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Crossing Hoover Dam to go camping
Howdy,
I've done it plenty of times...drive an hour from my casa to the Hoover Dam. Super speed highway through the heart of Vegas that used to be a nightmare too but that is finished. Slow down for Boulder City, drive along Lake Mead until you enter Black Canyon and then creep down a small two lane road towards Hoover Dam. Back in the day people would stop almost in the highway to peer over the edge into Black Canyon, now the highway dept has done a wonderful job blocking all of those wonderful narrow turn-outs. Smooth sailing, heck no! 1/2 mile from getting on the Dam the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept has a road block set-up that all cars must stop to be searched. No trucks are permitted across Hoover Dam. Trucks have to take a detour at Railroad Pass which is between Henderson(Nevada's second largest city) and Boulder City. Then the truck route drives south to Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ and cross the Colorado River on a simple 6 lane concrete bridge. No check point there.
Anyway. It always fails for me. Do I look like a criminal or what, but some cop says: "Pull over there so we can search your vehicle!" Another uniform asks me to get out and open the car doors. So if I didn't pack stuff right and tie it down inside the jeep then when I'd open the doors, stuff would roll out. I learned my lesson a long time ago, tie items down. Another cop asks: "What that thing?" I say its a cooler. He asks: "A cooler for what?" I say: "For food." He says: "Your packed pretty good, what's you doing?" I say: "Driving!" He says: "Where to?" I says: "To a campground." He says: "So are you going camping?" And I say trying to be polite, "I guess so." He points to another large bag and says: "What's in there?" and I say: "Camping gear." This goes on for about ten minutes. They come out with a mirror on a long handle to check the underside of the jeep and all they see is armor plating. I'm questioned about that. "Why do you need armor plating?" Then after awhile they say, "OK your free to go."
Well, that's not the end of the misery yet. Hoover Dam has seven crosswalks that cross it at different places on the DAM. Under Nevada Law a vehicle must stop for Presbyterians(you know what I mean). So there it's always a slow crawl over the dam dam! You lose an hour too just getting into Arizona and then Arizona is always on standard time so you lose another hour in travel time just being there.
Well, I just wanted to show everyone the low water level on Lake Mead, down 160'. And the new bypass bridge that is being constructed. It was suppose to be done this year but I don't think so. Anyway...I beat this story like a dead dog! Enjoy the pics! We took the truck route back this time and I think it was faster, we even gained back the hour coming back into Nevada. Whoopee! Once I had to unpack gear because the tent bag look suspicous, what the....
I've done it plenty of times...drive an hour from my casa to the Hoover Dam. Super speed highway through the heart of Vegas that used to be a nightmare too but that is finished. Slow down for Boulder City, drive along Lake Mead until you enter Black Canyon and then creep down a small two lane road towards Hoover Dam. Back in the day people would stop almost in the highway to peer over the edge into Black Canyon, now the highway dept has done a wonderful job blocking all of those wonderful narrow turn-outs. Smooth sailing, heck no! 1/2 mile from getting on the Dam the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept has a road block set-up that all cars must stop to be searched. No trucks are permitted across Hoover Dam. Trucks have to take a detour at Railroad Pass which is between Henderson(Nevada's second largest city) and Boulder City. Then the truck route drives south to Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ and cross the Colorado River on a simple 6 lane concrete bridge. No check point there.
Anyway. It always fails for me. Do I look like a criminal or what, but some cop says: "Pull over there so we can search your vehicle!" Another uniform asks me to get out and open the car doors. So if I didn't pack stuff right and tie it down inside the jeep then when I'd open the doors, stuff would roll out. I learned my lesson a long time ago, tie items down. Another cop asks: "What that thing?" I say its a cooler. He asks: "A cooler for what?" I say: "For food." He says: "Your packed pretty good, what's you doing?" I say: "Driving!" He says: "Where to?" I says: "To a campground." He says: "So are you going camping?" And I say trying to be polite, "I guess so." He points to another large bag and says: "What's in there?" and I say: "Camping gear." This goes on for about ten minutes. They come out with a mirror on a long handle to check the underside of the jeep and all they see is armor plating. I'm questioned about that. "Why do you need armor plating?" Then after awhile they say, "OK your free to go."
Well, that's not the end of the misery yet. Hoover Dam has seven crosswalks that cross it at different places on the DAM. Under Nevada Law a vehicle must stop for Presbyterians(you know what I mean). So there it's always a slow crawl over the dam dam! You lose an hour too just getting into Arizona and then Arizona is always on standard time so you lose another hour in travel time just being there.
Well, I just wanted to show everyone the low water level on Lake Mead, down 160'. And the new bypass bridge that is being constructed. It was suppose to be done this year but I don't think so. Anyway...I beat this story like a dead dog! Enjoy the pics! We took the truck route back this time and I think it was faster, we even gained back the hour coming back into Nevada. Whoopee! Once I had to unpack gear because the tent bag look suspicous, what the....
A canvas campateer