After settling in and after catching tons of grasshoppers, we took a walk down to the lake so that Nate-Dawg and I could go for a swim. The water level is down so it was a little bit of a hike to get to the water's edge. The girls joined us for the walk but were not at all interested in entering the lake. From a distance, the lake looks inviting and refreshing on a hot day. As you approach the water's edge however, you are overtaken by the smell of the mud baking in the sun. 
It's kind of like that low tide smell but a little different. The lake, which can get to around 30 percent salt, accommodates two main life forms. Bryne flies cover the shore and are not really noticeable until you walk through them. As you walk along, a black cloud of gnat-like flies forms around your feet. It's kind of cool actually watching them swarm around looking for a new place to land. Of course, the girls were totally disgusted with that. Add the smell of the shore and you may as well say "see ya" to the girls. They didn't stay long before heading back to the RV. They did stay long enough to watch Nate-dawg and I head out into the lake for a swim.
It's kind of like that low tide smell but a little different. The lake, which can get to around 30 percent salt, accommodates two main life forms. Bryne flies cover the shore and are not really noticeable until you walk through them. As you walk along, a black cloud of gnat-like flies forms around your feet. It's kind of cool actually watching them swarm around looking for a new place to land. Of course, the girls were totally disgusted with that. Add the smell of the shore and you may as well say "see ya" to the girls. They didn't stay long before heading back to the RV. They did stay long enough to watch Nate-dawg and I head out into the lake for a swim. 
Out in the lake, the water is pretty shallow--about 30ft at it's deepest point. We walked out several hundred feet before we were chest high in water. The lake bottom was kind of oddly flaky. Once out a ways, you don't smell the shore and there are no flies. That brings me to the second indigeous life form in the lake....bryne shrimp. There are thousands of these little guys swimming around you. We could have created our own sea monkey habitat in a jar if we wanted. They didn't bother us a bit though. 
With such a high salt content, you can float effortlessly in the water. In fact, we tried to stay under water but would quickly bob back to the surface. Out in the lake, I was struck by how quiet it was. There was absolutely no sound or man-made anything around except for the few RV's in the distance. We spent about an hour goofing around in the water before heading in. On the way back to the RV the salt dried on our bodies and hair creating a visible layer of powdery white on us. We were forced to rinse off using the outside shower on our RV before being granted access to our RV house on wheels.
I grilled up some meat and we enjoyed a nice meal outside while watching the stunning sunset. Our entertainment that evening was a family in a mini van who showed up and proceeded to pitch a tent in the dark. There was a lot of yelling and clear frustration.
If you're ok with dry camping, I would most definately recommend staying here. It will only cost you $18 for the night. We really enjoyed it. In fact, out of the 10 RVs here, 5 of them were rental RVs. I saw a few jack rabits near our site. We also saw a buffalo and some antelope on our way in. Definately one of the coolest stops so far.
WOW, what a view from your site. Does look like a bit of a hike to the lake shore like you said.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're catching the nice warm weather must be wonderful. It's drizzeling here. Enjoy your evening -D