Whelan's Wheels (go round and round, round and round): Our national treasures

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Our national treasures

Arlo and I just got back from a "time" at Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam - The last time I was here (3 years ago), I guess I was too shell shocked from the sky diving adventure to be fully aware of how beautiful Lake Mead is. I wish I had a clearer recollection of it because as Arlo was swimming after his toys and I stood ankle deep in muck, surrounded by broken beer bottles, spent pampers and beer cans, I couldn't help wondering - why are we letting our National treasures get to this condition while we spend billions of dollars fighting wars? Am I the only one that thinks there might, maybe, be something inherently wrong with this picture? (Pictures - no I forgot the camera but we will be back) ..... I don't want to get off on a political rant but it is hard not to after what we just experienced!

The water level in the lake was noticeably low - like 30 or 40 feet low - boat launch areas are closed because of low water levels. I am not sure what the reason is for the low levels - I will have to do some research on it. I was glad I used our National Parks Annual Pass (that we had just purchased a few weeks ago at Joshua Tree National Park) which gets us into National Parks, BLM lands and several others, without paying the standard entrance fee - a bargain no matter how I look at it.

After we left the lake we went over the Hoover Dam - Rick had asked me earlier today if I thought I could ride my bike over the Dam and I felt certain I could - WRONG - I seriously thought about turning the car around and not driving it over but insanity prevailed and off to the Arizona side Sir Arlo and I went. I don't think there will be future pictures of that adventure however - I don't think I'll be doing it again! I had also wanted to do a Hoover Dam tour while we are here - ummmmmm that may not be happening either.

Stay tuned for pictures of the Lake....... maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day......it is beautiful, neglected and a sad commentary about our country's priorities, but none the less beautiful and a treasure to behold. I am so fortunate to have been there again.

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This is our story ~ and we're sticking to it.

Our attempt at a blog - quite scary isn't it?

We left MA in early October, 2007 after I (Tracey) retired September 5 as an executive assistant for a software developer and Rick retired from his job on October 1. We passed papers on our house September 28th and off we went. We traveled down the east coast to the Florida Keys ~ where we planned to spend three nights but 17 nights later had to leave our site because someone had reserved it a year prior! We then stayed in northern FL for another month and headed off to meet our Marine returning to the San Diego area after his second tour "over there". We spent several wonderful weeks realizing why grandparents get tired easily! After the San Diego area we headed to the "low desert" (certainly a new phrase for us) of CA and into western AZ .. and decided it was finally time to start the blog we'd talked about since August or so!!

So many wonderful things we saw along the way. And the people, oh the people. I have said so many times to Rick the best part of this journey has been the people. So, so many people with so many interesting stories. Think about it - think about the stories YOU have and multiply that by the many many people we must have met along the way ~ particularly a social person like Rick .. we met a rattlesnake milker in Sweetwater, TX, we met the camp hosts in the Keys who summer back in NH ~ talk about the best of both worlds! We met the female police Sgt. at the Sweetwater Elks whose son was also in Iraq at the same base as my son. We met people in Slidell, LA who survived Katrina and had a great attitude and a smile on their faces and were proud to share their local cuisine with us. We saw the Blue Angels, purely by chance, in El Centro, CA. Or the "campground" where within an hour of arriving our house had been hit three times by golf balls! Or the Elks lodge in Indio ~ the sweetest, bike riding, bartender ~ I just wanted to pack her up and bring her along on our adventure. Not to mention the aerial tram while we were there, the warplane museum for Rick who does NOT do aerial trams! The Salton Sea ~ WOW just WOW. We stayed in the lovely little town of Wilcox, AZ - there was just something about that town. How about Pensacola, FL where the Elks Lodge on the beach is now built high, very high, off the ground! Or what about Huntington Beach State Park in Murrels Inlet, SC - talk about beautiful. What a great place that was to spend our first Thanksgiving on the road with good friends - that was something to be thankful for, for sure. Our first Christmas and New Years in the Keys!! WOW. The love and support of a dear friend in FL while Rick had to fly back to Boston and we dealt with all that entailed with unexpected follow ups back in FL .. how fortunate were we through all of that. Not to mention having the new trailer outfitted in Myrtle Beach and staying at what a week or two a year is the Broken Spoke? Or the kind and soft spoken LA Police Detective who is on the gang unit? So many people, so many stories. And there is so much ahead. The people .. did I mention how wonderful the people have been - all different walks of life .. so many personalities, so many stories! I have said many times ~ I need to pinch myself every morning to be certain it REALLY is happening to US! We are so grateful.

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