Randy and Robin's Roving Retirement

We went here a few weeks ago. Decided to get a membership as it pays for itself with 2 visits and we will be here several more months. This zoo is highly ranked, rated 10 best zoos in US by Conde’ Nast Traveler as well as in the top 1% of all attractions in the US on Trip Advisor. It was closed for a short while with new lockdown, but being an outdoor activity, wisdom prevailed and it has opened back up. In contrast to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, this zoo has many animals from sub Saharan Africa. We can’t wait for Wildlights.

What a beautiful place! Fortunately, we have our America the Beautiful National Park Pass. It gives us free entry to all US national parks and saved us $30. Joshua Tree lies at the overlap of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Lots of hiking trails and campgrounds. For Robin, this desert treasure is truly a spiritual experience.

Another beautiful and peaceful hiking area just north of Palm Springs. Most of the preserves are free of charge to enter. Visitors centers have usually been closed due to Covid. The Canyon Loop Trail actually connects with the Pacific Crest Trail. We did not get that far this time, but we will get back there.

This is a working movie set, but with real buildings, not facades. It is located north of Palm Springs Chilly day when we were there. We had ribs (takeout) from Pappy and Harriet’s.

We absolutely love Palm Springs. Very peaceful, mellow vibe here. We have a 1 BR 1 Ba condo, about 600 square feet. The pool and hot tub are about 100 ft away, but the hot tub has not been heated since our 2nd day here due to Riverside Co Covid rules. Word is out that it may re-open soon, but with new lockdown it may not happen. It is outside and rarely used, so we are excited to finally use it again. We have very friendly Costa’s Hummingbirds on our patio. I have been trying to get one to perch on my finger and have actually touched the chest of one. One actually landed on Robin’s toe while she was seated.

As usual, we have discovered some outstanding nature walks. Big Morongo Canyon, Thousand Palms at the Coachella Valley Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park. We also found some local walks out our front door, from easy loops, to walking part way up the tram hill, to luxury neighborhoods a short drive away. We actually bought a used tandem bike, a 1968 Schwinn Twinn deluxe. We are working well as a team with Randy as captain and Robin as stoker. Riding a tandem is quite different from solo riding.

After a hectic drive from Vegas, we arrived at Mark and Arlene’s in Fountain Valley, CA. Due to Covid and some high risk people, Mark had us set up in his motor home out front of his home. He even set us up for 2 nights at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Glorious evening as the Baskins took us on the Balboa ferry and an evening in Balboa/Newport Beach and shared a lovely meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Newport Beach

We really enjoyed the Newport Beach Boardwalk. The shops, waterfront homes (many for rent), people watching and bars. After 8 nights in the motor home and with colder temperatures and aching backs, we moved into Motel 6 Costa Mesa.

I grew up in Hollywood, but have not lived there since 1970. I took Robin on a tour of my old elementary schools and neighborhood which was about 1 1/2 miles from Hollyood and Vine. We had a fun walk on Hollywood Blvd, drove Sunset Strip and though Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. We ended up at Santa Monica beach for lunch and a walk on the 3rd Street Promenade, the Santa Monica Pier and finally a walk on the Venice boardwalk. Another day we went to the LaBrea Tarpits.

Another day we went to Forest Lawn cemetery to pay respects to my mother and spread some of my dad’s ashes. Beautiful cemetery with a number of celebrity graves.

Orange County and LA was a fun, entertaining adventure even with a lot of Covid closures. We want to return once it opens up. Next off to Palm Springs, where will stay until March 1st.

Neon Museum

We went ahead and took the evening tour. A worthwhile tour to understand the history of Las Vegas.

Erotic Heritage Museum

Now this was an interesting museum. X Rated, so beware.

Las Vegas Natural History Museum

A smaller, older museum which was still interesting to stroll through. Easy to spend a couple of hours. Only $10 admission.

Mob museum

We had been to the Mob Museum before several years ago. Although a costly admission, it was very entertaining to go again. If you go after 5 pm, there is a substantial discount. 3 floors of fascinating information and history.

Area 15

Not a museum, but Area 15 is an interactive experience. We did not go in as they were booked for a month with social distancing protocol. Pictures are of the parking lot art.

Planet 13 is the largest marijuana dispensary in the world. Pretty crazy place. To get in, you must provide all types of personal information, including drivers license, address and other personal info. All this before you walk in the door, even if you don’t plan on buying anything.

In Washington State, the majority of the cannabis industry is cash only. In Vegas, they take debit cards. The workaround is that they process the transaction as an ATM withdrawal. For example a $16 purchase is processed as a $20 cash withdrawal and then they would give you $4 cash back. Fascinating place to visit even if you don’t want to make a purchase. They even have a sit down restaurant with non cannabis fare.

October has been a great month for outdoor activities with the perfect weather to enjoy it. We went to several of the areas multiple times, as they were free or very low cost.

Red Rock Canyon National Preservation Area

You can either pay $15 for a day pass or get the annual America the Beautiful National Park Pass to enter the area. The scenic 13 mile drive has many pull off areas to hike and explore. The best areas seem to be during the first half of the one way drive. The hikes vary in length and difficulty with some being quite strenuous which we avoided with ease. There was a group on scooters from Red Rock Scooter Tours which would be a fun way to go through the park.

Boulder City

This is a lovely peaceful town with some decent restaurants and tourist activities. The town was started to house the workers building the Hoover Dam. The dam and its tours were closed so we just explored Boulder City.

Springs Preserve

The Springs Preserve is a delightful 180 acre outdoor area that you can enter for $5 and even comes with a free train ride. Amazingly, it is the center of Vegas, yet remains untouched. You can also access the museums, but they were closed for us.

7 Magic Mountains

Roadside art attraction south of Vegas on I-15. Not much there, but fun to walk around and great photo op.

Clark County Wetlands

Another great find on the east side of Vegas, almost Henderson. A free entry to a very delightful wetlands. Great walking trails, ponds, viewing areas, even a small theater with educational short films.

Henderson bird Viewing Preserve

Another free activity that we discovered just before we left Vegas. There are 9 ponds together that you can walk around.

That is it for now. A few more Vegas posts, then we will catch up on California.

The strip has been awesome. Monday thru Wednesday it is very quiet. It picks up for the weekend, especially Columbus Day weekend. We love the empty Las Vegas strip for morning walks. We self park at a casino and walk 1-2 miles one way, alternating outside in the sun and then inside thru the empty air conditioned casinos. Then turn around and go back. We can get 10,000 steps before lunch this way, sometimes getting 20,000 + by the end of the day.

We love the area just north of New York New York, known as the Park. It is an open air, peaceful retreat with water walls and tables to sit and relax or eat. We needed a break from our retirement, so we cashed in some MyVegas points to get 2 free nights at the Park MGM and stay on the strip. We did have to pay the resort fees, but still a great deal and allowed us more access to the strip and the Bellagio fountains in the evening.

Fremont Area