With much reluctance we left our perfect spot in the Mojave National Preserve and headed northeast towards Lake Mead. Boondocking on the shores of Lake Mead is not a new thing for us. In fact, this is our third time staying in the popular area called Government Wash. In the past I’ve always really liked it here. The combination of natural beauty, convenient access to town, and lots of nearby hiking trials make this an appealing spot.
For some reason it was different this time though. I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment when we first arrived. For one, the lake is really, really, really low. We estimate probably a good 20-30 feet lower than when we last visited in 2013. I read somewhere that the water level is currently hovering around levels last seen in the 1930s when the dam was first built and reservoir was still filling. Currently it sits around 150 feet lower than normal. Yikes! Seeing it like this really demonstrates what a decade of drought will do to an area.
Aside from the low water, I was bummed that all the best spots were taken. I really wanted a water view, but the low water makes getting near the shore impossible. Eventually we settled on a level-ish spot high on the bluff overlooking the water.
Out-the-door view of the lake waaay down there.
As the week went on my mood improved and I was reminded why we like it here. We also talked about how every other time we’ve parked here it’s been with a group of friends. Funny how good company can put a shine on a place that otherwise might be a little dull :)
I’ve noticed that I often get this feeling of mild disappointment when we leave a place as spectacular as our last one. Logically I know that not every place we go will be incredible and amazing, but it can sometimes be hard to shake that feeling. I know, I know, complain, complain, complain. But since I’ve been raving about the last few places we’ve stayed I thought I should share the other side too.
Full moon rising
I will say that despite the low water, this area is much improved from our last visit. In the past it’s always been a kind of free for all with people staying as long as they want and leaving trash every where but in the provided dumpsters. We heard that they are now enforcing the two week limit (although during our week long stay we never saw a ranger) which has really thinned out the herd, so to speak. This was defiantly the least crowded we’d ever seen it. And while there is still a disappointing amount of trash strewn about (despite the 5 dumpsters that are free and open to use), it was less than last time, so that’s something.
Empty in the middle of the week
Our week long stay was pretty tame in terms of adventuring. We spent one entire day driving around town doing errands, another day I went into town for laundry and grocery shopping, and then the next day back into town to do the errands I forgot the first time around. Proof that it’s not all hiking and sunsets.
In the past we’ve enjoyed the numerous hiking trails that zig zag around the hills and mountains surrounding the lake, but we’ve already done all the ones that are close enough to both drive to and hike before the sun sets after working hours are over, so this time we settled on daily afternoon walks around the neighborhood instead.
We did take advantage of our proximity to a big city for a night out on the town Vegas style — probably not how you’re thinking though. The first time we came here we did the whole Vegas Strip thing. We spent two nights parked behind the Paris Hotel & Casino, enjoyed an incredible Thanksgiving day buffet at the Cosmopolitan, walked for miles taking in all the sites and colorful characters, and had a blast. But now that we’ve done it we have no desire to do it again. So instead of casinos and free drinks our night out on the town consisted of some really awesome pizza at Grimaldi’s followed by a few hours at the Pinball Hall of Fame.
Pinball Hall of Fame
This was our second time visiting the PHOF. Not because we’re super fans of pinball machines or video games, but because it makes for a fun low-key night out away from crowded bars and smoky casinos. As Tim so eloquently wrote on his Instagram post, “Pinball Hall of Fame is still my favorite way to spend ten bucks in quarters in Las Vegas. Screw the strip. This strip mall is where it is at.”
Pinball machines and other fun
Finally, on Saturday we drove over to the Lake Mead Marina for a day of kayaking. It was out first time kayaking since early December when we stayed at the lovely Martin Dies Jr. State Park in eastern Texas, and it felt wonderful to get back out on the water.
Ready to paddle…
Always fun to the kayak through the marina where the big boats live
Back on the water
Low water turns little islands into big islands
Our destination was the Hoover Dam, or as close to the Hoover Dam as we could get. The path we followed went straight out from the marina for a few miles before curving into a narrow canyon that ended at the dam. The no trespassing buoys were surprisingly closer to the dam than we thought they would be. This is the third time we have visited the Hoover Dam. The first was by car, the second by bike, and now by boat. I can confirm that boat beats out car or bike by a long shot.
Enjoying the rocky shore
There it is — the Hoover Dam
Quick, take the dam(n) selfie before we float into forbidden waters!
Up next: We head up the lake in search of better lake side camping and more kayaking. Stay tuned!
10 comments
Damn! I knew that Airstream looked familiar but I couldn’t place it. We’ve never met but I’ve followed your blog. I, too, felt that rush of disappointment when I arrived at Government Wash. I put it down to that having been my first ever waterfront boondocking experience and thought it just wasn’t as good as I remembered. Plus like a dummy iparked up in one of those little pull outs along the road thinking I was only gonna be there two nights so going for easy. After a bunch of folks blasting by at all hours I knew I had made an error. So I left the next day and continued north. I saw you guys again at the next stop a day or two later…I saw you pull I. And said the same thing….I know that airstream from somewhere but still drawing a blank. I was in a little Phoenix Cruise with solar panels all over the ground. :-) I just left and am in Mesquite now.
Yeah, Government Wash is not the best lakeside camping that’s for sure. We do like it for the convenience factor though. We also parked at one of the pull outs near the road when we first arrived because it was getting dark and then moved first thing in the morning. People really do fly down that bumpy dirt road. Too bad we missed you in both places. We’re in Utah now at Sand Hollow State Park. Let us know if you come this way.
“Dam(n) selfie,” haha! Getting out onto the water must have been spirit lifting. It always is for me! We’ve not kayaked Lake Mead, but it looks beautiful from your photos.
It felt so good to get back out on the water – especially since it was nearly 80 degrees outside! Lake Mead is fun for kayaking because there’s so much to explore, but it does have a lot of speed boats.
I really like this post. You point out that not all travels don’t take you to the spot that you imagined in your mind. But you see the beauty in other ways, yes it’s not the same but different. We have done that, gone somewhere that we have been before with the expectations that it was going to be as wonderful as the first time and it has not and at first felt like a letdown. We have found that to look for new adventures in the same place and not try to recreate the first adventure over again works for us. I think that you did a beautiful job showing that in this spot. Love your adventures. Happy Camping.
You’re absolutely right Rick, the way we remember places is not always consistent with reality. Fortunately by the end of the week I was able to overcome the disappointment and realize that while it was not the same experience it could still be enjoyable.
Decades of drought or decades of overusing our resources? Wonderful pictures. Bill (aka treehugger)
Oh definitely some of both. I would have loved to see this area before the dam was built.
So, you just leave your rv unattended and go into town and to go onto the lake? As you can tell, newbie here and not quite in the comfort zone out there….
We had that same feeling when we first started boondocking. Eventually we realized that for the most part thieves are not hanging around boondocking spots looking to break in RVs. In fact, the only RV break ins I’ve ever heard about have occurred in parking lots. That said, we do take persuasions like never leaving items outside that someone could easily walk off with when we leave (like the grill, bikes, etc). We also make sure all electronics are stowed out of site if someone was to peak in the windows, and sometimes we even close the curtains. With all that said though, we don’t worry too much about theft too much because for us it’s worth the risk to stay outside of cramped campgrounds.