Vegging Out!

Lake Mead – Government Wash
February 14–15, 2006
We’d had enough of the city life so we headed out of Las Vegas towards Lake Mead. About an hour later, we entered the Lake Mead Federal Recreation Area and drove down to the lake on Government Wash road. They say that on weekends it’s really hectic because it has a boat ramp but it was Tuesday and only the occasional RV was to be seen dotted around the vast desert area. There is no charge to pull in to one of the many campsites but you can only stay for fifteen days – two days is fine for us. Some of the roads are a bit steep and narrow for our big Maggie, but we found a perfect spot overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains. We set up quickly and put out our awning, mats and lounge chairs and the rest of the day, I vegged out in the sun, reading my book and writing this blog. Fernie, in the meantime, partook in his favourite hobby – polishing the motorhome (Different strokes………..). This rustic campsite made me think of our camping weekends back home and our camping buddies (J&C) and I wished they would have pulled in beside us – the martinis would have been flowing………oh, they were anyway!

The desert was hilly and rocky with low-lying shrubs, some green, some flowering and some dormant. The stark mountains were grey, orange and clay red as the sun dropped in the West and ringed the blue-green lake below while the deeply etched crevices made them jump out as in a 3D movie.
Hares – or were they jackrabbits – hopped through the sage brush, their long legs and ears making them very tall; we also spied marmots and plenty of birds, even seagulls and at sunset the howls of the coyotes echoed spine-chillingly through the valleys.

A seaplane glided in for a landing on the calm waters but soon took off again leaving the lake very quiet, as only an occasional boat would speed by. As I lay in my lounge chair in the warm sun a light breeze wafted across my face cooling me. There was no unnatural noise – I listened to the birds and the rustle of the wind. My spirits soared - there is no better feeling in life.

A full moon rose in the eastern sky and its bright white light over the lake and mountains made for the most wondrous sight spread out below us. We sat out in our lounges to take it all in. The forecast had mentioned wind and we figured we’d better retract our awning before we went to bed but the wind caught us unaware coming up suddenly in huge gusts. We wrestled with the awning as the blasts of air would get under the canvas and flap it violently but we finally managed to secure it, thank goodness. The wind really blew hard all night long and through most of the next day. Maggie creaked and groaned and swayed as the huge gusts hit her broadside – it made for a fitful night’s sleep.