I took care of an elderly lady in Denver who said her husband was a Civil engineer and he helped design Hoover Dam. She was 99 when I took care of her and she passed away shortly after her 100 th birthday.
I'm glad my dad never saw the lake like this. Lake Mead was his favorite. I and my brothers were taught to Bass fish at this lake. During my lifetime and dad's after the late 30's we lived in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I was born in 1948. Dad fished Lake Mead a minimum of 3 or 4 times a year from about 1938 or '39 except while he was overseas during the war till about 1990. When we lived in Kingman, Az, in the 50's, he would go fishing there almost every weekend. He passed in '98. He would have been saddened by this sight.
Hi Russ, myself and two friends from Australia were there in 2007 where they were just starting to build that road over the dam. We did 13000 miles in two months in a '92 Camry we bought at Renton WA. Epic trip we had and look forward to getting back there one of these days. Thanks for your vids and the memories. Cheers from downunder.
WOW! I lived in Vegas for 3 years, 1986-89. I left and came to Florida. I still have friends there, but haven't been back physically to see anyone or anything. They had a boat and we used to go camping along the banks of Lake Mead. I can't believe how low the water level is compared to 31 years ago.
I lived and worked in Phoenix back in the early 2000’s and let me tell you being from the south with a strong southern accent I honestly stood out. I absolutely loved it because even if I went to Walmart and spoke several folks would come and ask me where I was from just to hear me talk. It was fun and I made a lot of friends. I never could get used to the heat there. Lots of beautiful stuff in Arizona for sure.
I can't believe how the lake looks now. I use to boat in Lake Mead in the late 80's and would stay on boat on weekends at a marina on the lake. The lake was huge then but you know California and Vegas uses that water. I have been boating on the other side of the Dam too but that was always a small lake almost river type. So sad anyway to see this now. There will not be any time soon enough run off water to re-fill this lake again as it once was. There are just too many people depending on it now.
So many more access places to lake Mead. Its still beautiful. Russ if you go back, try Echo bay at lake Mead. Boat launches, cafe, tackle shop and really nice camping spaces with some facilities. Enjoy your content always! Thank you for taking us on your trips❤ when you come back towards us here in Vegas, go through Red rock, valley of fire.. Anyway thanks for every one of your videos🙋
Over commitment of resources. Yes we are in the midst of a drought but we have also had to much building, thirty years of development as if there was a never ending supply of water. When will we learn. California is going to go dry. People will be shocked although the ran out of water long ago, stealing from Peter to pay Paul.
Yup, the warming trend started 10 thousand years ago when the glaciers that covered all of North America melted and it's not going to stop any time soon. Mother nature does what it wants.
Russ , It is sad to see how low Lake Mead is. In the 50's and 60's my family would vacation at Overton and Bolder Beach. I lived in Tonopah during my childhood. My Dad bought a boat so we could go boating down there. Thank you for all your videos.
Thank you for the "informative" video. As a resident of Vegas for over 10 years now....I still don't understand why Vegas still continues to build out with the problem of WATER being an issue!! Pretty SCARY and depressing which now becomes a SAD "reality"!!!
I just returned from Las Vegas and a trip to Hoover Dam. You are still able to drive across the top of the dam onto the Arizona side but can't continue into Arizona. The road is blocked at a scenic overlook that has a souvenir store. You have to turn back toward the Nevada side. The road that leads to the dam has many incredible viewing points and the trip from Vegas was one of the highlights of my trip.
Russ, So glad you avoided videoing the superhighways near Las Vegas. Less stressful traveling, and more beautiful on "the roads less traveled that made all the difference" as Robert Frost would say.
Welcome home, Russ! Well, almost home. The water loss at Lake Meade was shocking! Thanks for taking us along on your Summer Journey. It's been wonderful.
Hello From the Oregon Coast ! Here in Florence we are loving the rain showers. Retired here in January 2021 Best decision I ever made. This small community welcomed me and life is simple and peaceful !
@@robhebbs7960So, what I hear you saying is-> the insanity of your conservative leadership, is leading Arizona right over a very dry cliff? I'm shocked! 😲
The water is draining because the dirty politicians have quietly put in pipes, piping out the clean water and dumping it into the ocean. California lakes are also being quietly drained in this way.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom - that's the excuse they use. It's bogus. They are piping the clean from California's water reserves directly into the Pacific ocean. On the quiet. On the lamb. Trying to create a drought. The goal is to make the People suffer, lack of food, etc... and also raise the price of ater. They're going around capping off natural watersheds, and rivers, and creeks in California deserts, drying up the water as well. Feinstein was behind at least some of it. You all need to call your Congressmen or women and bark about that. Government has no business, pulling that stunt. We need term limits for Congress
This is an attack on America. They drained them on purpose. They would have lasted at least 5 years in extreme droughts. You must stand up to help save America.
I came out of Utah several months ago, Lake Powell was the same. Boat owners were told that if they wanted their boats they had best get them out. The problem was the end out of the ramp didn't reach the water and it was a mud pit to the water. This past Sunday Lake Havasu was at full pool.
We lived in Boulder City before going full time Rving. We watched the levels drop fast in Lake Mead over the years. Eventually, after our time, interstate 11 will go from Canada to Mexico they are already starting portions of it in Northern Nevada up near Hawthorne and Tonopah. Thanks for a fantastic summer Russ!
The Canadian border is opening soon! We’ve been waiting to head back to Quartzsite for along time and now it looks like we can! Big hello from British Columbia
Hey! Why wait for the border to actually open?! Seriously, just come right on in! Hell, bring the whole family!! They do it all the time, by the THOUSANDS, on the southern border, every day! 🤷♀️🤦♀️🤯☹
Another great show Russ. You drove right by the one of the main reasons why Lake Mead is going empty. All the new building of houses and towns out there in the desert. We were taught here in the midwest that there is limited water in a desert. Guess they missed that chapter in school for all those people who build and live in a desert. The new joke out there is that they will not have enough water next year to flush their toilets. That should be fun.
People have to live somewhere. We act like there's unlimited space for people to feasibly live. Pretty soon we need to realize that unlimited production of people is the problem, not the loss of land
Thanks for posting! I hadn't seen some of those sights since I was a kid in the 70s spending my summers in Moapa. We used to fish, swim, camp and jump off of cliffs back then. It was great fun for kids and adults alike. Just like America, it has now shriveled away...
Years ago my late wife and I went house boating on Lake Powell out of Bullfrog Marina my wife's uncle brought along his speed boat, for fishing, skiing and supply trips the launch ramp we used is now about 200 feet above the water the marina had floating piers but I haven't seen any reports on whether it's still operating.
Thanks for giving us a look at that area. It must have been amazing in 1983 when Lake Mead was at its highest. I hope that doesn’t happen to Lake Havasu. I like your London Bridge area videos!
I was there may of 1983 the beach and the dam, it was full and beautiful. I have pictures I'm now going to dig out of a drawer and revisit, brings back good memories
Too many people using the water. It's a desert area but this year has been very rainy so the problem must be heavy usage of the available water. They moved in more people than the water can support.
Water is very low in many parts of the west. The powers to be better get a grip on this complex problem and take solid logical actions to address the issues. The alternative is not pleasant to think about.
As of August 22, 2021, Lake Mead was filled to just 35 percent of its capacity. The low water level comes at a time when 95 percent of the land in nine Western states is affected by some level of drought (64 percent is extreme or worse). It continues a 22-year megadrought that may be the region’s worst dry spell in twelve centuries.
As of today Lake Mead is down to 29% capacity and based on projected rainfall through the Sprin of 2022 it will likely fall to around 18% of capacity and at 15% electricity will begin to be "phased down" to only 80% of normal use meaning brownouts for Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles minimum 3-4 hours EVERY day!
@@jaysantos536 Time to take a few feet off of the 1500 deep Lake Superior and pipe it to Lake Meade. Look at a map. Superior is huge, almost as large as New Mexico...
@@robbrown4621 Tapping Lake Superior to Lake Meade won't happen. The Great Lakes have their water rights. The western states can get their water from the Pacific Ocean. You have heard of desalination facilities that are used elsewhere on this planet. Improvise and utilize new technologies.
@@commonsenserules7995 Do you realize that the Canadian melt is causing overflow into the Great Lakes? That overflow is desalinating the Atlantic Ocean. That water must be diverted because the over abundance of fresh water is causing global warming and changing the ocean currents. Desalination is probably a good idea in California but what would you do for Arizona, Utah, and Nevada? Both plans can be done at the same time. We are only talking about three feet of water on a lake that has 1,500 feet of water. Do you honestly think that if Lake Superior is 1497 feet deep instead of 1500 feet deep that it would make much difference, other than what is happening in its overflow to the Atlantic?
Wow! What a great summer traveling the past six months with you, Russ. I look forward to your RU-vid videos. Thanks for sharing and keep on with your journey. I look forward to your next adventures. Thank you, sir!
Thanks for the ride and the memories. I was stationed in Las Vegas (Air Force) in ‘66-67. I toured the dam 5 times. It cost 50¢ back then & the tour covered the whole dam. What a sight to see! And, there was no security checks either. How times have changed!!
That is one of those "WOW" views...I was there MANY times, always full of water, and someone (below, previous) asked if anyone remembers Meade FULL and overflowing the spillway...(yep). That is an absolutely amazing view, now. And re: metal detecting, you should be able to see lures, tackle, whole (sunk) boats, etc. without detecting, even. Just on the surface...prob. 1,000's of dollars worth. What an unbelievable view of a disaster...(it'll come back, but years from now). This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime(s) opportunity for so many...Engineers, Resources types, etc. Rockhounds and explorers... Do they have signs out, or can you "just explore" freely (maybe I missed it in the vid). Great videography work. Thanks for your great work.
Thanks so much for documenting your spring and summer trip. I've been with you every step of the way and have really enjoyed it. You've already covered much of Arizona quite well, but I'll be with you the whole winter and look forward to where you're going to take us next summer.
Watching your roadtrips are both enjoyable and informative for me who doesn't have much opportunities like yours. Thank you and always.be safe on your travels.
The big cities and farms are drinking the lake dry. It’s not just lack of rain., but together the west is about to change drastically unless something gives.
Years ago I told my pops I was moving out there and he said don't son they are running out of water. He said too many people using it up and not enough to replace it. I guess he was right glad we did not move. We did go visit last year and compared pics from 2002 where we were parked should have been in about 80ft of water. I can not see it coming back from the state its in.
Thank you so much for the ride, I was there at the dam when i was young and am 81 now. At that time the road was very close to the dam, Was great to see , thanks again
Welcome home Russ! Very enjoyable tour of our beautiful United States of America. RVerTV best navigator in the country! Dust off Ole Dusty Nugget and lets see some desert trails again.
Thanks for the video. In my opinion you do not need 4 wheel drive for most of what you're showing. That Mercedes Van with independent rear wheel suspension and independent rear wheel drive will do just fine under the conditions you are showing it in!
I grew up in Vegas during the 70s and 80s. Went to LM all the time!! The water levels were great. It's sad and somewhat frightening to see how low the levels are.
Russ, you really out did yourself this summer! Thanks for taking us along! P.s., remember when I told you to get a bucket of water out of Lake Michigan?
Years ago, we went to Lake Isabella in N. Calif…..after a long drought, it was gone too. The ranger greeted us “ Welcome to Lake Was-a-Bella”!! Nothing but cracked earth and a small muddy puddle in the middle. Depressing!
Hello Russ, I just discovered your Channel a few weeks ago . I must tell you just how much I'm enjoying each and every one of them. They are so informative, beautiful sites , your soothing voice and nice music to accompany each video. Wonderful work .
What a great trip this has been. The selection of small towns, campgrounds, parks were made very interesting by the quality of your presentation. The trip was top notch, even by pre-2020 standards.
I lived in Las Vegas with my sister, for 9 months. 22 years ago, mind you. We camped at Lake Mead when I first moved there. When we camped there 8 months later, the shoreline was easily 200 feet from the previous campsite.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOUR SHOWING US THIS STUFF CAUSE NO ONE ELSE WOULD TELLS US ABOUT THIS !! I'M ON THE EAST COAST AND I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THAT PLACE