Lake Mead National Recreation Area

 

We have moved on from the dry Death Valley area to near the beautiful waters of Lake Mead.  After fighting the traffic through Las Vegas and Henderson, it was great to see the sign for a campground just before reaching Hoover dam.  Passed it by, did a u-turn, and got a great $5.00 a night spot overlooking the lake.  Even had a Casita from Idaho as a neighbor.

The view from the campground.

We had no plans, so just enjoyed the local area.  we did do a visit of Hoover Dam, but the hassle made the visit somewhat of a downer.  First was the security check to even get near the dam, then $7.00 for parking,  $8.00 to get into the visitor center, and even more if you wanted any kind of a tour.  I’ve never visited another facility that charged a fee for the visitor center.  Needless to say, we gave it a pass.

The new bridge that now routes traffic from over the dam.

There’s a walkway that allows pedestrians access to the bridge.

Hoover dam from the bridge.

The town of Boulder City is a pretty unique place.  Lots of nice shops and also street corner sculptures.

For much more information on the town, and area, check out Marks blog.  He and Bobbie were there just a few days before us and he posted a great blog on the area.  His pictures and words are much better than anything I could put together. 

For a final note on Lake Mead.  The two vehicles barely visible in this picture are a full size pickup and a van.  Using the two of them for comparison, you can see how low the lake is, compared to the high water mark of years ago.

One has to wonder how much longer it will be able to meet the needs of the cities of the Southwest…jc