Lake Meade National Recreation Area, Nevada (and Arizona)

April 14 - 16, 2016
Boulder City, NV


I really should have waited a couple days after our amazing trip to Valley of Fire to head into the city. 

The heavy traffic, hordes of people, concrete and chaos of Henderson, NV, are such a contrast to the previous day's beauty.....ugh.

Still, city-stuff has to get done. Just getting groceries (I could have gone to the nice Albertson's in Boulder City), Tessa's bath, and a quick drop off at Goodwill takes nearly three hours. Beyond the congestion is the reality of locating things in a strange town, and in the aisles of a strange store. Not always an issue in this life style, just sometimes.

The expected high winds are starting to come up, but we enjoy the beautiful view from our patio with a few brews, and Thursday ends on a high note.

A couple sailboats venture out later, but mostly the lake is empty

Friday the park starts to fill with trikes, all different colors and sizes. I forget to get a single photo. Nice folks.

We stick close to home, check out more of the little town of Boulder City, and have a nice lunch at Little City Grill. A tiny place with a decent selection of options, including good salads and fish. 

The little restaurant is big on cute

We've passed the Visitors' Center several times and decide it's time to stop in. They are making preparations for Junior Ranger Day, a Rage Triathlon, and free entrance at all National Parks day - all this weekend! The ranger is patiently answering a man's questions about the water level. He doesn't seem to grasp to concept of a 15-year drought, suggesting to her that they just shouldn't "let so much of the water out". I go in the other room....

Hopefully this nicely done relief map can explain it

Like so many visitors centers, this one does a great job of educating with visuals and hands-on displays 

Beautiful blooming Ocotillo in the small garden

With all the events planned in the park for Saturday, we decide to go elsewhere. The wind is still chopping the water and dusting the skies, so we figure it's a good day for another auto-hike.

This tree-condominium changes residents daily - it is very popular

It's after 10:30 when we pick up Hwy 93 south. We laugh that we can't see anything going over the bridge in the Jeep - compared to being in the motorhome a few days ago when we could see "over the wall". Still, we can see the parking lot for the dam tour is already filling up and we're glad we've opted to wait for a weekday.

Instead we continue about 15 miles to the Temple Bar turn-off. The 28 mile road runs through desert that looks very much like where we grew up. It doesn't have the wow factor, or a lot of variety, but we love it.

The lush Greasewood paints the desert green

Could be the view out of my old school bus

A few miles away, the south end of Lake Mead comes in to view. There are also a couple large formations and a small pyramid-like one.

Water in the desert - so pretty

A few vehicles have passed us, seeming to be in a hurry for a quiet Saturday. When we arrive at the little "resort" of Temple Bar we find out there is a wedding behind the coffee shop. I feel bad for the couple as the wind is even stronger here :-(

There is a marina, and is the reason people drive 28 miles off the highway. It is also inside the national recreation area (on the Arizona side) so all fees apply. A motel, boat repair, picnic tables, restrooms, basic provisions-store, and a huge boat ramp round out the amenities.

The campground has a couple sites that would fit a 35' RV, but most are tent or Class B/C size. Dry camping only. Fresh water and dump station on site.

We have a good lunch amongst the guests waiting for the event to begin. The range of apparel is entertaining, with the guy in the camo shorts, Hawaiian shirt, white crew socks, and dark running shoes getting my vote. Bill doesn't vote, he's not nearly as entertained as his wife......

We check out the little marina, take some photos, and get out of the harsh wind.

Love the mountains in the background, even in the haze

The Delmar Butte looks man-made, it's sides are so straight

Could be Adobe bricks

The Temple, giving its name to the place, stands behind the marina

We can't see the little pyramid from the marina so we stop up the road to check out the area from a distance, and let Tessa out to run around.

The mysterious pyramid

which seems to be just a pile of dirt

The Temple with Virgin Mountains and Bonelli Peak behind

"Who said I want to run around? You run around!

I'm surprised by two things in this area. 

First, the amazing size and colors of the mountains and canyons in every direction. The Colorado River is such a talented artist.

Second, the lake is in the arrival-flight pattern for McCarren Airport in Las Vegas. While they aren't very loud (the helicopter tours are more so), they do alter the natural views.

We have two days left before moving down to Laughlin, NV, for our annual reunion (and our windshield replacement). Recent issues with Bill's mom will determine how further plans will be changing after that.

In the meantime......this.