hashing and hot springs.......

Well, this is what it is supposed to be about - and am sooo happy we are making it happen!  Went to the Las Vegas hash last Saturday and was thrilled that they love the hills and shiggy as much as we do - was definitely an "XS trail" and we were almost DFL (dead f'ing last) but not quite! Bill made some yummy salsa & we got to see 2 namings - it was worth the 3 hour round trip drive, especially because we will see all these wankers again soon at the Las Vegas Red Dress Run at the end of the month!


This Saturday we had to choose between going back to LV for another hash OR to Death Valley for the hot springs...and luckily for us we made the right choice - Tecopa Hot Springs here we go! The ride was a short 30 minutes of desolate desert (maybe that's redundant!), sparse and beautiful...checked out the little town of Shoshone where we would return later and headed into Tecopa where we had quite a few choices as to where to go. Ended up at the Tecopa Hot Springs Resort where for $8 you can go into a little private indoor hot springs pool...this was ok, the water was a nice temp but for ambiance...forget it. We sat outside and read, then went to find the Labyrinth - this was cool, we left an offering and made a hash true trail arrow - 

went back for another dip in the spring and then to check out the much touted Pastels Bistro - well, in the middle of nowhere sits the most fabulous place to catch a bite or a meal...the food was special and everyone there like a little family. We noticed ads for a play that evening & they were finishing up the construction of an outdoor playhouse while we were there...made a note of the time and thought, maybe, just maybe we'd come back. Headed into Shoshone to check out a bar I had read about & inquire about the big hot spring pool at the Shoshone Inn. The "Crow Bar" was great, had an amazing drink the new bartender made up called the "Red Headed StepSister" YUMMY!! Vodka, cranberry juice, sweet 'n sour & a splash of soda - had two!! The Shoshone Inn's pool was just for guests of the motel (rundown joint for $85) or the RV park - the girl at the desk told us to go check out the mud pools on BLM land and gave us directions so off we went! Fabulous - is all I can say, sooo happy our travels led us there, we had read about it in our "book" but Bill wasn't that keen on going and sitting in mud, BUT it's just a muddy bottom we found out! It's a very short walk from the road and we took our chairs & some beers to watch the sunset. Met another couple there who were camping overnight and after I slipped in the mud we made our way into the

the springs - actually one big one that winds down the valley in the reeds, quite magical and it starts at 118 and cools down to about 107 (where we were!) I think this my favorite hot springs so far, why do I keep saying that?!
The sunset was beautiful, the birds getting their dinner & squawking away...just what we were looking for...
....Bill took some great pics!

Back to Shoshone to buy a bottle of wine for the play which was one of those audience participation melo-drama's - we had our chairs, out under the night sky with a bottle of very bad wine and we couldn't have been happier........

Random thoughts...

We have booked our first flight home...luckily Bill has 3 meetings he has to attend over 3 days and I have 2 clients to meet with so it really is worth it! We are staying with friends in Reno one night and at our old house in Tahoe the other night. It should be downright chilly at the end of October but I'll have a chance to see the Aspens in all their glory.


I am getting a bit nervous about not having any set winter plans...I realize that this is going to be my nemesis - NOT PLANNING! But I keep reading posts about how all the good campgrounds fill up early & we have no plans!! I think the rough and dirty plan is to hang out in Quartzite boondocking with some of the "NUrvers" until mid-January & then head down to Cabo for a month to see Panty Free. I would love to just chill down there through the end of February. Then come into AZ for March & April. There is a really cool military campground in Tucson but you can't make rezies there and you can only stay for a max of 21 days if there is a waiting list. Because we really don't know the lay of the land we are a bit hesitant to commit to a monthly stay & want to go check out some campgrounds while we are there in January, first. This may be a huge mistake but one we will recover from, I am sure...I am a planner, as I said, so just "winging it" is difficult for me, but it is good to step out of one's comfort zone - and I am surely doing that with this whole adventure!  The fact that I will probably be super busy with work March & April really makes me nervous when I think that I won't have a secure base to work from...


I have noticed that when we land somewhere I go to great lengths to make it feel like home, this is possible with a month-long stay, but probably not for less than that...we will see how that goes!

Our October digs...

Life doesn't suck, ok??? We really landed in a sweet spot in the middle of an incredibly dumpy town! I found this RV Resort online & was intrigued...we knew the town of Pahrump was a Dump, BUT we kept telling everyone this place "online" looked fantastic. As our date to leave Tahoe approached I was getting more and more nervous, but then I called to confirm our spot & was told we got the best location! Some of the spots here are owned & we got one of them & did they do it up nicely! The resort here is really beautiful, lots are spacious & we don't have any neighbors close by - it's pretty empty right now but we hear a big rally is coming in this weekend & it will be packed. There are 2 pools, full gym w/beautiful locker room, jacuzzis indoors & outdoors & our favorite, a little bar & grill complete with pool table & bowling alley! And YES, i can wear those spiffy new bowling shoes I got at the brewery!!


Bill set his office up nicely & has an escape plan in order should the intermittent thunderstorms approach, but the roof is good so that helps! Right now everything is going according to plan...but we all know that won't last long! The weather is glorious & we spend our evenings outside or in the little bar.


I had a frustrating Monday with fax & cell phone failures but everything seems to be fixed right now. We've made our plane reservations for the first trip home to Tahoe for work for both of us - I am just hoping we don't have to do that too often as it's pretty darn expensive!

Spencer Hot Springs

We finally purchased a few books on hot springs...since this is all about hot springs & hashing! So we headed out of Reno east on hwy 50 & ended up on a gravel road that had not been leveled out in some time...once we were about 1/4 mile into it we knew we were in trouble AND there was no way we could turn around - so on we went for another 7 miles, with Bill muttering "...this better be worth it!"...and it WAS!!  A few natural hot springs that had some rustic ways of controlling the temp, which worked great - we got there in time for sunset & happy hour & after putting together some of the yummy things I purchased at the farmer's market in Tahoe we hiked up to a secluded one that happened to be the best! As we watched the sunset we could hear the braying of the wild donkeys in the distance...and again in the morning, it was wonderful. 

We met a young couple at one of the other hot springs that had been traveling for a year - in a tent and a little car! We spent the night & got up early for the sunrise & noticed one or two other people there who waved but no one close by, it was a fabulous experience, EXCEPT for the road!!


We stopped in Beatty for a drink & on our way out of the parking lot we took a sharp, too sharp a turn with a dip & our pantry store swung open & a huge bottle of olive oil broke & spilled all over the place, what a mess! Gotta get that door latch fixed! Bill got a rug cleaner & we're good as new now, thank goodness cuz we just weren't that keen on replacing the carpet right now...we do eventually want to replace it with the wood flooring that is in the kitchen but NOT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!


On On to Pahrump!

Blast off!!

Today is the day we leave Tahoe to start the real adventure! Didn't sleep well & wanted to leave the campground at 8 but it was about 9:30 when we actually headed out. Bill had a conference call at 9 with a client & took it with his earpiece while cleaning Bebe's windows & other assorted tasks. Put the bike rack on the Subie with the hatch up only to discover we couldn't close the hatch- duhhhh, take it off, close the hatch & start again!

Took off for Carson city to the RV svc center where they showed us how to attach our toad (Subaru)

then on to Costco & Trader Joes for gas & snacks. Started getting texts from our hasher friends Daniel & Jen who were laying a photo trail for us to follow with pics of beers and other local sites! Finally figured out where they were &

 joined them for some beers & lunch courtesy of Daniel..as we left they ran out to he road with "on out" signs (hash lingo) it was quite a surprise & fabulous send off!!

We are now headed to Spencer Hot Springs outside of Austin NV where we soak, relax and spend the night! Hashing and hot springs - purrrrfect way to start the "adventure of our lives"!