6/6/15
We woke up parked outside a friend’s house and had cinnamon rolls. They were filling and tasty. After sugar and coffee we loaded up the Blueberry (car) and locked ourselves out of the RV… Yes… You read that right. The switch that locks the RV handle must have popped up when I shut the door, effectively locking us out. Up to this point I had never thought about how I might break into our RV, but now it was a must. Our hosts graciously provided us with a few tools and I went to work. After about 10 minutes we were back in and had our keys. The good news is there is a way to break into the RV. The bad news is there is a way to break into the RV… I’ll have to fix that later.
After the lock debacle we unplugged Starbuck only to notice our adapter from 30 amps to a house plug had melted a little. We made the mistake of running the AC unit off of a house plug and that doesn’t work. What sucked was we were planning to leave Las Vegas today and now we were concerned we could have damaged something. To be safe we took the Starbuck over to Johnny Walker RV Parts and Services so they could take a look at it. They told us that nothing looks damaged and we should be fine.
Feeling a lot better we headed out of the city. We are headed to a friend’s house in Goldfield, Nevada. They have RV hookups and we will be staying there for a few days. She asked that we bring some tomatoes with us. Unfortunately, we forgot to get tomatoes and figured we could get some along the way. We hadn’t been up this way in a while so it didn’t occur to us that there was nothing between Las Vegas and Goldfield. You would think Nevada has outlawed grocery stores when you drive through this part of the state.
We had resigned to the fact that we would not be bringing tomatoes due to lack of places that sell them… Well… Due to lack of places period.
We arrived at our destination and greeted our friends Jody and Malek, who run the Elite Trading Post in Goldfield, NV. They graciously offered us a spot which had hookups on their property. Unfortunately the spot was about as level as a mountain. We tried for a while to get the RV level, but the system kept stopping and blinking excessive slope. Natalie got me to try the RV Park up the hill until Malek told us about the rest stop across the street from their store. He informed us it was level and they knew all the police in town so it wouldn’t be a problem if we stayed there a few days. So boondocking it was.
Taco Time!!!!
After getting settled Jody and Malek took us to the Hoist House Saloon just behind where we were staying. The bar was great and it was taco night, not something that happens every day a
t the saloon. It turns out taco night is done on a “when we feel like it” basis. The taco of the day was chicken tacos with mango salsa, and they were delicious. Drinks were had and stories were shared.
Let’s Blow This Joint…UP!
After dinner Jodi and Malek took us for a drive around the desert before stopping at the Radio Museum and new firework stand. PK is the owner of the Radio Museum. He is a quirky man who speaks several languages and claims to be the biggest nine year old he knows. If you ever find yourself in Goldfield I highly recommend you stop and have a look. While you’re there you should buy some fireworks from Bob.
Speaking of fireworks, we were informed that Bob would be graciously providing enough fireworks to blow up the desert tomorrow night and all were invited. So I guess we blow up fireworks tomorrow.
The lesson of the day: Get tomatoes when you can in Nevada.
6/7/15
We awoke and headed over to the Elite Trading Post. Jody was already cooking breakfast for us, which was really nice. We met John Paul for the second time. He lives in a Spartan bus, which has been converted into an RV. As far as he knows he owns the only converted Spartan bus of that model. We asked him if we could interview him tomorrow and he agreed. Jody and Malek told us about a friend of theirs, Robyn, who shows up once a year from Canada and stays there. They said that her appearance might surprise us, but she is really nice.
Exploring The Town
Armed with this information we set out to explore the town. The video we made of some of the historical sites will be coming soon. While taking some footage a large basset hound came lumbering towards us. He greeted us with a wagging tail and excitement to see Brewy. We figured someone knew who he belonged to so I clipped Brewys leash onto him and took him into the nearest building which happened to be The Hoist House. Upon entering the bar tender Jeremy said, “Oh, you found him!” Turns out it was his dog that had gone missing. He thanked us and told us there was a reward for finding him, a free beer. So Natalie and I sat in the bar which was technically closed and chatted a while. Needless to say we didn’t get as much video footage of the town that we would have liked.
We got back to the Elite Trading Post about the same time Robyn showed up. She looked like Jody and Malek described. Imagine a punk rock girl in a western movie. After saying hello and talking a bit we readied for fireworks.
The Fireworks
PK had gathered a little caravan of people ready to blow stuff up. We followed the line of cars to a hot spring right outside of Goldfield. It looked inviting and had I known would 
have watched the fireworks from the 100+ degree water. Unfortunately, I didn’t have swimming trunks, and I didn’t know most of my new found group of friends well enough for it to be socially acceptable to take my pants off.
We met Sam and Chalet, a brother and sister who were also vacationing in Goldfield. It was kind of strange to me that 
this group of people from hundreds of miles apart whom many have never met, through serendipity, found themselves lighting off dozens of fireworks provided by a generous guy who owned a firework stand. 
We may not come together as a group or see each other again, but as it happens for a few hours we laughed, played, lit stuff on fire and had fun together as friends. At the end of the day we didn’t burn anything down or have to go to the ER, a great day.
The lesson of the day: You never know who you will be lighting off fireworks with…but fireworks are always fun!
6/8/15
We awoke on our last full day in Goldfield with the
mission of interviewing John Paul and his Spartan bus/RV. After breakfast we headed to 
his place and filmed away. His RV is definitely one of a kind. I won’t spoil the fun and let you watch the interview once it’s cut and on YouTube.
Guns and a View!
After the interview Malek and Jody took Natalie, Robyn and I out into the desert to see a few things and shoot guns. Though we have both shot guns before, we had just bought one of our own. Robyn had never shot before. Malek showed us a natural spring that the wild burros drink from and then we found which hill was lacking in lead content. We loaded our S.A.L.I.D’s (Semi Automatic Led Injecting Devices) and fired away. After the hill was no longer unleaded, Jody and Malek took us to an old gold stamping mill.
It was a sight to behold, It was large and castle like, almost something you would expect to see in an Indiana Jones movie…one of the good ones…before the alien one.
We explored the mill and the white valley created by the
crushed rock from the mill. After living in the desert for over 11 years, Natalie and I didn’t usually see much beauty in it. But out there, with the wide open ranges and beautiful painting like blue skies with cotton clouds, we came to realize that this harsh landscape is anything but ugly. It can be very hot. It’s always
dry and it might even kill you if you get lost in it, but it is awe inspiring. A reminder that though humans have spread throughout this planet, we haven’t tamed it all. It’s a big world, and we just started exploring it.
Evening came; Jody and Malek cooked dinner. We sat around the table–Sam, Chalet, Robyn, Jody, Malek, Natalie and myself– and talked about the fun we had and where we where headed to next. Sam and Chalet were heading home to California. Robyn was staying for a bit before continuing her vacation to Cali as well. Us, we are headed to Fernley, NV to start our first work camping gig as camp hosts. Wish us luck, and happy trails!
Please read and follow our friends journey and be inspired by their courage to quit their full time jobs and travel and explore life. Natalie and Levi made their first stop on the adventure at our place in Goldfield, Nevada and have beautiful pictures of our town. We really had a nice time and welcome you back anytime. Please read their blog and look at the epic pictures. Levi, you are a fantastic photographer. Maybe you can sell your photos online or make a book about your journey. We wish you all the joy in your travels and will keep up to date with your itinerary and adventures.