Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Jeepin’ to Honeycomb Rock

Honeycomb Rock Trip (click on map to enlarge)

On Thursday we took a Jeep trip into the desert to Honeycomb Rock (also called Rovey’s Needle or Holey Rock).

I’m pleased to report that none of our vehicles were damaged, and we all came back in one piece.

It was a great day trip.

Photos and video from our trip . . .

PHOTOS

In the Shadow of Honeycomb Rock (click on photo to enlarge)

Our Starting & Ending Point – a huge RV resort that never happened (click on photo to enlarge)

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VIDEOS

Overflow’s Secret Beach

Overflow Site #1

There’s a group of campsites at Crazy Horse Campground called “Overflow”.

On the official campsite map, the Overflow sites aren’t even shown. There’s just a “road to overflow area” shown (on the map look above the “r” in “Crazy Horse Campground”.)

From the porch of our park unit, we can look across the marina below us and see several campers on the “Overflow” ridge. There’s usually several campers at Overflow, but we’ve never bothered to check it out.

Overflow seemed like RVers parked in a wasteland. Then I took Flirt for a walk up the ridge to Overflow.

On the Overflow Plain with Flirt

When Flirt and I reached the top of the ridge, it looked like a huge gravel parking lot.

We kept walking . . . past the Overflow campers and to the edge of the lake bluff.

Then we saw it . . .

The Secret Beach (click on photo to enlarge)

A “private” beach . . .

Flirt & I walked a Jeep trail down to the lake shore and found a beach that continued for several hundred feet. The beach was shallow with a sandy bottom.

We’ll be back for a swim when it warms up in Spring.

Here are some photos from our walkabout . . .

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Let there be Heat!

Mark it on your calendar — we turned on our heat (heat pump) today for the first time as temps hovered in the 50’s.

Can no longer imagine a Wisconsin Winter.

Lake Havasu City December 15 – 21 Forecast

COMING UP:

Our 2nd Xmas Dinner @ Crazy Horse Campground which was almost cancelled because no one was volunteering to help.

Let there be . . . FAST Internet! (& cheap too)

Our New Cable Modem for Our Park Model

Those of you in a Sticks & Bricks (i.e, a house) may want to tune out now and read a book.

This post is intended for those of us on the road — or at least for those on the road for a significant amount of time during the year.

Internet access is no longer a “luxury” on the road. Most folks who RV full time do their banking, bill paying, etc via the Internet.

Imagine trying to pay bills using Snail Mail (i.e, the Post Office) . . . Tuesday you’re in Indiana, Thursday you’re in Missouri, and Sunday you’re in Kansas. Paper bills aren’t practical while traveling — unless you like late payment fees.

Anyway, besides banking & billing, Internet access is required for web browsing, email, Facebook accounts, Netflix, yada, yada, . . .

If you live in a S&B, you probably have access to cable TV like Time Warner or Comcast. If so, you probably also have access to high-speed Internet over that cable.

High-speed broadband via cable is the Holy Grail of Internet access. Why? Typically, it’s fast, cheap, and . . .  there are no data limits or “caps”. This means you could Netflix yourself to death without fear of “running out” of data.

Our Park Model’s Microwave Radio Internet Antenna

NOT SO ON THE ROAD

While traveling, you’re probably getting Internet access through a cellular network — Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. (Some folks use a satellite network like MotoSat or iDirect, but cellular is the most popular.)

When you access the Internet using either a cellular or a satellite network, you will have a limit on the amount of data you can download. For example, we have a 40GB Verizon plan. This means we can download up to 40GB per month.  If we go over that amount, it’ll cost us.

Verizon’s “sliding” Data Plans — The more you want, the more you’ll pay

How much is 40GB worth of data? For many people, it’s plenty. For us, hopefully, it’s enough.

Downloading a HD (High Definition) iTunes movie, might cost you 5GB — just for one movie.

Downloading (or streaming) a 2-hour HD Netflix movie might be around 3.6GB — again, that’s just one movie.

Long story short — if you like watching movies over the Internet, stay at home.

Anyway, besides our Verizon cellular plan, while staying in our park model, we tried “Microwave Radio” Internet access for $39.95/month. It’s been a disappointment because it’s slow — about 2Mbps download speed. By comparison, our Verizon 4G LTE cellular plan typically is over 10Mbps. However, Microwave Radio doesn’t have a data limit. There is that.

Today, however, the Holy Grail arrived at our park model — we had a cable modem installed.

Cable Modem Internet Speeds

Crazy Horse Campground supplies free basic cable to all the park models. Several park model owners have been able to hook up cable modems to their free cable and get fast & cheap Internet access.

But until today — and thanks to a Cable Guy Hero — we haven’t been able to use a cable modem. Until today.

Now we’re smoking! Fast, cheap, and no data caps (at least while we’re in our park model).

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING TONIGHT

A wonderfully buttery Chardonnay . . .