Returning to Arizona

On Sunday, we had a longer drive planned (326 miles) and we would be traveling past Las Vegas.

As we were coming into Las Vegas via I-15 from the east

Some of the buildings in Las Vegas from I-11 (a new interstate, our Garmin knew it as I-515, and it still had some signage as I-515).

We had planned to stop to change drivers before Las Vegas, but instead stopped at a scenic overlook south of the city near Lake Mead (and the Hoover Dam)...

The view of Lake Mead from the Scenic Overlook. Hoover Dam would be to the right around the corner (out of sight from the overlook).

Some information on signs at the overlook:

I didn't realize that this was part of the Mojave Desert (I thought that was just in California).

We had come south through the Great Basin Desert, currently traveling through the edge of the Mojave Desert, and would soon be in the Sonoran Desert.

Some of the plants of the Mojave Desert

There was only one spot at the overlook for "bus or RV parking", and thankfully, no one was parked in it when we came in! Other cars parked behind us while we were visiting and a class C parked in the car spaces -- there really were not enough car parking spaces (nor RV/trailer parking).

View of Lake Mead as we left the overlook

Colorado River from the bridge just downstream from the Hoover Dam

Soon, we entered Arizona (after almost a 7 month absence).

Big skies

Gracie's Odometer turned over 80,000 miles during our trip on Sunday. For a 2012 vehicle, that's not very high mileage -- but common for RVs. We're putting more miles on each year than she had been driven before Carl and Sue purchased the rig in 2019 (she had a bit over 20,000 miles on her odometer in 2019).

I don't know if you can see them, but along that ridge (and along the slope too) are saguaro cacti. They only grow withing certain elevations, and I think maybe only in the Sonoran Desert. It was like they were waving and saying, "Welcome back!"

We stopped at the Escapees Park, North Ranch, between Congress and Wickenburg, Arizona, for the night.

We got a nice pullthrough site, though only 30A (and high 90s in temperatures, would have been nice to have 50A for both air conditioners to be able to run!).

Continuing on our way south!