As I’m awaiting to see how the future of Adventure XV will shake out, whether I’ll continue with my intentions to go on to a ferry ride up the coast of British Columbia, drive southeast through remote bear and caribou country, and then down the Iceland Parkway, or just head home to Ocean City’s beach in time to enjoy oysters and all those half-price menu deals, I’m still going to enjoy where I am.
    Here in Kelso Dunes is usually a place where I cool it. That’s not what some others do. I sit in the shade of my camper, as the intense sun fries the sandy desert, others choose to climb the 2,000+ foot high slope of Kelso Dune, a mountain-sized pile of sand! I always wonder if I should call 911 ahead of time, so they’d be rescued when they keel over! I sit and watch for the lizards to appear as they race across the sand from the shade of one bush to another. I know from experience how tiresome it is to walk in soft sand on the beach, so I know better than to try to climb that mountain of sand, especially in the heat of the desert! I did take a walk along the service road of a huge electric line that crosses the desert nearby. There I got my lizard photos, so I didn’t even have to go into the sun for that, later. The next morning I was ready to break camp and head for Las Vegas.
    There I pulled into the RV park, where I’d overnighted before, but it was closed. I knew there was another nearby and went to find it. It’s near the Main Street Station Casino at the west end of Fremont Street. That casino runs it. I found it was as reasonably priced, sixteen dollars a night which included electric, water and sewer hookup, shower & restroom facilities, plus it had a security guard. That’s a very reasonable price and I found the library where I could use their free wifi internet and there was an American Legion both close by as was the Freemont Street Experience (light show), outdoor bands and entertainment, casinos with terrific $10-20 buffets, and a bar at the top of the building that looks like a huge draft beer and the Main Street Station’s brew pub bar. Neither bar has gambling and they’re smoke free.
    I never put a nickel or any money in a slot machine, but I did win at the sports book on the Maryland v. Duke Game in the ACC Basketball Tournament. I knew the 13 point spread given to Duke was way too much and then immensely enjoyed the trouncing the Terps gave them as coach K sat with his head in his hands! Then I stuffed myself with prime rib, sushi, shrimp, pecan pie and much more at the Fremont Casino buffet and afterwards watched a gal bound around the stage playing an electric violin in a band. Terrific show!!
    The next day was the Terps v. North Carolina Bball game at 11a.m. Vegas time.  I watched at the brew pub. Maryland was as out of gas as I was burned out from traveling, and they lost; but the in-house brew was very tasty. I wandered around Fremont Street the rest of the day and enjoyed the guy who plays alto, soprano, and baritone saxophones as he has expertly for years, and other bands.
    The next day was St. Patrick’s Day and I was in Las Vegas, the paramount party spot!  I caught the bus out Las Vegas Boulevard to the Bellagio on the Strip and walked the several miles back to Fremont Street enjoying all the fountains, sites, and people watching. I even saw Chum Lee at Las Vegas’s TV famous pawn shop! I almost got a photo but a security guard got his hand in front of my camera too quickly.  I’ll shoot much faster next time!
    When I got back to my nest (slide-in camper on my pickup truck), I stocked my camera bag with many ACBs, and went to check out the bands. There were rock, country, and of course, Irish ones.  One just blew all the others away with a gal who was playing an electric bag pipe! I could have listened and watched all night. All these bands took a break on the hour as the overhead four block long, Fremont Experience light show lit up! Fremont Street was the original Las Vegas; although it may not have the glitz and high rollers of the Strip, I’m comfortable and I like it there.
    As I was hooking up my nest to the electric when I arrived, the guy with an RV next to mine came out. He was from Canada, so I asked him about the weather in British Columbia in April.  He, too, as the campers I met at the Kelso Dunes, recommended against going there then. I’d looked at the historical weather statistics for the towns I was going to drive through and the lows were in forties and there was very little reported snow in April, so I thought it was safe.
    The next morning I felt ready to go home and with bad reports from the residents I’d asked, I headed for Ocean City.  I’d thought of stopping to take a walk on a trail that leads up a ridge above the Hoover Dam, but had little interest when I got there.  I had the same feeling as I passed the road to the Grand Canyon. OC here I come.  On the east side of the Mississippi River as I drove through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, the temperature became frigid, so the driving became daily marathons covering 600+ miles. Driving short days and walking around the little towns didn’t happen, but when I got to Ocean City all was fine and why not - this is a magnificent place.
    Here this week it feels way too chilly for August to me!  I hear lots of you saying it’s perfect weather. I think the chill indicates snow by the end of September!!!  See ya @ HH at Coconuts, Monday Deck Party at Fager’s and all those other wonderful places. Today I’m going crabbing.
Bob R  o.c.FotoGuy
more photos @ picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009
& facebook.com/OCfotoguy
PHOTOSAsYouWantThem.biz, articles @ coconuttimes.com