Day 9 Vegas to Lake Meade

Outwith the cities the reality is you need a car in the US or so I'm told. Imagine my surprise on picking up my ride for the next two weeks to be given a free upgrade from Economy to Mid Size by those loveley people at Dollar car rental. She is a beaut and within three seconds I went from living out of my rucsac to having a storage space the size of a small family shed.

Now stop! What follows next is a personal trauma lasting twenty minutes but engrained for eternity. Martian arrives on earth and is given an automatic car he has no idea how to drive and presented with a five lane juggernaut infested highway all on the wrong side of the road with a must follow to the letter set of directions or be lost forever. That was no martian that was me. Deep breaths.

Surviving I reached the peace and tarnquility of a Walmart and passionate for the great outdoors section of my USA visit I embraced it with a ten quid tent and a wind up lantern. Gripped, sorted lets off road!!

Driving through the desert it did not take the calculating clarity of Sherlock Homes to work out its hot, dry and deadly. So how on earth is their a full on monster lake coming into view. Why its Lake Meade born off the colarado river meeting the hoover dam head on. Set up camp at boulder beach having finally opened the loneley planet guide in my rucsac whose recommendation did not dissapoint. I tried not to let the beware of scorpions and spiders info board bother me and if they were there then may i take this opportunity to personally thank them all for not showing themselves.

Paddled in lake meade, visited hoover dam and in the tent for dusk with no short measure of RV trailer envy as they enjoyed the trappings of home in their 100K palaces.