February 13 -- Maintenance And Taxes At Henderson, Nevada

After all the sightseeing in SE Nevada these past few weeks it was time to get some chores done -- and pay the proverbial piper, i.e., the Feds. I got up early -- well, I ALWAYS get up early these days -- hitched Discovery up to the Tundra, and took off down the scenic Northshore Road that runs along the north shore of Lake Mead, heading to Henderson, Nevada. I had an appointment at the Camping World in Henderson to have Discovery washed and waxed (the first time "she" has been waxed since I purchased her in late November 2010), have the appliances checked, the awning and superslide topper cleaned, and the wheel bearings repacked. There were literally no cars on the road; I had it all to myself until I got to the Boulder Highway and Henderson. At Camping World (the stores now owned by Good Sam; it's just an RV service center and store in Henderson, the RV sales part is in Las Vegas) I dropped off Discovery with the truck as the H and R Block was only a few, well, Blocks away.  Easy to walk to, right? I called the tax office to let them know I was on the way, and asked for directions, saying I was at Camping World. The woman who answered said they were in a mini-mall across from MacDonald's and past the Lowe's. So I walked past the Lowe's...and couldn't find the MacDonald's. Now you have to understand I have a sciatic nerve "issue" -- probably caused by driving too much without getting out to stretch -- which makes my legs, particularly my left one, ache when I'm walking. So there I am, late for the tax appointment, walking around not knowing where the place was. I was swearing under my breath...I saw a man sitting on the curb in front of me. I got closer and saw he was toothless, and probably a little "eccentric", but I still asked him if the H and R Block office was up ahead on this street. He said, "Have money for a cigarette?" then answered "Yes, but they died a few years ago" -- NOT the answer I was expecting. I repeated my question a few times, he gave me the same answer, so I gave him $2 and left him still muttering "they're not around, they died". But the gods be praised, I saw the MacDonald's up ahead and the Block office was there across the street. I was with the tax guy for about 45 minutes, and when I left I was $530 poorer, plus the Block fee. But my taxes are DONE, and that's one thing less to worry about , which is important when you're on the road. So I went to a nearby IHOP to celebrate with a high-cholesterol breakfast, then walked back to Camping World and waited...and waited...AND...Discovery was finally done a little after 3pm. The appliances checked out ok, she was washed and waxed and looked brand spankin' new (except for some fiberglass damage and scrapes from an encounter with a concrete pylon at a gas station outside of Yellowstone), the wheel bearings had been repacked (and replaced as the mechanics said they'd been "damaged") -- so I was finally good to go. The Northshore Road back to Overton was ablaze with color from the late-afternoon sun, so I took a photo of Tundra and Discovery midst the scenery --

At The Bowl Of Fire

And the clouds were performing their usual magic on the bewitching landscape here --

So today, February 14, Valentine's Day, will be a day of hiking and exploring petroglyphs and hobgoblins in Gold Butte with a fellow photographer; I'll let you know how that goes in tomorrow's installment...