Today we switch our Jeep for a Winnebago camper, or RV. Stretching 33ft the manufacturer still classifies it as a ‘Minnie Winnie’.
It is organised chaos at the Apollo rental office. The ‘Burning Man’ Festival has just ended and now it is hard for the cleaning staff to keep up with the incoming RV’s. New renters have invaded the airconditioned office hiding from the heat. It is clear our planned schedule for the day will fail.
As if the scorching 110 degrees in Vegas was not challenging enough we take our big home on wheels into the desert. An hour beyond city limits it feels like we landed on another planet. Staring from perimeter to the horizon I try to spot a Mars-rover or possibly Wall-E.
Down there is life! In the valley by the water. A bunch of RV’s and Fifth-Wheel rigs the size of a New York City apartment. While pulling in our Winnie I can’t help but wonder how close we are to Area 51. The Night falls over Lake Meade.
At 6am I find myself sitting outside in the dark watching the magnificent star-covered sky. It is still at least 85 degrees. Het is nog steeds minstens 30 graden. Other than a few cottontail rabbits there are still no signs of life on the campground. It should be about coffee time by now. Home brewed coffee that is. There is abundance in the United States, but a decent cup of strong black coffee is hard to find. Just like a decent beer for that matter.
Firing up our Triton V10 sounds beautiful like a howling pack of wolves. The desert is extremely hot again as we drive towards the pretentious architectural marvel which was built between 1931 and 1935 and originally known as Boulder Dam. In 1947 it was renamed to Hoover Dam. A construction which transformed life in the desert providing a steady supply of water and electricity.
On the north, which is the Nevada side of the dam we find the Dedication Monument. Around the base floor a star map is shown with exact positioning of the solar system’s celestial bodies. For the next 14,000 years the precession of the Pole Star can be calculated from that chart. This will help future generations and extra-terrestrial civilizations – yes, really – to determine when the dam was built. Think big! This is America!
Crossing the concrete giant back into Arizona while defying the extreme heat I conclude that a next trip to Alaska or Greenland would not be such bad idea.
