  In fact we had Tony give his program on the history of the Railroads that build Boulder Dam.  I did say railroads. There was the Union Pacific, the US Government’s and Six Companies’ railroads.  Tony did a superb job throughout our stay and our club presented Tony and his beautiful wife, Jean, a gift certificate to the Bistro café and a Golden Spike Pin that is only given for outstanding service to the club.  THEN we had desert!

I did say I would mention our cache find, Nightmare on Elm Street.  We had tried 3 times when in Boulder City in February but had to report DNF, Did Not Find.   In fact a .    We then were challenged by Cool Judy Rinehimer, our geocaching BOF buddy, to just find it because she and Luke did.  Then to add insult to injury Donna Huffer and Bob Parker, our other geocaching buddies found it too.  Unacceptable!  We had to go for it, so after the train ride, before lunch, we pulled out the Delorme PN-40 and just found it in less than five minutes. .  We did get a TINY hint from Donna and Bob. 

Does he look proud?  This is not a hint as the cache is not where Tom is standing.  If you want a fun hobby, check out Geocaching.

Until Part 3, we will be On the Road Again, Caching Places that we’ve Never Been.

Railroad Rally Reflections

Everyone has pulled out of the Lake Mead RV Village. The kitchen and social hall are clean. All bills are paid. A great time was had by all; what more could we ask for when a rally is over?  Our Golden Spike group has always found the most interesting ‘train’ related venues to hold a rally at.  We were a little nervous when bring our group to a rally with a 4 mile in length excursion train ride.

We have ridden the 3 hour long Mt Hood Ride and the 4 hour long Verde Valley Ride this year so when the good comments about this little well run and maintained railroad are voiced we are happy that we planned it here.

Mt. Hood Railroad – Portland Rally                                                                  Verde Canyon Railroad – Cottonwood, AZ

Our time here began last Tuesday following up on all our tour contacts to make sure we were prepared when the 11 rigs pulled in Thursday and the 12th on Friday.  We were joined by our Co-rally Masters, ‘D’ and Bill Hall, and Sandy and Ken Carnes on Wednesday.  We tried to go the the Bistro for dinner as we had been very pleased with the menu when we were planning last February.  BUT… it is a very small restaurant, we had no reservations and we were a group of six.  So we went to one of the restaurants that have been in Boulder City since the building of the dam, Evans.  We all had a good dinner; Tom even had his comfort food, Liver and Onions. And Barbara says, YUK!

Thursday, we had our Nick and Terry and Greg and Jan fix for at a quick lunch at the Henderson Buffalo Wings. We talked and talked, catching up on our travels since our fun times in Yuma at the Gypsy Gathering Rally.  We then went to CostCo to shop for the breakfasts and dinner items we provide for the rally.  We even found 2 dozed red roses for the ladies on Mother’s Day morning at a reasonable price.  When we returned to the park we were ready for Happy Hour, a tradition in the RV’ing world (or at least at the Golden Spike world).

 

This is such a fun group that loves to eat, party, and learn about rail roads together.
We started an activity packed 3 days on Friday with breakfast at 8 a.m., leave for the Boulder Dam Tour at 9 a.m., and a tour the Dam at 10.

Touring the Dam VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Everything about the building of this dam has been fascinating: the largest government contract issued at that time, the project finished 2 years ahead of schedule, and a $500,000 bonus for the Superintendent, Frank Crowe. He took the bulk of the bonus early and a good thing as he died only a year after the dam was completed.   Boulder Dam or Hoover Dam? Ever wonder about the name and how often it was changed? This is a good story and worth the read.

Art at the Dam VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The art deco at the dam was wonderful. It was found in the architecture, the statues, and in the dam museum.
After the Dam Tour we carpooled to the Boulder Dam Hotel and Museum. 

We had a good lunch and the tour of the museum was very interesting as was the movie of the building of the dam and the price was right, FREE. 
We were OYO, On Your Own, for the afternoon and met back at the Boulder Brewery and Pub.


Evaluation: Too many people, too loud, not enough room, AND NO SEPARATE CHECKS = frustration.  Enough said!
It was a full day and we were looking forward Saturday and the train ride. 

Story continues tomorrow.  So we are still caching on the road… even though on this trip we only got one cache, but more about that tomorrow.

Hello from Boulder City, NV

It’s time to start blogging again.  The bar has been set when I see Sharon and Don Del Rosario posting every day.  What’s that about?  So even though I could not be more busy, I am going to do it!  If Nick Russell can post every day, can I have an excuse?  So here goes.

I think I’ll bring you up to date since my last blog, not that you might be interested, but I might need the reminder of what did the month of April look like in 2011. 

Remember when we were in Bisbee we noticed a tick, tick, tick sound coming from the engine area when the rig was in gear. In neutral there was no ticking.  Tom called the Cummins shop in Fresno and were advised to check for any flammable materials near the exhaust manifold.  Fire was the most serious result of a possible manifold leak.  We’ve seen the pictures of RV’s that has gone up in flames. And our daughter, Jennifer, who works for the American Red Cross has gone to many a fire that has destroyed mobile homes.  She says they go up in minutes. Mac the Fire Guy says the same thing.  So we decided to have it looked at before we drove all the way to Fresno.  We had a great time with old friends, Cool Judy and Luke Rinehimer;

 

new friends, Karen Harden a long haul trucker that we met in the lounge and had dinner with; and family, Robyn and Mike Capacino.  We were kept busy while the work was being done, and I have to mention VERY well done by a professional team at Cummins.  We would definitely recommend this repair service.

On our way back to Fresno we spent a couple of nights in the Indio Elks with Cool Judy and Luke then it was on to Fresno for grandson Logan’s baseball game.

 

He is an awesome catcher and hitter so we were excited to see him hit a triple with 3 RBI’s.

 

Grandson Ryan turned 3 and the family all joined the celebration at the local Me and Ed’s Pizza.  It was quite a homecoming full of family activities.

We were visited by the del Rosarios, who parked nose to nose in our driveway.

 

That was 75 feet of RV’s that looked pretty cool.  We took them to one of our favorite local restaurants, The old Sante Fe Basque across the street from the newly restored Sante Fe Depot. 

Moving on… some of the highlights of our time home was going to church where it did not seem like 3 months had passed since seeing our old friends, unusual weather even for Fresno

(hail on our car),

and the replacing of the pump in our well.

Our time in Fresno passed so quickly.  I replaced 3 computers, transferring all programs and files, and setting them up on the network for the SPCA.  Moving everything to Windows7-64 bit was a challenge for some of the older programs used by the shelter. This took the better part of a week. Getting all paper work ready for son-in-law, Greg, to do our Income Tax also took the better part of a week. We bought a new area rug for the RV and a new leather recliner for Tom.  Jenny & I spent 3 days in Stockton, CA, working at a Child Abduction Prevention Workshop.

Three weeks had passed and it seemed like we had just arrived back in Fresno.    We went to Norm Minson’s retirement party on last Friday and picked up Mom on Saturday morning and drove to the Garden Grove Elks.

 

We were joining Jennifer for another fireworks show in Cerritos.  Jenny took Mom to Disneyland on Sunday.  They road all the wild rides and Mom said she had not had this much fun in five years.  I guess when you’re almost 90, just had knee replacement surgery 2 months earlier, it is time to celebrate life at Disneyland.

While Mom and Jenny were at Disneyland we drove down to Indio where they joined us later that night.  Jenny was working to break down the Country Western Mega-show, Stage Coach, so we took Mom on a tour of some of our favorite sites in Salton Sea and Indio.  We met Jenny at Shields’ Date Garden for date shakes and they left for Fresno.  We left on Tuesday for Boulder City.  The Elks Lodge was full so we checked in early at the Lake Mead RV Village.  As we were booking for 6 days and the 7th is free, we will be here until Tuesday.

Today, we were joined by Golden Spikers, Halls and the Carnes, and we got a nice surprise when we were visited by Boomers, Donna Huffer and Bob Parker who are parked in the next campground.  It is a small world when you live in a “box on wheels”. 

Tomorrow the rest of the Golden Spike Rally group arrive and the fun begins.