Tent camping at Lake Mead National Recreation Area was an adventure in itself. The campsites at the campground we stayed at the first night, Las Vegas Bay, all have massive asphalt pads with very little room for a tent let alone one that will fit three dogs and a cockatoo. After hours of plotting, the only place I could fit my tent without having it on the asphalt was, according to the camp host and a ranger the following morning "out of bounds." The invisible boundary they both saw was unclear to me but I am all for vegetation and land restoration so I followed the rangers advice and moved to another campground. The ranger indicated the Bolder Beach campsites tended to be larger. Most of the campsites there were larger and, thankfully, the boundaries of each site were clearly defined by rocks, tent pads and even surveyors flags. However, completely dismantling, packing and resetting up camp all in one day was exhausting, to say the least. Fortunately my amazing traveling companions were just that, amazing. Plus the pets kept my spirits high.
The second day of driving on our return to Seattle from Phoenix was the longest drive I had planned for our entire three week road trip. I was originally going to break up the drive into two days but a one day long drive through the desert and more time at South Lake Tahoe had a lot of appeal. And most of this drive was enjoyable. The desert had all the colors of Death Valley National Park and even some sand dunes. It wasn't too hot to leave the air conditioning off and the windows open so the dogs could enjoy the smells of the passing scenery. Long drives are hardest for Leo but he busily played in his Popemobile. |