Clark County Wetlands Revisited

Whenever we're in Las Vegas, one of my favorite local spots to visit is the Clark County Wetlands Park. A little over a mile from Mary's house, we discovered it on a previous sojourn in Las Vegas a few years ago and have enjoyed it each time we return. It was a bit nippy when we headed out, but warmed up as we were walking. There's a calm, quiet, structured wilderness feel to the 2900-acres of water, trails, and trees encompassed within the park along the Las Vegas Wash. It makes us forget we're in a metro area in the middle of the Mojave Desert, just 7 or 8 miles from the insanity of the Las Vegas Strip.

A Gambel's quail met us at the entrance … scurrying around with a crazy top-knot feather bobbing over his head, impressing all girl quails no doubt. A roadrunner (Beep! Beep!) crossed our path, but was too fast for a photo.

The park is touted to be home to 300 species, but it's not all birds. They claim more than 70 species of mammals and reptiles have been spotted. We saw several, odd-looking spiny soft-shelled turtles sunning themselves, their long, serpent-like necks extended to catch some warm rays.

Desert cottontails dashed in front of us, then hid in the thick bush and bramble, confident that if they couldn't see us, we couldn't see them.

There were coots, and pied-billed grebes and gallinules (We used to call them moorhen, but now it's gallinule … the name was changed. Who knew there was an ornithologist's union with such power?)

Raptors stood sentry high in the high bare-leaved trees, scanning their surroundings for errant, incautious bunnies.

We walked along the multiple paths and trails that criss-cross the park, over bridges and streams, stopping at the edge of ponds and marshes to admire the riparian scenery. A great blue heron stood stock-still, frozen in place, waiting for a fish to swim past. A noisy, busy duck happened to come ashore just next to him and the heron let out a very loud, aggravated, “frawnk”. The duck was oblivious. The scene brought back memories of my grandpa in a little row boat intently trying to fish while his noisy granddaughter chatted and squirmed incessantly beside him.

Speaking of chatting, as the morning warmed up, we were surprised by the number of people we met on the trails. Some running, some strolling in groups, chatting and laughing (scaring the wildlife away). The secret is out. It's obviously become a popular place. With a huge, classy new nature center and lots of scheduled community activities, it's a magnet for families. Glad folks are enjoying it, but (sigh) we might have to find another place for peaceful morning walks.

Boulder City - A Fine Dam Town

Established in 1931, Boulder City was a town expressly created by the US government to house the thousands of workers responsible for building the Hoover Dam. During the Great Depression, workers and their families found security living and working on this federal reservation. It's only hop, skip and a jump (or ~20 miles/18 mins) from Las Vegas, so we thought we'd head there for lunch and little exploring. It turns out, it's a cute little town with lots to offer.

The Boulder Dam Hotel seemed like a fine place to have lunch. Built in 1933 to accommodate dignitaries and tourists during the construction of the Boulder Dam (aka Hoover Dam), the hotel, designed in a Colonial Revival style, is now listed on the National Historic Register. Though the hotel changed hands several times throughout the years and fell into disrepair, it has now been restored as a B&B and restaurant and operates under the auspices of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association.

We enjoyed lunch, then headed to the second floor which houses the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum. The museum showcases “the story of the construction of Hoover Dam as told by the workers and their families.” It's small, but provides lots of interesting displays and information, not only about the building of the dam, but a look at the issues confronting the families that lived here.

The best part of our visit, however, was checking out the street art. It's everywhere! A collection of 33 pieces of eclectic artwork graces the main streets of Boulder City's historic old town. There's a street map locating all the artwork with titles and artists. Unfortunately, it was cold and windy and a pleasant stroll was not an option. Instead, I snapped some quick pics as we did drive-bys with the intent of returning on a warmer day to view them more closely at our leisure.

The town is charming. There were several appealing cafes and boutiques and some interesting antique shops, too. Another reason to return on another day and wander around.

By the way, we were only ~8 miles from the Hoover Dam which might also make a good day trip and I just read about the nearby Bootleg Canyon Park Nature Discover Trail. There always seems to be something to do if you go just a little further.

A little trivia about Boulder City …

• Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibits gambling.
• Boulder City was the first federally planned city in the West.
• Named after Boulder Canyon, the US Bureau of Reclamation never relinquished control of Boulder City until 1958. On January 4th, 1960, the city was officially incorporated.

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Pupusas, Lunch and El Salvador

No, we're not in El Salvador; we're still in Las Vegas. Last time we were here, however, we noticed several restaurants offering “pupusas”. We thought octopus … no, that's pulpo. Pupa is Spanish for blister … nah, they weren't serving blisters. It's not a papoose nor a life stage of a butterfly nor a doll (Latin). So, exactly what the heck's a pupusa? We decided we'd try Las Pupusas for lunch and find out.

Pupusas, we soon discovered, are a Salvadoran specialty and I can only describe them as stuffed soft tacos. I ordered a pollo con queso pupusa (chicken and cheese) and a calabaza con queso (zucchini and cheese). David and Mary ordered pupusas revueltas (a mix of pork, beans and cheese). They were served with a side of churtido (cabbage slaw with a hot pepper kick) and a tangy tomato sauce. Delicious!

Salvadorans in Las Vegas? Evidently, there's a fairly large population of Salvadorans here … considered to be the second largest Hispanic group in Las Vegas. The restaurant was busy, even at 2pm on a mid-week day, with mostly Latino customers. A Spanish soap opera played on the TV. Spanish conversations, soft and melodic, could be heard all around us. The décor included pictures of El Salvador … lots of them. We looked and ate and then thought … we've never visited El Salvador. We've never really spent any time in Central America at all except for Panama.

Now this is a dangerous thing for us … seeing beautiful beaches and vibrant cities and cultures we've never seen before. It got us thinking. Hmmm … El Salvador …. but it's on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal! It also has the dubious honor of being the world's new murder capital.

Okay, okay … next time lunch at Mickey D's.