2023 Trip Report - A Memorable Weekend in Boulder City with Some Desert Explorers

A Memorable  Weekend In Boulder City with Some Desert Explorers

By Mignon Slentz

Friends Bob and Sue Jaussaud,Ron Lipari and Glenn Shaw came to my home in Boulder City for the Memorial Day weekend. We made a lot of plans but only got to a couple because we just enjoyed sitting around visiting and catching up. There might have been “Unos vinos tintos, Margaritas y las cervezas.”

We went to the annual Best Dam BBQ Sponsored by the Rotary Club. Our first stop was the Las Vegas Vintage Bottle and Collectables Show where we had several friends displaying their wares. We listened to music, walked around the largest collection of “Classic” cars and trucks any of us had ever seen.

Several of us “were volunteered” to work in the beverage booth pouring draft beers and Bob did a stellar job serving up Margaritas. Perks were free drinks all around which might explain why no one thought of taking any photos.

Early Sunday morning we drove half an hour towards the small town of Nelson in El Dorado Canyon. We took Glenn’s Jeep and parked at the top of a steep dirt road.

We were in search of the Murl Emery Arch named after a well known Colorado Boatman. The hike took less than an hour and was not particularly difficult but there were a few places where some of us chose to slide down the boulders on our rear ends.

On some of the large rocks we passed there were small round holes clustered together that looked like where core samples were drilled. Glenn later said they were holes left from where geodes were formed.

The arch straddled the wash and provided a shady spot to rest. Right past the arch was a small pond with tadpoles and small frogs. After we were back in the Jeep we drove a short distance to the Nelson Cemetery to visit Murl and his wife’s grave.

If you haven’t read any of the books written about Murl, you are in for a treat when you do. He has been referred to as “the enigmatic boatman of the Colorado River.”

A tasty ending to the weekend was when a friend from Rotary showed up during dinner with two containers full of BBQ ribs, chicken, pork and brisket donated by the contestants as they packed up.

We had a great time and plan to do a repeat in cooler weather. ~Mignon