River Mountains Loop, east

February 4, 2023

A challenge to self: can I complete this post in 15 minutes? We’re due to leave town in about an hour, and I still have to eat breakfast and stuff the Raven. Here goes.

We’ve had an outstanding stay in Boulder City: four nights with three layover days was perfect - enough for two day rides and a trip out to the unmissable Valley of Fire. I’m not sure we’d come here every year, but I suspect we’d be back in two or three if we’re still doing this winter migration thing by then. We were lucky with the weather too - all three days were sunny, relatively windless and comfortably warm once the morning chill wore off.

Today’s ride, down the east side to its northern end near the access to the wetlands connector, is as fine a ride as the first was but quite different. It begins with a fast eight mile descent to the road alongside Lake Mead. We know what an eight mile descent at the start of an out and back ride means, but we prefer not to dwell on this for the moment. We’ll just enjoy the ride and the views, and appreciate the fact that the loop has been enhanced since we were here two years ago. Before, these first miles were down the bottom of a concrete wash corridor, but now there’s a new, pristine bike lane the whole way. Much nicer.

Leaving Boulder City, descending toward Lake Mead. To the left of this pristine new bike path is the wash corridor we biked down in the past.

Eventually we bottom out, bike past the turnoff to the rough-surfaced path toward the dam that follows the course of the rail line built for the dam’s construction project, and then for a few miles thread between the lakeshore road and waterfront developments before beginning the climb up a shoulder of the River Mountains. It’s a fun ascent: gradual, sinuous, and much more scenic than I remembered from our last time here. It’s especially dramatic near the apex, when after passing through a couple of deep road cuts the view suddenly opens up to the mountains to the north.

An odd, colorful little oasis in the desert.

It’s not a pure climb - more of a rolling ascent, with a few well placed dips placed for your cycling pleasure.

We’re high enough above the lake that we get inspiring views toward its northern end.

Over the top, there’s about a mile drop to the end of the day’s marked route - just far enough for Rachael to claim her quota for the day. With no birds other than the occasional raven to be seen, for a change I haven’t fallen far behind her this time. At day’s end she’ll claim 43, and I’ll be just a mile behind.

Another impressive view of the Charleston Mountains.

And back again. Gotta cut this short, running out of time.

Heading north, sinuous switchbacks ahead. Whee!

Video sound track: Blueport, by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

A digression, if you’ll allow me one more minute. Today’s sound track is from Mulligan’s album What is there to Say, with Art Farmer on trumpet. This was one of my parents’ albums, and one of first jazz albums I fell in love with back in high school. I still love it. I see that it was released in 1959, so they must have bought it when it first came out.

We stop for lunch, at the best place we can find - sitting on a block of crumbling conglomerate, bits of which keep breaking off as we sit on it. Views are great, but the perch is pretty uncomfortable so we don’t stay long - just long enough to bolt down a few calories and for Rachael to find the best hiding spot she can manage. Fortunately only one biker passes in the meantime, and he’s discreet enough to stay focused on the climb.

One aspect of the view: Fortification Hill, just on the other side of the dam.

Another aspect: Lake Mead and the Muddy Mountains.

Rachael finally pulls ahead when I stop to take a photo of a prickly pear - the same type as that colorful, severely desiccated one that we saw up in the Valley of Fire yesterday. I wanted to show the complete plant so people could see it wasn’t and oddly placed coral.

After that I never catch up. Rachael makes it back to the house about five or ten minutes before me, because I stop a few more times for good measure. On the way back up to town I bike up the wash instead of on the new bike path because I miss the turn. The path is so new that they still haven’t corrected the navigation markers for the loop, which direct me into the channel. When I get home, Rachael admits that she did the same.

Done! Pretty good. Five minutes long, but good enough. Time to bolt the rest of my coffee, scarf down some muesli, and get packing. See you in San Luis Obispo!

This illustrates how frighteningly low Lake Mead is. The white band shows the former high water mark from before the last three drought years took their toll.

Such awesome country. We’ll miss it, but I suspect we’ll be back.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 43 miles, 3,400’; for the tour: 1,506 miles, 53,000’

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 1,464 miles (2,356 km)

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Comment on this entry	Comment	3

Larry MitchellFun to see that ride from another perspective having ridden it just two weeks ago.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Larry MitchellBetter on a sunny day than in a blinding rainstorm, I imagine.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamBeautiful ride! I don't know how you put this together in 15 +/- minutes, very impressed.
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1 year ago