Lake Mohave a Jewel in Nevada

Not long ago I traveled by RV to the town of Laughlin, Nevada, which is basically a string of hotels and casinos along the Nevada side of the Colorado River. Across the Colorado, the town of Bullhead City, Arizona, offers a parallel string of businesses, but not casinos. I stayed at Harrah's Laughlin Casino and Hotel. Well, I must do something with all those nickels and quarters that collect in a mug on my kitchen counter!

What's all this got to do with Lake Mohave? Context, folks. Not far north of said Laughlin lies this vast (67 miles of the Colorado River) lake called Mohave. Yes, it's an "h," not a "j," in this spelling. The lake isn't very wide because it's confined by several canyon walls, but at some points it reaches four miles across. Lake Mohave is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The so-called snowbirds flock to the desert in winter, but not to lone places like Lake Mohave. We stayed in a campground near Cottonwood Cove, east of Searchlight, Nevada. Come summer, the lake and the Colorado River are destinations for jet skiers, swimmers, boaters, and fishing people, but in late December the locale is simply, er, "deserted."

The only other people in the campground were a few park workers, probably a road crew. Night falls so early at that time of year, and the air turns so chilly, that a small campfire and then a sleeping bag are the only alternatives. There's no sitting out under the clear desert sky, gazing at stars--unless you have a snowsuit in your duffle bag.

We travelled to Laughlin, and then to Lake Mohave, in a 2003 Volkswagen Rialta, which is a Winnebago conversion of a VW Eurovan. The Rialta had a nice furnace to keep everyone toasty and a good fridge to keep the beer (and milk) cold.

Later on, we got a Canadian-made Pleasure-Way. It's a little smaller and easier to drive, but just as hard to park as the Rialta was (at least for me).

If you're tent camping, you'll probably want to save this destination for spring or fall. Summer's great, too, if you can be in and out of the water as often as you need to stand the heat. At Laughlin, little water taxis run from casino to casino. They're fun boats and cost about a dollar, as I recall.

If you're traveling in winter, though, and you don't much fancy a deserted campground, err on the side of comfort and stay among the bright lights of Laughlin. Shed all those coins you keep in your piggy bank. Who knows? You might be a big winner!