Lake Mead National Recreation Area

 
 

 

After some of the weather calmed down from the wind and rain, we had a few days of bright sunny days before more bad weather set in. Of course, I set out wandering around with my camera. I found some things that were new since last year, like a life jacket borrowing station. I'm not sure how that works, since it's locked. 
　

In the same area, there are two rolls of large plastic bags - one for recycling bottles, cans and plastic and the other for trash. I'm sure they're helping, but people still litter. We found soda cans just a few feet from a trash bin. Really? They couldn't walk a few feet?

As you can see, the scenery is great here, although somehow we find lots of stuff to do besides taking photos. Here's the great scenery not far from the camping area. Even my campsite is photogenic.

 

 

 

 

 

Refrigerator Stopped Working!

About a week ago, I came into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where I spent a couple weeks last year and had great weather. This place is so beautiful and is a quiet place to relax and enjoy.

I have been here about 10 days now and the weather has not been cooperating like it did just about the same time last year. There have been several days of overcast, sometimes rainy, cool weather. During the first week, there were some violent winds that kept everyone inside.

I think it was the second day I was here I noticed that my Dometic refrigerator was not working. Panic set in, since these units are very expensive to replace or to have worked on. I checked to be sure that there was propane in the tank and that both tanks were turned on, just in case one was low. Usually I can go outside and hear it light up and start cooling, but with the wind, I couldn't hear anything except wind noise.

I gave it a few hours and checked again - the temperature was still going down. I sat and thought about all the things it could be. I knew I had propane and I didn't smell any of the tell-tale ammonia smell that everyone talks about when the cooling system blows up. The only thing I could think of (that didn't cost lots of money) was that possibly the wind was just not allowing the burner to kick on and stay on.

Hoping that the wind was the culprit, I just tried to keep myself busy until the wind calmed down about 9 PM. Then I went outside, crossed my fingers, and put my ear to the outside panel where the burner was. YES!! I could hear the burner going - and hopefully cooling the fridge!

It took a while to cool the unit down, but I was so happy it was working again. I guess my theory about the wind turned out to be the problem. I knew the wind was blowing on that side of the RV, but I have experienced high winds in the past with no problems. It must have been just the right angle to get into the vents on the outside panel.

So if you have high winds on the refrigerator side of your RV, and your fridge stops working, don't panic and call the RV repair man until the winds are over! Luckily, it was late in the day, so I wasn't going to call anyone until the morning.

I'm just so happy my fridge is happily cooling along and keeping my food fresh!

Nelson, Nevada

The photo above is not in Nelson, but is down at the end of the road from the mining town.  It's part of the extensive Lake Mead Recreation Area.

The mining town has many buildings that are in quite decent condition, some of which are still inhabited.

This is the entrance to one of the mine shafts, but it's a teaser because you can't go far!

There are many artifacts of the mining business as well as tools and equipment scattered around.

 

There were dozens of vehicles in various stages of deterioration in the area. A few had been modified by someone with a good imagination.

I am amazed at this next car - a three piece back window - totally intact.  I'm sure someone restoring one of these vehicles would love to have this!

Is Good Sam Club worth it?

RV people ask all sorts of questions when they first set out, such as what RV Park discount cards are worth it.  Well, today proved (as has happened before) that Good Sam is a good card to have.   It only costs $25 per year and gives you money off at the fuel pump if you go to the Pilot or Flying J stations, you also get a discount at Camping World stores.  It gives you 10% off on some campgrounds - usually the expensive ones.  10% is not much money, but it helps. 

Today, I took off from Lake Mead Recreation Area where I'd been camping for 2 weeks.  Nice place, pretty area.  Before I got out of the park, I realized the brake controlled for the trailer was not working.  Not a good thing in this area, lots of hills!  I stopped at the visitor center and called around trying to find a mobile RV repair guy in Boulder City, Nevada.  I had to make about 3 phone calls before I got the number of one.  I called him and he told me to meet him in town and he would take a look at it.  Not bad, town was close and the only hills there were going up. 

He showed up and did some checking and found nothing that was obvious, but he had a previous appointment with an insurance adjuster that couldn't be delayed.  He suggested I go to an RV park and he would see me later in the day.  He said there was one up the road a bit and told me to call him with my site number.  His schedule didn't allow for me going back to Lake Mead campgrounds, unfortunately.

When I pulled in, I found that the nightly rate was $40 (over my usual limit!).  They did take the Good Sam card, so that knocked $4 off for the night.  There are some towns that just have high rates because they are in a tourist area and this happens to be one of them, just because Hoover Dam is close and Las Vegas isn't that far away.  It's not that the park is extraordinarily nice, or that I could get the wifi at my site (instead of sitting at their book swap room) - but I guess they figure if they have a pool, that justifies the cost. 

So, if anyone is wondering about the Good Sam card, it's cheap enough to renew each year and if you use the right fuel stations and purchase anything at Camping World or happen to need one of their RV Parks one day, it will come in handy.  You'll probably make your membership fee back within a year.  I have not kept track, but I think it justifies the cost.

Solar!!

 

 

For those of you who may have read my previous blog about the solar panels, I purchased a few months ago in Quartzite, I'd like to update my opinion about their performance. I have had the opportunity to boondock for multiple days at a time, most recently for about 2 weeks.

I purchased a set of 2, on a hinge, with the controller built in on the back. The controller tells me the battery level, what's being input and any power usage at that time. The two panels total 120 watts, although there are units available in different sizes, both smaller and larger. I have the largest marine heavy duty wet battery I could buy that would fit in my 5th wheel.

I just spent 12 days at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, with no hookups. The panels were out every day and kept the battery topped off each day. Well, all except for one day that was total overcast, so the panels didn't have a chance to get any sun at all. The day after that was mostly sunny, with a few clouds moving by, but the panels had the battery topped off by about 4 PM that day.

I am very happy with the performance of these panels, since they top off the battery every day unless there is total cloud cover. I do have LED lights for the most part, but I have been able to use the stereo, use my inverter to charge the computer, phone, camera batteries and my eReader. I have also been in other boondocking areas for several days where I was also able to watch TV, as well as doing all the other charging. I can do all this without worrying about my battery level. And all this is without the noise of a generator and the extra problem of carrying gas.

I am so extremely pleased with this setup that I am thinking of selling my Honda EU2000 generator. Meanwhile, I might hang onto it for a while longer. Of course, I'll have to put up with taking it out and starting it every so often.

Depending on how you boondock and what appliances and electric draw you have, results will vary. I don't have a blender, toaster or other small kitchen appliances to use my power.  I don't use a hair dryer or curler, which would require lots of power.  If you have lots of power-hungry equipment, you'll get different results and will need more than what I have. I have seen RVs with way more solar panels than I have, so they must have heavy usage. For the way I live, which is very comfortable for me, this is all I need.

 

 

Hoover Dam, Nevada

 

 

Hoover Dam was a massive undertaking back in the 1930s. The areas south of the Nevada had been flooded extensively by the Colorado River and the water needed to be harnessed. A group of companies got together and put in a bid to construct a dam somewhere in the southern part of Nevada. They scouted the area and found what they thought was a perfect place.

 

They constructed a dam that is 45' wide on the top, 1244' across the canyon and 726' high. The base is 660' wide and the structure is the tallest dam in the western hemisphere. It is estimated that it weighs 6.6 million tons. It's so large, it's difficult to get it all into one photograph when you're on the dam property. When it was completed, it created the reservoir known today as Lake Mead.

 

 

As if this was not enough, there were 4 intake structures built to bring water in from the bottom of the lake, two of which are shown above. These towers are 395' tall. Multiple miles of tunnels 50' in diameter were built as well as giant spillway, that will divert the water in case of floods. The last time the spillway was used was during a flood in the 1980s. Power from the generators run by this water is sent all over the southwest, including Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

 

The dam employed thousands of workers during the years of construction, many of them had traveled from the east looking for jobs.  The construction was during the depression, and the pay rates were anywhere from 50 cents to 87 cents per hour, depending on the job.  Since they worked 24 hour a day, the job was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.  Try getting that performance today!

 

Since the Colorado River divides Nevada and California from Arizona, the state border is in the middle of the river, more or less. There are clocks on two of the intake towers, one for Nevada time and the other for Arizona time.

 

Today, there are memorials near the visitor center for the men who lost their lives during the construction, about 96 of them, according to one sign in the museum. Apparently, there were some rumors about some being buried in the massive concrete structure, but the sign also states that it didn't happen.

 

There are two winged statues on each side of a flagpole that flies an American flag at a height of 142'. These statues are each 30' tall and contain 4 tons of bronze. Bronze was also used for elevator doors, memorial placques, state placques and other items around the plaza.

 

 

When I was towing my 5th wheel to Lake Mead about a week ago, there were some bridges going over the canyons. Because it was a bit windy that day, there were notices posted that all high profile vehicles had to use the left lane. They are very nice four lane bridges with dividers and although I knew it must be up high, I couldn't see the bottom of the canyon I was passing over. When I finally saw the bridge from the dam, I was glad that I had not known how very high it really was! At least it looks very sturdy, I will remind myself of that when I go back over it.

 

 

 

That was my first visit to the Hoover Dam, stay tuned for the next visit as well as a walk along that bridge in the photo above.

 

 

 

Lake Mead Recreation Area - Boulder City, Nevada

Lake Meade is a huge lake, over 115 miles long.  Of course, since the water level is low, it's probably not that long anymore.  But, it's very impressive.  From up on the hills, it's a deep blue, a stark contrast with the multicolored hills and mountains surrounding it.  The National Recreation Area surrounding the lake is extensive, obviously, containing 7 campgrounds with over 1,000 sites.  There are a couple marinas with all sorts of boats, from sailboats to small boats with outboards and then lots of houseboats.
 

 

The lake was formed when the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s.  In order to get supplies to the dam site, a railroad was built connecting Boulder City to the construction site, about 30 miles long.  In order to get the train through the mountains, tunnels were blasted through.  These tunnels and the trail through them are on the Register of Historic Places.  None of the tracks exist, but the trail is a nice wide dirt path snaking around the mountains and through the tunnels.

While the dam was being built, the train hauled equipment and supplies to the dam site.  The tunnels were made extra wide to allow for huge equipment to be carried on the trains.  Most of the tunnels have been reinforced with huge wooden beams inside the tunnels and some have been sprayed with a concrete mix. 
 

The trail was easy walking and afforded great views of the lake and surrounding mountains.  I went in the early morning and there was a nice breeze, so it was a pleasant hike that wasn't strenuous.