A timelapse of driving the coach 177 miles from Caliente, Nevada to Hatch, Utah.
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Posts featuring the coach.
Travel from Caliente, NV to Hatch, UT
We drove our coach 177 miles, 4.5 hours, from Caliente, Nevada to Hatch, Utah. Yay, another state!
Here’s the map, heading east:
An interesting point about this route is it isn’t the most direct route — that would be highway 14. However, as the map indicates, there is a portion with a too low clearance for our coach, plus that route is very twisty and across a mountaintop. We did drive that route in our truck later, and were very glad we didn’t try to take our coach that way. This is an important part of route planning; making sure it is feasible for our RV. The RV Life Trip Wizard really helps with this.
Anyway, on with the travel pics. Caliente is a fairly cute small town; here’s Company Row:
Turning onto 319 East:
An interesting house in Panaca, and fellow RV traveler:
A curvy highway:
The GPS mirrored on the TV, approaching the Utah border, represented by the horizontal dotted line:
Entering Utah:
Interesting rocks:
Train:
The clouds looked fake:
Utah highway:
Hey there Paladin:
Snowy mountains:
Getting on to I-15:
Where the speed limit was 80 MPH, not that we go that fast in our coach:
Paladin sleeping in his safe spot next to my chair:
We didn’t really need fuel, but were concerned that truck stops would be less common out in the wilds of Utah, so stopped at T/A to top up:
We topped up the DEF, too:
A first for us, we parked with the trucks:
And headed in to Subway for lunch:
A couple more Paladin pics:
I noticed a bunch of these interesting ramps along the freeway; presumably to let animals escape the road:
Our exit:
Cattle guard:
Curvy road:
Highway leading to snowy hills:
Snow by the side of the road:
7,920 feet summit, with more curves and steep downhill ahead:
Sharp curve and mountain vista:
Interesting rocks:
“River”:
Arriving at our next destination:
Paladin watching birds while Jenn checks in:
Cellular internet
We are both still working as we travel the country in our motorhome, so having reliable internet access is essential.
To that end, we have six internet options: two cellular plans (AT&T and Verizon) in a cellular modem, one cell plan (T-Mobile) via a Wi-Fi hotspot device, two iPhones (AT&T), and (very recently) Starlink satellite internet.
And sometimes we connect to campground Wi-Fi, when available, though our various options are usually faster and more reliable.
Having four different networks and a variety of devices ensures that almost anywhere we are, we can connect to the internet.
Some details about the plans:
- T-Mobile (via 5G Wi-Fi hotspot): unlimited data; plan provided by the Calyx Institute. This is what we’ve used the most, being truly unlimited.
- AT&T (LTE SIM in cellular modem): 800 GB data; plan provided by Mobile Must Have. A good backup option, though often not very fast.
- Verizon (5G SIM in cellular modem): 150 GB data; pre-paid plan from Verizon. Often the fastest cellular option, but very limited data, so we don’t use it much.
- AT&T (iPhones): unlimited data; plans and phones provided by Apple Upgrade Program. We use these a lot as standalone devices. They only have 40 GB data as a personal hotspot, so we don’t tether other than emergencies.
- Starlink (satellite): unlimited data; plan and dish provided by Starlink. We’ll probably use this the most going forward, if it proves to be reliable enough (and if our campsites can see enough of the sky).
I’ll cover Starlink in a separate post later, once we’ve spent more time with it — as of this post, we’ve only had it for a few days.
This is the T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot; we can connect to it directly, but most of the time we go via the modem, which also connects to it:
The modem has a roof-mounted antenna (the white fin in the following picture), which we got from Mobile Must Have, and installed by NIRVC; a Poynting 7-in-1 Roof Antenna. It contains 4 cell antennas, 2 WiFi antennas, and a GPS antenna:
Zoomed out a bit:
The antenna connects to the Pepwave MAX Transit modem (also from MMH), which contains the AT&T and Verizon SIMs (and can support two more). NIRVC mounted it in a cupboard above our entry door:
See a later post about some further modifications to this cupboard.
Young’s RV Park
We stayed at Young’s RV Park in Caliente, Nevada. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-04-21
- Check out: 2022-04-24
- 3 nights
Weather:
- Windy, rainy, cloudy
- High temps ranging between 60 and 72°F, lows around 32-44°F
- Very windy the first day (wind is common in Spring)
Noise:
- No road noise, occasional train noise
- Quiet and noisy neighbors on different days
Site:
- #38, pull-through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
- Medium site: no marked edges, but about 60 feet long by about 25 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power conveniently located
- Good water pressure, 55 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, conveniently located
- Picnic table
Internet:
- Campground Wi-Fi: 0.5 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 45-145 ms ping; not used
- T-Mobile: no service
- AT&T: 3-8 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- Verizon: 3-9 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 80-128 ms ping
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpster
- No pool
Here’s the review Jenn wrote on Campground Reviews:
Good basic campground
We stayed for a few nights on our way to Great Basin National Park. Our site was level and easy to get in and out of. Seems like a very popular spot for gatherings as I got the impression everyone else staying there knew each other, but at least everyone obeyed the quiet hours. We camped at Young’s RV Park in a Motorhome.
The weather forecast for our stay:
This park was unusual in that there was no paper map or other information provided, just a credit card receipt (that had the Wi-Fi password on it). Here’s the map from their website:
The satellite view:
Our site:
A tumbleweed blowing in the wind:
Conveniently located utilities:
55 PSI water pressure:
It was very windy on our first day; here’s a GIF of the slide topper flapping in the wind:
Our site and neighbors:
Other RVs:
The office:
Bathroom and laundry:
More tumbleweeds:
It rained on our second day; the first time we’ve had real rain in about a month:
A side-by-side on the back of a pickup; an interesting arrangement:
Video: timelapse of coach driving from Boulder City, NV to Caliente, NV
A timelapse of driving the coach 181 miles from Boulder City, Nevada to Caliente, Nevada.
Travel from Boulder City to Caliente, NV
We drove our coach 181 miles, four hours, from Lake Mead, Boulder City, Nevada to Caliente, Nevada.
Here’s the map, heading north:
Decorations in Boulder City:
More freeway decorations:
Paladin was contented in his safe space:
A trike:
Las Vegas in the distance:
Overpass art:
Wall art:
Passing by Las Vegas:
Exit:
Overpass art:
We stopped at Love’s for fuel:
We were interested to see that this Love’s has RV and boat storage:
Fuel time:
Spendy for less than half a tank:
I used my laptop while traveling:
Motorcycles:
A lake:
Curvy road:
Interesting rocks:
A long straight road, heading for the hills:
A bunch of Joshua trees:
Downgrade sign:
The exaust heat warning light came on, with all the hill climbing; went off again shortly thereafter:
Rocks and curves:
Our destination:
Chair armrest adjustment
Our coach has fold-down arms on the two cockpit chairs. When we bought it, one of the arms of the passenger chair was too low. We figured that someone had put too much weight on it and broken it:
However, I recently learned a trick: inside the small hole at the end of the armrest is an adjustment lever. One can put a finger in there and lift up the lever below the hole, and adjust the resting height of the armrest:
So now yay, it’s all better:
Mind blown! 🤯
Learn something new every day.
Lake Mead RV Village
We stayed at the Lake Mead RV Village in Boulder City, Nevada. (Campground Reviews listing.)
We considered staying at the Thousand Trails in Las Vegas, but the reviews weren’t very favorable. So we opted for a nicer park with a view of Lake Mead instead.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-04-10
- Check out: 2022-04-21
- 11 nights
Weather:
- Sunny, some clouds
- High temps ranging between 66 and 91°F, lows around 35-57°F
- Some days of gale-force winds (gusts up to 64 MPH!); did not enjoy those
Noise:
- No road or train noise
- Initially noisy neighbors, until they left
Site:
- #LV21, pull-in, cement pad surrounded by gravel
- Unusual in that pull coach in front-first — so get a lake view out the windscreen
- Initially had a fiver next to us, backed in, so their door was facing us; didn’t like that — but the site remained empty after they left
- Needed to disconnect toad; parked on gravel beside coach
- Medium site: about 55 feet long by 30 feet wide, with 40 by 15 cement pad for RV
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power conveniently located
- Good water pressure, 60+ PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, conveniently located
- All utilities on both sides, to accommodate front-in motorhomes and back-in trailers
- Picnic table
- Fire pit
Internet:
- Campground Wi-Fi: 26 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 25 ms ping; not used
- T-Mobile: 25-30 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
- AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 38 ms ping
- Verizon: 32-37 Mbps down, 15-17 Mbps up, 55 ms ping
Amenities:
- Garbage and recycling dumpsters, not particularly close
- No pool
- Nice camp store; we bought groceries there
- The usual other stuff we didn’t use
Here’s the review Jenn wrote on Campground Reviews:
Gorgeous lake and mountain views
We had a pull-in Lake View site and it was sooooo worth it. Best view ever, even if the lake isn’t as high as it used to be. The only drawback is that while we were front-in with our motorhome, our neighbor was backed in with a 5er, which means it was basically a buddy site, so privacy was lacking. If they could keep motorhomes and trailers/5ers separate that would be even better. Utilities are available on either side of the site because of the front or back-in arrangement.
Our site was so level, our automatic levelers pretty much just went down and called it good without any fiddling. That never happens. Very convenient to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas for some sightseeing and touristy fun, but it was so nice to come back to this quiet spot when the day was done. Some basic necessities in the camp store. Groceries in Boulder City or Henderson weren’t too far away, but you might want to put a cooler in the car just in case. We camped at Lake Mead RV Village in a Motorhome.
The weather forecast for our stay:
It was quite windy, with gusts up to 64 miles per hour, though I think we were a little sheltered from the worst of that:
Here’s the campground map, which only shows the RV sites; most of the park is mobile homes:
The satellite view shows all the mobile homes; our approximate location is circled:
Zooming out, you can see the lake edge. Though these satellite images are out-of-date; the water is actually a bit further now, as the lake continues to drain due to the ongoing drought:
This last image shows the Nevada/Arizona border line, and Hoover Dam:
Our lake view site; notice that we fronted in, to have a nice view out our windscreen, while trailers back in:
The downside of this arrangement is that a trailer next to us has their door facing us, so a “buddy” situation. Not great for privacy:
Fortunately the sites are fairly wide, so we weren’t on top of each other. And they left after a few days, which was a relief, since they had their TV blaring with the door open most of the time.
Looking down the side of the coach to the utilities:
Pretty convenient location; to accommodate motorhomes and trailers, all of the utilities are available on both sides of the site:
Good water pressure:
Once we spent a night here, we were able to fill in a hole on our states map, adding Nevada:
Utah will be added soon, too.
Here’s the picturesque view out our windscreen; we didn’t put up the Magne Shade, so we could enjoy the view:
A dust storm:
Paladin relaxing:
Let’s take a walk around the campground, and look at other RVs and the mobile homes:
The entrance:
The office:
We enjoyed the blooming cacti out front:
The office also included a decent camp store, where we got some groceries:
Village hall:
I worked outside on several days (when not too hot or breezy), in the shade in front of our coach, enjoying the view:
Jenn had some meetings outside, too:
Paladin looking outside:
Paladin watching taunty quail:
An interesting plane / copter thing:
Dinner with a view:
Surprisingly, there were several empty sites for much of our stay. We had several trailers come and go on our driver side, but I would have expected the park to be more packed. Sure, it’s early Spring, but we were here around Easter weekend:
Sunrise over the lake:
The moon over our coach:
Sunset alpenglow:
A good park, with the nicest view we’ve experienced (so far). We’ll definitely stay here again.
Video: timelapse of coach driving from Williams, AZ to Boulder City, NV
A timelapse of driving the coach 189 miles from Williams, Arizona to Boulder City, Nevada.
Travel from Williams, AZ to Lake Mead, Boulder City, NV
We drove our coach 183 miles, 3.5 hours non-stop, from Williams, Arizona to Lake Mead, Boulder City, Nevada.
Here’s the map, going right to left (or heading west, if you prefer):
Maybe someone didn’t like their dog? Devil Dog Road:
A view heading downhill:
A truck clipped our mirror, crossing the center line. Doesn’t seemed to have done more than scrape it, but it was rather disconcerting:
Based on the their trailer, they may not be the best driver:
Paladin not looking impressed by a rough stretch of road:
I put him on my lap for a bit:
Passing a motorhome; hey fellow traveller:
This was a non-stop trip, so we had a lunch of chips and a sandwich while driving:
Interesting rocks:
Another motorhome (a Thor Aria was one model we considered when shopping for an RV; Thor isn’t the best brand, but the Aria isn’t bad):
More interesting rocks:
Steep uphill:
Travel trailer delivery:
A pickup with a camper, towing an interesting trailer; I’m guessing a contractor:
Approaching the exit from I-40:
Yet more interesting rocks:
Our exit:
A view (and yes, our windshield was getting rather dirty, from lots of bugs):
We encountered a motorcycle accident; the rider was on the ground, attended by several people. I hope they’re okay, but it didn’t look good:
Paladin peeking:
Last stop in Arizona:
Info sign:
Hey look, more interesting rocks:
Hilltop view:
Approaching Hoover Dam:
A glimpse of Hoover Dam from the center lane of the bridge next to the dam (when Jenn later saw the bridge from the dam, she said she was very glad she didn’t know how high it was when driving over it!):
Entering Nevada:
Our exit:
View of Lake Mead:
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entry station:
Jenn going to the RV park office to check in:
Following a guide to our site:
The timelapse video from this trip will be coming later today, and our review of the RV park tomorrow.