Paiute ATV Trail

Paiute ATV Trail

3000 Miles of Scenery

Utah’s Paiute Trail has many beginnings and endings.
They all connect at one place or another.
This part of the trail is near Marysvale, Utah. South of Richfield.
It is about 275 mile-loop around and over three mountain ranges. The Paiute Trail has over 1000 miles of marked side trails. 1500 miles of side forest roads and other ATV and hiking trails.
ATV riders and hikers come from all over the world to travel the Paiute Trail.
Located in central Utah, near the Jct. of I-15 and I-70, and south of the city of Richfield and the Fish Lake National Forest. Richfield also has axcess to the trail.
Each year 60,000 riders are drawn to this area for the ATV Jamboree, to come and enjoy The Paiute Trail system.
This is a small part of the over all trail system. Another part of the Paiute Trail is in Millard County by I-15 and Fillmore.
The spider-web-like trail systems have more than 3,000 miles of dirt trails.
The Paiute Trail is open to all-terrain vehicles.
While The Paiute Trail is gaining in popularity there are other ATV trails in the State of Utah.
Maps are available for all the trails. You should purchase one now and plan your summer adventure.
Happy Trails.

Narrow Gage Train

Narrow Gage Train

Taking the Scenic Route

A very popular way to get to Silverton, Colorado is by The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
From Durango, Colorado the train departs daily for a round trip to Silverton.
Established in 1881, this authentic coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive makes a daily trip through the remote mountains, between the two towns of Durango and Silverton.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railway arrived in Durango in August 1881.  
Construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year.  Nine months later the tracks to Silverton were completed. The train began to transport freight and passengers.
It was constructed to haul silver and gold ore from the San Juan Mountains, but passengers soon realized it was a trip with a view, one not to be missed.
When the mining for gold and silver ended, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad started just taking passengers to Silverton daily.
Following the Animas River, where the water is so clear it shimmers like diamonds.
Where the rapids rip and roar down the canyon, from the peaks of the San Juan Mountains some 13,000 feet in height.
The historic railroad has been in continuous operation for over 122 years.
200,000 annual passengers travel on the vintage train.
The railroad has had to increase the trains from one to four this last year to keep up with all of the people who want to take a ride.

For more information: www.durangotrain.com
  

Silverton Colorado

Silverton, Colorado

A Step Back In Time

Silverton sits on the roof of the nation.  One of the last, of the Old West, rustic allures.
Hardrock mining founded Silverton and kept it going for more than a century.
Founded in the 1800’s and named Bakers Park after its founder Charles Baker. I sit in a meadow, in the bowl of an old volcanic caldera.
Baker was chased away by Ute Indians for invading their native hunting grounds.
After the civil War a Treaty was signed and the Ute’s moved from the area.
Silverton was established as a mining camp.  Later it became a town.
The main streets were named after early settlers.  A raucous red-light district was on the “notorious Blair Street.” There are a least 20 buildings that have been preserved.  Many of them with original furnishings.  Much remains as it was.  Never having a fire as many of the mining towns, all the old wooden buildings are as they were.
It has an interesting museum in the old three story jail.  The jail having three floors was a novelty for the time.  Having the Sheriff and his family live there in the jail was scandalous.
Silverton still clings to its Old West ways and is on of the most charismatic towns in the San Juan Mountains.
For those seeking to explore the old ghost towns, there are many guides to take you on the 700 miles of jeep trails.
A summer ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad is offered daily.  Or tour the “Old Hundred Gold Mine.”
It too is as it was, in the mining era.

Telluride Colorado

Telluride, Colorado

Two Towns in One

Telluride is hidden in a box canyon surrounded by 14,000 feet peaks of the San Juan Mountains.
The first people to Telluride as the Ute Indians.  Fur trappers were likely the first Anglos to spend extended time there.
The discovery of gold in 1858 put Colorado on the map.
In 1880 Telluride became a town of miners.  By 1890 the town flourished and Telluride’s population soared to 5,000.
The town boasted all the amenities of a thriving community, plus saloons, gambling, and red light district.
The wealth of Telluride attracted the likes of Butch Cassidy and his “Wild Bunch. “
Silver and gold prices crashed, with the first World War and marked the end of the mining boom in Telluride.  It became barely more than a ghost town.
Telluride was resurrected in 1970 by another kind of gold. SNOW.
The newly created ski resort replenished the economy, reviving the city.
Today, Telluride population of 2200 residents is skiers and snowboarders.
Telluride is really two towns; located mid-mountain on the south side of the ski area is the town of Mountain Village.
Getting from Telluride to Mountain Village is half the fun.  A three-stage gondola provides a fast and free commute.  The only transportation system of its kind in the North America.
The gondola is enclosed and takes passengers between Telluride and Mountain Village in 13 minutes.
Using this system displaces the need for automobiles between the two towns.
The gondola is a nice ride.  I didn’t understand the getting off ,at each stage stop ,and getting on a different car.  That would get old to me. People had groceries and carry ones to take off and on at each stop.
Elevation of Telluride is 8750 feet, Mountain Village is 9545 feet.  The gondola takes you up 795 feet.
It is unique; it makes me wonder if it will catch on in other ski towns.  

Native American Casino

Native American Casino’s


We started investigating Native American casinos in the different states.
We were curious to see how they differ from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The casinos in California, Oregon, and Washington were smaller, some without hotel or RV parks.
This is the usual way for the Indian casinos. They build the casino and get the business going and then add to it.
The casinos on the coast had a phrase “paper in paper out”, referring to the way the winnings were disbursed. The machines took paper money, when you left that machine it gave you a paper receipt. It has a bar code on it, and you can use it in a different machine or turn it in for cash. Therefore, eliminating the need for a change person. A way to cut down on the payroll.
A few that we stopped into had live entertainment. The one we stopped to in Grants Pass, Oregon had a Doo Wop group which we enjoyed a lot.
All of these casino’s are for adults only.
We recently went to Colorado where we stopped at the Ute Mountain Casino, in Towaoc, Colorado. It has a hotel and a RV park. Like some of the bigger casinos this one has a nice travel center where gas was 10 cents less per gallon.
In the casino it was Las Vegas style gambling with money in and money out. With slot machines from 2 cents to 5 dollars.
The interesting thing was while we were there the electricity went off. A generator immediately turned on. All of the machines and gambling never missed a beat with the exception of keno.
The air conditioner stayed on, at a much lower rate, causing it to get very smoky inside.
I had this same thing happen to me in Ely, Nevada. I was playing a slot machine and the electricity went off. Emergency lights came on, but the machines were closed down. I had money in my machine so I could not just leave it. Causing me to wait at the machine until the electricity came on in 15 minutes.
The ratio of winners is not at all like the winners in Las Vegas. But then these are much smaller casino’s also.
The Ute Mountain also has a tour to take you to see cliff dwellings that was built around 1140 A.D.
For more information on that call 1-800-847-5485

Arches National Park

Trails Illustrated Map: UT - Arches

Arches National Park

Moab, Utah

Red rock sandstone cliffs, giant balanced rocks, slender monoliths, the red rock formations appear to be giant sculptures.
Arches National Park contains the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches.
2,000 arches are located within the parks 76,518 acres.  
From the new, this year, visitors center take the 18 mile scenic drive.  Many of the rock formations are visible from the road with numerous pullouts and view points.
This is a landscape, sculpted by nature.  Spectacular displays of eroding Entrada and Navajo sandstone, shape the scenes.  The Entrada sandstone is the beautiful dark, salmon  color and Navajo is the lighter, desert buff.  Making a beautiful contrast.
Manganese and iron appear as black streaks on exposed rock surfaces to add to the beauty.
Photography opportunities here are endless.  The landscape with naturally occurring geologic wonders, sandstone fins, pinnacles and spires.
The beauty is left to the eye of the beholder to capture uniquely through their lens.
A great way to start this and every excursion into a National park is to stop at the visitor’s center.
Arches National Park visitor center is open all year. There is a very informative 15 minute movie for your information on the history on the park.
Today new arches are being formed and old ones are being destroyed.  Erosion and weather are relatively slow but are relentless, creating dynamic land forms that gradually change over time.
Take nothing but pictures.
Waste nothing but time.
Leave nothing but footprints.

Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas: Utah

National Geographic Guide Map: Utah

A Different Kind of

A Different House Cat

Hybrid

Our son Bob brought us a kitten. We both have a soft spot for the little fellows. We could have a dozen of them.
This one was different. It is a hybrid, half Manx and half Siamese.
Her name is Kattie. Big blue eyes, milk chocolate in color, with the tan and black markings of the Siamese Dad. No tail like the Manx mother.
Kattie has no idea she is a cat. We were going to tell her when she got older. Now she is a year old and we can’t tell her. She would never believe it.
She is like no other cat I know. She doesn’t want to be held, don’t rub up on your legs, or get under your feet.
She will let you pet her when she wants to. This is not optional.
She hates cats. She will look at them if they are outside the window.
Kattie is strictly a house pet. She is afraid of the outside. She is traumatized each time you have to take her out.
She doesn’t need to talk. She can tell you what she wants and will lead you to it, if you don’t understand what she is telling you.
The other night was a real challenge. She would not shut up. In the kitchen was something she wanted. We went through the list of obvious things. Food-no-water-no-toys-no. Finally when she kept looking at the ceiling light, we saw a miller flying around. She hates bugs. When the miller was gone, she trotted off to do something else.
Kattie loves our son Bob. She is his alarm clock in the morning, and can’t wait to get him out of bed. She will cry and roll all over the floor until he says ok, get up in the window seat and I will pet you. With a snap of a finger, she trots off to the seat to get petted.
The rest of us try this and she just acts stupid. What do you mean snapping your fingers at me? She will only do this for Bob.
Recently Bob had to go to California for several days. Kattie moped around the house.
When he called home, we put him on the speaker phone. Kattie, from another room came running at the sound of his voice. Meow, meow, meow, trying to climb up my leg to get to Bob’s voice. When she could not find him on the phone, she looked all under the table, talking as she went, meow, meow, and meow. I told Bob that Kattie was trying to talk to him. He could not believe it. When I held the phone to her Bob said, hi Kattie, how is my baby? She meowed to him on the phone. This is true love.
When I cook a roast, turkey, or bar-b-que ribs, she just knows they are for her. She waits all day and tells you she is ready to eat them. The other day she just knew she wanted sour kraut and wieners. I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen. So I let her have a plate of them. One smell, she blinked her eyes, laid back her ears and flew out of the kitchen.
So much for what Kattie knows. This is a four footed human and don’t try to tell her otherwise.

Mexico Tour

Ensenada,Mexico





Visit the enchanting Mexican seaport town of Ensenada.
Hotel pickup and return, ride in a comfortable motor coach. Traveling down the coast to Baja California from San Diego. Spend an hour in Rosarito Beach and 3.5 hours in Ensenada, Mexico.
That is just what we did. The motor coach trip was very pleasant and the driver very informative.
Upon arriving in the quaint seaport town we enjoyed a full 5 entrée lunch, at a very nice hotel.
My husband was more daring than I was. He ordered squid steak. It sounds terrible, but it was very delicious. When we ask how it was cooked the chef himself came to our table to tell us about it. Only the main body of the squid is used. Tenderized, breaded and fried. It was very tender and tastes much better than it sounded.
There was time for shopping and sight seeing after that. The prices were much higher than we had seen in Tijuana. Tijuana is the place for the serious shoppers.
It was time to head home. At the boarder we had a two hour delay. They have a bus lane so we didn’t have to get in the car lane, but there were a lot of buses that day.
The tour company said all we needed was pictured drivers license. It is not a law to have a passport until 2008.
So off we went to get back across the border. That was not an easy task.
An American boarder guard hassled us. He said we could not leave because we did not have a passport. Finally after he got his thrill at our expense he let us go.
We will go ahead and get the passport now. Since 911 it is faster and safer to have one.
This trip is a good one. Don’t let our misfortune change your mind on this trip.
It was beyond the tour company’s control.
If you would like to go.

The Panda Bear

The Panda Bear

San Diego Has Four

The San Diego zoo has the largest number of giant panda’s outside of Mainland, China.
Currently the zoo has four.
  Bai Yun   has a new baby girl, just four weeks old the last of August 2005.  When she was born she only weighed 13 ounces and was 9.4 inches long.  Not yet ready for the crowds of admires she is not on display yet.
Baby has no name.  China will name her when she turns 100 days old.
The new Mother Bai Yun gave birth twice before.  The first time in 1999, to a female cub named Hau Mei. She was the first cub to survive in the US.
When we went to see Hau Mei in 2000, she was a year old and almost as big as her Mother. She still had that baby look and soft baby fur.  
The morning we were there she got active and was playing with her Mother.  Right after we were there, China wanted her back.  So she was returned to them.
She recently gave birth to twins in China.
The two year old male, Mei Sheng, is still a baby in actions.   He just recently had a birthday party.  He still sleeps all afternoon and comes out in the cool of the evening.
Gao Gao is the name of the other, older male at the zoo.
San Diego pays millions of dollars each year to China just to keep the Panda for us to view.  There are only four zoos that have the Panda.   Atlanta, Georgia, Memphis, Tennessee, and San Diego, California.
How lucky we are to live close to a zoo where we can visit the Panda’s when we want to.

www.sandiegozoo.org



adidas Nova Walk Training Women's Footwear

Doo Wop Music

Mirage Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas



Doo Wop Music

Three of the Favorites

When PBS did it’s special on Doo Wop singing groups from the fifties, that kind of music was re-born.
We had listened to it when we were teenagers, bought all of the tapes, records and CD’s we could find.
We had driven to Branson, Missouri to see the Platters a couple of years before the Special.
We learned there that three groups of the Platters were still out there doing the shows. It seems like when the lead singer of the Platters passed on, the group broke up.  Each member started his own group under the Platters name, singing all of the old favorites.
When the PBS special came out, more of the music was available on CD’s.  Music companies that never had doo wop before now sell it.
When you grow up listening to the Platters, you can imagine how happy we were to find out a group of the Platters are now in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Singing all of favorites.
Some of the original Cornell Gunter’s Coasters and Berry Hobbs Drifters appear with them.
Three groups, for the price of one.  Does it get better than this?
Just to hear the live doo wop music on the West Coast is a magic moment.
Now you can hear all the popular songs of the 50’s and 60’s like these.
Twilight Time, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Lucy Brown ,Will You Still love Me Tomorrow and Love Potion #9.
Let’s support these groups so they will stay on the west coast.  Maybe more of the doo wop groups will follow.    If only for a limited engagement.
Appearing nightly at The Sahara Hotel and Casino
2535   Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.saharavegas.com



Las Vegas Deals

Slot Machines

For books on gambeling try this spot.

Slot Machines

The One Arm Bandits

We enjoy gambling on a small scale.  I believe it is all luck.
Still the pros believe in probabilities.
Professionals are committed to finding an edge and winning.  Many books are written on how to.
With the book, you are able to get the maximum enjoyment out of your next casino visit.
They are inexpensive so I leave that up to you.
My advice is simple:
Set a limit for what you will spend and stick to it.  To do this think of what would be a reasonable price to pay for the enjoyment of playing the slots?
Decide the denomination of the slot machine you will play.  A good plan is to start with the nickel and work your way up.
With the reintroduction of the penny machine you can spend all day and not go over the budget.  I even won $50 last time I tried them. Never had so much fun and spent so few coins.
Never play with more than you can afford to lose.
Divide your total bankroll for the trip by the number of days you plan to stay.
Divide your allowance by the number of hours you want to play.
Start out slow.  
To find a good machine use a roll of coins and see if you get a return of 90 % back.  If so that is a good machine.  If the machine eats up more than 10% it is probably going to eat a lot of your money.  Find another machine.
Enjoy your self.  If you set your limits and play a machine you can afford, you are not playing with anything, and you can’t afford to lose.




Treasure Island - Las Vegas

Laughlin Casinos

Laughlin Casino’s


Laughlin, Nevada is Different.

Casinos never have clocks, no windows and time can escape you.  It is as light outside, from all of the neon, as it is inside.

Laughlin is different.

Laughlin located 90 miles southwest of Las Vegas is on the Colorado River.
Many of the casinos offer a view of the river from the casino floor.  
With temperatures over 100 degrees in the summer months, winter is the time to go.
Winter months with no snow and the temperatures are mid-60’s-70. It is a town for all of the snowbirds.
As a casino town goes this one is relatively new.  
Don Laughlin started it in 1964.  Population now of 7,000 but gains an estimated 5 million visitors a year.
Top entertainers, many coming from Las Vegas, regularly play here.
It offers more to do than gambling with the river there for boating and water craft.
Water taxis allow visitors to go from one resort to another with out the use of your car.
The town also has an 18-hole public golf course.
Laughlin is smaller than Las Vegas, but larger than casino towns of Wendover and Mesquite.
http://www.visitlaughlin.com
  

Las Vegas 100 Years

Las Vegas 100 Years

This year Vegas is 100 years old.

In the middle of the desert, miles from no where.
The Mormons settled a place that would become known as “Sin City’.
Las Vegas boasts some of the worlds greatest resort hotels, was little more that a tent city in the desert, 100 years ago.
It was a city fueled by the building of a railroad, flooded with workers who built the Hover Dam in 1930’s.
Invaded by mobsters in the, 1940’s.
Lit up by the nuclear bombs, in the 1950’s.
Taken over by Howard Hues, in the 1960’s.
Reshaped into family friendly in the 1980”s.
A corporate profit-maker in the, 1990’s.

All that Glitters

Slot machines were invented in 1889.
Vegas have 200,000 slot machines and more every day being installed.
Gambling places number 1700 and rising.
The largest slot machine jackpot won in Las Vegas us 27.58 million won in 1998.
Vegas have over 124,270 hotel rooms and still can not sleep everyone who comes there.
There are 15,000 miles of lighted neon signs.
Barbara Streisand holds the world single concert box-office record.  Performing on New Years Eve, 1999 at MGM Grand.  She drew 12,477 patrons and grossed more than 14 million dollars.
The strip opened a monorail transit system in 2004.
It’s literally a beacon of civilization.  Looking from space at our planet, astronauts make out the lights of Las Vegas before anything else.
A first sign, of life on earth.


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End Date Not specified
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Oasis Date Farm

Oasis Date Farm

Sex Life of a Date


When ask if I knew the sex life of a date, I had to admit two things.  One I never even thought about it.  Two I knew nothing about it.
But I was very curious.
It was high on my doin stuff list.
Located in the Coachella Valley in Thermal, California.   Near Palm Springs.
Coachella Valley working date ranch, grows dates organically, and annually produces some 1,300,000 pounds of Medjool dates and 100,000 pounds of other varieties.
175 acres of date palms, some more than 80 years old and 80 feet tall.
The Ranch Store offers numerous varieties of dates.  Shipping them all over the world.
They also have date cake, cookies, pie and even a date milk shake.  All of which is excellent in taste.
Don’t miss the video show on the date sex life, it is amazing what they have to do to grow and produce dates.
  Located:
Oasis Date Gardens
59-111 Hwy. 111
Thermal,  Ca.
1-800-827-8017