Wetlands Trail

Good morning, my friends. I have a lot to tell you today, and lots of pictures to show. You might want to top-off whatever your drinking and get settled in a comfy chair. Before you do that, though, be sure to lace up your hiking boots. We're gonna go for a short, but challenging hike.

Heading out, we drove directly toward these mountains before turning north. I can never get over the beauty of the geological features of this area. It doesn't have the impact of a place like, say, Monument Valley, but the colors and shadows of the landscape are awe-inspring...at least to this observer.

In my first post about Boulder City a few days ago, I showed you some of the freeway art. Heading in the opposite direction for this ride, I could get a little more of it.

It was a hazy day, but we could see snow in the distant mountains.

Here's a little more of this fun freeway art. 

The roads in Nevada are some of the best in the country. We suspect it's from all those gamblers leaving their donations at the casinos.

It's about a 15-minute drive to one of the entrances to Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Approaching the gate, we got out our "geezer" pass. The geezer pass is one of the best things about growing older if you're an American. We became geezers when the pass was still free to obtain. Nowadays, it costs around $80 for life. But when you consider driving into this park is $25 per vehicle, it doesn't take many park visits for the pass to pay for itself. And this is one of the less-popular parks. Other parks will cost more for entry.

I was on the lookout for a sign with the park's name, but I had to settle for this little sliver posted at the gate.

We turned to the left fairly quickly after entering the park and crossed a bridge over Las Vegas Wash. In just a couple of minutes, we'll be down there near the water.

Our hiking book points out:

It's amazing to see what water can do to a landscape. Along the first part of the trail, 100 feet above the wash, only stalwart creosote bushes grow. At the water's edge, however, you'll find grasses, reeds, and bushes in abundance. For thousands of years, [it] has nourished birds, animals, and people as it channeled runoff from natural springs, distant mountains, and storms. Ever-growing Las Vegas adds to this flow with runoff from sprinklers, fountains, swimming pools, city streets, and Lake Las Vegas immediately upstream on the other side of the road.

Okay, so we pulled into the parking lot where there was just one other car. The trailhead was right in front of us. Stick with me, my friends, and you'll be completely safe. If you were thinking about pitching a tent out here, you'll probably want to leave your camping equipment behind. 

Despite saying the trail wasn't maintained, it was pretty nice at the beginning. We walked only a few yards before coming to a fork in the road. We took the right fork.

As we headed toward that cliff, the rock outline disappeared.

Walking to the edge, this is what we saw. Clearly, we took the wrong fork, but it was worth it for this view. The wash was in deep shadow here, and so I've messed with the brightness and contrast to make it easier to see. There's a man-made waterfall and dam down there, directing the flow of water somehow, but we weren't clear what it's purpose was.

I zoomed in for a look at those reeds.

There isn't much cactus growing out here, but there were a few of these little beaver tail along our route.

This is phacelia and it was blooming everywhere we walked.

My phone tells me this is "eschscholzia glyptosperma," or "desert gold poppy" if you prefer.

Heading back, we took the left fork. This next image is intended to show you where the trail will take us.

Single file now...the trail is narrow here.

And watch out for the "swift water hazard," although this sign seems poorly placed. We didn't go down that trail.

This is desert sunflower.

Here, we went downhill to get closer to the river. There were steps in place made from railroad ties. I was very glad to have my hiking pole along. (Think of it as a portable hand rail.) The steps were helpful, but there was a big drop down from each one, and my legs aren't that long.

We were a little unclear which direction to go here. Looking back over my shoulder, there seemed to be a trail below. Eventually, we determined that it would end with about a 6-foot drop to the ground below, and so we continued straight.

I don't know what these white guys are. I was shooting from a distance away, and I couldn't get closer. My phone is no help with this photo. They look like mallow to me, but it's hard to say for sure.

Okay, and so it was a short, but steep, climb down to the water. It looks refreshing enough for a swim, but our hiking book discouraged that, saying the water is polluted with city chemicals...fertilizers, and the like.

The waterfowl don't seem to mind. I believe this is a coot, but again, I was a distance away.

Looking south, it looked like this:

It was a loop hike, and it wasn't far to get back to where we started. Here, I was standing alongside the dam I showed you earlier.

I was able to get a closer view of the reeds.

Looking upstream, there was another waterfall. The bridge you see there is the road we came in on.

And now...sadly...we had to climb this hill to get back to the parking lot. Going up was easier than coming down, and it was a mercifully short distance.

After reaching the truck we drove a distance into the park. I was, as always, awe-struck by the landscape. So many colors. 

Okay, and eventually, we turned around and headed back to the RV. Off to the right we could see Lake Las Vegas.

Here's what Wikipedia tells us about Lake Las Vegas:

Lake Las Vegas is a 320-acre reservoir in Henderson, Nevada, with a 3,592-acre developed area around it. The area is sometimes referred to as the Lake Las Vegas Resort. It is being developed by 5 companies including Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture LLC. The area includes three resorts including the Aston Monte Lago Village Resort, the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort, and the Hilton Lake Las Vegas.

Driving on, we caught another view of Las Vegas Wash.

And this is Lake Mead, formed when Hoover Dam was built. The dam was originally called "Boulder Dam," but the name was changed to Hoover Dam at its completion during the Hoover Administration.

Looking a little to the right, this is more of Lake Mead. Look across to the other side, and you can see the "bathtub ring" showing how low the water level is.

We were nearing the visitor center when I spotted these turtle fences. They keep turtles from wandering out into the road. We've also seen these in Death Valley National Park. When I see this kind of stuff, it gives me hope for humanity.

Here's one more shot of Lake Mead just before the visitor center.

Driving up their driveway, a sign like the one below was posted. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture, but they were giving away free stickers inside the visitor center. Thanks! Don't mind if I do.

I was on the hunt for a shot glass. They didn't have any that I liked, and I already have a refrigerator magnet. Oh well. The sticker will be my only memento from this visit.

Back at the RV, I had just a little bit of stitching to finish off my own Hawksbill Honu project. It seems fitting, doesn't it?

And that brought me to a stitching emergency. Happily, I have all twelve blocks to stitch on this new project from Bird Brain Designs called Snowmen & Reindeer.

My next task was to get out my lightbox and trace the design. I already have the background fabric for the blocks cut, along with the stabilizer for each one.

And now that one is hooped up and ready to go.

Our plan for the day is to visit the quilt shop in Henderson, Quiltique. It's a good one. I've been there a couple of times before. We also want to go to the Ford dealership. Mike has been keeping himself busy going around with touch-up paint on the RV. He wanted to do his truck, but found his touch-up paint all dried up. Happily, the Ford dealership has some. I have an order from Amazon to pick up at an Amazon locker, and we're planning another hike. The Whitney Mesa Hike will be an urban hike. Here's a link that tells you all about it.

I'm not sure we can fit all of that into a single day, but we'll have fun trying.