We arrived in Boulder City, Nevada on Thursday morning to compete in a triathlon at Lake Mead Recreation Area on Saturday. Not leaving until Monday evening, we had time for a mini-vacation, and found a variety of attractions in Boulder City and the surrounding area.
First, we visited Hoover Dam, which was only a few miles away from the Hoover Dam Lodge where we were staying for the event. This was my third time to Hoover Dam, though Steve’s first. We paid $10 park and walked down to the dam to take in the view of Lake Mead, the water intake towers, as well as the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Then we wandered into the visitor’s center where we paid for the shortened tour of just the power plant that took place every half hour.
In the power plant, we were shown the water tunnels that transfer nearly 90,000 gallons of water each second to the dam’s hydroelectric generators. Next, we visited the 17 generators on the Nevada side of the dam. These generators are held in a wing 650 feet long which is about the depth of the dam at its base. I marvel at the construction of this dam in the 1930s every time I hear about it. Amazingly, it was built ahead of schedule and under budget. If only the government could do that now!
After visiting the dam, we stopped for a walk along the Pat Tillman Bridge as well as for a lovely view of Lake Mead from a nearby overlook. From the overlook, we could see the marina near where the race start would be. It was approaching lunch time, so we tried The Bighorn Cafe at the lodge. It was sustenance.
While we spent much of our time hiking over the weekend, we tried hard to limit our mileage in order to keep our legs rested before the race and stretched afterward. As such, we stopped at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. We were pleasantly surprised. A variety of rail cars and engines were on display under a pavilion. We could explore at our leisure. I personally liked the mail car and learning about mail-on-the-fly. The Railway Post Office would use mail cranes and catchers to retrieve mail without stopping! Then mail was sorted (very quickly at times) so it could be ready to drop off.
Dinner came early at Southwest Diner. We both order pasta. The portions were enormous! I got three meals out of my chicken, artichoke, mushroom alfredo. They must have cooked a whole box of angel hair per plate! I think they may be better known for their Mexican food, however.
The following day, we drove over to Lake Mead Recreational Area. We stopped at Boulder Beach and then drove thirteen miles along Lakeshore Drive to check out the bike course and enjoyed spectacular views of hills peppered in a medley of colors including different shades of reds, browns, oranges, and greens. Along the way, we enjoyed a nice hike at St. Thomas Town Site and a quick stop at the Redstone Picnic Area where red boulders peppered the region.
We wanted a simple dinner and early night before our race, so we went to Chilly Jilly’z. They really should change the name! It sounds like a yogurt shop, which it is, but it has fantastic broasted chicken. The chicken, fried in a pressure cooker was so tender and tasty. We went back on Monday for our last meal in Boulder City, but they were out of breasts, so that was disappointing, but their sandwiches were good too!
After we competed in our race Saturday, we wandered through an art festival which was taking place in town. A variety of photographers, painters, and handicraft artists displayed their wares. Having strolled around town for a few days now, we noticed that Milo’s Cellar and Inn had a very popular restaurant with a patio so we treated ourselves to nice a dinner before stopping at Grandma Daisy’s Candy Store and Ice Cream Parlor for dessert. We tried the ice cream which was mediocre, but the shop was cute. Perhaps the candy was better!
We saved Sunday for a visit to Las Vegas. Boulder City is only about a half hour away. Before we headed out, however, we had to try breakfast at the Coffee Cup Cafe, which was featured on Guy’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Guy Fieri suggested the pork chili verde omelette which is highlighted on the menu. Steve ordered it while I stuck with good ole bacon eggs. One good thing about competing in a triathlon is I can eat whatever I want!
We finished off our visit to Nevada with another hike in Lake Mead Recreation Area, though we had to cross the border into Arizona to do it. The hike to Liberty Bell Arch offered spectacular views of the Colorado River and canyon. Who knew there was so much to do in Boulder City! We didn’t even get to ziplining, kayaking, or four-wheeling. Boulder City is a great town for those interested in the outdoors! ETB
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Lovely pics and there’s water!
chilly jilly’s is one of the best places EVER! so fun to see your pictures from there! 🙂