Lake Mead to Zion Tuesday 28th - Mile 580
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of waking up in absolutely the Middle Of Nowhere and our funny little campsite was really in Tumbleweed Central. At six in the morning the rocky desert was already starting to bake. Today’s high, 115 degrees… So, off for a swim then. Just down the road from us in Echo Bay was a small marina with boats to take out onto Lake Mead. We got what they call a “patio boat” with a flat deck over two pontoons, some bench seats and a canopy. The forty horsepower engine actually moved us along quite rapidly and Tom was seriously thrilled about being the driver once we were out of the marina.
Lake Mead is an extraordinary place. A deep blue slash of water in the midst of a parched and forbidding desert. It is surrounded by jagged peaks and the tops of what were once hoodoos and mesas before the lake was created. We cruised up the coast and into the shade of some little islands where I cut the engine and lowered the anchor. The water was as flat as glass. But not for long. We all jumped in and the clear water felt like a warm bath. It was such fun. Philippa who has been missing a daily swim immediately struck out to one of the islands, with Tom splashing about in her wake. He eventually established a circuit, climbing up the step on the side of the boat and running to the little deck on the front where he sprang off, legs running in the air. We were having such a good time that I rang the rental guy to ask if we could extend the booking and he gave us another hour of pottering about, swimming and lounging. As we chugged back into the marina we could feel the heat coming off the desert. The nice rental guy didn’t charge us for the extra hour and we picked up some more provisions.
I asked the people working in the store about how long it would take to get to Zion. One of them thought it would take all day but amazingly, none of them had ever been to what is one of America’s most famous scenic areas. Actually it took about three hours to get here. It was a stunning drive through a truly epic landscape. Soaring all around us were magnificent, towering bluffs, sheer cliffs and rounded crumbling monoliths. Jagged canyons split away across the desert floor. The sunlit rock was brick red, soft yellow and ash grey. It continued like this for a hundred miles or so before we climbed up from the desert floor and into the mountains of Zion National Park. I am writing this at the picnic bench outside our RV in almost total darkness. The moon is half full now and almost hidden behind trees. A little bat is flitting past my head and a soft warm breeze is rustling through the aspens. Time for bed. Night all. R
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of waking up in absolutely the Middle Of Nowhere and our funny little campsite was really in Tumbleweed Central. At six in the morning the rocky desert was already starting to bake. Today’s high, 115 degrees… So, off for a swim then. Just down the road from us in Echo Bay was a small marina with boats to take out onto Lake Mead. We got what they call a “patio boat” with a flat deck over two pontoons, some bench seats and a canopy. The forty horsepower engine actually moved us along quite rapidly and Tom was seriously thrilled about being the driver once we were out of the marina.
Lake Mead is an extraordinary place. A deep blue slash of water in the midst of a parched and forbidding desert. It is surrounded by jagged peaks and the tops of what were once hoodoos and mesas before the lake was created. We cruised up the coast and into the shade of some little islands where I cut the engine and lowered the anchor. The water was as flat as glass. But not for long. We all jumped in and the clear water felt like a warm bath. It was such fun. Philippa who has been missing a daily swim immediately struck out to one of the islands, with Tom splashing about in her wake. He eventually established a circuit, climbing up the step on the side of the boat and running to the little deck on the front where he sprang off, legs running in the air. We were having such a good time that I rang the rental guy to ask if we could extend the booking and he gave us another hour of pottering about, swimming and lounging. As we chugged back into the marina we could feel the heat coming off the desert. The nice rental guy didn’t charge us for the extra hour and we picked up some more provisions.
I asked the people working in the store about how long it would take to get to Zion. One of them thought it would take all day but amazingly, none of them had ever been to what is one of America’s most famous scenic areas. Actually it took about three hours to get here. It was a stunning drive through a truly epic landscape. Soaring all around us were magnificent, towering bluffs, sheer cliffs and rounded crumbling monoliths. Jagged canyons split away across the desert floor. The sunlit rock was brick red, soft yellow and ash grey. It continued like this for a hundred miles or so before we climbed up from the desert floor and into the mountains of Zion National Park. I am writing this at the picnic bench outside our RV in almost total darkness. The moon is half full now and almost hidden behind trees. A little bat is flitting past my head and a soft warm breeze is rustling through the aspens. Time for bed. Night all. R
No comments:
Post a Comment