Thursday April 4, 2019 (continued)
I discovered that the Strip looked very similar to when I was here last and the most noticeable new feature is the High Roller which is a larger version of the London Eye. Since I had already had a good view of the city earlier in the day I did not bother to ride it.
LOVE, the Cirque du Soleil show, was a fantastic spectacle with action all around, amazing feats of circus daring, wonderful music and creative storytelling.
Friday April 5, 2019
Map and road video – Las Vegas to Laughlin, NV
It was good to get on the road today although I was disappointed to discover that the USB connection in the rental car can only be used for charging. In my car I play music from a USB stick because using Bluetooth interferes with the WiFi network used to stream the road video from the camera to my tablet. Hopefully, I can figure out a way of listening later.
My first stop was at Lake Mead Cruises for their midday sightseeing tour. This is a round trip from the marina in Lake Mead National Recreational Area to Black Canyon, the site of Hoover Dam, and was very pleasant and relaxing. The blue water and surrounding rugged mountains were impressive and, since I have visited Hoover Dam several times, this offered a different perspective.
After the cruise I headed south to Laughlin with a detour to the Colorado River along Nevada route 165 which passes through the ghost town of Nelson and Eldorado Canyon on the way. A large vein of gold found in the canyon in 1859 lead to the development of Nelson and several mines. Mining ceased in 1945 but the dry climate has preserved much of the abandoned town which is now a tourist spot and has been featured in several movies.
The paddle ship Desert Princess that cruises Lake Mead.
View of Black Canyon and Hoover Dam from the boat.
The blue water and the 60′ bathtub ring formed from years of drought are very obvious.
The Techatticup Mine was one of the first, and largest, gold mines in the Eldorado Canyon area.
Buildings like this in Nelson are well preserved but too unstable to enter.
I’m guessing that this is not an original Nelson artifact but it looks cool and probably attracts photographers and film makers.
We enjoyed LOVE too. Safe travels, dear Steve. Love, Kusum
Thank you. Hope you are doing well, Steve.
How strange observing this new development with you and this affinity for large bodies of water. A cruise during a SW road trip? Love the school bus pic and the view of Hoover from the boat in the video. Safe travels.
When they create a National Recreational Area someone has to go on the water. Lake Mead, however, is nowhere near as impressive as Lake Powell.
Looks like you can find a bargain on a used car. The bathtub rings are alarming; will this winter’s snow serve to replenish the water supply?
This year’s snowfall was slightly above average in the Rockies but won’t make much much difference to the lake level. All the rain seems to have been in the mid-west and on the west coast.