Go West: Long Day Drive

Traveling, Camping and Hiking My Way Westward

Trail/Park: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Boulder City, NV

Trash Collected: 0.25 pounds

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Lakes and Landscapes

My final day of driving for a couple weeks lay ahead of me, going from wide open spaces to the density of Los Angles and the communities around the Santa Monica and Simi mountains. While excited to spend time with family, my head and heart were slowing my roll forward. Traveling in the way of the last week, camping in quiet spaces, soaking in the beauty of the landscapes as they rolled by, I wanted more. But the equal pull of time with people I love was ever present too. I mentally readied myself for the traffic to come.

But first a stop at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Visitor Center perched high above the lake and campgrounds, in sight of the buildings of the Hoover Dam. With my morning meditation and dancing done, I got in the car to head out of the park. Only as I drove up the road from the campground heading back toward Boulder City did I decide I’d make this one stop, The Visitor Center wouldn’t open for about 30 minutes, so I parked and explored the interpretive trail around the visitor center, taking photos of the various cactus and trees.

The now familiar cactus and shrubs were busy with lizards finding their way into the sun for warmth. Every now and then a movement would remind me of their presence before they’d disappear again as still as the rocks chosen to sun upon. The view of Lake Mead from the grounds of the Visitor Center is sweeping. As the sun rose in the sky, I stopped, watching the changing colors.

When the center opened, I beelined to the shop to collect a patch or two. Ready for checkout I approached the counter only to overhear one of the staff speaking to someone on the phone, As the staffer hung up, they gave a hearty laugh, proceeding to share the person who’d called was wondering what to do because they believed a coyote had stolen their car keys. He went on with the story with an unexpected twist. The keys were apparently tucked into a food bag which was left out overnight. It was really the food that was gone. They keys just a casualty of the error in judgement. This led to a hearty discussion between the three of us about wildlife and the items “stolen” from humans in outdoor spaces.

The staffer then asked if the camper outside belonged to me. He’d seen it on his way in and told the woman working with him about it. She started asking all about it, eventually joining me outside for a brief tour of the Vistabule before I mentioned I’d need to get going with the long day ahead. She went back inside while I closed everything up. I was getting into my car when I noticed a group with a camera darting back and forth across the parking lot. They were in pursuit of a roadrunner. I got out to watch it run around the parking lot and snap my own photo from a distance before finally getting in and pulling out of the parking lot.

Desert and Density

My day would be spent driving across the Mojave Desert, hugging the edge of the Mojave National Preserve. I’d be tempted over and over again with exits from the highway to explore more. After the cooler days I’d been enjoying, I was heading into a day where the temperature was going to be 90 degrees or more. Knowing my car needed an oil change after so many miles towing the camper up mountain passes and through off-road adventures, I was a bit gun-shy about pushing my travel time too hard. As I’d done before, I took an easy approach to the drive, taking breaks every hour or so to give the car (and me) an opportunity to cool off. I expected this approach would take me closer to eight hours overall to get to my destination.

Each break from the highway I got out to move around while I took in the subtle changes in the landscape. The changes are more easily missed when driving through without stopping. Whether it was the vegetation or the landscape. Despite what most folks who have not seen desert might think, the Mojave is not flat. Low striated peaks rise from the basin of the desert reminding me that I wasn’t done with mountain driving just yet.

Barstow and San Bernadino

A stop in Barstow, California for gas and lunch took me to a local Mexican restaurant, Lola’s Kitchen. The place was pretty empty when I went inside to order lunch. I decided to sit inside to catch up on emails while I waited. It wasn’t long before my food arrived. Rested and fed it was time to move along. Barstow is an interesting town to drive through. I found myself wishing I had a bit more time to take it in but didn’t want to be driving into Los Angeles in the dark.

From Barstow it’s not far before the San Bernadino Mountains come into view. Along with the mountains, the traffic also starts building. I was grateful for the amount traffic which kept the surrounding traffic from speeding all around me. Plus, California limits the speed limit of vehicles with trailers, all working to keep my mountain and heavy traffic driving anxiety to a minimum.

Crossing into the San Bernadino Valley, the slow speeds held. I stopped for gas, knowing I needed to drive all the way across the valley before heading north toward my final destination tucked near the Simi Mountains. Connecting with Hwy 101 the Santa Monica Mountains appeared to my left and would accompany me heading further west. Eventually I exited toward the Simi Mountains and family waiting for my arrival. A week ahead would be spent relaxing, perhaps hiking and definitely eating my way through the area. Grateful for the drive, I parked and unloaded the week’s collection of dirty clothes, remaining food and general mess to reorganize over the days to come.

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This travel, hike and camping took place on the traditional territory of the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute), Pueblos, Nüwüwü (Chemehuevi), Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano), Newe Sogobia (Western Shoshone), Vanyumé, Tongva (Gabrieleno), Chumash and Ventureño Chumash who have stewarded this land for more than 5,000 years. I respect the histories, languages and cultures of these peoples, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant and changing communities. Join me in learning more about the tribes and these lands, by following the links provided.

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Next Post Preview: I’ll share highlights of my hikes from my time in the Los Angeles area and reflect on the hikes of my 2022 trip as well.

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME: My adventure camper is a lovely little teardrop made-to-order by the incredibly talented people at Vistabule in St. Paul, MN.

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GEAR: Granite Gear Crown2 38 Pack,Marmot Kompressor Pack,Oboz Katabatic Mid Waterproof,Oboz Katabic Low,Mountain Hardware Stretchdown™ Light Jacket, Mountain Hardware Stretchdown™ Pant,REI Co-op XeroDry GTX Jacket,REI Co-op Magma 850 Down Hoodie,REI Co-op XeroDry GTX Pants, Gnara Go There™ Pants, Chickfly Merino Eucalyptus Leggings,Icebreaker Women’s Merino 200 Oasis Long Sleeve Crewe Thermal Top, Icebreaker Merino 200 Oasis Thermal Leggings, SPOT GEN3 Satellite GPS Messenger, Dueter Dirtbag, Kula Cloth, Leki Women’s Micro Vario Cor-Tec TA trekking poles, Nemo Dragonfly™ Ultralight Backpacking Tent, Nemo Sonic™ 0 Down Sleeping Bag,Paria Thermodown 30 down quilt, Exped Ultra 7R Mat,REI Flash 3-Season Sleeping Pad, Thermarest Z Seat™,MSR Pocket Rocket Stove, TOAKS Titanium 450ML Cup with Lid, MSR® IsoPro™ Fuel.

Want to know more about my gear selections? Head on over to Gear & Gadgets or check out my posts titled “Gear in Review”.

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