To Phoenix, Arizona our final destination

Phoenix, Arizona our final destination

From Parker we had an easy 4 hour drive to north Phoenix through the Arizona desert. We were surprised at how "green" it was due to the rains they've had. We bought our 5th wheel and truck in Arizona and we've now returned "Al" back home!

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University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Cardinals, an impressively large building, but not too sure about its aesthetics.  We passed it on the way to north Phoenix.

I-10 East to Phoenix....sorry Arizonians but the highway was absolutely littered on both sides with blown out tires from 18 wheelers, white plastic bags etc.

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Phoenix Metro RV Park in North Phoenix was home for our last days in the USA. Excellent location to restaurants, cinemas etc., friendly neighbours, good laundry facilities.

Our 5th wheel and truck parked tight at the Phoenix Metro RV Park...any closer and we would have been in the neighbour's lounge!

Betty took this picture of balloons from the rear window of the 5th wheel one morning, it was so still they were hardly moving.

Robie and mee sharing a moment at the Legends Golf course at Arrowhead designed by Arnold Palmer. We all had a good time but it sure was hot. The Bloody Mary's were delicious.

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This was a common hazard on the greens, Canadian geese.

There were any number of cactii around the golf course.

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The course is surrounded by million dollar homes with beautiful lake and golf course views.

Betty took this photo of a Kingfisher sitting in a tree on the golf course trying to escape the heat of the day, it was a beautiful large bird so there must be plenty of food around.

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Betty standing beside a tree that was struck by lightning, we seen several around the course so it proves that it could be dangerous to be out in a storm.

Robie elated after pulling off a 340+ yard drive straight down the middle. Doesn't happen often but when he gets on it the ball flies. He was so happy he made the 18th hole!!

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And that's it for this year and we have accomplished our mission of visiting every state in the USA and playing golf in every state - all within 5 years and all without an accident or getting booked by the cops.

Parker Emerald Canyon Golf Course

18th October - Emerald Canyon Golf Course, Parker, Arizona

Sorry folks, for those of you non-golfers, you might want to take a short zzzz.

As its name suggests, Emerald Canyon Golf Course is truly an emerald green. Just a skip and a jump away from where we were staying at Pirates Den, it is a beautiful and quite challenging course. This course features # 10 as a 623 yard par 5 which is no doubt the longest par 5 we have ever played

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Several of the holes sit high in the hills and its a jaw dropping tee off to the Par 3 greens.

Unfortunately for us, it would appear that October is when all the golf courses in Arizona seed their fairways/greens. The grass is tall and thick - the greens are like shag pile carpets!

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There is a mix of Bermuda and Rye Winter grass on the course - it is the normal maintenance practice at this course to shave all the summer Bermuda off and plant the Rye. However, due to the unprecedented amount of rain they've had the Bermuda have sprouted again, so now they have a combo of 2 types of grasses.

Caught sight of some "wild life" on the course.

Aw...isn't he lovely in red!

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Pirates Den RV Park and Resort - prime location on the Colorado River and has lots of "snow birds" from the north in winter. In other words...grey nomads seeking warmth! Just be aware..Pirates Den take a $100 deposit on booking, the highest we've ever had to pay in the USA and they make it difficult for you to get it back if you cancel.

I took this photo from inside our 5th wheel..over yonder in the hills, you can see one of the holes of the golf course, gives you an idea of the elevation.

Las Vegas to Parker, and Pirates Den, Parker, Arizona

17th October 2015 - Parker, Arizona

This is Jim - Tom got paired up with him and his wife, Lisa at golf. They have a "weekender" at Bransons which is a resort next to Pirates Den.

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They were most hospitable and took us for a spin on the Colorado River.

It is a beautiful and totally unexpected part of Arizona - the shoreline of the river is lined with RV parks, "tiny" homes and a few waterfront restaurants. One side of the river is California and the other is Arizona.

Although very scenic, I must admit I wasn't enthralled by the ear shattering roar of speed boats and jet skis every few minutes. There is no speed limit on the river so it is a haven for testosterone fueled, "need for speed weekend" warriors. It is the equivalent of parking beside one of the runways at LAX Airport.

Jim and Lisa's getaway..no disputing it is a lovely spot (with ear plugs on..ha!ha!)

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Me and Him.

Parker Dam - this is as far as the Colorado goes from Pirates Den/Bransons. The dam creates Lake Havasu on the other side. Parker Dam straddles the Whipple Mountains of California on the left and the Buckskin Mountains of Arizona on the right. It is also the deepest dam in the world with 235 feet of its 320 feet below the river bed.

The rustic bar at Pirates..great place for that sunset drink. The drinking water at Parker is dreadful, full of minerals and salty, so it would be a good idea to pick up bottled water before getting there. Lake Havasu would be the best place pick up stuff as Parker is quite isolated with minimal services.

Having a bit of fun with the lady pirate!

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Tom's dream girl....2xDDs!

Lovely sunset looking across to the California side of the Colorado river.

Las Vegas October 13th 2015

13th October - Las Vegas

We had arranged to meet up with Kathy and Warren, our friends from Elgin, IL in Vegas. One of the shows we were going to see was Le Reve (The Dream) which as it turned out was at the Wynn.

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Well, hello...who else was also going to be at the Wynn - Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both Democrats running for the Presidential ticket. As you can imagine, there were a lot of men and women in black suits looking very serious.

My sentiments exactly...onya mate!! However in defence of some politicians, some of them do start out with altruistic values which are very promptly squashed as they have to toe the Party line if they want to run with the pack.

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We thought parking was going to be a nightmare but surprisingly, it was quite painless once we negotiated around the TV vans, cop cars etc.

Absolutely stunning...the foyer of Wynn. A glorious display of floral pinatas! 

Mind you, we paid for all of this in the price of food and drinks. A glass of  Proseco was US$15 here when it was only US$10 at the Luxor. Don't forget you have to add taxes and tips on top. Also a lot of eye candy...the waitresses were dressed quite provocatively, they obviously make enough in tips to get manufactured boobies.

Simply classy...one of the loveliest Vegas hotels we've been in and no wonder - Wynn is a 5 star casino and resort with 2,716 rooms. It holds a string of awards and is one of the finest hotel/resort/casino in the world. It even has an automatic window washing system.

Warren did a great job of getting us Premier seats...we had our own tv monitor which televised the below water action. We had such a great time with them and what a treat to see them twice on this trip!

A must see show if you are in Vegas...Le Reve had us captivated from the start with its never ending display of synchronised swimming, acrobatics, trapeze artists. It must take its toll on the performers being in the water every night...no wonder all the male performers were bald. Kathy said dancing must make them bald when she saw the photos of the male dancers in the Souvenir Program!

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Forget the musical fountains at the Bellagio...the ever changing waterscape of this show is breathtaking. Watch the video below and enjoy.

Las Vegas Nevada October 12th

12th October - Las Vegas

Inside the Luxor waiting for Warren and Kathy!

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In Vegas, many of the hotels are connected by mono rails - this cheerful showgirl runs between Excalibur and Luxor.

Tom with the Reeses with a replica of the Sphinx.

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Night view of downtown Las Vegas with New York New York in the foreground.

Death Valley, California to Las Vegas, Nevada

12 October - Death Valley to Las Vegas

Well we thought we had seen all Death Valley had to offer but on the morning of our departure, our route out of Furnace Creek had us passing Zabriskie Point.  Zabriskie Point is a part of Amargosa Range located east of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park in California, United States noted for its erosional landscape. It is composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up 5 million years ago—long before Death Valley came into existence.

As mentioned earlier, rain had fallen earlier in the week;due to the desert terrain water does not run off. Much of the highway traversing desert terrain has more humps (dips) than a Bactrian Dromedary (camel) from Mongolia. It facilitates water draining away from the roads.

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We were told its a bit early in the season for rain hence the "abundance" of vegetation in the desert.

A typical desert plant in Death Valley.

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As we got closer to Vegas, we encountered the Red Rock Canyon - the photo does not do them justice - the canyon is a deep terracotta like red, probably of the same material as Uluru in Alice Springs, Australia.

Waiting to make a right turn into downtown Las Vegas - we are booked at Sam's Town KOA RV park.