3/17 Willow Beach Marina & Campground, South of Hoover Dam

This is one of my favorite places in the West!  Why?  Gorgeous views, in the middle of nowhere, and nice campground.  There is absolutely no cell service, but the campground does have very good free WiFi.  All of the RV sites are full hookup with paved camping pads, and the roadways are all asphalt, plus there is a small laundromat.  There are also lots of little pygmy rabbits and Gambel's quail running around. There are sometimes bighorn sheep, but with a full and noisy campground, I have not seen any yet.

And because this is a federal facility, although run by a concessionaire, I get a senior discount!  (Cost is about half of what you would pay in California for dirt campsite in a state park with dirt roads and no hookups, no water, no electric, no bathroom, and no laundry.  California has the most overpriced and worst campgrounds in the country!)   

I arrived almost at dark on Friday, so had to drive down the hill to the store to register.  You can/t tell it, but this road is pretty steep.  You can get a glimpse of the Colorado River in the very middle.  

You can see that the canyon this roadway follows does double-duty during heavy rains.  And, it has rained here quite a bit in the last month, so the desert is green. 

There is a very large parking lot for boats and boat trailers here, but mostly when I have been here, it has been fairly empty. 

This is looking upriver towards the Hoover Dam.  The concessionaire also rents boats here, all the way from kayaks to open pontoon boats.  I am going to sign up for the raft trip that leaves from the base of the dam and floats all the way down to the campground. 

This is looking down the river towards Lake Mohave and eventually Lake Havasu.  Water is clear and cold.  

A few months ago, I was lucky to reserve the last site available, which is a handicap site. I have a legitimate handicap pass now, so can legally reserve this.  And actually, if it the last site available, anyone can reserve an ADA site in most places.  It is wider than most of the sites here, but otherwise the same. 

In spite of how it sometimes looks, the desert is NOT empty.  You would not believe the number of quail and other birds running around during the day.  The place is overrun with bunnies, as well, but they are a little tricky to photograph.  Quail are equally difficult, but I learned a little birdseed does wonders for attracting them and making them stay in one place.  I sprinkled some out today and will do so again tomorrow to see if I can get some pictures. 

Up the hill are several ranger's homes.  These are quite new, compared to the houses provided to rangers in most national parks.  This campground is about 12 years old.  Nice views from their backyards, although the summers must be hot. 

There are about a dozen tent sites in the campground, also.  These two have very nice views. 

 Another campground photo.  You can see how spread out the RV sites are.

This brittlebush is in full bloom.

A black-throated sparrow?? 

And I finally got my wish for warm weather!  Except my AC fan motor is not working.  All it does is hum, so I will head out to Las Vegas on maybe Tuesday to get someone to look at it.  So, temperature today was 76 degrees outdoors and 90 degrees inside with all the windows open!!