I wonder if it is just a coincidence that the "Folies Bergere" show at the Tropicana closed the night before I arrived in Las Vegas. The show had a run of 49 years and I missed it by one day!! One comedian said the show had to close because some of the dancers were 82 years old!
Last Saturday evening a few guests arrived for dinner--but not with me. The Pahrump Valley Winery and Symphony Restaurant is located adjacent to the campground, and four helicoptors arrived from Las Vegas with about 20 dinner guests. They landed at the heli pads and parking lot in front of the winery. The guests spent about three hours before heading back to Las Vegas.
Here I am at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park. I am sitting 282 feet (86m) below sea level, the lowest elevation in the United States. It was a good day to come to this area, as the temperature was only 78 degrees; during the summer it will get much hotter. The average high temperature in July is 115 degree F, with the record being 134 degrees.
In this picture of me sitting on the salt flats, you are looking to the Northwest; to the Southwest is Telescope Peak, standing 11,049 ft (3,368m). This peak still had snow when I visited on the 24th of March.
Yesterday, Betty and I had an outing at Death Valley National Park. In the final days of his presidency, Herbert Hoover signed the legislation to establish Death Valley National Monument. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began improving roads and facilities. In 1994, President Clinton changed the status of the park to a National Park and enlarged the park to 3.4 million acres.
Last weekend I walked (was carried) to the beach at our resort (Emerald Cove) and got to watch the water skiing races on the Colorado River. Some of the boats and skiers were going up to 80 mph. The races were 50 miles long, with five 10-mile laps. The skiiers used ropes over 200 feet long so they could stay well back of the boats for "good" water. I am glad the "driver," spotter and skiier all wore helmets for protection. Some of the boats barely touched the water at that speed.
The homes you see across the river are about six miles north of Parker, AZ, and about 35 miles south of Lake Havasu City.
Hope you all have a Happy St. Patrick's Day. I am going to party at Emerald Cove Resort on the Colorado River. The resort is on the California side of the river about six miles north of Parker, AZ, and about 40 miles south of Lake Havasu City.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a performace by the U.S. Marines Corps Battle Color Detachment from Washington, D.C. The detachment consists of the Marine Corps Color Guard, Silent Drill Platoon and the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps. The detachment spent several weeks in Yuma training for the 500+ ceremonies scheduled for 2009. This was the first offcial performance of the year.
Semper Fi!
