arrived at the west end of Lake Mead on a perfect sunny day. I really wanted to camp at the remote public site on the south side of the lake but it was too far of a drive and would have taken me quite a bit out of the way. I settled on the Boulder Beach campsite about 3 miles or so from Hoover Dam. Boulder Beach has a swimming area but it's not really a relaxing place to hang out
because the beach is, as it's name suggests, full of large pointy rocks. The water is cold and extremely refreshing and I found time to get a picture of me "lounging" beachside. I looked longingly at the boats out on the water probably heading out to perfect little coves for swimming and wakeboarding. This could be one of the world's perfect boating areas. Hundreds of isolated coves surround the entire lake and the weather is rarely bad.
I set up camp and watched a great sunset while drinking a special hot toddy that I'd concocted just for the occasion (tea, brandy and honey). As I was observing group of bats flit around in the dusk sky (OK, I have a lot of time on my hands), the couple in the campsite next to me played a few incredible tunes with a woman singing and a man plucking guitar. The music was so fitting for the quiet setting and it made the experience a bit otherworldly. As if I were in some happy nature movie with a soothing soundtrack. Later on I introduced myself and I found out that Glen and Linda are professional musicians from Santa Cruz, CA, who were in Las Vegas to play a show in which they were covering Cole Porter songs. They were extremely friendly people and we talked by their campfire well into the evening. I've not heard Cole Porter before but I know I will be picking up an album for the road as soon as I can.
The next day I rose early and was out of camp by 6:30 a.m. It was my birthday and since I had no one in particular to spend it with, I decided to treat myself to a morning hike at a spot the ranger at the Visitors Center had told me about. What good does it do to get fired up about turning 28 anyway? The hike is called the Arizona Hot Springs and the trailhead lies just south of Hoover Dam. Passing the Dam itself was an experience in over-expectation. They want to charge you $2 just to get out of your car on your way over the top so that you can simply look at it. As the tour cost much more and I really didn't want to spend any money to walk 5 feet and look over one of the biggest man-made cliffs in the world, I decided to pass it up. I already saw the freaking History Channel special and I know that a bunch of dudes carried boulders out of the canyon on their backs and poured enough concrete to pave-over the moon to construct it but I just couldn't get too fired up. Toss the fellas a bone and let us at least look at it for free.
The hike turned out to
be much more spectacular anyway. It's about 6 miles round trip and the trail leads you down a natural flood wash called White Rock Canyon to the Colorado River. The place is colossal with huge cliffs rising above you on either side much of the way so that you are hiking at the bottom of a thin channel in the rock. I tried to show a typical portion in the photo on the right. It's a little hard to see but the trail snakes around the corner in the back. The walls that you see are probably 30 feet high.
Upon reaching the river, the rewards of the hike were immediately evident. The water of the Colorado (actually Lake Mohave) is a perfect emerald blue and there are numerous quiet swimming holes along the shore with soft sand beaches that invite you to slide in. Pure paradise. The only thing that detracted from the scene somewhat was the trash that was strewn along the banks left from the hundreds of rafters and kayakers who paddle and camp in the area each year. Public open space and recreation areas are a godsend for everyone but often they are treated with disrespect. Maybe it's just that they're over-loved. I ended up picking up about 5 pounds worth of trash that day and packing it out on the way back. I probably didn't make a dent, though, due to the sheer volume. C'mon people.
The hot springs turned out to be no farce and no H-Dam letdown. They were particularly pleasurable because, as opposed to the man made "tubs" in the Mono Lake area, these hot springs emanated right out of the side of the rock and splashed down through natural pools (some are sandbagged). To reach the very last and largest pool you climb over a short ladder. The water comes pouring over and it's a natural hot shower. A dip in the springs followed by a swim in the river was a contrasting combo that made my birthday perfect!
because the beach is, as it's name suggests, full of large pointy rocks. The water is cold and extremely refreshing and I found time to get a picture of me "lounging" beachside. I looked longingly at the boats out on the water probably heading out to perfect little coves for swimming and wakeboarding. This could be one of the world's perfect boating areas. Hundreds of isolated coves surround the entire lake and the weather is rarely bad.I set up camp and watched a great sunset while drinking a special hot toddy that I'd concocted just for the occasion (tea, brandy and honey). As I was observing group of bats flit around in the dusk sky (OK, I have a lot of time on my hands), the couple in the campsite next to me played a few incredible tunes with a woman singing and a man plucking guitar. The music was so fitting for the quiet setting and it made the experience a bit otherworldly. As if I were in some happy nature movie with a soothing soundtrack. Later on I introduced myself and I found out that Glen and Linda are professional musicians from Santa Cruz, CA, who were in Las Vegas to play a show in which they were covering Cole Porter songs. They were extremely friendly people and we talked by their campfire well into the evening. I've not heard Cole Porter before but I know I will be picking up an album for the road as soon as I can.
The next day I rose early and was out of camp by 6:30 a.m. It was my birthday and since I had no one in particular to spend it with, I decided to treat myself to a morning hike at a spot the ranger at the Visitors Center had told me about. What good does it do to get fired up about turning 28 anyway? The hike is called the Arizona Hot Springs and the trailhead lies just south of Hoover Dam. Passing the Dam itself was an experience in over-expectation. They want to charge you $2 just to get out of your car on your way over the top so that you can simply look at it. As the tour cost much more and I really didn't want to spend any money to walk 5 feet and look over one of the biggest man-made cliffs in the world, I decided to pass it up. I already saw the freaking History Channel special and I know that a bunch of dudes carried boulders out of the canyon on their backs and poured enough concrete to pave-over the moon to construct it but I just couldn't get too fired up. Toss the fellas a bone and let us at least look at it for free.
The hike turned out to
be much more spectacular anyway. It's about 6 miles round trip and the trail leads you down a natural flood wash called White Rock Canyon to the Colorado River. The place is colossal with huge cliffs rising above you on either side much of the way so that you are hiking at the bottom of a thin channel in the rock. I tried to show a typical portion in the photo on the right. It's a little hard to see but the trail snakes around the corner in the back. The walls that you see are probably 30 feet high.Upon reaching the river, the rewards of the hike were immediately evident. The water of the Colorado (actually Lake Mohave) is a perfect emerald blue and there are numerous quiet swimming holes along the shore with soft sand beaches that invite you to slide in. Pure paradise. The only thing that detracted from the scene somewhat was the trash that was strewn along the banks left from the hundreds of rafters and kayakers who paddle and camp in the area each year. Public open space and recreation areas are a godsend for everyone but often they are treated with disrespect. Maybe it's just that they're over-loved. I ended up picking up about 5 pounds worth of trash that day and packing it out on the way back. I probably didn't make a dent, though, due to the sheer volume. C'mon people.
The hot springs turned out to be no farce and no H-Dam letdown. They were particularly pleasurable because, as opposed to the man made "tubs" in the Mono Lake area, these hot springs emanated right out of the side of the rock and splashed down through natural pools (some are sandbagged). To reach the very last and largest pool you climb over a short ladder. The water comes pouring over and it's a natural hot shower. A dip in the springs followed by a swim in the river was a contrasting combo that made my birthday perfect!
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