So now I was ensconced in Parker, Arizona, really enjoying the warm air, the river, the bars, the casino, the long bike rides around interesting areas. Ahhh. It’s great just hanging around and staying warm. Parker is only 4 & 1/2 hour drive from Rosamond, but it’s elevation is only 423 feet, whereas Rosamond’s elevation is 2300 feet. So there’s a big difference in winter weather. Hot in summer, mild in winter, whereas Rosamond can be pretty darn cold in winter. Snow even. What I wanted tho, was the mild winter weather. Why should I suffer?
View of the Colorado River. That car is actually right on the shore. There’s a slight drop off to the river, not much of a slope.
It’s mild enough that I could ride my bike nearly all day every day. Up and down the river, up the hill and into town, over to the casino, the theater, take the river route over to the riverside bar, etc. Yeah, can’t beat that.
Nice here.
It’s a fairly large RV park, but the roads are wide, the spaces are, while not generous, adequate. And you don’t feel all that crowded because people around are leaving all the time and going places. While leaving their RVs here.
Another river shot.
It might look like it’s hot here, and in the summer it is, but it’s January and the days are running right around 72°F. Nights are pretty cool though. Have to remember to take a light jacket if I go up to the casino or over to the riverside bar to watch a game that might run late.
Back yard area.
In the picture above, you can see the laundry room/clubhouse/restrooms/showers building. Quite the walk from my RV but, not all that bad.
All set up and comfy.
Can’t see it from here but way back behind my RV, up a hill around 50′, then across a large parking lot, is the casino. The RV park is down in an ancient gully, actually, 3-4 ancient gullies, that drained into the Colorado River. It’s dryer around here now so it doesn’t happen often that they get a ‘gully washer’.
So I’d go to the riverside bar or to the casino in order to watch NFL games…and Seattle was doing very well. Winning their post season games. And miracle of all, they were going to the Super Bowl!!!
I could actually watch it here in comfort…the main bar in the casino had it set up so the screen, made up of many individual flat screen TVs was 17′ diagonally. More than large enough.
The casino TV.
It’s an American Indian casino and they frowned on picture taking inside the casino for some reason. I snuck the shot above while no one was paying attention. This is where I wanted to sit for the Super Bowl (which was the next weekend), where those people in front of me are sitting. Then I realized that they would fill the dancing area with tables so had to come up with another plan. Which turned out to be sitting at the end of the bar that was right behind me. The stools were comfortable, the view was just right, and I’d be able to have a drink or two delivered by a bartender who was much closer then a server would be in general. Bathroom was quite a ways away but I figured I’d survive. So, the day before the SB, I asked the bartender if he was working during the start of the SB? Yes. OK, tell you what…if you make this seat I’m sitting in look inhabited before I get here so no one takes it, I’ll give you $40. And I’ll get here at least 2 hours before the game starts. He hems and haws around and I figure he’s not going to do it.
Without a commitment from the bartender to save my seat, I arrived the next morning at 11AM. The game started at 3:30pm. The bar didn’t really start filling up until 2:30 or so. The bartender who was going to be working the start of the SB was there…when he notices I’m in the seat, he tries to convince me that he was going to save it…yeah, right. I tell him, ‘Ya snooze, ya lose.’ He didn’t try to argue so I was pretty certain that he wouldn’t have saved the seat for me at all. (BTW, I did tip him very, very, well at the end of the game so…). Then had to sit there sipping coffee for the next 6 hours. Gah. But it was worth it, I was in a great seat for the Super Bowl! Which featured the Seahawks! My TEAM! And not only did we win, but we soundly trounced the Broncos. Yea! It was fun sitting next to Broncos fans during the game too. But the Seahawks fans seemed to be the majority of the fans there that day.
Wish I could show you more pictures but like I said, inside the casino itself, cameras were a no-no. Next time we will visit the da Vinci exhibit.