The "Essential" Yellowstone National Park

Above, lower Yellowstone falls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At an RV/travel forum I belong to, a question came up from a member who has only 2-3 days to see Yellowstone National Park. The question he asked was: What do we NEED to see at Yellowstone?

He wondered what were the "essentials".

My reply was this:

Having been to Yellowstone twice, what I consider "essentials" for a visit are: 

1. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Upper and lower Yellowstone falls. 

2. Old Faithful Geyser. 

3. Old Faithful Inn (right next to the geyser). 

4. Upper and Norris Geyser Basins. 

5. Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces. 

6. Lamar Valley. 

7. Yellowstone Lake. 

8. Gibbon Falls. 

I'm sure I missed a few things.

If you are contemplating a visit to Yellowstone, the above places are the "must-sees" while you're there.

Here's Yellowstone's official website:

Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)


Grand Teton National Park

Above, the Grand Teton mountains. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While you're in the area, you should also visit Grand Teton National Park, since it is next door to Yellowstone.

Here's Grand Teton's official website:

Grand Teton National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Cabazon Dinosaur Photos

Above, Dinny and Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A few days ago, I blogged about the Cabazon Dinosaurs that I visited last weekend.

Since much of that blog post went a little bit into their history, I only posted two photographs of Dinny the brontosaurus and Mr. Rex, the tyrannosaurus.

I took more photos of them and here's ones I didn't post:

Above, Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, some sort of prehistoric snake near Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the doorway into Dinny's tail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, another view of Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, it almost looks as if Mr. Rex is about to stomp
 through the palm trees. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the other side of Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Dollar Made Moderate Gains Against The Yen

The U.S. dollar gained some ground against the Japanese yen today in Tokyo trading.

According to the Jiji Press:

Tokyo, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)--The dollar gained ground moderately and rose above 123 yen in Tokyo trading on Wednesday, thanks to a bout of buybacks. 

At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 123.05-06 yen, up from 122.86-86 yen at the same time Tuesday.

 To read more, go here.

Contrasts In Statements On San Bernardino Massacre

Here's the contrasting differences between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in their statements on the San Bernardino Massacre:

Shooting In San Bernardino

Just what we all need, another shoot-out!

A friend in the area told me:

Three suspects escaped in a black SUV and wearing body armor.  What the hell they would be doing shooting up the Regional Center is beyond me.  That is the place for the gravely disabled and developmentally disabled. 

12 dead and 20 injured is last I heard.  Courts not allowing sheriffs to leave court, in case it turns to @#$% there next. 

From (San Bernardino County) DA RAMOS:  We are still on lockdown.  We are directing our personnel NOT to return to court at 1:30 despite being open for business.

Before you know it (and we all know this will be the case), the liberals will play politics with this before all the facts are in.

However, this MAY be terrorist-related. The suspects are still at large.

Jack Larson Memorial On Sunday

Above, Jack Larson with Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Noel Neill in 2001. Photo courtesy of Sup. Antonovich.

The memorial service for actor Jack Larson is this coming Sunday at 5:00. The doors open at 4:00.

The services will be held at the James Bridges Theater in the northeast corner of the UCLA campus.

Parking will be available at Parking Structure 3 that is off of Sunset Blvd. and Hilgard Ave. (green dot with red arrow).

According to UCLA:

Named in honor of film director James Bridges (The China Syndrome, 1979), the theater is one of the outstanding screening venues in Southern California, due to the generous support of the filmmaker’s partner, actor Jack Larson and the Bridges/Larson Foundation.

Roughin' It Made Easy

When I went on my little trip to Joshua Tree National Park and the General Patton Memorial Museum last weekend, the majority of my meals were at different restaurants.

But, since there are no restaurants in Joshua Tree National Park, I "roughed it" by heating up a can of Dennison's chili & beans and a can of French cut green beans. Since I was by myself, they were more than adequate to fill me up. What better way to warm yourself up in frigid cold weather than devouring some chili?

Chiriaco Summit Campground Review

Above, a sign pointing the way to the campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My review of the Chiriaco Summit Campground is up and there's now a link to it.

RV Park Reviews fixed the glitch and it can be accessed by going here.

Above, the General Patton Memorial Museum from the campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The campground is located just behind the General Patton Memorial Museum and it is free. It is a dry camp, meaning there's no hook-ups, toilets, electric or water at the campground. The only thing besides dirt pads are rock campfire rings. It is just fine for those in self-contained RVs.

It is handy if one is planning to visit the museum or just want to pull in to snooze for the night.

A New Rack For The Beast's Galley

Since space is at a premium in RVs, and The Beast is no exception, to help clear some space in the galley's drawer, I ordered online a kitchen utensil rack to hang some of the kitchen tools. It arrived yesterday.

In reading the directions, I needed to get a drill to mount the rack. I have a drill, but I have no idea where it is (in a box somewhere) and when I last tried to use it, it didn't work.

Since drill guns aren't that expensive, I went to the local Home Depot to pick up one.

Once I brought it home and charged the drill's battery, I proceeded to mount the rack in The Beast.

In less than fifteen minutes, my little project was completed. Now I'll have easy access to the utensils while I'm cooking.

The results:

Baby Pictures

While I was on my weekend trip, Amber babysat Sierra.

During the time, Amber took this shot of Sierra "brawling" with Godzilla:

Then, today, I took this shot of Sierra peeking from her cat tree. She sleeps in the little cubbyhole:

Japan To Provide Subsidy For Traditional Hotel Upgrades

Above, Denise photographing the massive dinner layout at the Atami Shinkadoya ryokan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In their continuing efforts to boost foreign tourism, the Japanese government is subsidizing the upgrading of traditional Japanese hotels and ryokans.

According to San Antonio's (Texas) La Prensa:

Tokyo, Dec 1 (EFE).- Japan will provide a subsidy to cover half the cost for traditional hotels to upgrade to meet the need of foreign tourists, who look for internet, Western-style toilets and signboards in multiple languages. 

The traditional Japanese-style lodgings, or 'Ryokan', with low occupancy by foreign visitors, can take advantage of this plan to attract non-Japanese tourists, public broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday.

Thus far, every ryokan I've stayed at were already suitable for foreign visitors. All had western-style flush toilets and Internet access.

To read more, go here. 

It's Getting To Look Like...December!

Above, it was a cold night in Chiriaco Summit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Actually, it is now December. Before we know it, it will be Christmas and then, soon after, New Year's Eve.

It is looking like December in another way: it is cold out! For Los Angeles (and many parts of California), the last week of November has been quite cold. Global warming? That's a bunch of B.S. anyway. It is a fraud perpetrated by statists to impose laws restricting everyone's freedoms. I have heard that the temperatures over the weekend for the Mojave Desert ranged from the teens to the thirties. It was very cold at Joshua Tree National Park while I was there. It was so cold that the concrete benches at the campground's amphitheater were too cold to sit on. So I stood during the ranger program on the night sky's constellations. I had on my wool coat from my days as a scout leader, and that kept me pretty warm.

November ended on a good note. My review on the Chiriaco Summit Campground (that is directly behind the General George Patton Memorial Museum) has been approved by RV Park Reviews. But there's a little problem with it. It appears on my profile page, but the link to the full review just takes people to the list of campgrounds in Indio, California. I have alerted the management of this, so hopefully it will be ironed out shortly.

I am still waiting for my latest article at JapanTravel to be approved. They have a little back-up going on there. But one of the moderators likes it. It just has to finish "going through the process".

Also, I received some orders (thank you, all) for the print edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan while I was in Joshua Tree National Park. I got them all ready for mailing last night and they will be mailed today.

Also, I began my Christmas shopping yesterday. Thankfully, everyone I am buying for is making the task easier as they indicated what they'd like to receive. Buying clothes for women/girls is not something I can do with any degree of competency. I as mentioned to one, giving gift cards from their favorite stores would work better as I may end up buying them "mom jeans". That definitely would not work!

20 Best Airport Restaurants In Japan

RocketNews 24 has posted an article with a list of the 20 best airport restaurants in Japan as chosen by users at TripAdvisor.

Outside of eating at a McDonalds in Narita International Airport last month, I ate at one Japanese restaurant at the airport in 2014 as I got to the airport early due to a flight SNAFU. I don't recall the name of it, but the food was very good.

They begin with:

Ask anyone who’s taken a trip to or in Japan, and they’ll tell you that one of the best things about travelling in the country is the food. As a matter of fact, for many people Japan’s culinary landscape is as memorable as its natural or urban one. 

But while you’ll have to say good-bye to Mt. Fuji and the Tokyo Skytree when you head to the airport for your flight home, you’ve still got time to squeeze in one final, and delicious, meal. Following is a list of the 20 best airport restaurants in Japan, as chosen by the users of travel website TripAdvisor.

To see the list of best airport restaurants, go here. 

Hadley Fruit Orchards

Above, the Hadley Fruit Orchards store in Cabazon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in the 1960s when we visited my grandmother in 29 Palms, we usually stopped at Hadley Fruit Orchards store in Cabazon on the way home.

There, we picked up some nuts and fruit products (such as jams and preserves) and had date shakes in their snack bar.

Yesterday, while returning home from Joshua Tree National Park and the General Patton Memorial Museum, I made a few stops, one of which was at Hadley's. I stopped in after having breakfast at Ruby's Diner next door. They have plenty of RV parking.

Above, inside of Hadley's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The store still looked the same and was very much as I remembered it. It has been many moons since I last stopped there (it was probably after a desert clamp-out with the Billy Holcomb Chapter of E Clampus Vitus).

This time, I skipped getting a date shake (actually, I forgot to get one) but I did pick up a couple of bottles of their steak sauces. One was mesquite-flavored and the other was merlot wine-flavored. I like to try out different steak sauces.

Above, just look for the Hadley sign while on Interstate 10 in Cabazon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was nice to see that some things haven't changed, and the Hadley Fruit Orchard store in Cabazon is one of them.

For more on Hadley's, go here.

Ruby's Diner In Cabazon

Above, the Cabazon Ruby's Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way home from the General Patton Memorial Museum and Joshua Tree National Park yesterday, I made another stop (besides the Cabazon dinosaurs) in Cabazon: Ruby's Diner.

On the way to the General Patton Museum, I noticed several billboards advertising Ruby's Diner in Cabazon. Ruby's Diner is a 1940s style restaurant chain named for the mother of the founder, Doug Cavanaugh. I decided to give them a try.

Above, a portrait of founder Doug Cavanaugh's mother Ruby on display behind the cashier's counter. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Cabazon Ruby's Diner is next door to Hadley's Fruit Orchards store, at which my family has stopped for date shakes since the 1960s. I stopped by Hadley's after Ruby's, but that will be the subject of another blog post.

Ruby's started in 1980 with the first restaurant to be opened in 1982 in Newport Beach, California. Now, there are several Ruby's Diner restaurants besides the one in Cabazon.

Above, vintage signs adorned the walls of Ruby's Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I went to the Cabazon restaurant for breakfast. Fortunately, they had large parking spaces in their parking lot that are suitable for RVs and I got there early before the crowds. When I went inside, I immediately liked the "malt shop" look of the restaurant. In the section I was seated, there was an overhead oval track with a 1957 Chevrolet going around and vintage signs were displayed on the walls. I'm probably dating myself when I admit to remembering some of the signs on display.

Above, the 1957 Chevy revolving on an overhead oval track. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I ordered the corned beef and eggs and it was well-prepared. The waiter was dressed 1940s style and he seemed to enjoy his job. I was pleased that the food was good. I'd hate to go to a restaurant what was all decor, but with lousy food.

Above, the counter of Ruby's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to their website, there's a Ruby's Diner at the nearby Woodland Hills Promenade Mall on Topanga Canyon Blvd. I'll have go there to try out their hamburgers.

Above, the cooks at work. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If I should be in the Cabazon area again, I will make it a point to stop in at Ruby's Diner.

For more on Ruby's Diner, go here.

Cottonwood Spring Campground Review Posted

Above, The Beast at Cottonwood Spring Campground at Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RV Park Reviews has posted my review of the Cottonwood Spring Campground at Joshua Tree National Park.

To view it, go here.

General Patton Memorial Museum

Above, the statue of Gen. George S. Patton and his dog
Willie in front of the museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My first trip after retiring was out to the Mojave Desert to Chiriaco Summit and, following that, to Joshua Tree National Park.

This was a solo jaunt as everyone else was either working or had other things to do that prevented them from coming along. That's fine, I don't mind traveling to places by myself.

The first stop at Chiriaco Summit was to the Gen. Patton Memorial Museum. The museum was set up in the late 1980s near where General Patton set up his desert tank training centers prior to being sent to North Africa during World War II.

Above, The Beast at the campground behind the Patton Museum shortly after arrival. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I had been to the museum before. The occasion was for a monument dedication in November 1998 in the "tank yard" by the Billy Holcomb Chapter of E Clampus Vitus. We joked at the time that it looked like someone's tomb.

This time, I wanted to go there to locate and photograph my dad's brick that I purchased in January 2000, a month after his death.

Above, the front of the Gen. Patton Memorial Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I got to the museum before it opened in order to locate the brick. Many people purchased bricks to honor family members (or friends) who served in the U.S. armed forces. There were hundreds (or thousands) of bricks mounted on walls surrounding the giant statue of General Patton and his dog Willie.

I must have spent about an hour trying to find it but was unsuccessful. I hoped that once the museum opened at 9:30, someone there could help me locate it.

I left the museum for breakfast at the Chiriaco Summit Coffee Shop. I had bacon, eggs and toast. They cooked it to perfection! While there, I sent pictures of the General Patton statue to my daughter and Denise.

Above, the sign pointing the way to the campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I arrived in Chiriaco Summit Friday night after dark (around 5:37) and, following dinner at the Chiriaco Summit Coffee Shop (a French dip sandwich and fries), I headed to the free (!) dry camping area (dry camping means there's no hook-ups) immediately behind the museum. With the exception of the campground manager, I was the only camper there. It was interesting to camp in the desert with old tanks and other military vehicles a couple of hundred yards away. It got pretty cold at night, but I slept great (10 hours) and fired up The Beast's heater the next morning. In no time, I was nice and toasty warm.

Above, The Beast at sunrise. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Once the museum opened, I checked with the front desk about finding my dad's brick. The nice gentleman at the desk pulled out the card file records of all of the bricks and found my dad's card. It gave the wall section (wall 2) and row (row 10). He led me out to the wall and within minutes, we found my dad's brick. I took a few photographs with the Canon camera and with my cell phone to send to Amber.

Above, my dad's brick, finally found! Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After this, I toured the museum (admission is only $5.00) and the "tank yard" out front.

Some of the museum's displays:

Above, General Patton. Photos by Armand Vaquer.

Above, one of several tanks and military vehicles on display. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I was done touring, I went back inside and purchased a brick to honor my grandfather, Merle Charleston. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Seabee in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. I was asked to wait for Michael Pierson, the general manager of the museum, to bring out a certificate on the brick that I just purchased. He brought it out minutes later and asked me if I have a certificate for my dad's brick. I told him I couldn't remember if I do as it was 15 years since I purchased it. He then got my dad's brick information and headed back to his office. He came out minutes later with a certificate for my dad.

Above, here I am with museum General Manager Michael Pierson. 

I told him that I run a blog that covers travel and attractions and will do a write-up on the Patton Museum (what you're reading now). We then posed for a photograph.

I then purchased a few things from the gift shop and then headed off for nearby Joshua Tree National Park. I will focus on that in another blog article.

Above, the monument placed and dedicated in 1998 by the Billy Holcomb Chapter of E Clampus Vitus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I was very pleased with the Gen. Patton Memorial Museum and the staff. They are very helpful. If you happen to be in the Indio/Palm Springs area on Interstate 10 and a World War II history buff (or a history buff in general), I recommend a stop at the museum. It is midway between those cities and the California-Arizona border (roughly 30 miles east of Indio)

Here's some information on the museum:

General Patton Memorial Museum
62510 Chiriaco Road
Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201
Phone (760) 831-0791.

Website: www.GeneralPattonMuseum.com

Cabazon's Dinosaurs: Roadside Kitsch

Above, "Mr. Rex". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While on my way home from Joshua Tree National Park today, I stopped off at Cabazon's dinosaurs to photograph them.

Back in the 1960s, my grandmother retired to 29 Palms and we would pass the dinosaurs on Interstate 10 while en route to visit her. Each time we passed them, we noted the progression of their construction. The first dinosaur built was the big Brontosaurus and then the Tyrannosaurus rex was built later.

Above, "Dinny". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The dinosaurs were featured in Pee Wee's Big Adventure around the "Large Marge" segment of the movie ("Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya!").

According to Wikipedia:

The creation of the Cabazon dinosaurs began in the 1960s by Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Claude K. Bell (1897–1988) to attract customers to his Wheel Inn Restaurant, which opened in 1958 and has been closed for a long time. Dinny, the first of the Cabazon dinosaurs, was started in 1964 and created over a span of eleven years. Bell created Dinny out of spare material salvaged from the construction of nearby Interstate 10 at a cost of $300,000. The biomorphic building that was to become Dinny was first erected as steel framework over which an expanded metal grid was formed in the shape of a dinosaur. All of it was then covered with coats of shotcrete (spray concrete). Bell was quoted in 1970 as saying the 45-foot (14 m) high, 150-foot (46 m) long Dinny was "the first dinosaur in history, so far as I know, to be used as a building." His original vision for Dinny was for the dinosaur's eyes to glow and mouth to spit fire at night, predicting, "It'll scare the dickens out of a lot of people driving up over the pass." These two features, however, were not added. With the help of ironworker Gerald Hufstetler, Bell worked on the project independently; no construction companies or contractors were involved in the fabrication. The task of painting Dinny was completed by a friend of Bell's in exchange for one dollar and a case of Dr Pepper. 

A second dinosaur, Mr. Rex, was constructed near Dinny in 1981. Originally, a giant slide was installed in Rex's tail; it was later filled in with concrete making the slide unusable. 

The Wheel Inn Restaurant is still closed and the area surrounding the dinosaurs looked run down during today's visit. But despite this, it appears that the dinosaur attraction is still open for business.