These are the Voyages of the Starship Arrowstar - Stardate 2015-05-26

Captain's Log 20-15-05-28
These are the voyages of the Starship "Arrowstar."

Starship Arrowstar 3-month Mission:
Destinations:  Planet Seattle, Star Colony Norton, Ashville, North Carolina, and Galaxies as yet Unexplored.

Starcraft:
The Starship "Arrowstar," Shuttlecraft "Maxwell," Starship "Snoopy," and Shuttlecraft "Woodstock."

Starship Arrowstar Crew:
Captain CKThomas (A Human from Planet Earth)
First Officer (#1) Effjay (A Provalonian from Planet Redsauce)
Medical Officer: P-Bones (A PeaNuterian from Planet Nonuts)
Communications Officer: CC-Uhura - (A ChaHuaHua from Planet Ah - Hua - Hua)

Road-trip technology conspired against us, so here is a recap of the first three days of our Phoenix-to-Seattle-to-North Carolina adventure: 

Day One – Monday, May 25: Destination Kingman, Arizona

We struck out a day early on Memorial Day. We figured most of the holiday traffic would be later on, so we hit the road at 7:30 a.m. The Kingman KOA had a nice long pull-through for our 40-foot Starship and the 15-foot “toad” (RV-speak for towed vehicle).  An early afternoon arrival gave Frank time to tinker with enhancements to the RV (a seemingly never-ending task), and I had a chance to rearrange “stuff” (as in Cramalot Inn).

Day Two – Tuesday, May 26: Destination the Ghost Town of Pioche, Nevada

Leaving Kingman we hooked up with Rt. 93 into Nevada. Frank suffered a pancake attack about 10:30 a.m. just outside Las Vegas where he pulled over into a nice wide spot on the side of the road.  While he flipped flapjacks, I walked the dogs and discovered a sign about the history of early travelers along this route.  In this unlikely setting, I got the chance to walk a few steps on the Old Spanish Trail marked by the obelisk in the picture.

Photo: Look to the left of the marker to see the worn imprint of the path to the north on one of the busiest routes for trade in the late 1800s. Lack of water holes made this trek one of the most dangerous, but the most expedient for travel across Nevada between New Mexico and California.

Still on Rt. 93 (See Photos) Caliente-Nevada's train depot sits among sweet bungalows fronted with white picket fences. We passed through here on the way to the old mining town of Pioche and our billet for the night.

When we arrived in Pioche we immediately felt a tingle of familiarity. Once settled in the RV Park that we dubbed "Dogpatch," we launched the Shuttlecraft and cruised into the historic district of Pioche where the tingle got even stronger.  We flagged down a local cop to ask about an RV Park we remembered being located in the middle of town. Sure enough, we drove past the place and recognized the site where  the drunken owner had helped us back Ali-gator the trailer into the new fence he had just built.

Ore buckets from the glory days of the Pioche Mine still hang from cables. The ore went from the mine to the smelter in these buckets. The tumble down remains of the mine still stand.

The "Dogpatch" RV Park, tucked among huge, craggy mountains, made dreams of WiFi and cell service just that, dreams. Talk about isolated, no electrons penetrated that deep valley. A true picture of the place includes animal skulls tacked to shed walls, fish heads lying in the tall grass and a rustic bar, testifying that this camp caters to hunters and fishermen. 

Day Three – Wednesday, May 27: Destination Wells, Nevada

Last night Frank and I fell asleep to the comforting sound of rain on our fancy-dancy fiberglass roof! On the road today we reminisced about times past when we've slept in a two-person tent alongside a motorcycle in the rain. 

We pulled into a very nice rest stop (atypical for Nevada) and read about the history of the Pony Express. The pictures show the cowboy-art enclosures for the picnic tables and the large metal sculpture of the Express rider at the end of a short trail.

About 19 miles outside Wells, we’re approaching what looks to be a ferocious thunderstorm and hoping to get into Angel Lake RV Resort before it hits!

Day Four – Thursday, May 28: Destination Somewhere in Idaho

We drove through some spectacular rain yesterday, but it was short-lived. It cleared within the hour, and I spent a sunny afternoon walking the dogs, reading and fixing dinner. Frank, however, spent 3 hours on the phone with a tech guy clearing up our computer problems! 

First Officer's Entry:

Question 1:  How many times have you heard, "Never sign onto an unsecured WiFi system!"?

Question 2:  Have you ever heard the term, "Malware?"  

Well, I did the first and am now VERY familiar with the second.  That's why I spent three hours on the phone with Tech Support.  I signed on to an available WiFi "just to do a quick email check" and something grabbed the laptop and jammed a malicious bug up its ass and the computer suddenly became a venue for advertisements to stuff you wouldn't buy in a thousand years.  We had no control at all.  So, three hours and $149.99 later the junk-ware was removed and the little laptop is speaking to you even as I type this.

Lesson hard learned!