Boulder City

December 14, 2023

We leave Zabrieski Point and start climbing again, with me thinking we’ll turn off to look a mile down into the basin from Dante’s View. As we climb I think back on the two previous times we biked up this long grade, not terribly steep but relentless. After 25 miles of climbing the legs do get weary, and it amazes me now to think back and realize we did this.

When we get to the turnoff to Dante’s View though I see I’d forgotten the layout. We’re only at about elevation 3,000’ now, and the spur is another dozen miles to the lookout. 25 miles is too long of a detour to feel worth it to us, especially since I’ve got my eye on the gas gauge. It’s shows we’re a quarter full still - enough to comfortably get to the nearest fill in Pahrump, but adding 25 miles might be pushing our luck. So we drive on, stopping only in Pahrump to refuel.

Dropping toward Death Valley Junction across the next range to the east, the Amargosa Valley.

It’s an attractive time of day, just past dawn with morning mist still hanging in the mountains ahead. Worth pulling off onto the shoulder for.

Passing Red Rock Canyon, another amazingly colorful spot worth pinning on your itinerary some year.

We arrived in Boulder City around ten - too early to check in to our room at the Boulder Dam Hotel of course, but we’re pleased to sit around the fireplace with a cup of coffee and keep warm while we wait. The room frees up by noon, and soon after we’ve taken residency Rachael’s off for her walk into the hills.

It’s too cold outside to hike or ride yet, so we enjoyed sitting by the fireplace in the Boulder Dam hotel for about two hours while we waited for our room to be available.

For myself, I hang around the room for an hour finishing up a post and then go off on my own outing, a relaxed walk through Boulder City’s historic district. I had been thinking I’d bike down to and along Lake Mead on the River Mountains Trail, but it’s still pretty chilly out and since we’re only here for one night it doesn’t feel worth it to unload the bike, take a short ride, and load it back into the car again. There will be plenty of biking, and warmer biking, when we get to Tucson in another two days.

The original plan for this stop was a three nighter, and it was only a few days ago that Rachael fortunately was looking at our reservation to see what facilities were in the room when she discovered that I had booked our stay for the wrong month - April. I must have made this booking while we were in the middle of making bookings for our spring ride up Spain and not noticed I was on the wrong month.

Unfortunately, Boulder Dam Hotel is only available now for this first night; so we’re using it as a quick stop-over and then moving on to Globe tomorrow for the other two nights. Which is fine - we’ve stayed in Boulder City twice before, long enough to have gotten a good look at the town and its rides; and it’s one of the natural stopping points on the drive to or from Portland so I’m sure we’ll be here again.

Boulder City is an attractive place, much more appealing to us than nearby Las Vegas or Henderson. Its a unique and interesting period piece, with nearly all of city’s core - hotel, churches, hospital, parks, shopping center and residences - having been built between 1931 and 1933 to support the construction of Hoover Dam. The entire city was federal government property until the 1970’s. Its core is a historic preservation district and has maintained much of its character. It’s an attractive place to visit, and looks like it would be a fine if quiet place to live.

Below are a few photographs from my walk, but you might be interested in reading up on the city’s history here.

Looking down on Lake Mead from Mountain View vista point.

The water level is much higher than the last time we saw Lake Mead.

If I’ve understood the literature right, this was the home of Frank T. Crowe, the project manager responsible for the dam construction project. Regarded as one of the most competent construction engineers of the era, Crowe brought the project to a close in 1936, almost two years ahead of schedule.

And this must be the lodge for the offices of the Six Companies, the private construction companies that partnered in the project. President Hoover stayed here when he visited to observe progress on the dam’s construction.

Gambel’s quail, one of about a dozen scurrying along the base of the wall, frustrating me by mostly keeping in the shadows in the shrubbery or quickly dashing from one sheltered spot to another, staying in the open too briefly for me to focus on them. Finally a few flew up onto the wall, ran along it a short way, and hopped off again. Cute birds!

In Russel T. Crowe Park (named for the construction engineer): ash trees(?) and a big hunk of metal.

Northern mockingbird, one of a half dozen I saw here today and the first since we drove north last spring. It’s nice to start relearning the southern birds again.

While I’m taking a leisurely stroll through the historic district keeping my eye out for birds, Rachael’s knocking herself out on a twelve mile walk down near the lake along the bike path. She’ll come back later bragging about maintaining a 4 mph average, and wake up the next morning stiff and sore and feeling some regrets.

On the River Mountains Trail - great on bike, but good on foot also.

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