Sunday, March 29, 2015

Stewarts Point to Pahranagat NWR

Time was winding down on our stay at Stewarts Point on Lake Mead, and it was time to plan out a new destination.  It sounded a bit too cool to start heading north up I-5 direction.  That brought Highway 93 into focus, and one of our favourites at the Pahranagat NWR.  IMG_2004

Approaching from the south, the highway provides a good view of many of the campsites along the lakeshore, and I had intentionally made sure to arrive early in the day to improve my chances of getting one of the campsites.  Sure enough, one of my favourite spots was vacant!  It is well over a mile before the turnoff, and alas, by the time I got back, someone had just moved into ‘my’ spot ;-(

Now, the only vacant spots were three tight, side by side spots at the very end of the lake – one of which is reserved for someone with a ‘disabled’ placard, and one was already occupied.  I spotted a familiar looking camper and regular blogger part way down the lake…

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Once set up, the spot did provide some good lake views right out of the camper windows.

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But one of my main reasons for wanting to visit here is the abundance of waterfowl that are usually teeming along the shores.  In past times, one had to be careful opening the door first thing in the morning, as that usually caused a flock or two of fowl to be scared off.  And this would be my first visit with a decent telephoto lens, and a GoPro camera that I hoped would provide some unique photo opportunities.  But for some reason, this time there were virtually no birds!  Even the usually abundant coots were notably absent.  One or two geese and a trio of mallards pretty much made up my sightings of waterfowl.IMG_2001

My campsite was very close to and fully exposed to the heavy daytime traffic on the highway, which did calm down quite a bit at night. A couple of hikes around the lake did provide a few wildlife sightings.

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I found a tiny laundromat in the nearby town of Alamo, and filled a couple of water jugs.  They also have camping (3 day limit) with water and a dump site at the sports/rodeo grounds in town for $13. and a $5. dump fee if not camping there.  There is a full range of housing styles in Alamo, including this rather quaint spot!

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But the combination of traffic noise and lack of waterfowl made the decision to move on an easy one!  Hailey just couldn’t take it any more!

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I could hear some hot springs in California’s Sierra Nevada calling my name!

5 comments:

  1. What a tough life you have. Kind of weird the birds aren't around. You may gave to find some more Latin people to keep you entertained.

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  2. I think migration is early this year.

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  3. We were just boondocking at the Whitewater Wash Preserve in So AZ to see the sandhill cranes. While we knew we were at the end of the season, like you found, there were almost none there. We heard the recent heat made them move on. Love the Sierras. Can't go wrong there. Looking forward to your adventures.

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  4. You should have stopped to say hello to RV Sue if only for a moment. Bridget wouldn't have minded but the new kid on the block Reggie might have reacted differently to Hailey.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  5. Looks like a great quiet place to stay. Too bad the birds have moved on.

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