It was a lovely day as we made our way south in Utah. I kinda wanted to visit a Guitar Center just south of where we stayed, but it was still closed when we drove up to it... after 10:00 in the morning. I guess they know their market, and musicians generally don't get up too early.
We continued on. I commented to Joan that the Interstate through Salt Lake City was a mess last time we went through there, 5 years ago... should be better now. Yeah, I was wrong. They have a LOT of lanes, they just aren't all open. And that fun "5 lanes into 2 all at once" stuff. I stayed at the 55 mph speed limit in the long running construction zone... even when a guy in a pick-up passed me on the right. Yes, I was in the far right lane. That was fun.
Continuing on, we both saw the billboard for Cabela's at the same time... we're not in a hurry, there isn't a darn thing we need, but they have plenty of parking - let's stop! Joan found a rack of sale items with warm weather clothes at 50% off... and we're heading to the warm weather. She tried some on, but the fit didn't suit her. This Cabela's has a grill/restaurant, and it was a good time for a lunch stop. Good food, no other expenditures, and two hours off the road. Nice!
We pulled up the Passport America app to see what there might be along our route... there's one, in the town of Beaver. Yes, the adolescent kicked in. No, I'm not proud of it. How many "Beaver" jokes can you come up with? Yeah, I pretty much had all those running through my head.
The scenery is pretty along this stretch of I-15...
Lots of reds and golds in the trees on the mountains. Little Izzy again spent most of the day in her carrier...
Yeah, it's a bit soft on the focus. Tell it to the shooter. Say, if you get a photo of the town of Beaver, is that... nevermind.
We called the campground... it is in Beaver Canyon. Check the map, there are two ways into Beaver. We stopped at the Flying J at the first Beaver exit... they were selling bumper stickers that read, "I
Beaver"... no, I didn't buy one. If I didn't have to bring it back to the truck, I might have. No, I'm kidding again - I am more grown up than that.We passed a couple campgrounds on our way through Beaver. The PP park is all the way to the east end of town. We always hold our breath as we approach these parks... they are relatively inexpensive... sometimes it's easy to see why. Sometimes we get lucky and they are places we'd pay a lot more to stay at. This one was uniquely funky. Yes, funky Beaver.
I met Dave, the owner. I called him, "Sir," and he corrected me right away - "Call me that again, and I'll send you packing." I think I'm going to like this place. Dave gave us a place close to the showers (that Joan calls "retro") and his Mexican wife's "authentic Mexican restaurant."
As he was showing us where to park, Dave said, "I bought this place 25 years ago - saved it from getting leveled and plowed under. I don't like RVs, or boats for that matter, but I couldn't see this place getting tossed away. I must be crazy." No doubt, being around Beaver all the time will do that to you. Yes, I'll stop.
"Damnest thing, putting a boat in an RV park," he said. There was enough of a twinkle in his eyes that I could see he was having fun with it.
"Just another recreational vehicle, Dave - just shaped a bit different from the others you have in here."
"Well, most of my renters are seasonal or year-round. I let 'em build or do whatever they want with the site... as long as it isn't too fancy." Yep, I could see that.
Here's the Beaver sign on our site...
We plugged in electric and set up the satellite cube. BIG trees to the south of us, so we had to change our usual routine of sitting the cube on the ground...
I said to Joan, "If we pile any more crap on there, we will really fit in here." Joan went to work, adjusting the cube from inside the boat with the remote...
For my friends, Pat & Patty, who prefer to do "Camp Wal-Mart" as they travel: it's quiet, we have a 30 amp electric hook-up, we're steps away from the showers (and the Mexican restaurant), and no one is going to knock on the boat in the middle of the night and tell me we can't stay overnight here... all for the grand sum of $13.50. When we head out in the morning, our batteries will have a full charge, we'll be well-rested, clean, and ready to hit the road.
Another day, I'll post the "Rules of Etiquette" that Good Sam, the Family Motor Coach Association, and a bunch of other RV groups have posted for overnighting in a Wal-Mart. They don't all allow it. In fact, when we stopped at Cabela's today, they had a sign in their lot that said "No Overnight Parking." They used to allow it there. I asked the guy at the front door about that, and he said, "People abused it. There were complaints, and the city changed the law. So now, no one can stay there overnight."
I
Beaver!
4 comments:
So, is Joan really busy today? Because that would make her... ;)
Well, it made her laugh.
How great was that? You got Beaver-1 camping spot!
Hey, Bob - Not ready to put that on a license plate, yet.
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