travel

Freeways, highways, and other roads as we move the coach from one site to another. Plus cat pics.

Travel from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California

We drove our coach 121 miles, about three hours of driving, from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

Death Valley route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

Horses artwork:

Horses artwork

Driving past the buildings of the Vegas strip:

Vegas

Vegas

Vegas

Overpass artwork:

Overpass artwork

Snowy mountains:

Mountains

A snack while driving:

Snack

Paladin in his safe space:

Paladin

Mountain:

Mountain

We stopped for lunch at the Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

It’s Nevada, so there’s also the Alien Cathouse Brothel:

Alien Cathouse Brothel

The Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Our coach

They have a cafe, but it was closed, so we grabbed packaged sandwiches for lunch:

Lunch

Cow artwork:

Cow artwork

Leaving Nevada, entering California (no welcome sign, just “click it or ticket”; real friendly there, California):

Nevada to California

Bumpy road:

Bumpy road

Enering Death Valley National Park:

Enering Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Most of the park is below sea level; passing sea level elevation, heading down:

Sea level elevation

-5 elevation:

-5 elevation

The Ranch at Death Valley, at -190 feet elevation:

The Ranch at Death Valley

Travel from Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada

We drove our coach 114 miles, about two hours of driving, from Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here’s the map route, heading northwest:

Vegas route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

I-40:

I-40

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Rough road:

Rough road

Rough road

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Lake Mead National Recreation Area:

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

6% downgrade:

6% downgrade

Bridge:

Bridge

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead:

Hover Dam and Lake Mead

Hover Dam and Lake Mead

Entering Nevada:

Entering Nevada

Lake Mead:

Lake Mead

Artwork:

Artwork

Artwork

Artwork

Las Vegas:

Las Vegas

Our destination:

Our destination

Travel from Surprise to Kingman, Arizona

We drove our coach 165 miles, about three hours of driving, from Surprise, Arizona to Kingman, Arizona.

Here’s the map route, heading northwest:

Kingman route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

Saguaro cacti:

Saguaro cacti

This route was rather bad in terms of potholes on the road; these were relatively minor examples:

Potholes

So much so that some of our internet stuff fell down:

Internet stuff fell down

We had planned to stay at Horspitality RV Resort, but changed it due to our NIRVC visit:

Horspitality RV Park

A nearby horse event:

Horse event

Josua trees:

Josua tree

Josua trees

Josua tree

Back to saguaros:

Saguaros

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

A roadside stop, basically a wide dirt area, where we made lunch in our coach:

Roadside stop

Roadside stop

More interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

A river:

River

A truck had a tire blowout on their trailer, with bits of the tire on the road:

Tire on road

An interesting old Silver Streak trailer:

Silver Streak trailer

The rough road seemed to have shook our front driver-side slide slightly out; there was a little light coming in underneath. That’s not great:

Slide slightly out

Snowy mountains:

Snowy mountains

We filled up at a Petro truck stop:

Petro truck stop

Paladin stretching at the truck stop:

Paladin

We filled about 76 gallons of diesel (half our tank capacity; we usually fill when it gets about halfway). The pump price was $376.66:

Fuel pump

But that’s not what we actually paid, thanks to the Open Roads fuel discount program; we saved $92.82 on that fuel up, so “only” paid $293.77:

Fuel discount savings

Our destination:

Destination

Travel from Tombstone to Surprise, Arizona

We drove our coach 219 miles, about four hours of driving, from Tombstone, Arizona to Surprise, Arizona, to visit NIRVC there.

Here’s the map route, heading northwest:

Map route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

There wasn’t room to “toad up” (connect our truck to our coach) at our site, so we drove separately to an open area by the entrance of the RV park:

Leaving RV park

Toading up:

Toading up

An animated GIF of the brake controller operating; an air hose connected to the air brakes of our coach pushes the brake pedal in our truck for proportional braking:

Brake controller

On our way, with distant mountains:

Distant mountains

Mountains

A multi-vehicle accident at an immigration inspection station, caused by a car-jacking a few hours earlier:

Accident at inspection station

Four visible crunched vehicles (apparently there was a fifth):

Accident at inspection station

Accident at inspection station

Hey, fellow Tiffin motorhome:

Tiffin motorhome

Overpass art:

Overpass art

Overpass art

We parked at a truck stop for lunch:

Truck stop

Restaurant

Restaurant

Jenn’s French dip lunch:

Jenn's French dip lunch

My BLT lunch:

My BLT lunch

Passing through Tucson:

Tucson

Picacho Peak:

Picacho Peak

Picacho Peak

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch below Picacho Peak:

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch below Picacho Peak

A rest area stop:

Rest area

Phoenix Sky Harbor airport:

Phoenix Sky Harbor airport

Tunnel:

Tunnel

Arriving at NIRVC:

NIRVC

Heading to a campsite:

NIRVC

NIRVC

Travel from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Tombstone, Arizona

We drove our coach 247 miles, about four hours of driving (and a couple of hours of stoppage), from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Tombstone, Arizona.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

Map route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

We usually toad up (aka connecting the truck to the coach) by our site, but there wasn’t a great place to do that this time, so we went over by the office. So Jenn drove the coach, and I followed in the truck:

Following our coach

Toading up; hooking up the tow bar and cables, switching the truck transmission to neutral, disconnecting the battery (via a push button), and connecting the brake controller:

Toading up

The brake controller:

Brake controller

On our way; there were lots of signs like these for several tchotchke shops:

Signs

Fireworks and tchotchkes:

Fireworks and tchotchkes

Inspection station, with nobody staffing it:

Inspection station

One of several billboards for The Thing?

The Thing?

Our first stop, at a parking area (i.e. like a rest area, with no bathrooms):

Parking area

Nice to see mountains:

Mountains

Another tchotchkes shop, with a fun fence painted like storefronts:

Another tchotchkes shop

Another tchotchkes shop

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

A third of a tank (we actually paid less than this, thanks to the TSD fuel discount card):

Fuel stop

Filling the Diesel Exhaust Fluid:

DEF

Then we parked at this truck stop for lunch:

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Lunch stop

Heading out:

Leaving truck stop

Continental divide:

Continental divide

Lots of signs about dust storms; this one sensibly worded as “caution dust storms”:

Caution dust storms

Another sensible sign, “zero visibility possible”:

Zero visibility possible

But “dust storms may exist”; yes, indeed, but kinda a clumsy way to say that:

Dust storms may exist

Mountains

Welcome to Arizona:

Welcome to Arizona

Welcome to Arizona

Mountains

Another truck stop, just for a stretch and bathroom break (in our coach, of course):

Truck stop

An interesting and very sketchy-looking homemade trailer:

Interesting trailer

Mountains

Benson, Arizona:

Benson, Arizona

Benson, Arizona

Benson, Arizona

One lane roadworks:

Roadworks

Uncomfortably narrow for our coach:

Roadworks

St. David:

St. David

Hills

Our destination:

Destination