Places, Earth Las Vegas Area, 2021

Las Vegas Area, 2021

What Happens in Vegas Goes in the Roadtrip Article

Day One: Getting There is Half the Fun

In Victorville I exited at North D Street heading west. The name changed to National Trails Highway (and I think a remnant of Route 66) and eventually I found my first stop, Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch. It was surreal. Hundreds of vertical polls with multiple arms and a glass bottle on each arm. There was also a sprinkling of other objects like peddle cars, old phones, typewriters, signs, boats, a jeep, and more. It was a little overwhelming and I only stayed about twenty minutes but was very glad I had stopped.

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch.

I continued north and rejoined Interstate 15 at Barstow. I had parallel Interstate 15 about 30 miles, just not quite as fast. I stopped at C. V. Cane Rest Area about 30 miles east of Barstow. I walked around and took a few photos and continued. My gut feeling was to take the Zzyzx exit south but my Mapquest said to turn north at Baker which turned out wrong. In Baker I stopped to photograph the world's tallest thermometer in front of a restaurant

Restroom building at the east bound C. V. Cane Rest Area.

that seemed closed. It commemorates the then record high temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913 in Death Valley. It is 134 feet tall, one foot for each degree. Then I turned back a few miles to Zzyzx Road. The road was bad with a 1/4 mile section unpaved and filled with rain filled rusts, had I taken the Mustang, I would have turned around here. Eventually I made it to Zzyzx and I walked a little while, but didn't go past the pond. I took some photos from across the pond and returned to my car.

World's tallest thermometer at center as I crossed over Highway 15 heading toward Baker.

Zzyzx Road.

Information signage at Valley Wells Rest Area.

Back on Interstate 15 heading north (east), back through Baker, about a half hour brought me to Valley Wells Rest Area. A few minutes to wake up and switch audio book CDs and back on the road. It was another hour before I cross the state line into Nevada, hard to miss, with a casino complex on the border. Another half hour and I was in Las Vegas. I was starting to worry that I missed my turned but finally I turned right on Tropicana and past a few of the famous casinos. Finally I found my

hotel, checked in, and unloaded. Since my wife hadn't come on this trip, I spent the rest of the evening in my room working on this article, my photos, listening to music, and eating food I had brought from home. I was having trouble with the internet so we resorted to a phone call with my wife instead of Zoom. After four frustrating hours trying to download my tablet, I realized the cable was bad. It was good to get to sleep.

New York, New York Casino.

Day Two: Dam

I awoke about 4:30 and got up at 5:30. I had set out wake-up reading, but it didn't come along (I found it in a side compartment of my suitcase when I got home). I got dressed and ate a "grab and go" breakfast that I supplemented with the food I brought from home. I attended Mass at a nice church near the hotel, came back to my room to get my things ready for the day, forgot my Igloo full of lunch, and headed out. For the third time this trip Mapquest messed me up but

Mandalay Bay from my hotel room.

eventually I reached Hoover Dam an hour behind expectation. It was a bit chaotic navigating several Visitor Center buildings, crowds of people, and lots of stairs and elevators.

The main Visitor Center had a short video, exhibits, and spectacular views of the downstream side of the dam and power generators far below. This side looked normal, the other side was different. Because of Covid, there were no tours. Besides the main Visitor Center, there was a smaller building across the road with a model and presentation about the Colorado River control system. From here I could see the reservoir side of the dam. It was striking and shocking how low the water level had reached with the drought cased by the	The top of the downstream side of the dam.
The intake towers on the Nevada side with a half empty Lake Mead beyond.	imagined climate change. I walked across the dam on the reservoir side. The four intake towers, usually just above the water level now towered more than a hundred feet about the surface. Remnants of the construction that hadn't been seen in over 80 years were now high and dry, along with the 100 foot wide band of bleached rock that would normally be under water. I walked across to the Arizona end of the dam, crossed the road and walked back to Nevada on the downstream side. I was told that while you can drive across the top of the dam, the road is closed on the Arizona side for security reasons since 9/11, so you would
need to turn around. There is a new Highway 93 bridge high over the canyon below the dam. I was pretty tired and overwhelmed by the time I got back to my car so I skipped driving across the top of the dam or the Highway 95 bridge.

Nevada State Railroad Museum.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Bolder closes at 3:30 so I hurried to see that. The train wasn't running today but people were lined up for power assisted pedal railcars. My wife likes excursion trains so I decided to just wait to see if she returns with me in a few years. I wandered, looking at some of the locomotives, rolling stock, and other exhibits. The mail car was interesting and out of place was a European railroad car. From here I drove back to yet another Visitor Center on the Lake Mead Recreation Area.

This Visitor Center was less crowded and I had a chance to ask the people at the information desk all sorts of questions about the dam, the reservoir, and the dropping water level. The level is 166 feet below the highest level in 1983. It is more than 100 feet below the ideal and if it drops a little more than another 100 feet, the level will drop below the intakes and there will be no water or power coming from a dam and reservoir and even the boat launches will be too high. It will be a "dead pool" with a few boats trapped within.

Lake Mead is over 100 feet below normal.

I then drove back to Bolder City and drove through the Historic District. There is a Hotel with a small museum on the building of the dam, but I couldn't find it. I had one last stop which revitalized me after the hectic day at the dam. In Henderson is Ethel M Chocolate Factory Store and Cactus Garden. This trip had originally been planned several years ago and I had forgotten why I tagged this for a visit. I was so glad that I had. I found the entrance to the garden just minutes before the cutoff before the special night light

Driving through the Bolder City Historic District near sunset.

Christmas decorations at Ethel M Chocolate Factory Store and Cactus Garden

exhibit requiring reservations. I had the gardens mostly to myself and I wandered the one way path through cactus covered with Christmas lights. It was just spectacular and beautiful. After the garden walk, I bought a box of Truffles and headed back to my hotel. From here I found a grocery store which took a little navigation to get to and from and somehow missed my turn on the way back to the hotel, had to make a U-turn which wasn't easy in the unexplained heavy traffic going east,

and took about ten minutes to work my way a quarter mile back to my turn. It took one and a half loops of the hotel parking lot to find a space. I couldn't believe the lot wouldn't be half empty with everyone at casinos and shows but when I asked at the desk, I was told the hotel was at 100% capacity with people with canceled flights from the nearby airport and other people just not interested in the Vegas nightlife. I settled into the room, ate dinner in my room, downloaded my photos, and worked on this article.

Day 3: Saint George or Bust
I awoke about 5:30, got dressed, ate another "grab and go" breakfast, and got ready. This time I set my Igloo in front of the door so I wouldn't forget like yesterday. I started going north on I-15 and after about two hours crossed into a corner of Arizona. The highway is only in Arizona a few miles, but it is a beautiful corner as it follows the Virgin River Gorge, a rugged narrow pass through the mountains as the river runs west. What	Looking through the Virgin River Gorge and along Interstate 15.
is so striking about this pass is that as you approach from the west, you see a tall mountain range with no obvious way through. Only in the last few hundred feet does the canyon reveal itself. I stopped several times to take photos and was enjoying the drive, until the electrical warning light on my dash started to flash. I was only 15 minutes from Saint George and after checking with several mechanics found someone who could look over the electrical system. They found everything good so I went on to my destination, Saint George Dinosaur Discovery Museum.

A Dimetrodon in the garden at Saint George Dinosaur Discovery Museum.

I arrived at the museum and was a little confused because it was suppose to be at Johnson's Farm and this was surrounded by stores and commercial development. Turns out these rocks containing the fossils were found on this spot when it was still a farm about to be developed. The museum isn't large but is packed with stone containing many dinosaur tracks. There are a few skeletons, but mostly fish and aquatic animals that the dinosaurs were probably eating. An elevated boardwalk allows visitors to get close without damaging the fossil containing stone.

There are numerous exhibits describing everything and a lab with large windows. Outside is a picnic area and a time walk with sculptures of earlier life and labels to describe. I was still worried about the car so didn't stay as long as I would have liked, so I headed back skipping the scenic drive I had hoped to do.

I did make one quick stop on the way back at Valley of Fire State Park. I would have liked to have seen more but the delays earlier in the day left me short. I paid my $15.00 at the self pay, I hate self pay, and entered the park. I am assuming the name comes from the bright red rock formations that the road winds through. I did stop at the Visitor Center which was about to close. I was told it would take an hour to reach Las Vegas and would be dark in 30 minutes. I didn't want to drive at night with electrical problems so I hurried on, regretting that I couldn't spend more time here.

Some of the many flame red rock formations in Valley of Fire State Park.

Driving north on Las Vegas Avenue (The Las Vegas Strip).

I got ready for the day and left for Springs Preserve. On the way I drove north on the Las Vegas Strip and was overwhelmed by the massive and glitzy casinos. Massive hotel complexes, multiple towers, some blocks long. It is nothing like when we spent the night on family vacations in the 1960s and 1970s. By the time I reached Highway 95 north, I had enough.

I reached the Springs Preserve and found a closed gate. I was confused by the hours of the Springs and discovered they were closed today, so I moved on to my next stop, Mormon Fort Stare Historic Park. I enjoyed seeing the fort. It was established in 1855 and a mid-way point between Salt Lake City and San Bernardino. It was 150 feet square and is the oldest remaining structure in Nevada. It may have been a victim of its own success as the population grew and problems arose with minors and

Mormon Fort Stare Historic Park.

it was abandoned in 1857. The fort then served as a ranch and other uses including a test site for concrete blends for Hoover Dam. Eventually it became a state historic park. (500 E Washington Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101)

It was a very short walk to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum which I also enjoyed. While not as large as the museum where I volunteer, there were exhibits on Africa, early life and dinosaurs, gems and minerals, Egypt and King Tut's Tomb, aquatic life, a Children's Discovery Center, and local wild life. (900 Las Vegas Blvd N, Las Vegas, NV 89101) I called the hotel to cancel the rest of my trip.

Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

From here I journeyed west to Red Rock Canyon and Spring Mountain Ranch. It was a bit cold and wearing a mask, my glasses were so fogged I'm not sure what I wasn't seeing. It was just too cold, I was tired by this time, and I couldn't see, so I didn't stay long. By the time I got back into town and found the Atomic Test Site Museum, it was closing earlier than I expected. Had I known, I would have skipped Sprint Mountain Ranch. I also wanted to see the Neon Museum, but they required on-line

image here Spring Mountain Ranch.

reservations and I couldn't do that from here. Maybe I was too quick to cancel the rest of the trip. I returned to the hotel and rested the rest of the evening. Day Five, Very Long Journey Home I awoke at 3 am and after an hour gave up on sleep and started packing. I was on the road by 7:30 AM. I was going to gas up at a station near the hotel, but all the pumps were closed so I had to push south to Terrible's Road House in Jean, Nevada on the state line, the world largest Chevron station with 96 pumps.

I stopped at C V. Kane Rest Area southbound for a short rest before plunging into the last 3 hours of the drive. As I entered the San Gabriel Valley, I also entered rain for the remaining hour, arriving home at 1:00 PM.

South (west) bound C V. Kane Rest Area.

It was good to be home and my wife, dogs, and cat were glad to have me home. There were accomplishments and disappointments and several lose ends. My wife promises to go with me another time to see the things I missed. I got home in time to do some important errands. Total 1,048 miles.

This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson. Copyright © 2004 - 2023, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved. Website content including photographic and graphic images may not be redistributed for use on another website.