Are we there yet? Day 9 Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

---

From Cedar City we intended to go to Yosemite Park, through the Eastern entrance, accessible through Tioga Pass. We checked the park's website and called and discovered the pass would not be open until early May due to snow. We decided to head south, taking the scenic Lake Mead recreational area route to Hoover Dam.

Getting to the recreational area required us to drive through small towns, slow speeds, and crowded highways. When we arrived at the fee station it was unstaffed (very remote even for staff). It was a very scenic route, desert of course, and had very little traffic. We encountered a couple of brave bicyclists, and we wondered what they would do if they encountered a problem as there were no facilities, water, or cell phone reception. As we headed towards the end of the recreational area, a developer was putting in a housing area on the right side of the road. On the left side of the road there were overlooks to see Lake Mead and boating marina. This all seemed very strange In the desert environment we were traveling.

We toured Hoover Dam and learned that it supplied water not only for three states, but also Mexico. Like Lake Powell, Lake Mead was forty two feet below it's average level. Our tour guide attributed this to a 13 year drought and less snow melt from the Colorado Rockies which supplies most of the water to Lake Mead.

We stayed the evening in Barstow, and enjoyed a nice authentic Mexican dinner.

---

Photos

Bicyclist taking a break
Looking at the desert housing development