2/2/2013–Parker 425

The Parker 425 race started at about 7:15am and the cars started passing our camp area about 15-20 minutes later.

Sunrise

Robby Gordon’s car.  At the end of the race he finished about 15 minutes ahead of the next car in, but was penalized and ended up in 3rd place.

This car was awarded 1st place.

A helicopter overhead was usually an indication of a race leader approaching.

This car was awarded a 2nd place finish.

We met the parents of Pistol Pete at the Elks lodge dinner Friday night.

I think Ken took well over 400 photos of the race, but I decided to pick out just a few for the blog update.

1/31/2013–Parker 425 Qualifying and the Downtown Experience

On Thursday, January 31st, we drove down Shea Road to a spot where we could watch some of the qualifying runs for the Parker 425.

The camouflage on this vehicle is made up mudflap girls.

It looks like the guy in the middle of this photo is getting a dirt bath.

The #77 Speed car is driven by Robby Gordon who has been one of Ken’s favorite drivers for years.

After the qualifying has completed, we headed into downtown Parker to see the Downtown Experience.

There was even an orange jeep on steroids.

Robby Gordon is a big draw to the Parker 425 and had his merchandise trailer set up in the downtown area.  He spent some time in the trailer autographing items that were sold there.

The Elks lodge in Parker had a fish & chips dinner on Friday night, so there was a group of us from the Escapees Boomers group who went there for dinner.

1/30/2013–A Relaxing Day in Parker, AZ

It was a pretty laid back day for us today.  We started out with a big breakfast of english muffins, eggs, hash browns, and link sausage.  After breakfast, I got spaghetti sauce started in the slow cooker.  Shortly after that, Sue invited us to join them for dinner at their place.  Okay…so the spaghetti sauce can cook and we can eat it another day.  Later, I made some brownies to accompany our meal this evening.

Once the brownies came out of the oven, we headed into Parker to try to find out more about the race.  We stopped at the Blue Water Casino and picked up some information, but Ken still is not finding the information he really wants….he was hoping for a list of the race entrants and more information that explains the various classes that run in the Parker 425.  We headed back to the truck and drove to the other side of the casino where we found this truck racing around the parking lot.  This one should be very much like the one Ken expects Robby Gordon to be driving.

We returned to camp and as it was another beautiful day, we sat outside visiting and enjoying the nice weather.  It’s just a small dot above the hillside, but this small flying machine was apparently out checking out the race course.

Sue is looking pretty darned relaxed!

and Jerry looks serious…

…but not for long…Ron and Diana’s dog Keisha knows that Jerry has a dog biscuit hidden under his cap.  She worked at it for quite a while but finally found her reward.

After happy hour, we rejoined everyone in Jerry & Sue’s RV and had a very good, but messy, meal of ribs and side dishes.  After dinner, we returned to the RV for an evening of tv and computers.  Tomorrow (Thursday) is the start of the Parker 425 events and we’ll be headed into town to see the Downtown Experience.

1/29/2013–Laughlin, NV to Parker, AZ

We drove from Laughlin, NV to Parker, AZ today first heading south on the Needles Highway to I-40, then east to take AZ-95 south to Parker.

We stopped in Lake Havasu City at the Walmart to stock up on a few items we needed for our stay in Parker, then continued south.

In this photo, we can see some RV’s parked up on the hillside called The Steps.  We camped there a couple of years ago while attending the Winter Blast with the Escapees Boomers group.

There is usually heavy traffic in both directions with just a small area for turning into the Steps.  Toward the middle of the photo, you can see a break in the guardrails near the RV we’re following and the approaching vehicle.

And another photo of it as we get closer.

This photo is looking to the north from the south end of Lake Havasu.

This cluster of palm trees is an interesting landmark as we get closer to Parker.

The Blue Water Casino is the base for the Parker 425 race.

In Parker, we stopped at Superfuels to fill our fuel tank.  We had planned to fill the propane tanks also, but there was too much congestion, and we decided to return later with just the small tank.  South of Parker, we took Shea Road for approximately 8 miles where we joined Jerry & Sue, Ron & Diana, and one other Boomer couple who are here for the Parker 425.  We got set up, had a late lunch and returned to town to fill the small propane tank and look for some information on the race.

With those tasks accomplished, we returned to the RV just in time for happy hour.  It’s nice to have some warmer weather returning to us!  We sat outside until it started chilling off, then it was back to the RV for the evening.

1/26/13–1/28/13–Laughlin, NV

We’re currently on our fourth and final night in Laughlin, NV and really don’t have too many photos of our visit.  Most of our time has been spent getting the inside of the RV cleaned up and getting caught up on laundry.  Also, Ken’s cousin and her husband live here in Laughlin, so we’ve spent every evening visiting with them either at their place or ours and having meals together.

Here are a couple of photos taken along the north-south highway during our ventures away from the RV.

There are many colors in the hillsides.

This almost looks like a tropical beach, but it’s a desert beach along the Colorado River near the Avi Casino south of Laughlin.

Tomorrow, we’ll be headed south to Parker, AZ for about a week to catch glimpses of the Parker 425 race while dry camping off of Shea Road.  We’re looking forward to the experience and hope to catch up with other Escapees friends while there.