GETTING REAQUAINTED WITH LIFE IN SALOME

We arrived here Thanksgiving week and it didn't take long to get reacquainted with life in this desert town.  We chose a different site this year, along the walled perimeter of the park.  We like the site but miss the 'sunset' views from our window that we had last year.
  

Love the desert sunsets

 My goal this year was to get a little more organized than last winter; planning ahead so there are less trips to 'town' for essentials. The biggest boost to my effort is the addition of a Family Dollar store in Salome. It's like a mini Walmart, with a little bit of everything.

But, as I say this, we've already been to Quartsite, Parker, Wickenberg and Surprise on different occasions.  On one trip to Parker, we ventured out to find the "Nellie E Saloon" (Desert Bar) that is situated in the Buckskin Mountains on land that was an old mining camp.  The article I had read about the bar said that it was five miles off Rt 95...and it was...five miles of narrow dirt road with ruts and stones to navigate and the truck was covered with dust within minutes.  I felt really bad since Keith had just spent a few hours one day washing the 'travel' dirt off of it. 


Desert Bar in the distance

 


Narrow entrance to the Nellie E

The "Nellie E" was purchased in 1983 and completed 5 years later.  The inside of the saloon is unique.  It has windows that are old glass refrigerator doors, the bar stools are made of steel and they sway from side to side.  The top of the bar is brass and the ceiling is made of stamped tin.  The saloon is powered by solar energy and is stored in batteries and run through inverters.  Water was originally hauled in in a 50 gallon tank on the back of a truck, but they've since drilled a well on the grounds.  The bar is only open Sat and Sun from noon till 6, and on the day that we went, there was a band playing and quite a few patrons.

The covered walkway to the Desert Bar

Several of the friends we made last winter are here already but there are some who won't come till after Christmas, and some who have decided to check out RV resorts in the California desert this year. 

Keith's cousin Rod and his wife Ellen had hoped to be here by now but hip surgery has postponed their arrival till January.  We really enjoy their company and are glad that they will be able to make the trip.  Tony and Donna, our friends from Maine, will not head west this winter.  We'll miss the sound of their 'downeast' accent and the fun we shared with them.

So, we are excited that our Sun Valley friends, Bill and Marcia, are flying out to spend a week with us in January.  And, my BFF's Gwen and Mare are also flying out for a week later in January.  We're anxious to share some of the sights and experiences with them.  Surprisingly, Salome does have a motel, the Westward, about a mile from our park.  It has just four rooms but it's another little oasis in this desert area.

Keith and I both agree that we enjoyed the time we spent sightseeing on our trip out on Rt 40 this year.  There's so much to see in our country.  Checking off another place we haven't seen, we plan to go to Las Vegas over the Christmas holiday.   It'll make a very HAPPY NEW YEAR if we hit the jackpot!