DAY FIVE, part two: The Grand Canyon, AZ to Lake Mead, NV

DAY FIVE, part two: The Grand Canyon, AZ to Lake Mead, NV


We bid adieu to the beauty of the Grand Canyon as snow turned to rain and back again. As we headed south, we listen to the weather reports call for 3-6 inches of snow to fall on Flagstaff and the region as a whole. We decided it was good that we got underway a bit early to head westward.

Making the right hand turn onto highway 40 sent us due west. John has noticed that the winds are more fierce when we are heading west. True or not, the winds whipped the shit out of us. I give John credit, as I watch his hands shake back and forth on the wheel just to keep us in a straight line. The noise of the tires on the edge markers in the shoulder rattling through the RV has become commonplace. But as I watch semis veer off onto the edge markers as well, or other RV’s pull to the side of the highway, I know that he is doing everything he can. I just wish the rocking and swaying didn’t make me feel so sick. : (

As we drove I looked online for room rates in Vegas. I remember once seeing the Excalibur for as little as $40 a night, which is the same rate our campground is going to charge. I feel a little bad. John wants to stay in a hotel while we’re at Disney, and I gave him a hard time. We are RV-ing it! But he asked for the room as a Christmas gift, and considering that will pretty much be it from me, I obliged. And now here I am looking for a hotel room again!

Staying overnight without water was rough. We conserved so we could use the flush. I washed my face and teeth but am in desperate need of a scrubbing. And I’d give my arm to stand in the full-on spray of a hot shower right now. Or a bath….mmmmmm….a baaaaaaaattthhhh (cue dreamy sigh).

Word to the wise: when the websites for hotels tell you the Excalibur, Luxor, or Stratosphere are only $27 per night, this doesn’t include 13% tax, resort fees, and per person surcharges that more than double the cost. Grrrrrrrr.

Scrapped the idea of a hotel. I’m going to rough it like I said I would. But man, do I have a spa date all planned out in my head for when I get back! : ) As we turned north in Kingman, the sky opened up. I was finally able to get my phone to connect to a radar picture of the weather and it appeared the worst was ahead. When I checked the status of Boulder City, NV it had 3 flood warnings and an avalanche warning. I made an effort to call the RV Park. Nobody answered the phone. If worse comes to worst we’ll park on the side of the road and rough it again tonight.

Looking at the RV Park one more time online, it butts up to Lake Mead. It should be another beautiful sunrise tomorrow. If I’m up for it, which I hope to be! As we drove onward, we realized from TV shows, movies, etc, that the state line will be on the Hoover Dam! I am going to try and get a picture in the blackness and the rain, but if not, tomorrow’s visit to the Dam should allow for a better shot.

As weird as it sounds I am so excited for the kids to see Vegas tomorrow. Now that they’ve seen Bourbon Street, there’s precious little they can see in Vegas that might be deemed offensive. I want to show them the fountains at the Bellagio and the gondolas inside of the Venetian (where Jessi and I stayed in 2000!) and the pirates at Treasure Island (yes, I will keep my eyes peeled for Capt. Jack Sparrow and if I find him, you shan’t find me again!).

Driving down to and across the dam was all new roads. I guess due to terrorism they had to build a bypass. Thanks a lot, Bin Laden. As we drove, the black clouds and winds were hellacious and I was a bit frightened. However, being the mom one has to stay positive and reassure the kids “we’re fine” at every question and concern. We are a mere 4 miles from the Hoover Dam visitor center. We exited the highway and drove down a long winding road to the lake. At one portion, you couldn’t see the road for the rocks and mud that had slid across it. “Oh, no, Reagan…that’s nothing. We’re fine.” And he believed me until John said “Oh the road washed out. They must’ve had a mudslide.” Nice.

When we pulled up to the RV Village, it looks like the nicest one so far. Lots of permanent residents. People walking dogs. So at least we know they didn’t evacuate everyone! The office was closed, but they left packets of information in zip lock baggies for each available site. We chose a lake view site, with the hopes of catching the sunrise. We’ll be here 2 nights and it will be worth the extra $10 to have the lake view. But I’m nervous about the weather and the proximity to the water. : /

Our awesome friend Penny called me to check and see how we were doing. Thanks to some updates from friends via e-mail and facebook, I knew the weather was rough. But Penny called to make sure we were okay and told us that the weather had made national headlines. Holy cow! We drove through it in an RV and lived to talk about it : )

I don’t anticipate sleeping well tonight. Once I have an irrational fear in my brain I tend to ruminate on it (hush now, Susan) and invent horrific impossibilities and worry they might come true. But to be fair and balanced, I also do that with the good stuff, too. Wander around in my psyche a while…it’ll scare the bejeezus out of you!

We crossed another time zone, so Its only 630pm, pitch dark, and my brain says its 930pm. I’m normally up to 1am. Why am I so exhausted?? It must be from all the butt clenching on the drive out. Had we driven much longer, I think you could bounce a quarter off of it.