“I rarely ever travel quite this swiftly. Half my mind feels like it’s reeling and the other half sometimes turtles up.” – Old Sean
Long Distance Roller Coaster
Up and down.
Up and down. Weave left, right and through a low tunnel. Up once more.
Traveling the US, especially at the rate we’ve been doing, so offers some unique problems in elevation. My travel companion, Ari, has weathered rather extreme daily altitude changes with me.
Unfortunately, this form of rapid ascent and decent in an unpressurized vehicle seems to have lingering health repercussions. For me, congestion has clogged me, affecting my ears most strongly.
Alone, this results in slightly diminished hearing, similar to the sensation of hearing sounds underwater. Volume itself still hits as hard and loud as ever, but clarity is uniquely marred. At its worst, bouts of extreme vertigo assail me, causing things to pitch and roll and prevent me from any useful movement.
Air, likewise, hasn’t been spared. Intense head pressure, especially when descending, has hit her strongly. Rapid temperature changes, especially during high winds, has also caused her ear issues. As such, we’ve slowed our trip considerably, taking more down-time and moderating our pace.
That’s not to say our trip hasn’t been enjoyable. We’ve still seen much, forged to strange new places and been awed by the obscure wonders in America. Our health, despite these hiccups, has largely been sturdy and we’ve remained remarkably active.
Continuing West
I left off last time leaving Phoenix, Arizona, where my ear problem was at the most intense (due to exertion, wood smoke and rapid descending of the Flagstaff high peaks into the desert valley).
I was granted an extra day to recuperate, at which point we were treated to sunset-rain showers, an extremely vivid double-rainbow and an impressive cloud-tower of iridescent pink with dusky purples.
The following morning, we pushed through a truly boring stretch of road, damning ourselves through quiet deserts of America, once again driving home how truly massive (and empty) much of this country is.
Our route brought us past a few points of interest.
For example, the distinctly spiny Joshua Trees accompanied a large portion of our route as we thundered through the slow rolls and rises of western Arizona. We also managed to briefly lounge in Kingman, Arizona, where we visited the statue of Sit-on-Me Chuckwalla.
Of course, due to COVID we only looked, instead of attempting to touch, but the exaggerated lizard (the second largest lizard on Earth, behind the Gila Monster) was an interesting attraction. Kingman has several other artistic attractions, including a steampunk, bipedal rabbit sculpture I enjoyed viewing.
Entering Nevada
Our next stop, hopefully, was Hoover Dam. However, due to closures, we were unable to stand outside the large structure and peer around. So we instead forged on, eventually reaching Boulder City, Nevada.
This turned out to be a very welcome place to put up our feet. We visited Hemenway Park, a small green space ringed by cliffs with an unobstructed view of the vividly blue but oddly desolate Lake Mead. In the distance, the entire lake was ringed, not be green life clinging to water, but stark grey stones.
Hemenway Park is unique for the herd of wild bighorn sheep that call it home. I assumed they would lurk on odd cliff peaks, but they lounged close to respectful watchers on the flat park lawns, munching on grass and conglomerating in deep shade. Visitors hung back under awnings a fair distance away.
Also while in Boulder City, I pushed to view the statue of Alabam, the Hoover Dam’s honored “Sanitation Engineer.” This rather obscure historical figure, built to commemorate the unsung efforts of the workforce surrounding the dam, stands hatchet-faced, proud and tall with a broom pitched across his shoulder and a ring of toilet paper looping his torso. Considering the massive toilet paper shortage in the US upon my return, I thought this was a rather poetic roadside attraction.
Breathing Room
We next picked our way to Lovelady Brewing Company in Henderson, Nevada. This bar had excellent vintages. Ari’s and my shared favorite was the Paelo Porter, which is a smooth drink with peanut-buttery and chocolatey tones and an emotional amount of alcohol. We were just waiting here for a short time, however, before driving into Vegas, where I intended to visit my friend Jynelle.
Of course, Jynelle works in a field where health is mandatory and she lives with her grandmother, so contact needed to be extremely limited. As careful as Ari and I had been during this trip, we nudged the caution-meter another step further.
Ari drove off to explore Vegas while Jynelle and I explored some other parts of Vegas, mostly waiting for dusk to cool the city off. The two hours we had weren’t nearly enough, but Ari and I needed to find a campground to sleep, so after driving down the famous (traffic-damned) Vegas strip, we exited the city.
A quick aside note, Vegas is a booming area with people positively packed together. It’s very clear the US will not be rolling back the coronavirus anytime soon, with enormous crowds, largely unprotected, simply milling around major tourist destinations.
Although it looks like folks are having the time of their lives.
Starlit
Eventually, we left the city and wandered to Lovell Canyon Campground.
The area was fairly empty with large open spaces for tent setup. We’ve become quite swift at setting up camp, so we flew through the preparation process. As cool, nighttime breezes rose, we played a few board games while sipping at some beers.
Unfortunately, the intense light from Vegas, despite being somewhat blocked by low mountains, virtually erased all stars in the night sky.
Tomorrow morning we’ll pack up and began driving the hottest places on Earth. Death Valley, known to exceed temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit, blocks the next portion of our trip.
We’ll see how Ari’s Kia manages against the summer onslaught.
So until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written July 25th 2020
Read more about visiting Las Vegas and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.
Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.
I bought this Horizon Hound Trek Blanket for a late-autumn trek in the United States. Since then, it’s gone everywhere with me. The blanket is lightweight, stuff-able, warm and durable. But my favorite features are the buttons. The blanket can be buttoned up the sides, turning it into a long thermal poncho when I don’t want to leave the warmth of my bed.
