Laughlin, Nevada

On our trip from Phoenix to the KOA here in Laughlin, we set foot in our 47th and 48th states yesterday! We haven’t updated the map on the back of the trailer yet, but will shortly. When you look at all the states on the map it hardly seem possible to visit them all on the same trip. What great memories!

We met our friends, Wade and Kathy Campbell, for breakfast in downtown Phoenix at 10. They kept all our freezer food at their house while our trailer was being serviced. Kathy picked us up at a local grocery store parking lot, so we didn’t have to try to park the trailer at the restaurant. The food was great and we enjoyed spending time the extra time with Wade and Kathy (Wade worked with me at Sequent in Portland). We were back on the road again a little before noon.

Yesterday’s drive was uneventful, but we did see more RVs than any other day driving on our trip. Interstate 10 leaving Phoenix was crowded with RVs going both directions. When we got to Quartzsite, there were RVs parked in the desert on both side of the road for miles. I later found out that the BLM allows people to park in the desert there for free, and obviously many snowbirds find that attractive. Combined with one of the world’s largest flea markets, it pretty closely matched my vision of “hell”! ;-)

The two new tires seem to be holding up well. I had to put air in both of them before we left the campground in Apache Junction, but with Carlisle’s new radial design they ran a lot cooler than the other two tires. Unfortunately I have completely lost my trust in trailer tires, and with the 20 – 25 miles per hour winds coming across the desert in Arizona and California, I must have convinced myself I had another flat over 100 times! Luckily it was just my imagination, and we arrived at the KOA here in Laughlin right at 5:00 with no issues.

The KOA is connected with the AVI casino, and is another example of cheap camping at gambling establishments (Vicksburg was the other). The rate for a full hookup was less than $25! We did walk across the road to the Casino last night, but only to eat at the Panda Express, one of our favorite Asian fast food establishments. We considered betting the trailer (if they would take it) on the number 48 (for the number of states visited) on the roulette wheel, but reason overcame us – that and the fact the numbers only go to 34 on the wheel!