A band of 4 beautiful wild horses make an appearance along North Shore Road as we head on our way. It was a nice send off. Next stop, Spring Mountains NRA/Mt. Charleston (we are actually staying in Vegas – night time lows on the mountain are in the 30s!).
Vivid red outcroppings slash across the landscape in stark contrast with near-white silica domes and towering grey conglomerate mountain ridges. Ages of erosion have left shapes that are jagged and rough while others are smooth and curving. Trace minerals in the many layers create colored swirls that look like rainbows frozen in place.
Hikes take us to elephant rock – it does seem to have a trunk; Fire wave – one of those smooth, curving ribbon like formations; and white dome – it includes an impressive slot canyon. We close out our visit with lunch under the shade ramadas at Seven Sisters formation.
We spend a quiet afternoon in camp that includes watching clouds build above the mountains to our east and west. We have rain in the forecast but it mostly misses us; just barely, it rained hard over the lake less than a mile from camp. It was not as impressive as the storm earlier in the week but still interesting to watch.
While the clouds formed, the roar of an engine out over the lake joined the sound of the increasing wind. A plane flew north, banked a hard turn over the lake to head back south, then landed on the water. Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. In seconds it took off again and disappeared from sight. By its third pass I had my binoculars out. It was an Air Force sea plane practicing landings and take offs.
I jumped awake in the wee hours of the morning. It took a moment to recognize the racket that startled me. A wild burro standing what seemed like just feet from my window had let out a heart-felt hee-haw including the signature gasping. I never saw him but heard his footsteps as he wandered on his way. As further proof that it was not a dream, this morning we find two fresh piles; one just two sites from us. The burros had been in and near camp last time we stayed here so we have been watching for them every evening since we arrived. While his entrance last night was startling, it was kind of nice that at least one made a showing in camp.
St. Thomas is reappearing. The little burg was abandoned and inundated to a depth of 25 feet when Lake Mead filled in the 30’s. Over time the lake level has dropped and a ghost town of ruins has appeared. A loop trail with well done signage winds through the old town site. It is a great history lesson of early settlement along the trails West and the impact of Uncle Sam through infrastructure projects.
New sighting: this little fellow looks to have eaten recently and is just hanging out near the old school. A picture in the visitor center identifies it as a glossy desert snake, harmless.
We had to visit the town of Overton while we were up that way. Their troubles began as the lake level dropped taking with it the tourists and marina traffic it had brought to them. Today it is a sleepy little place with a pretty good ice cream parlor, The Inside Scoop (we found it the last time we were in the area and tried out again today – Huckleberry Blue Bunny), a couple well stocked hardware stores, and a decent grocery. We did our part to support the local economy; we restocked our frig and picked up a few things at the hardware store to support the ever-present maintenance projects.
In the narrow lake area further south, lower water level left us with a bathtub ring on the cliffs high above our heads. Up on this end, the valley that is now Lake Mead gets broad and the river cuts are much shallower so at the lower water level the pool is surrounded by miles of flat shore land streaked with green and dotted with marshes where the Virgin and Muddy rivers flow in. It Is amazing how far the water receded. Overton Beach, the Overton Marina and the town are all miles from water now. In the quiet shallows (35-50 ft instead 150 ft deep and more) a flock of 100s of western grebes float and chatter and dip their heads in a graceful courtship dance. White pelicans patrol the river inlet.
Fishing is slow, only 2 bass and I didn’t even get mine into the boat. Only two burros today too but they made up for small numbers in volume of their braying! We are off the lake by noon. The wind builds to the strongest yet. Not a problem from camp but we are glad to be off the lake.
A solo loon, we rarely see them this far south. His call was a pretty lonely sounding chirp not the locating warble call I love. Cattle, who would have thought they would let them graze right up to the water’s edge of a potable water reservoir? I guess it is no worse than the burros…. we saw probably 30 of them today and they all come to the lake for water. They hide in the shadow at the base of a cliff in the heat of the day. Smart fellows. Oh yeah, we caught 8 fish today and enjoyed a long cool dip in the lake.
Lower lake levels have affected this access point too, of course. It is a long gravel road from camp to the launch ramp that winds past the old ramp and the original marina area. It is all abandoned now high above the current water level. They have installed a decent lower water ramp here and we have all the provisions and fuel that we need so it is working out just fine for us.
Day 1: we catch 6 fish trolling in bays just across the lake from camp – Kent 4, Lynn 2. It is a bit choppy so we don’t run very far. Wild burros provide some entertainment as they race across the rolling shoreline then settle in to quietly munch on whatever they can find.
Day 2: No matter how early we get up it seems we can’t get on the water before 8 AM. That still gives us plenty of time before the blazing SW sun runs us back to the shade. We try a couple different bays but fishing is really slow – especially for me. I catch nothing today. Kent does a little better catching 2. It is still and the lake glass-calm. It is perfect for exploring cathedral cove, a steep walled bay, and for watching a huge flock of Western Grebes floating and chatting among themselves. We take a lap on the open lake to cool off and enjoy the scenery. First, we have to check out the raucous burros. They are claiming territory or something and making quite the fuss. We spot a band of 8 and a number of scattered individuals along the east shore across from camp. I think these are the guys I have been hearing in the evenings. As always, fun to watch.
I saw a black tailed jackrabbit this morning…speedy fellow.
It is just across the lake but it is a 100 mile drive to Echo Bay; pas the dam, skirt Boulder City, then up the west shoreline. The climb up from Temple Basin takes us across at least three places where yesterday’s rain filled washes to the point of carrying debris across the road. The water has gone down but sand and gravel are evidence of the mini flashfloods. No problem getting through, just a reminder of the effects of even a moderate storm.
North Shore drive takes us across row after row of gray and green mountains. In gashes cut by washes or other areas of heavy erosion the red-rock under layers are exposed like wounds in the hillsides. It is amazing terrain. Travels go well and we are settled in by lunch time and spend the rest of the day relaxing and exploring a bit. It is windy again so we save our first foray out onto this part of the lake for tomorrow.
It is too windy to boat but too nice to stay indoors. We head out on a short nature trail that winds along the top of the mesa just outside of the campground with nice views of the lake. Silver cholla are covered with delicate pale yellow blossoms. Ash throated flycatchers dodge and dart after bugs stirred by the recent rain. One proud parent swoops in with a butterfly hanging out both sides of its beak to deliver to a young one still on the nest. Lark sparrows gather at the base of cactus. It is a nice stroll after which we hang around camp this last day at Temple Bar. There is always plenty to do.
We are a bit hesitant to head out on a trail but the sky is brightening and it looks like there is a hole in the radar image…we have a few hours. We head out a wash in search of a redrock arch. Despite several versions of trail description, we never actually find the arch. The mountain views are fantastic and wildflowers and lizards decorate the landscape around our feet. Just as we return to the car rain drops dot the windshield. Perfect timing.
By the time we return to camp the weather apps are putting out flash flood warnings for just south of the area we hiked.