KERSHAW-RYAN STATE PARK, NV

Annette and Shug/Loop Hike

Kershaw-Ryan State Park sits in a narrow canyon several miles south of the small town of Caliente, NV. Situated below colorful cliff walls, the campground offers twenty spacious, gravel sites. Up canyon, 1\2 mile past the campground, the road dead ends at a day use area that offers covered picnic tables, a wading pond, a playground, lush lawns with beautiful gardens, and several hiking trails. Wild grapevines climb the cliff walls while oaks, elms,  and cottonwood trees provide a shady cover.

Kristy and Shug/canyon hike

We spend a few pleasant days hiking the trails and washes within the canyon, soaking in the spring green trees popping with color against the backdrop of the tawny canyon walls. A quick bike ride from camp along a back road leads us past a ranch with baby hogs rooting and playing in their pen, and fields shared by horses and cows with their spring babies.

Historic Train Depot

The road continues on to the historic spanish style railroad depot which now houses the library and city offices. The quaint little Caliente Museum, inside an old train car, gives a glimpse of Caliente's past. Once in town, we follow a 3-mile bike path that winds us through the heart of Caliente and circles us back to the depot. A train horn blares and a train rattles  by as we make a quick stop at the library to connect with WiFi before returning to camp.

Annette and Shug

Annette hanging off the side of the train museum

Easter breakfast... Pumpkin pancakes

Wash hike

Nature's landscape

Campsite at sunset

RAT TALES

ANNETTE AND KRISTY: Hey, what's up with Shug? She's lost her appetite. She eats a couple of mouthfuls and starts whining. She usually gulps down her food in a minute or less. Maybe she has a tooth​ ache. Maybe the anti-fungal meds give her a queasy stomach. Maybe she has brain cancer and she's confused about how to eat.

Shug gagging... Can't eat

SHUG: Whoa. What?  Hello dense humans. The cupboard behind my eating area stinks really bad--I'm talking toxic fumes. I've tried dragging my food and water table away, but you keep putting it back.

ANNETTE AND KRISTY: Maybe if we add some incentive foods like nonfat yogurt and white rice she'll be more interested in eating. She loves that stuff.

SHUG: These toppings on my food are delicious, but they don't solve the  problem...that smell...ugh! Is it possible that neither of them smells this? I can barely stand to get near my food bowl. I'm whining and poking at my kibble with my nose. I'm rubbing my face on the couch and gasping for air. What else can I do?

A week goes by. A skinnier Shug fusses at her food bowl looking pitiful.

Annette smells something stank!!

ANNETTE AND KRISTY: Do you smell something funny? Something stinks but I can't tell where it's coming from. (Opens the frig door, takes a big sniff. Nothing. Repeats process for freezer, wastebasket, and pantry. Nothing.) I'll go out and look around to see if we parked by some dead animal. (Comes back inside.) Nothing.

SHUG: (Raises her emaciated head from the couch where she lies with her nose propped by the open window.) Are you kidding me? It's so bad I can see fumes spiraling up from the gap between the cupboard doors.

Next day, after we pull into our campsite at Big Bend on the Colorado, Annette sits down on the steps to put on her hiking shoes so we can check out the park.

Annette opens panel to water pump

ANNETTE AND KRISTY: I definitely smell something dead. Do you smell it?
My sense of smell isn't as good as yours.
I just remembered that mousetrap we left in the water pump cubby behind Shug's food bowl. I'll take the panel out and check it out. (Annette gets down on her hands and knees and moves Shug's food and water bowls out of the way. She opens the cupboard doors, unscrews the panel, and pops it off.)
Oh yuck. This is it. It looks like fur-bearing escargot served on a mousetrap. The body has liquified and it's oozing all over the floor.

SHUG: (Shug rolls her eyes, gives a long, shaky sigh, and dabs tears of joy from her eyes with the corner of her baby blanket.)

Well, we all understand each other now

HITTING THE JACKPOT IN NEVADA?

Shug daydreaming about marmots

Stretched out in the backseat of the truck, one eye open, I listen to my moms bark about being done with the desert and craving mountain air and adventures. I completely agree with this analysis and start daydreaming about  the smell of pine trees in sunshine, clear mountain streams, and whistling marmots diving into their holes in the alpine meadows. I, too, am done with the desert and all of the prickly things that grow here. I've been speared by yuccas, pricked by mesquite trees, and suffered the pains of having cactus spines pulled from my paws. Give me a good old dirt trail that leads to an aspen meadow.

Boulder Beach camp

As we round the corner near the edge of Boulder City, NV, we head towards our campsite at Boulder Beach campground in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. My moms start howling about "winning the recreation jackpot". Sure, I see the great bike trails like the historic railway trail that winds along a stone ledge above Lake Mead and leads riders through five carved-rock tunnels on the way to Hoover Dam. And my moms go all waggy about the River Mountains Loop Trail, 34 miles of non-motorized paved bike path climbing up and down through desert beauty, connecting Boulder City, Henderson, the Las Vegas valley, and Lake Mead NRA--it passes right through our campground.

Historic Railway Trail

As if the bicycling trails were not enough, the blue green waters of Lake Mead beckon just a short walk down the road. My moms start dancing and turning circles about kayaking on these calm and windless days. Oh, it's been such a long time, and oh the water looks so inviting. Sigh.

Shug working on her cycling skills

So what do I think of Lake Mead NRA? The early morning walks are pleasant, but I have to be on a leash, a common practice in populated areas like campgrounds, but demeaning nonetheless. All I do is plod along and observe the rabbits hopping and lizards skittering under bushes...boring! I spend time working on my cycling skills and ride around the campground in my bike trailer, but it's not that comfortable and not that challenging​. On one occasion I fell out onto my hip and nearly got run over by my own mom. I tried not to make a big deal of it, but I was a little embarrassed, mostly for her.

Kayaking bliss

Here's the real deal: While my moms are out biking and kayaking and having a great time, I am left alone in the trailer listening to the same CD over and over. I prefer listening to NPR on the radio, but, and I hate to sound overly negative, the radio reception here sucks and plays all static all the time. I drag myself up onto the bed and mope myself to sleep. On a more positive note, I am racking up some serious guilt hugs and treats when they finally make their way back home. Who knows how many more days I'll have to suffer like this.

Suffering

Start of Railway Trail

Tunnel on Railway Trail

Historic bridge behind us.

Hoover Dam

Big bike/mountain bike area

River Mountains Loop Trail

Bonkered

River Mountains Loop Trail

Annette kayaking/Lake Mead

Shug enjoying the ride

What a dog

DESERT DISCONNECT

Cottonwood Cove Campground

As we drive along the road following the Colorado River North towards Boulder City, NV we decide to spend a night at Cottonwood Cove Campground near the small town of Searchlight.  The 14 mile road from Searchlight to the campground winds us through a remote desert landscape with Lake Mohave shimmering in the distance​. We pass an RV park, a motel and a marina as we head to the small campground tucked into a little cove-like canyon at the far edge of the parking  area. We manage to thread the needle with Biggie, squeezing her into a tight spot before setting up.

Annette and Shug near marina

Campgrounds have their own energy and personality. Cottonwood Cove challenges us to settle in and relax, and we just can't find our flow. Maybe it's the relentless, dry desert wind, maybe it's the lack of hiking trails, or maybe it's the total-fail dinner mishap when our hamburger patties fall apart and crumble to the bottom of the grill, but we all three decide that we are done with the desert for awhile. We crave mountains, alpine lakes, meandering streams, and pine trees. Throwing our sweaty,  wind-chapped bodies on top of the bed,  we sleep....We roll on!

Shug playing in the sand

Sun dropping down

Biggie Moms at sunset

EVER WONDER WHAT'S IN THE POINT OF NEVADA?

The wash leading into Grapevine Canyon

As we roll Biggie Moms out of California we pound out a couple of horn honks in honor of our fabulous adventures in this great State.  Nevada lies ahead and we are excited about our plans to explore the many State Parks, the Great Basin National Park, and as many wild places and historic landmarks as we can find.

Big Bend of the Colorado State Park

Our adventure begins at the southern tip of Nevada where we set up camp at Big Bend of the Colorado State Park. Biggie has no problem fitting into the spacious site because the space is enormous. A cruise ship, a trash truck and a 747 can all fit in one of these sites. After setting up, we head to Laughlin to gather info at the visitor center. Then decide on a walking tour along the River Walk in town. Even though it was the hot part of the day we were comforted by the shade of the many casinos along the way. As we chomp down an In-and- Out burger we decide to cross the river and drive through Bullhead City, AZ and complete a river loop drive back to camp. We reminisce about our lovely day and discuss tomorrow's​ adventure.

Viewing the river from Davis Dam

Davis Dam controls the flow of water from Mohave Lake above to the Colorado River below. After an Early morning hike around the campground with Shug resting comfortably in the trailer, Annette and I decide to ride our bikes to Davis Dam from the trailhead in Laughlin. A nice paved pathway winds us above the river where we spot campers along the banks and boaters and jet skiers zipping by. The path leads us up and across the Dam and gives us nice views of river below.

Buttery Gold

On our third and final day we decide to follow the online advice from many who describe the Grapevine Trail  as one not to be missed. Even though we plan to move on today, we decide to get up early and explore this special place, and boy are we glad we did. In a little desert oasis located in the Spirit Mountain Wilderness area, hundreds of petroglyphs cover the rock walls and a spring-fed creek with a waterfall weaves it way through a sea of blooming desert flowers. The trail gets its name from the grapevines that line both sides of the path, sweeping down, over and around the huge granite boulders. We delight in scrambling over these decorated rock obstacles and soak in the buttery glow of the golden hillsides. With a loop through the flowers, a dive around the rocks, and finishing off with a joyous splash in the water Shug gives her seal of approval for another great day in the desert.

Grapevine lined trail

Petroglyphs

Annette and Shug blending in with the beauty

More petroglyphs

The colors of the desert

Great petroglyph panels

Best buds

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE

Annette and Shug decending the stone
Stairs/ Barber Peak Trail 

Mojave National Preserve is a 1.6 million acre park that encompasses much of the Mojave Desert. About half of the park is congressionally designated wilderness and includes geological features such as cinder cones, lava beds, the Soda Dry Lake, a Cima Dome and sand dunes. Great hikes and campgrounds are located within​ the preserve offering exploration and respite in an amazing desert setting.

Hole-in-the-wall CG

The Hole- In-The Wall Campground, located in the southern part of the park, offers wonderful camp sites with scenic views of the burnt-orange volcanic ridgeline outlining the gorgeous desert landscape.

Support nature...Hug a cactus

From the campground you can access several beautiful and fun hikes. Barber Peak Loop Trail is a 6 mile loop that offers breathtaking scenic vistas of the dramatic geology and desert landscape of the Mojave Desert. Annette, Shug and I start out at 6am to enjoy the cool air and morning light which brings out a soft glow on the Cholla cactus along the way. The Rings Loop Trail starts from the visitor center and circles hikers through Banchee Canyon, where the walls resemble swiss cheese, and requires the use of metal rings mounted in the rock to climb out.

The rings 

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this amazing desert destination and would highly recommend a visit to anyone who travels through this area.

Annette in Banchee Canyon

Kristy making her way up the rings

Annette riding her bedrock bike out of Banchee Canyon

Annette and Shug entering Banchee Canyon