THEFT & NOISE

In all the times that we have been a Gate Attendant or camped in other parks, I don’t ever think of recalling of theft being so high in just one campground. 
We did have our share of minor thefts while working the parks; coolers here, chairs there, and the most was being gas cans stolen the one year at Robinson Point.
While spending our winter months down in Quartzsite, AZ we have been warned that Generators were a hot item in the theft department and to make sure you locked up your generators or put them away.
In our case, we don’t have to worry about our generator being stolen, it’s a 4000 Onan that is attached underneath the frame of the motor home-so let a thief try and take it.  I don’t think they will get very far.
Anyways, while staying here on the National Recreation Area and in one of the more populated parks, one would think that theft would be low.  Specially when over 90% are seniors traveling slowly back north, with a few locals coming out to camp.
This week is National Park Week, so entrances to all National Parks are free for this week, ending on Sunday April 24th.  With the entrance being waived and Easter falling late this year, the parks are booming with young adults with kids and the younger crowd coming out.
With this being said, on Thursday Evening 4 of the Honda e2000 generators were taken from varies campers site.  All being under cable and lock.   The thief cut the cable and at one even took the cable with them.
Now comes Friday night and we are socked in with one family with 8 kids, a neighbor that has a big mouth and don’t know when quiet hours are and young adults that came out to have a good ole time.    By 11:00pm Brian yells out it’s quiet time and to shut it down.  The family with the kids quieted down-other than their screaming baby.  The big mouth got bigger and the party down a ways got louder.  By 1:00am, we have no choice but to try and get some assistant.
We don’t like calling 911-so I go on the Internet looking for the non-emergency phone number the local sheriff’s department.  found one, just to learn it’s the wrong number!  No choice now but to call 911.  The gentleman was understanding and directed our call the the National Park Service dispatch.  Come to find out-no rangers on duty and no assistant.  He asked if we got the host involved.
I guess from years of our own experience-we were never to get involve at night and to always call for assistant.  I guess the National Parks works differently around here.  So we had to go and get our poor host out of bed to get the folks to understand what quiet hours mean.  It did get quiet, but now we have been putting up with a screaming (and no it’s not crying) baby for over an hour…..I guess we are being punished.  I can understand a crying baby, but I have a hard time with a screaming baby or child.
One more night to go before they should all go home-hope it’s quiet…..

LAKE MEAD

Lake Mead is surrounded by the National Recreation Area.  The NRA provides many camping, boating, hiking, and scenic driving around Lake Mead.  The land is so diversely divided with it’s volcanic mountains, and high desert look.
When we arrived here at Lake Mead, we were excited about the many opportunities of maybe putting our canoe in in different water inlets and doing some exploring. 
When we saw the lake for the first time, Brian sad:  “Where’s the water”?  Lake Mead is so far down that I’m surprised that there are any boats left on the lake, including big houseboats over at Callville Bay.
Many boat ramps are closed around the lake, with only a few access left open to the Lake.  Concessionaire have lost business due to the low lake levels.  Reason that the lake is so low is because of past snow melting from high country hasn’t been enough to keep the Colorado River flowing where is should be, past droughts, and also Lake Mead is a major power plant for nearby towns and communities.
Lake Mead & Hemenway Harbor
The biggest attraction to the Lake Mead is probably Hoover Dam.  Hoover Dam is one of the largest Dam’s around and is supported by the Black Canyon Mountain walls.
Hoover Dam
BOATING:  Hemenway Harbor, Callville Bay, Echo Bay are about the only active boat ramps left here on lake Mead.  the boat ramps at places like Las Vegas Bay,Boulder Beach and Government Wash are closed.  It’s sad to look at these boat ramps, for they appeared to be fairly new yet and probably will never be used again, unless of high lake levels due to record flooding.  We found no beach acess to speak of, so swimming, I guess if you want to swim, you will walk a L-O-N-G ways down to the Lake or jump off a boat.
CAMPING:  Camping is allowed at Boulder Beach, Las Vegas Bay, Callville Bay, Government Wash, and Echo Bay.  Government Wash, is the only free camping with toilets and dumpsters, but no water or dump station.  Most come to Las Vegas Bay to dump and fill.  Camping is $10.00 per night with no hook-ups and half price if you have a Golden Age/Access or the American The Beautiful passports for Seniors or disables.
Our Site at Las Vegas Bay
If you are the social bug and like to visit with other campers, then I suggest Boulder Beach.  It has the most sites and very busy and active with many RV’ers.  If you still like to be a social bug, but would like a little more peace and quiet, then Las Vegas Bay where you will here the coyotes at night, and if you are lucky, you will get an outside site with a fantastic view of the canyon and of Las Vegas Bay water way.  If want something totally out of the way, and secluded, the Echo Bay may be the place for you.  Even though there is a small marina and concessionaire there, it’s still very  primitive and any disturbance you might get will probably be a wild donkey going through your site.  Callville Bay has a concessionaire and it appeared to be quiet, but with the activity of the marina near by. 
There are several large rigs in these campgrounds, the sites are not large by any means and it takes time and patients to get into a site without sticking out into the roadway.  You are just about guaranteed to brush against a bush or two with the side of your rig.
One clue I will share:  If you are a TV fanatic and want to watch your TV without Satellite, the one and ONLY place you will get ANY reception will be at Las Vegas Bay.  As for cell phones, reception was good but not the best at Boulder Beach and excellent at Las Vegas Bay; we have Verizon.  Anywhere else-forget it-won’t work.
HIKING:  There are many hiking trails around Lake Mead.  Depending on your speed and what you like to do there is from easy to moderate to difficult.  We even found some fishing trails that we explored on and found great views and awesome sites.
Las Vegas Bay along a Fishing Trail
The one that I would suggest that is a must is the Historic Railroad Trail.  The trail tells of the history of the building of the Dam and how they brought in the supplies by train.  There are 5 tunnels that you will come across.  Once you enter the last tunnel (heading towards the Dam), you might want to consider going back.  You can get to the Dam and to the Memorial Bridge/Highway, but it is a very long hike.  Take plenty of water and even a snack with you.
Historic Railroad Trail
some of the other interesting trails that we enjoyed was Redstone Dune Trail, Northshore Summit Trail (which you got an excellent view of “Bowl of Fire”), and the Bluff Trails.  The Wetland Trail was a bit disappointing, because there is no longer a wetland to view.  The only thing that we got to see was the rushing water way from Las Vegas Bay with a warning sign that  the water run off was from sewage runoffs and such from Las Vegas-that is why it’s called Las Vegas Bay….
 Redstone Dune Trail
N. Summit Trail/Bowl of Fire
Wetland Trail/Las Vegas Bay
We did miss going to Valley Of The Fire on the North side of Lake Mead, and was told that is a must-to-do.  So the next time we are back in this area, that will a “must” for us.  We also didn’t take the canoe below the Dam, for we need a special permit, and they only allow so many per day to launch below the Dam.  So again, that will be for the next time we come.

FISHING TRAILS

As Brian and I walk around the Las Vegas Bay Campground and towards the closed boat ramp, we came across several trails that head towards the rushing water.
On one of our crazy adventure we followed a foot trail that was not a registered trail with NRA.  It wind and meander what we thought towards the rolling creek.  But instead just along the bluff.  So we choose to make our own foot trail, towards the creek.  Once we got down there, we planned on walking along the water way and doing some of our own exploring.
Las Vegas Bay Water Way
Our exploring came to an abrupt halt when we got into cattails and the canyon wall that we just couldn’t get around.  Now the dilemma was do we back track all the way back or try climbing up on another old fishing trail that someone else made?  Brian didn’t think that I could make it up the canyon because it was steep, and it looked  like who ever made the foot trail did a lot of sliding downwards. 

The She-Woman that Brian tends to call me once in a while, said that I could make it-with a little boost from him.  Oh, he gave me the 1-2-3 push and I did make it up that canyon.  Only problem was, it was just a portion and we still had to climb upwards more yet!  Brian said that we probably climbed 90 feet straight up with little plateaus to land and rest once in a while.
We did make it back to the top, all dirty and dusty and just one minor scrap on my knee; which is already heeled up.  After that adventure, Brian said he needed a drink and that he wasn’t going to let me talk him into another adventure like that again.
So last night what did we do?  You guessed it-I had discovered another fishing trail along one of our walks several days back and I wanted to go exploring again.  But this time, a camper next to us had already been on it and said it was an awesome trail.  The only thing eerie for them, they went early morning and came across a fresh dead chicken with it’s neck broken and a candle still burning.  Now that would of freaked the both of us out!  But that didn’t stop us from still checking out the trial-only a couple days later.
As we entered the fishing trial and it wind it’s way back and forth, you did get a sort of eerie feeling.  We are surrounded with canyon walls and brush that has grown up.  the trail that we were following was along the Las Vegas Bay and what used to be the inlet waterway of Lake Mead.  The only sound you could hear was the occasional sound of water and the quails calling for it’s mate.  Due to the warm weather we have been experiencing, we also had to watch out for not-so-friendly-snakes.
Dried up water way
After about 15 minutes on the trail, we came across where the water way was rushing through a split in the canyon wall.  It was amazing and beautiful.  The camper next to us said the day they were there, that carps were spawning and trying to jump upstream.  We didn’t get to see any of that, but the view was worth the adventure.  We would have gone a little farther, but there was a family there fishing  downstream and we didn’t want to disturb them and it was getting also close to sun setting, and we did need to find our way back yet.
 Las Vegas Bay
The water stinks
 This dumps into Lake Mead
 Carving of the canyon wall
No scraps or bruises, but yet we were once again dirty.  And NO, we never came across any dead chickens either.

THEFT DETTERENT

There are several campgrounds located in the  National Recreation Area all around Lake Mead.  Some are popular while others are very desolate.   The popular ones have camp host located in the campground, while the most desolate campgrounds have no one.
A few years back the NRA had a constant problem of the honor vaults either being ripped right out of the campground or money stolen out of the box.  Even with a camp host on the premise the problem was a constant issue.   The problem of the camp host, is that they are no where located near the honor vaults where campers put their fees in.

Then some one came  up with a hair brain idea if  they parked an “RV” very near the honor vault boxes, this might help deterrent thefts.  So the NRA purchased several types of RV’s that have been abandoned through an auction.  They placed these “RV’S” in all of their campgrounds near the honor vault and has it set up as though someone is camped there.

As we walked up to investigate the “RV” in our park, Las Vegas Bay, it’s very easy to see that no one has been in or near these campers for a long time.  The curtains are rotted, and even have fallen off some of the windows.  Peeking in the window, it’s as though more mice live in it than anything else.

Has this worked?  Well since doing this, including their most desolate spots, they have had no more thefts of their honor vaults.