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Stampede Tour - On the Road posted by Dakota Livesay

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We made it to Blythe, CA with no problems. We’re staying at the Hidden Beaches River Resort. And, we’re virtually the only people here…which is nice because we need some quiet time between last weekend’s event and the one coming up next week.

We have a very nice grassy spot, and can look out of our picture window onto the Colorado River. Speaking of picture window, we really haven’t shown you what it looks like inside Monte, our RV. The first picture is of the kitchen. As usual, Sunny is baking bread and a pie. The second is of our bedroom. I sure don’t know where that cat came from. It sure isn’t ours.

We had a fun weekend at the Big Bear Cowboy Festival. Although it had three strikes against it…forest fire (that’s now contained), rain and cold…those who did attend had a fun time.

Normally the event is held outside. But the committee adapted and brought it inside. The picture is of the auditorium on opening night. The evening was started with the presenting of the flags and Belinda Gale singing “God Bless America.”

We’re now headed down the hill, and we’ll be working our way to Phoenix, AZ for next weekend’s event, Wild Western Festival.

We’re now in Big Bear, CA. We’re here for a Cowboy Music & Poetry Festival.

You may have heard on the news that there’s a fire here in Big Bear. Fortunately, it’s 90% contained. And that’s because it’s just across the lake from where we’re staying.

There are four helicopters with big scoops hanging from their bellies.  They’re scooping water from the lake and dumping it on the fire.

The first picture is across the lake from the front of Monty. That little speck to the right and above the smoke is one of the helicopters. The second picture is a close up.

Sometimes I believe that driving the freeways of L.A. is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute…It may be exciting, but it sure is dangerous.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the freeways over the last few days as we visit friends and kids and grandkids.

In L.A. you travel at seventy miles per hour, or three miles per hour, depending on the traffic.  In either case you’re driving bumper to bumper.

If you haven’t driven the L.A. freeways, let me give you an idea of what it’s like.  And remember we travel in a one-ton Dodge long bed truck with dulies.

You are traveling at a speed of seventy miles per hour.  Less than one car length in front of you is a pickup truck.  Less than one car length behind is a sedan.  In the lanes on either side are large semi trucks riding the line between them and you.  Then, just to get your heart beating real fast, one of those buzz cars traveling at ninety miles per hour passes you weaving in and out of the traffic.  Oh, yes, I forgot about the occasional motorcycle that speeds by you as it rides that small gap between lanes.

I swear that L.A. drivers have to be the best drivers in the world just to survive.

Yesterday we went to the Los Angeles County Fair.  Although we enjoyed ourselves, because we were together, the fair was a big disappointment.  So big a disappointment, we didn’t even take any pictures.

Both of us enjoy fairs, because it’s a slice of country life in the area.  We enjoy seeing the animals…especially the 4H animals.  We also enjoy seeing the biggest pumpkin or cucumber.  And, it’s always fun seeing men in their hitch-ups.

The L.A. Fair was all commercial.  Scads of carnival games, expensive food that, like all fairs isn’t good for you, but here it just wasn’t good.

We left Barstow, CA where it got up to 100 degrees, and because of the humidity seemed higher, and are now in Anaheim, CA at the Canyon RV Park.  Were it not for the Riverside Freeway right next to it, the place would qualify as a 10.

This evening we’ll be visiting our kids and grandkids.  Tomorrow we’re going to the L.A. County Fair.  We enjoy fairs, and the L.A. fair is one of the best.

We’ve been busy over the last few days, and apologize for not keeping you updated with our activities.

The end of last week Dakota stopped by station KZUA in Holbrook, Arizona, and spent a couple of hours on air with Kelly McLaws.  Dakota spend much of the time fielding phone calls from listeners calling to say how much they enjoy his daily shows.

We then traveled over to Williams, AZ and spent a couple of days with Mike and Jay who run Wild West Junction.

The first picture is of Dakota standing in front of a false front office of Chronicle of the Old West that Mike and Jay have as part of the venue.

Also, listeners to the weekly radio show know that Dakota opens the show with “The Old West is a time and place of the heart.”  That statement is over the bar in one of the Wild West Junction’s restaurants.  Incidentally, Dakota gave them permission to use it.

The trip continues to California with a couple day stopover in Barstow, CA.

We are on a short stopover at Holbrook, Arizona, still on our way to Southern California.

If you’re a subscriber to Chronicle of the Old West newspaper, you’ll notice on the front page an article about Perry Owens.  That shootout took place in Holbrook.

The picture is of Perry.  He was quite a dandy with hair down to his waist, and hats with fancy bands.  If anyone ever made fun of Perry’s looks, they sure didn’t after this shootout.  I believe it was the most dramatic one to take place in the Old West.

While in Las Vegas, NM we took a trip to nearby Fort Union.  Fort Union was probably the largest of the western military forts.  It was a supply distribution fort located on the Santa Fe Trail.  As a National Park, unlike many Old West forts, Fort Union has not been restored.  The first picture is of the fort jail.  The second is the remains of the enlisted men’s barracks.  As you can see, the jail was made a bit sturdier than the barracks.

We’re now in Albuquerque, on our way to Southern California.