Nevada = Wind

We left Lake Powell and took a circuitous route that had us travel through Arizona, Utah, back to Arizona, back to Utah, back to Arizona and finally into Nevada, the last stretch through the dreaded interstate (15 this time) until it was time to head off down Hwy 169 past the town of Overton. Our drive had us descending over 3000 ft and it was significantly warmer at the lower elevation in Nevada, but the wind that has been a theme (along with rocks) for this trip was with us again (or still). We reached our destination for the day, Valley of Fire State Parks and picked a very large serviced (W & E) site with a picnic table ramada, fire pit and BBQ stand.

Our campground at Atlatl Rock also had showers and plentiful, clean restrooms and the sites are nestled in among the fire red rocks that give the park its name. In the afternoon we settled in to read under the shade of the ramada and were entertained by a trio of birds and a pair of squirrels who made numerous forays right up to our feet in search of any crumbs that might fall from our snacks.

At one point the wind blew Pete`s muffin wrapper onto the ground and before he could pick it up the squirrel had grabbed it and made a run for it. It was a pleasant warm afternoon but we had to be constantly watching for the wind to pick up anything that wasn`t firmly held down or secured (this included my nearly full wine glass at dinner!). In the morning we walked around the campground and discovered a ladder leading to a viewing platform for ancient petroglyths. 

On our drive out of the campground we stopped at the excellent visitor center and viewed the displays depicting the history and geology of the area as well as the flora and fauna (including a number of live lizards and a California King snake).

Pete appreciated our shortest driving day yet. We drove the Lake Mead Drive and by 11:30 we were settling into our $10 lake view campsite at the Boulder Campground, part of the Lake Mead National Recreational Area.

The winds, if anything, were gustier here and the sites surrounded by aspen trees so our afternoon was filled with the music of the rustling leaves. We did take a stroll across the rocky approaches to the lakefront where they appeared to be setting up for a triathalon. I cannot imagine what it will be like trying to swim against the current if the winds continue to blow.

Our only disappointment was that there is no data signal here which is surprising as we are less than 40 miles from the Las Vegas strip.