Pahrump to (south of) Las Vegas
Folks that already live on the road might want to skip this, as it’s about the logistics of moving sites.
There are many “moving parts” (so to speak) in a move. I’m not obsessive about it, but I do try to get stuff done in a rational and productive manner.
flu shot
I scheduled a flu shot with Walgreens in Pahrump, since the VA flu shot locator listed them as one of two. I judged (incorrectly) that they’d be more likely to have wifi.
I picked the earliest slot (9am) since it’d give me plenty of time to break camp and head to town. Early appointments also tend to have less “slippage” caused by unavoidable delays.
Apparently I was the first vet to use the VHIC card to get a shot there, because it took a team of them 45 minutes together to get it figured out. Hopefully that means it will be documented for the next guy.
On my way out of the pharmacy I saw a gorgeous sports car and walked around to see what it was: Jaguar with the custom plate FASTCAT. Fair enough. The fuel door was open and the cap was off. Maybe they were in a hurry after fueling? FASTGAS? I waited for a few moments to see if the owner was coming out so I could tell them. They didn’t.
reprovisioning
I knew walmart had wifi and propane refills so I headed that way. Found a parking spot that faced the building so the wifi router antenna could see it. Logged the router into the wifi and started updating devices. Headed in for the actual groceries.
I haven’t seen that level of half-assed mask wearing since Idaho. Noses out, chin diaper, uncovered coughs, all the hits. The county has been hit hard and has closed govt offices; I can see why. Sometimes culture kills.
I recall Pahrump is literally the only place where an unmasked person coughed directly in my face (earlier this year).
All but one device updated by the time I stowed the groceries in the various bins. The laptop needed some intervention and I had some data to move, too.
laundry
I checked Google Maps for a coin-op laundromat, hoping (without justification) it would have wifi.
Traditionally ‘mats have been coin operated, but there has been a trend toward using prepaid cards. I get it, maintaining coin machines is unpleasant. But the cards are not universal, locking you into one place. Boo! I avoid these.
I did my laundry and carried the clean duds through the gauntlet of smokers crowding the entrance. Nice.
water
Last time I was in Pahrump I found a park that had a water spigot near the pavillion so I headed back over. Closest parking was 150’ away and I schlepped a little over 20 gallons.
I had set up the 5gal bucket on the stool, hose running from the spigot to the freshwater tank. That way I could dump the water from the collapsible container into the bucket and let it transfer to the tank while I walked back for more.
There were a few breaks in the action waiting for transfer so I used that time to sort and stow the laundry.
library
A public library was about a mile away so I headed over to tap into the wifi. Finished updating the laptop and downloaded the data I needed.
By now it was almost 3pm and I headed out to my next spot.
BLM land south of Las Vegas
I’m on some BLM land east of the Seven Magic Mountains art… thing.
The piece consists of 33 limestone boulders, each weighing 10 to 25 tons, arranged in seven towers 30 to 35 feet tall -- secured by a solid backbone, with each stone painted a bright, fluorescent color. > >
http://img.mousetrap.net/2020/IMG_20201119_163500.jpg
flat area to the SE where people are flying parasails
http://img.mousetrap.net/2020/IMG_20201119_163520.jpg
Vegas is back thataway…
It’s dark now and I can see lights on I-15 in the far distance. I can’t hear anything. There is a glow from LV over the hills but the sky is dark enough to see the milky way easily.
Verizon is 1-2 bars but working well enough to upload the pics above.
I’m a bit worn down by the move, or maybe it’s the flu shot talking. I’ll walk doggo and turn in for the night.