Mud-on-the-tires Full-time RV Adventure: NV -- Lake Mead, Boulder City, 2-31 Dec 2013

First month at Lake Mead, Nevada…

Why we came…

Winter weather is decent with average highs around 60 and average lows around 40. There is plenty to do: kayaking and fishing the Colorado River at Willow Beach, kayaking and fishing beautiful Lake Mead, biking the 34 mile River Mountain Loop Trail, and a plethora of great hikes. And though big cities aren’t our thing, Las Vegas offers all kinds of entertainment.

The campground…

Lake Mead RV Village at Boulder Beach is pretty nice. It has full hook-ups, decent laundry facilities, and decent wi-fi. Satellite should work in every site and if it doesn’t, cable is available. The cell phone signal varies quite a bit, but is fairly reliable. There are numerous walking loops for our four-legged friend and we always have a great view of the shimmering lake. We are comfortable here and enjoy the area a bunch!

In a lake view site; huge cement pads with hook-ups on both sides; 14 day limit

In an upper site; long narrow pull-through gravel sites; 6 month limit

Old friends and new friends…

Arleen was able to meet some friends from her high school days. It had been about 25 years since they had last been together. We chatted at the Cheese Cake Factory for about two hours before they followed us back to our lakefront home. Hopefully we will meet here again in March and spend some quality outdoor time with them!

Arleen, Dolly, and Monica Dec 2013 / Monica, Dolly, and Arleen circa 1979

We worked with Marv in Germany 10 years ago. He recently retired from the Air Force and is now accompanying his lovely bride, Lisa, back to Germany. We met them in Las Vegas and chatted while devouring all-you-can-eat crab legs. It was great catching up with them and we look forward to seeing them again soon! Sadly, we didn’t take any pictures, but here is a fairly recent one of them…

Marv and Lisa, Oct 2011

In Arleen’s effort to find a new bike, she contacted her friend Bill on Facebook. Bill hooked us up with Stefanie who hooked us up with Tony who hooked us up with Joe who referred us to Tim who owns Vegas Bike Store. Tim treated us great and gave us a good deal making Arleen a very happy customer! Shortly after Arleen got her new bike, Stefanie and Tony met us for a ride. Stef, Glenn (Stef’s husband), and Tony are great…we proudly consider them friends!

Arleen, me, Stefanie, Glenn, and Tony

Truck problems…

We were all ready for our very first foray to Las Vegas’ world famous “Strip”. We hopped in the truck, cranked the key, and nothing happened. I couldn’t switch gears and even more strange, the key would not come out of the ignition. After a few other tricks failed, we called the nearest the Dodge dealership. They told us it would have to be towed to their shop…POOP! We called Good Sam who got a tow truck to us in an hour. Arleen stayed home and did chores while I sat at the dealership for three hours hoping for good news. Nope…two dead batteries and water damage. It was Saturday afternoon and the truck wouldn’t be fixed until about lunch time on Monday. Thankfully they sent me home with a brand new Dodge Charger! Everything went smooth and we were glad to get our mighty Dodge Ram back on Monday. We were even more thankful the truck didn’t leave us stranded at some remote trailhead where there is no cell phone service…hopefully that never happens!

Truck getting towed away / Our temporary tow vehicle

Hikes and geocaching…

Both of these hikes started in the campground and went up the River Mountain Loop Trail to the Railroad Trail. The views of Lake Mead are excellent and the history of the Railroad Trail is very interesting. On the second hike we walked up to the Hacienda and found two nearby geocaches. We really like that we can do these hikes right from our front door.

This was an outstanding hike to the top of Fortification Hill with Tony, Glenn, and Stefanie. This steep hike climbs about 1,200 feet in a mile and a half. The footing is tricky with loose rock under nearly every step. The short section through the rim rock near the top is especially tricky and a bit dangerous. We had no problems with Tony’s expert guidance! As we crested the final rise, Lake Mead shimmered far below. We could see part of Hoover Dam, Boulder City, and even the Las Vegas skyline in the distance…it was incredible! We signed the peak’s log, had some snacks, and posed for pictures. Then we headed off cross country to a nearby geocache…the first one for Stef and Tony! Because of the tough location of the cache, it doesn’t get too many visitors. We were just the third ones to find it this year!

Looking back towards the valley…we parked down there / Nearing the rim rocks…we will climb through that?!?

Arleen, Glenn, and Stefanie / Arleen, me, Stefanie, Glenn, and Tony

This was a fun hike on a perfect day to Majestic Canyon with Tony, Stefanie, and Brinley. After Arleen fed us some wonderful breakfast, we walked out of the campground and up the canyon. Hiking along the dry washes is like a maze, but our faithful guides led us deep into the tightening slot. Brinley was a great hiking partner, constantly keeping a close eye on her flock. We reached a dry plunge pool where rope is necessary to climb a 30 foot high rock wall…it was cool! Poor Brinley did not like her momma climbing up without her. She didn’t relax until mom was again safely by her side. This hike is not published and not well known. If it wasn’t for Tony and Stef, we would have missed it…thanks you guys!

Brinley does not like her mommy climbing the rope! / Tony consoling Brinley / Tony on the rope

Bike rides…

This was our first bike ride in quite some time. We climbed about 1,200 feet to Boulder City. The steady grind on the way up was a great workout. When we turned around, the long decent was a blast! Amazingly, cruising about 25mph on the way down, I spotted a tarantula on the bike path. I stopped, took a few quick pics, and then nudged it off the bike path. Who knows…maybe I saved its life! This was a tough warm-up ride…our butts were tender for a couple of days!

This was the first time we met Stef and Tony. They met us at the campground where we hopped on our bikes and headed north on the River Mountain Loop Trail. This section of trail is like a roller coaster with numerous short ups and downs and twists and turns…it was fun! When we got back, Arleen fed us a very tasty dinner…yum yum! Everyone had a good time and we made plans to hook up again soon.

On the River Mountain Loop Trail…Lake Mead in the background

Kayaking and fishing…

We paddled on the Colorado River near Willow Beach three times. Each time we went downstream. The furthest was to river mile 49.5. We only saw a couple of other boats…it was very peaceful. We really like the numerous birds, especially when they all try to take off at the same time seemingly running across the water. This section of the river barely has a current but often has winds blowing downstream. It can be a tough paddle back. The area is also known to have large striped bass in the 10-40 pound range. The bass get big feeding on 9-12 inch rainbow trout that are stocked every Friday. In spite of trolling 9 inch rainbow trout lures up and down many miles of river, we have yet to get a bite. No worries…we WILL get one before we leave!

We also paddled on Lake Mead a couple of times. There have been very few boats on the lake and it has been peaceful. Unfortunately, no nibbles, no fish…

Las Vegas buffets, round 1: The Bellagio on Christmas Day…

We decided to hit “The Strip” on Christmas Day. We knew there would be tons of people, which we usually avoid, but we also knew it would be an adventure. Our goal was to sample one of the best reviewed buffets: Bellagio.

We did not want to take our mighty Dodge Ram anywhere near “The Strip”. We chose to park at the South Strip Transfer Terminal and take the bus into town. It cost $8 for a 24 hour pass which allows you to get on and off as often and wherever you wish. We got off at the Mandalay Bay and slowly made our way north. We snaked in and out of the amazing casinos, resorts, and stores. At times the crowds made us feel claustrophobic and there was so much to see it was overwhelming. By the time we found the Bellagio Buffet, we had walked about six miles and were very hungry. The buffet line was very discouraging…2-3 hours long! We reluctantly got in line, but started surfing our phones for alternatives. After just 5 minutes, an employee stopped and asked if it was just the two of us. We said yes, and he told us there was room at the bar…SCORE…we’ll take it! As he escorted us past the hundreds of people in line, we briefly felt like cheaters, but that changed to excitement as he sat us at the bar. The buffet had hundreds of items…here are just a few:

- Caviar station, split snow and king crab, Scottish smoked salmon, bourbon ginger glazed salmon, coconut curry clambake, char sui pork ribs, Peking duck, a pizza station, excellent pastas, rosemary lamb chops, roasted goose with citrus marmalade, beef wellington, herb crusted prime rib, about 50 amazing desserts, and a bunch of other stuff.

Initially, we just got a bite or two of things we were most interested in. Then we went back and got more and more and more. THREE hours later, we were going to burst! We also met a nice couple from Las Vegas. We talked for about an hour, mainly relaying memories from Kents Lake and the Tushar Mountains near Beaver, Utah. They told us that the Bellagio had the best holiday buffet and made a few other recommendations. It was a good conversation and we enjoyed their company.

We rolled ourselves out to the bus stop and headed back to our truck. The bus worked out well, but next time we will park at Mandalay Bay, on the south end of The Strip, and walk in. There are 2 or 3 more buffets we want to sample before we leave. Stay tuned for those reports…

Oh, I weighed myself before and after…I GAINED SIX POUNDS!!