Friday, December 4, 2015

12/4 Drive to Valley of Fire State Park

I decided I wanted some electricity for a few days, and had been here before and knew it was a very pretty place.  I have lights and heat without electricity, but I have a lot of papers to grade right now, and my motorhome has only two 12 volt outlets I can use--one in the bedroom closet and the other in the hallway under the TV that is there for the bunks.  I have a 12 volt cord and charger for my laptop, but it does not reach all the way to my "office" recliner.  So I have to do the following:
  1. Charge laptop in back closet.  Takes about two hours since 12 volt is slower than 110 volt.
  2. Take laptop out into living room and work for two hours or until battery dies. 
  3. Stop work and repeat Step 1, above, ad infinitum. 
The result is that I can only work two hours out of every four.  I can run my generator and plug my laptop into a 110 like I usually do, but I am sensitive to how much noise it makes and how neighbors might now appreciate it.  I am going to investigate getting another outlet installed or buying a 12 volt extension cord, which I did not even know they make. In the meantime, it is much easier to have the usual electrical hookup in a campground.

It was a very nice drive here, once I got my propane refilled and got out of the Las Vegas area.  Look how the road goes down this valley.  Headed there.

Lots of patterns in this mountain.



Voila!  Here it is!

You can see a little of the red sandstone that gives the park its name.



Made it and found one of the last electric/water sites.  I know from the last time I was here to pick a site along the edge, overlooking the valley, because there is a tiny bit of cell service there that enables me to get a bit of internet access through my hotspot.

Lots of red rock, but the prettiest stuff is behind me.  I will take more photos today when the sun is shining more.
 

1 comment: