When the Engine Falters ... Las Vegas and Mother Nature Deliver

We've been dealing with a bit of "Baby Beest" drama over the last few weeks. With the "check engine" light becoming more of a regular occurrence, we were grateful to make it to Las Vegas where there was a RAM dealer with a knowledgeable repair team who were willing to delve into her "issues".

After her “spa” visit, we were hopeful the issue was behind us ... and quite happy that most of the repair was covered under the warranty from last September’s engine replacement. With that bit of good news, we carried on with our original travel plans. First stop ... a three-day stay at

Valley of Fire State Park.

This destination has been on our travel radar for many years. Located about an hour and a half east of Las Vegas, this geologic wonderland is famous for its ...

 massive red sandstone formations,

... as well as 2000+ year old petroglyphs.

Hiking among these breath-taking rock formations was the relief that we needed after the slightly stressful last month of vanlife. After three days of dwelling among these precious works of art, we were reminded once again that ...

Life is better with a little bit of nature.

Sunlit arches,

colorful canyons,

and the spectacular art of Mother Nature,

seemed to be the "fix" that we both needed.

On to Zion National Park?

Feeling confident that we were good to continue our travels, we did just that ... until the "check engine" light came back on 15 minutes after we left Valley of Fire on our way to Zion National Park.

Nope ... Back to Las Vegas

After a quick chat with our service rep, we decided that it was best to head back to Las Vegas for the weekend ahead of Baby Beest’s second “spa” appointment on Monday. We took the opportunity to explore a "new to us" section of Las Vegas,

Fremont Street.

In this vibrant, pedestrian-only, five block entertainment district we found ...

energetic light shows under the massive canopy,

plenty of "interesting" street entertainers, music, and dancing,

and an old childhood favorite!

Are you on "team White Castle" along with me, or ...

is a local brew more your style?

Spa day #2 started out with a new engine "noise" as we drove to the repair shop.  The not-so-happy verdict ... our transmission decided to bite the dust.

When it rains, it pours ... even in the desert!

After a long day at the shop and a hefty credit card charge, we now had a new transmission and battery and were hopeful that Baby Beest was good to go ... only to have the "check engine" light come back on just three blocks after we left the dealer.

Well, will the 3rd time be the charm?

The next day, the dealer decided to replace the camshaft since the "creative" workarounds did not seem to be holding. The good news: this repair would be covered under our engine's warranty. The bad news: we were "homeless" for another two nights. The good news: Las Vegas is a fun (and relatively inexpensive) place to be "homeless" in. We decided to hang out on Fremont Street once again and give Doug a proper birthday celebration that included ... 

a zipline flight high above the music and madness,

 a breakfast of champions,

all-you-can-eat sushi,

and an IPA with a view thrown in for good measure!

The next day at the repair shop, they were confident that all was fixed. But by now, could you blame us for feeling a little less convinced that our engine woes were truly behind us? Wanting to “test” the repair, we started scouting destinations within a couple hours of Las Vegas to help put our minds at ease.

Our "test drive" included a one day return visit to repeat two of our favorite hikes, The Fire Wave and White Dome Loop, at

Valley of Fire State Park,

... and then a drive back to Las Vegas for an overnight stay at our favorite Vegas RV park, and thankfully, no repair shop stop.

We continued our "test drive" the next day by heading west for an overnight stay at

Death Valley National Park 

... where we visited Zabriskie Point, hiked the Badlands Loop Hike,

... and admired the Great Artist's talent at Artist's Palette.

Heading back east, we decided to bypass Las Vegas and continue our road trip with a visit to the nostalgic "Route 66" town of

Kingman, Arizona.

Feeling more confident in Baby Beest's performance, we continued on the next day to once again marvel at the scenic jewel known as ...

Grand Canyon National Park.

Spectacular views as we biked along the rim to Hermit's Rest,

... hiked a mile down into the canyon on the South Kaibab Trail,

... or just sat and gazed at the masterpiece created by a small but powerful river.

It hasn't been the easiest two weeks, but with every new destination that Baby Beest successfully gets us to, our confidence grows. We're grateful for the Las Vegas mechanics' ability to reboot Baby Beest's faltering engine and for Mother Nature's ability to calm our anxious minds. With every fiery rock formation, colorful canyon, and sweeping desert view, we are continually reminded that ...

Life is better with a little bit of nature.

Desert Days and Neon Nights: Yuma, Lake Havasu, and Las Vegas

The American Southwest is an oasis of arid beauty

that glows beneath the midday sun

... and continues to radiate well into the night.

We ended our Baja RVenture as we crossed into Yuma, Arizona, and almost immediately, it hit us. We are so fortunate to live in a country where everyday necessities are always readily available! Inexpensive gas, fully stocked grocery stores, full service RV parks, drinkable water ... the basics that often go unnoticed suddenly felt like luxuries to us after spending six weeks in Mexico. It caused me to pause ... how often do I truly appreciate the simple blessings of living in the U.S. that are often just taken for granted??

... like driving on crazy wide and super smooth highways??

  Yuma is a small, sleepy border town that swells in size and buzzes with activity during snowbird season. To welcome the seasonal migration of these gray-haired human "birds", Yuma's airport offers flights to and from many northern cities. We were especially grateful for their reasonable airfares, which made it possible for us to return to Michigan on short notice for a family funeral.

Baby Beest hung out in the airport's small parking area

surrounded by spring flowers in full bloom. 

When we returned, we set our sights on Las Vegas, five hours to the north, as the place most likely to have a RAM repair shop capable of diagnosing and fixing Baby Beest's current engine woes. With Easter weekend fast approaching, we chose to slow our travels down a bit and take time to explore the stretch between Yuma and Las Vegas ... an area that attracts multitudes of visitors each year who come in search of ...

Desert Days and Neon Nights

Yuma, Arizona

Yes, Yuma surprised us! When we briefly stopped here during our past travels in the area, we didn't consider it to be the type of town that we would want to spend a lot of time in. But during our three days here, we found many "cool" ways to keep comfortably entertained as the daytime temperatures soared to near 100.

In a town that caters to the RV lifestyle, it was easy to find a full service campground so that we could run our AC as we prepared for our trip up north. It's really hard to think about packing winter clothes when the temps are in the 90s.

But yes, we needed them!

Historic Downtown Yuma turned out to be a fun spot to spend the days (despite the heat) before our flight. We enjoyed the air conditioned comfort at a cozy coffee shop and decided to catch an afternoon showing of the new sci-fi film, Project Hail Mary.

Popcorn for lunch, anyone?

But before the sci-fi geek got his movie, it seemed only fair that history geek would be able to check out Yuma's #1 tourist attraction, Yuma Territorial Prison. Located on a hill overlooking the Colorado River, this historic prison-turned-museum offered a glimpse into how the Arizona Territory attempted to bring law and order to the lawless southwest during the late 1800s. Stepping back out into the oppressive afternoon heat, I can only imagine how harsh life must have been for those once confined within these walls.

There was definitely no chance of escaping the desert heat here.

After our return from Michigan, we decided to spend one more day in Yuma as Doug wanted to get his teeth cleaned ... in Mexico. Just across the border, the town of Los Algodones is famous for its high concentration of dental clinics. In addition to providing high quality and reasonably priced dental services, its streets are also lined with many colorful souvenir shops and tasty authentic restaurants.

"I'll take a $3 fish taco to go with that $30 dental cleaning."

Wheeling and dealing for a new leather belt 

Quartzsite, Arizona

Quartzsite, located north of Yuma along the California/Arizona border, is surrounded by vast stretches of desert BLM land ... that is, public land where camping is often free and wonderfully remote. This tiny town of about 2,500 residents transforms each winter into a sprawling, temporary city of more than a million RVing “snowbirds.” As quirky as it may sound, experiencing this “epic” boondocking scene had long been on my vanlife bucket list. Even though we arrived after the peak season, there was something truly special about soaking up the solitude of desert camping.

Just us ...

and the full moon.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona

 Continuing north, we arrived at the location of one of the Colorado River's many man-made reservoirs, Lake Havasu. After the dam was built in 1963, the surrounding land quickly developed into a popular retirement and recreational community. Today, hiking, water sports, and year-round sunshine invite tourists to enjoy this desert paradise.

Our sunset view at Cattail Cove State Park

During our three day stay, we took advantage of ...

scenic hiking trails,

an outdoor community music festival,

and magnificent views of the London Bridge!

As strange as it may sound, developer Robert P. McCulloch purchased the historic London Bridge from the British government in 1968 and had its exterior granite blocks carefully dismantled and shipped halfway across the world. The 150-year-old stones were then meticulously reassembled, and the land beneath the bridge was dredged to create a deep canal for recreational boating. His $7+ million gamble was driven by a vision to attract developers and tourists to this remote desert community. Judging by the number of condos, thriving businesses, and the steady stream of boaters cruising the canal on this sunny afternoon, it's obvious that ...

  McCulloch's "crazy idea" succeeded wonderfully!

Las Vegas, Nevada

We traded our Desert Days for Neon Nights when we arrived in Las Vegas. While the local RAM dealer worked on our van, we had a chance to once again, to check out Sin City.

Much to Doug's delight, a number of new craft breweries had sprung up since our last visit nine years ago. 

Celebrating craft brewery visit

#800!

From our "home" at Las Vegas RV Resort, we were about 20 minutes from The Strip, so we decided to try out the local bus system. Unfortunately, this method was painfully slow and convinced us that Uber was the way to go in order to enjoy the ...

glisten of the day

and glimmer of the night.

Colorful

Las Vegas moments included ...

... urban hikes down The Strip

and along the Fremont Street Experience

... a larger than life, AI-enhanced performance of

The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere,

 ... sweet decisions at the M&M Store,

... spring blossoms at the Bellagio Conservatory,

... a test ride in Las Vegas' newest robotaxi,

the ZOOX,

... unique extra-terrestrial sightings in the crowd

underneath the lights of Fremont Street,

... a free concert by the tribute band, Hairball

celebrating the music of Kiss, Queen, Rush, AC/DC,

and other great Rock 'n Roll legends of the 80s, 

... and just taking in the Vegas sights and sounds with

the best "jackpot" win of my life.

While our van repair has dragged on a little longer than we originally planned, we're grateful for being "stuck" in an area where the desert days and neon nights allow us to

 enjoy our hikes wherever they lead us!