Body of Water

When it was announced in July that the Illinois men's basketball team was going to play two games in Las Vegas in November, we circled the dates on our calendar. Even better was that their first match-up was against UCLA! But what totally sealed the deal for a road trip to Vegas was the realization that I only needed passport stamps from a few more units in order to qualify for the Bronze Master Traveler Award from the National Park Travelers Club (NPTC). Oh, the lengths I will go to for some ink on a piece of paper...

We were on our way first thing this morning to make sure we arrived at Lake Mead National Recreation Area before the visitor center closed. Since we passed right by a Steak 'n Shake on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson, clearly we had to stop there for lunch. But this location only had burgers on the menu, so no Chili Mac. *sigh*

After lunch, we drove straight over to the Lake Mead NRA Headquarters in Boulder City and got their cache of stamps - all 10 of them! Their stampers were in excellent condition given that they don't get as much tourist traffic as the main visitor center. But thanks to the NPTC's master database, we were among the few who knew about the stamps at this location.

Our next stop was the Alan Bible Visitor Center, just off US-93. After getting the passport stamps here, too, we talked with the volunteer at the information desk, who patiently answered our questions. Given how prepared she was, I'm guessing that we're not the only ones to ask...

Q:  How low has the water level of Lake Mead dropped?

A:  From an average height of 1173 feet, the current level is about 1045 feet, within 50 feet of the intakes at 1000 feet. Enlarge the graph below to view the water height since the construction of Hoover Dam in the 1930s.

https://arachnoid.com/NaturalResources/

Q:  How many bodies have been found in Lake Mead this year?

A:  Six, but only one with a suspicious cause of death. The remains were found in a barrel in clothing from the 70s, with a bullet hole in the skull. That screams "mob hit", right?!

 

We decided to drive Lakeshore Road through the park on our way back to check into our hotel downtown. The last time we were here in 2019 only M came with me, so this was R's first official visit to Lake Mead NRA. Here are some "then and now" pics to see the effect of the drought on the lake...

...and my sign pic!

After unloading our stuff into the room at Main Street Station, we went back out to have dinner at Shang Artisan Noodle. I learned my lesson after eating here in July and ordered the dan-dan noodle less spicy. Definitely more enjoyable! And R liked his pork belly noodle soup.

With room still for dessert, we drove up to Shanghai Plaza on Spring Mountain Road since both Somi Somi (which we've had in LA) and Sweethoney Dessert were there. Always fun to try something new!

Left:  mango pancake
Right:  mini glutenous rice balls with mango and vanilla ice cream

According to their menu, the mango pancake is one of the most popular desserts in Hong Kong. After tasting it, we can see why - it's a thin crepe wrapped around whipped cream and fresh mango, super light and really good!

Ready to cheer on the Illini tomorrow!