Meow Wolf and O

Wednesday, May 25th –Lake Mead National Recreation Area to Las Vegas, Nevada – Day 104 

We woke up in our roadside turn out and got ready for the day. Our plan was to go for a swim at Lake Mead, see the Hoover Dam and head back into Vegas. The morning was stifling hot, we were looking forward to the swim. 

 We drove to the visitor centre at Lake Mead Recreation Centre. We could see Lake Mead on the way. The water was well below the high-water line on the rocks. At the visitor centre we got our passport stamped, filled our water bottles, and received junior ranger booklets. The air conditioning was so nice we set up the kids to work on their booklets and hung around. The kids finished up enough activities that they were sworn in by a very nice ranger before we left. 

 We decided to go see the Hoover Dam first. We dropped the trailer in the parking lot. We heard it might need to be opened at the security checkpoint and we couldn’t be bothered. The Hoover Dam was a 15-minute drive. The security checkpoint consisted of asking, “do you have any firearms?”. You can drive across the dam but it’s easier to appreciate it from the more recently built concrete bridge nearby. The day was hot and buy-in was weak, but we pressed on. After walking along a walkway beside the freeway we caught a glimpse of the dam. The height of the bridge seemed to diminish the size of the dam, yet It was still impressive. 

 You need to pay to get into the visitor centre, I put on the four ways in a not very conspicuous area while Gen ran in to get our passports stamped. She had to go through a metal detector to do so. We drove across the bridge and Gen was dropped off to get some pictures. The kids and I took the drive across to a viewpoint. The water levels were low, nowhere near the spillways to let out excess water. The view of the concrete bridge, built to improve traffic flows, was impressive in its own right. 

 We wanted a swim. We initially started driving to a spot down river from the dam on the Colorado River but an extra 30 minutes of driving had us turn around to swim in Lake Mead. Gen stayed with a sleeping John while I took the girls to the lake. The lakefront was muddy, once you got out a bit it was a warm top layer over a chilly bottom. The coolness was very pleasant. The girls quickly found a friend, Marley, and were inseparable until we started to leave. Marley said she was from Canada but couldn’t identify a city. 

 We picked up the trailer and were heading back to Vegas. I wanted to stop off at a park nearby to look for Big Horn Sheep. We were told a herd could often be found there. Gen was hesitant but we stopped. The sheep were all chilling eating grass. We ate some cold pasta, the kids played at the play structure, we took some photos and off we went. 

 There were still some doubts about whether we were going to spend a bunch of money in Vegas. Like many before us, the answer turned out to be yes. I dropped off Gen at the Bellagio with five minutes to show time. She found a deal on a ticket and they ended up holding curtain until she was in her seat. The rest of us headed five minutes off the strip to Meow Wolf. 

 The entrance to Meow Wolf had a variety of art installations. A giant owl, a robot stuck in the ground, an infinity mirror, and a creepy Las Vegas sign. 

The Meow Wolf exhibit we were seeing was Omega Mart. After entering into a Walmart type setting where each shelf contained an interesting product. Some products were interactive; you could pull the pepper stem and it would pop out and pull back in. There was a wall freezer that you could open up, enter and it took you to a psychedelic wonderland. There was a flower room, a slide, different office spaces for Omega Mart and a different artistic style in each area. There are hidden doors; a wall of lockers where you open a locker and there is a door handle to open a secret door. A fireplace that you crawl into leads to a rocky tunnel you climb to the second floor. Another hole leads into the tent for sale at Omega Mart. There is an escape room challenge, to advanced for us, if you want to solve the mysteries of Omega Mart. The kids took turns being the leader and exploring. John was great when he was leading but did not follow others as well. We went through each room and pathway at least twice. It was really entertaining, the kids had a great time. Bonus, on the way out, a stranger gave me a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream. 

 We met Gen at the Bellagio fountain and watched the fountain show several times before travelling to our campsite at Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. Gen wanted to find another dispersed camping site, but I insisted that we finally spend some money for camping and pay $25 for a site. We probably should have found another free spot. At least it was only thirty minutes from the strip.