THE TRIP TO VEGAS AND HOOVER DAM

On Thursday (19th) we retraced our drive through the beautiful Spring Mountain National Reacreation Area, this time with our house in tow.


Destination--Las Vegas. We entered from the south via I15, and due to construction and a fender bender, had time to view the new(er) buildings on the Strip. A woman I talked to in Pahrump told me she grew up in Vegas and that during her childhood it looked pretty much like Pahrump does today. The difference is, of course, investment money and the all important location.

The weather was very cooperative, partly cloudy and cool. Soon after, though, the temp went back to usual for this time of year--80's day, upper 60's lower 70's night. Wonderful!

Look familiar? I think it is Circus Circus.

New York, New York

Steve Wynn's babies--Wynn and Encore

Trump Tower

Las Vegas gives new meaning to the term 'urban sprawl'. It stretches for miles in all directions. The famous downtown stip is a very small part of town. We continued on north to Las Vegas Blvd. at Lamb and the Hitching Post RV Park. This park is a Good Sam's park. It forms a complex with the hotel and restaurant next door. The park is nice with packed gravel pull-thru parking, medium sized lots that accomodated us with a ease. Each lot has a picnic table, too. There is a nice, large, salt (no chlorine) pool. I love it, cause it is just cool enough to keep most people out. At this time of year there are no kids, either, so I usually have it to myself! Entry to the pool is through mens or womens restroom/showers. These are very nice with several stalls, sinks, and showers. There is a dog play area and a nice laundry all for the bargain price of $31 per night. Across the street runs the bus. For $5 you can get a 24 hour all transfer ticket, unless you are over 60. Then it will cost you $2. We figure its the way to go to the strip. When we arrived and got set up, we took the rest of the day off. Friday we packed our cooler and headed south to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. (Sorry for the dearth of pix, but we went out without our big camera, and the little one only had 1/2 battery!)

We went a little unprepared for the crowds, traffic, and small places, but soon figured it out. We followed the signs through the pretty little town of Boulder City, the town the dam built. (Note to friends Marsha and Paul--you will love exploring this little town.) When you get to the dam area, you can choose to drive past or turn into the canyon. Once you are there, the road funnels you into the parking garage ($7). It was tight for us (dual wheels, 24') but doable. The floor is so clean everyone squeals their tires! From there you turn right for the outdoor cafe and gift shop, straight ahead for a view, or left and down the steps to the new visitors center. Once you enter the door be prepared. Thanks to 9/11 all visitors must pass through inspection centers, just like the airport. All bags, electronic devices, metal objects go through the xray and you go through the little doorway. Absolutely no pocket knives or multitools, but you don't have to take off your shoes. Once through, there is no place to go but the turnstyles where you pay to get in. For the full tour--$30, for the power plant tour--$11, to tour the visitors center--$8. With your tour you get a very nice 58 page book chock full of information and pictures about the making of the dam. We were going on the full tour, but had 2 1/2 hour wait so opted for the power plant tour. Being over 62 saved us a $2 each, since she took Duane's word for it that I was 62 too. If you have a passport, here is where you get a stamp. It isn't a regular dated stamp, but has a picture of the dam, so I counted it good enough. I found a pressed penny machine in the gift shop, if you're interested. From the turnstyles you find yourself in a line that gets your picture taken, then you enter an open area. If you paid your $8 you look around here and at all the outside exhibits and viewpoints. If you opted not to pay, you can stop at the bridge walk on the AZ side and walk up the steps to the top of the dam and view the outdoor exhibits. You can drive across too, but the road is narrow and crowded and you can't really see anything. If you take a tour, you go into a theater to view a short film on the making of the dam. Then you enter elevators that take you below to one of the power plants. From there you go to where the turbines are housed, directly in front of the dam. Well informed group leaders give you lots of information on the dam, answer all your questions, and keep you moving. We decided that we understood how cattle felt in the chute, so occasionally we would let out a mooo. After the tour we were free to wander around wherever.

Turbines. The water runs the turbines, which generate electricity.

Dam with Lake Mead behind it.

View of the Colorado River from dam. You can see the new bridge build in response to 9/11.

View from top of dam, Lake Mead. Note the Black Canyon (actual name of the canyon) walls. NV is on the left, AZ on the right.

Colorado River from the top of the dam.

Self portrait. It was cheaper than the one taken inside the visitors center upon our arrival.

For fun we walked the dam to AZ and back again. View from the dam of the new visitors center.

Sculpture--High Scaler

Part of Lake Mead as seen from the Lakeview Overlook on Lakeshore Dr. From the dam parking lot we backtracked our way to this road. This is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, so once again our National Parks pass came into play and got us free admission. The visitors center was closed for renovations, so I didn't get a stamp. This is the first viewpoint if you are coming from the dam. We ate lunch here.

Same view, to the right.

Different view, further north. Notice that all around the lake is desert.

Late afternoon view of Las Vegas from the east.

From our tour and our nice booklet, we learned that in 1902 Pres. T Roosevelt signed the Reclamation act, creating the US Reclamation service, now the Bureau of Reclamation. Reclamation engineers could now begin there long series of investigations and reports on control and use of the Colorado River. In 1905-07 The river broke into Imperial Valley and flowed into the Salton Sink for 16 months, causing extensive damage and creating the modern Salton Sea.

On 1918 after years of study and reports, the Relcamation director and chief engineer proposed the control of the river by a dam of unprecedented height in Boulder Canyon on the AZ-NV border. In 1919 the All-American Canal board recommended the construction of the All-American Canal. This 85-mile long canal would bring water from the river to the Imperial Valley. It would replace the former canal, which served the same funcion, but traveled partly through Mexico. In 1922 the recommendation to build these structures was introduced to congress. The CO River Compact negotiated by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and the seven basin states, divided the use of the river water between upper and lower basins. It wasn't until 1928 that the Boulder Canyon Project Act authorizing the construction of the two structures passed the Senate and House and was signed by Pres. Calvin Coolidge. In 1931 the Bureau of Reclamation awarded the construction contract to Six Companies--the name of the company formed by, well, 6 companies. In 1932 the river was diverted around the dam's construction site. In 1933 the first concrete was poured. In 1934 the All-American Canal construction began. In 1935 the dam started impounding water in Lake Mead and the last concrete was placed on the dam. in 1936 the first power was generated. In 1940 the All-American Canal was placed in operation. From 1941-45 the dam was closed to the public for the duration of WWII. In 1947 it was officially named Hoover Dam in honor of President Herbert Hoover. There was much more timeline and lots of information about the capacity of Lake Mead, the number of visitors, how the water actually generates electricity and how much, how the water is apportioned among the states and Mexico, how Boulder City was built for the workers etc., but that's prolly enough for now. In spite of some preliminary confusion and diffculty on our part, we enjoyed ourselves and think the tour was well worth it.

Time for a rest,

Louise and Duane

THREE "SPRINGS" AND A ROCK

After a day of rest on Saturday, we jumped into the truck for a trip to three nearby springs. The first was Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. This area offers camping picnicking, hiking, horseback riding, and in winter snow-based activities. We did none of these. We enjoyed the beautiful drive over the rolling, twisting road through the beautiful mountains. Our first stop was Bonnie Springs Ranch/Old Nevada Village. Origination in 1843 as a wagon train stopover along the Old Spanish Trail, the area was acquired in 1952 for a family resort area.


When we arrived we headed for the old saloon for a melodrama. On the way we came upon a Disney tv crew filming spots for an upcoming episode of the new Hannah Montana. I had no idea that show was still on. In this scene, the two little girls--you can just see the pink boots and blue overalls behind the girl in the front--were supposed to move the rocks from the pile over to the right. There was much sighing and moaning and slow movement. The boy leaning on the fence sipped his ice cold lemonade and encouraged them to work faster. The crew also filmed in the old saloon (group eating hall), and the church. Any H M fans can look for this episode in the future.



Here unfolded the tale of Penelope and the evil landlord.

The audience followed the cues. Poor Penelope had to marry the evil landlord until her father suddenly returned with gold to pay the mortgage. Yay!

Professional photos--beautiful showgirl

and handsome dude

After the melodrama we moved to the outside stage for another show--bank robbery and hanging.

The villain robbed the bank, and hid in the marshall's office until the marshall and his deputy captured him.

After a fair trial the miscreant was hung. (from the middle of his back on a harness)

After all that excitement needed some refueling at the restaurant. This was very large and nice. Duane had a beef burger and I had an organic bison burger. Mine was better. After lunch we hit the outhouse.

After a look through the buildings we took our free train ride. This is actually to accommodate the folks who park in the far lot, but I never pass up a train ride.

Next stop was next door at the Srping Mountain Ranch State Park. This was a working cattle ranch from day one. The property changed hands several times with several famous owners. In 1948 Chet Laute (for anyone who remembers back far enough, Lum of Lum and Abner). He modernized the ranch house. Others owners added their personal touches, until the state finally acquired the property for the park. Summer activities include costumed role playing demonstrations and re-enactments and a theater under the stars. We were greeted by a volunteer docent and got a tour of a couple of "secret" rooms by another.

Otherwise we were left to wander among the original ranch buildings including the blacksmith shop. Have you noticed what makes this place unique?

Duane was disappointed in this shop and the one at Bonnie Springs. Both were only mediocre displays with no working smith.

We took the short hike to the viewpoint. Below you can see the ranch house on the left. To the left of it (not pictured) is a large open green space for picnicking and other activities and the parking lot. To the right are the ranch buildings around the pasture, and the small lake. All is not as calm as it seems. The wind comes ripping down the canyon at high speeds. A huge gust blew me backward and almost toppled me down the hill! By now you should have noticed the green grass of the pastures in the middle of the desert. This was rye grass planted among the native grasses for a nice rich pasture.

Three springs later we went next door again to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. We visited the beautiful visitors center and I stamped my National Parks passport but couldn't find a pressed penny machine.

Red Rock Canyon is a 13 mile scenic drive with 30 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to needing a rock climbing permit. Mountain biking is popular in this whole area from Spring Mountains to Red Rock. The iron oxide colored rock was once sand under an ancient sea.

The action of the waves formed the fantastic shapes of the 'dunes'.

Part of the desert was subject to a controlled burn.

Healthy desert

One view from the canyon featured Las Vegas, 20 miles away. At the end of our drive we backtracked through the beautiful Spring Mountains and ended up at home.

Moving day tomorrow!

Louise and Duane

LAST DAY IN DEATH VALLEY

Thursday the 12th we packed up our house and drove to Pahrumph and the Pair-a-Dice Escapees co-op rv park. We got a great big hug first thing in the door. Wonderful! It had been a long time since we had one of those welcomes! After we got settled in we went uptown for fuel, groceries and a little orienting tour. Pahrump originally consisted of several large cattle ranches. I don't know the population. I do know the town is 26 miles long and8-12 miles wide and is situated exactly 60 miles from Las Vegas on the east and 60 miles from Death Valley on the west. It consists of clumps of buildings separated by small acerages of undeveloped land. The downtown consists of---wait for it----several casinos!!! Most of the town is residential with business scattered throughout. We came here to have a convenient jumping off place for our last foray into Death Valley. Friday we got ourselves onto the truck and drove down 127 (hwy 178 in CA) through the little village of Shoshone. The road took us up two passes and past ever changing scenery. It heads west until it joins the Badwater Road. Here we turned north.




Our first stop was Ashford Mill Ruins. The sign faces the mine.

The gold was processes here. This is all that's left of the stamping mill. The equipment is gone. the rest of the building was further downhill. While we were wandering around here Duane struck gold. He found a 2010 high school class ring. We were able to identify the school and mailed it to the principal there.

As soon as we decended through the last pass, we started catching glimpses of the alkali flats that most people associate with Death Valley. The center of this area is called the Badwater Basin. This is the lowest point in North America. A temporary lake forms here after heavy rainstorms. The salt forms from the evaporation of water seeping up. At this stop is a large parking lot, a restroom, and a short boardwalk info board area and the area here where people are welcome to walk out on the flats. In this pic, the temp was 100 d.f. We walked out with two tour busses of Italian tourists. We walked 10 min. either way. I got very sunburned.

This info board explains the formation of lake beds in the Valley. Click on it to read it. Very interesting.

After our walk on the flats we took a short gravel road to an area called Devil's Golf Course. Rock salt is eroded by wind and rain into jagged formations. (Only the devil could play golf on such rough links.)

More alkali pools

Back on Badwater Road we drove past the Artists Palette road to Furnace Creek and made a south east turn onto 190. We stopped at Zabriskie Point for a view of some more yummy ice cream formations. (click to enlarge)

We took another little side road called Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road. It showed lots of evidence of recent heavy rains. Further on down the road we veered of onto the road to Dantes View. From this lofty peak we could see the whole alkali flat. Facing north you can see the river action in the evaporated salt.

Directly below (middle of pic) you can see the little neck of salt where we walked with our Italian friends earlier in the day.

You may have to enlarge this to see the snakey river to the south.

We took a short hike along the top of this peak before driving back down the road and out of the park on 190. This concluded our tour of the south east corner of the Park. We had seen about half of Death Valley, but our touring wasn't done for the day. We drove slowly through Death Valley Junction. This was the headquaters of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 1900's. Today the town is woned by Marta Becket and Amargosa Opera House, Inc. It consists of the Amargosa Opera House where Marta performs on Saturday nights, a small hotel, and a cafe. Nothing was open but the cafe so we drove on. It was late in the afternoon when we came to the road to Ash Meadows. We had planned to visit later, but took the opportunity when it presented itself.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for rare native wildlife. Three interpretive boardwalk trails allow people to view the area without disturbing anything. The visitors center was closed as one of the trails, but we saw plenty on the one walked. The refuge was originally privately owned and concrete drainage ditches, a slough drained to harvest peat, and other preliminary plans for development into shopping and housing. In 1984 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the property and began restoration of over 23000 acres of spring-fed wetlands and alkaline desert uplands. The name Ash Meadows refers to the abundance of ash trees once found in the area. The resuge encompases springs, creeks, wetlands, pools and this Crystal Resevoir.

Endangered Devil's Hole pupfish. When we worked in the Coachella Valley Nature Preserve, another kind of this prehistoric fish was introduced there but didn't survive. We were thrilled to be able to see one of these beautiful fish.

We thought this sign was wonderful!

Tomorrow, more fun.

Louise and Duane