1/17 Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV

It was a beautiful sunny day today, if a bit chilly.  And I was moving from one campground to another campground that was only about an hour-and-a-half drive away, so as I drove past Hoover Dam, I saw the signs directing you to the visitor area, so I made a quick decision and decided to stop for a while.  I had been here several years ago, but I figured it was worthwhile to see it again.  

Last time I was here, this new bridge had just been completed.  Before 2010, you had no choice to drive over the dam to get to the Arizona side of the river.  This took a long time, obviously, and was a serious security risk, so the new bridge is very handy.  The only negative is that the bridge tends to have high winds over it, so high vehicles like mine are told to move into the left/center lane so we don't get blown off!  

 

 

There are lots of signs warning you as you drive towards the dam listing the things you are not allowed to bring with you.  Also, you have to stop at a security checkpoint to have your car or RV inspected.  Luckily, today was a Friday, and there were no crowds of tourists, so I had no wait, and the inspection took only about five minutes, although I did have to let one of the inspectors inside.  He just stepped up onto my entrance rug, looked around, and said everything looked OK, so I drove on. 

 

This next photo shows the approach to the dam from the Nevada side.  There is a new parking structure to the left here, just before the big rock wall, but there is also parking for big vehicles and more cars on the other side of the dam.  So you can still drive across it if you want to. 

 

I wonder how many tourists let the bridge people know that this electrical tower is about to fall? 

 

 

Approaching the drive over the dam.  Walkers are constantly walking across the roadway, so you do have to drive very slowly and stop for pedestrians. 

 

 

One problem with parking on the Arizona side of the dam is that nearly all of the parking is along a road that zigs and zags up the mountain.  My problem was that I cannot walk that long of a distance, so as I came back after turning around at the top, I drove back down and found the $10 lot shown low in the distance.  Lots of room for my big vehicle and while walk was still long, it was doable.  

 

 

 

At least I got a good view of the overflow channels on my walk. 

Glad it was a cool day for walking. 

Nice view of Lake Mead.  Note the white "bathtub ring" that shows how deep the lake used to be.  There is also a tiny white sailboat in this photo, which shows you how wide the river is here.

   I crossed the roadway to take some photos of the opposite side of the dam. 

 

 

This is the old exhibit building.  Unfortunately, not only is this old exhibit building closed right now, but so is the newer one that they are still working on!  

The brown building is now the tour headquarters, but it will also be an exhibit hall later this spring.

Went back to my rig, and am now driving back across the bridge. 

And on to my next campground where I will stay for 13 days.  Hoping to see the bighorn sheep that hang around that area. 

1/16 Boulder Beach Campground, Lake Mead, Nevada

Boulder Beach Campground is one of the nicest no-hookup places I have ever experienced.  The roadways are paved, as are all the campsite pads.  This means no blowing sand or dirt, as I experienced in Big Bend.  Sites are also fairly spread apart and are quite large.  Nice landscaping on and between sites, as well.  

Two other big advantages of this place, are the views of the mountains and Lake Mead, though the lake is a long walk from the campground these days because of the low water level.  There is also a very nice, paved bike trail that goes past the campground and almost the entire width of Lake Mead--very nice!   

The campground has water spigots in several places around campsites, and there is also a nice dump station and fresh water fill area.  No showers, however.

The nearby city of Boulder City, by the way, is a good place to stock up on things like gas and groceries.  Otherwise, you have to go a lot closer to Henderson, NV, and Las Vegas.  Here is the road from Boulder City that goes down to Hoover Dame and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  Nice view of the lake, but the white "bathtub ring" shows you what the lake level originally was.   

It was a beautiful, sunny day today, though a bit chilly.  This area has not had rain for almost a year, so it is in a serious drought condition! 

You will need to pay an entrance fee to get into the Lake Mead national park area.  Or, you can use your federal senior pass if you have one, as I do. 

A few pictures of the campsites.  And most importantly, you can use a generator all day, except for quiet hours, which are from 10 pm to 6 am.  This is VERY generous, but this are can be pretty hot during the summer.  (It can also be below freezing at night during the winter, so you need to be prepared for both conditions!)

Lots of empty spaces available, but you now need to make reservations online, even if you just drop-in.  I had to do this last time I was here--pulled over along the campground roadway, sat in my vehicle,and went online to recreation.gov! 

The lake is more than half a mile away, though it looks closer in this photo.  Not sure what the beach looks like because I have never walked down to it. 

 

 

I drove in through the east entrance closest to Boulder City, but I drove out the west entrance because I needed to stop in Henderson to pick up a couple of prescription.  Even if you do not need to head towards Las Vegas, this is a very nice drive with several parking areas to view the lake.  

 

 

Some people say that the desert is boring because there is nothing there, but I think it has a beauty of its own, especially when there are craggy mountains in the distance. 

I tried to get a better picture, but there is another campground in the lower right of this photo. It is not as pretty nor are the roads and sites as recently paved, but it is a good choice if you cannot get a site at Boulder Beach.

Also, on this trip, just before I left the national park, I turned right on Northshore Road, so I am including some photos from that area.  The road heads north along the lake and provides access to several places on the north shore of Lake Mead.  There is a marina and campground there as well.  It's a nice road with a lot of pull-offs, and is seldom busy.  

The road also takes you to Valley of Fire State Park and the small town of Moapa.  Might seem like a lot of nothing in this area, but it is a true wilderness area.

If you ever go to Las Vegas for gambling and shows, take an extra day or two and visit some of the beautiful areas around this part of Nevada!

1/12 Big Bend of the Colorado River State Recreation Area, Laughlin, NV

One of the state parks I enjoy for a quiet few days is Big Bend of the Colorado River, near Laughlin, NV, which is about 50 miles north of Lake Havasu and about 60 miles south of Hoover Dam.  The day use area is located directly along the Colorado River, though the campground is a bit of a walk from there.  I have stayed here several times and enjoyed it.

Across the river is Bullhead City, AZ, with its shops and casinos.  About 3 miles to the north on the Nevada side is the smaller city of Laughlin, which also has several casinos, but not as wide a selection of shopping.

Positives are that the campground is reasonably priced and has very large, full hookup sites, about half of which are pull-throughs.  Sites are widely spaced apart, so you do not feel cramped and the noise level is substantially less than a lot of campgrounds.  

A big negative, however, is that during two of the three times I stayed here, the wind was extremely strong and created substantial sandstorms.  These were the kind that if you went for a walk or had to do some work outside for very long, you need to shake your clothes off and brush the sand out of your teeth as soon as you get indoors.  In fact, I also had an awning tear here a few years ago and had to help the mobile mechanic I called to take the remnants off and tie the loose awning bars into place with zip ties and a lot of duct tape!  After half an hour of being outside in the blowing sand, I had to strip off my clothes at the door, and take an immediate shower to get the sand out of my hair, and then I had to brush my teeth to get the grit off!  

I did not go outside much this stay, but I did notice after a couple of days that somehow the sand was making its way inside through cracks.  This meant wiping down counters and cupboards, as well as damp-mopping my floors!  It was also a very rough drive the day I left to drive north to the Las Vegas area since my motorhome acts a lot like a towed billboard in the wind!  I drove very slowly, taking three hours to drive what should have taken 1.5 hours. Not fun to have to be constantly steering to keep your rig going fairly straight down th road. 

Anyway, here are some photos of Big Bend of the Colorado:

 

 

 

 

 

The campground was not full, as you can see from these next few photos. 

 

 

From a few places in the campground, you could see across the river to Bullhead City, especially at night when it was lit up. 

 

 

Nice restrooms, but no showers and no laundromat!  

I did drive across the river one day to mail a package at a UPS store.  I did not take any photos of the Bullhead side of the river, but here are some of the casinos in Laughlin. 

And a last glimpse of the Colorado River.

In spite of the wind and sand, I will probably come back here some day, though I will check the weather next time.