Brian and I slept a few hours in his car before starting the long drive home. The memories from the day before kept us chuckling almost the whole way.

We made it fine; soon newest friend Dusty-who’s from northern Arizona-and I were planning another meeting at Lake Mead, or more accurately at a fun little restaurant called the Crow’s Nest in Meadeview, a small town a few miles away.

At the South Cove boat ramp early on the morning of Friday the 13th, Dusty, wife Mistey, their friend VJ and I boarded Dusty and Mistey’s boat -the same one that had brought Brian and me there.

I know nothing about motorboats; all I can tell you about this one is that it was red and it was fast-I guess there is one more thing: Dusty told me that he found out that waxing it with car wax is a bad idea for swimmers hoping to come aboard.

Anyway, we had a blast cruising down the Lake and made good time too. By 10 am we had gone about 45 miles and got as close to the Hoover Dam as we could, then jumped in. I was surprised by how fast the water was moving towards the dam, so didn’t stay in for long.

The return trip was even more fun for me because I wasn’t preoccupied by taking photos and got to enjoy the scenery, which was quite rugged and beautiful. We stopped once or twice an hour to jump in the water as the air temperature was around 110 degrees.

One of these occasions accounted for my third pair of sunglasses being sent to a watery grave. So as I squinted and listened to the sound of the engine and the propeller moving us along, I thought more about the end of this river, the end of this trip, and how best to experience them.

Along with being really nice people Dusty and Mistey are a wealth of information about the area. They told me about a place where the Colorado River used to flood and has left a huge area of sand dunes.

There is a place near the end of the river in California called Glamis that apparently is THE place to go to ride expensive and specialized vehicles called sandrails for miles and miles on the sand dunes. Just one more example of fun thanks to this river.

Back at Meadeview, I again went to the Crow’s Nest later that day and much of the next. My purpose was to catch up on this journal, but I must admit the friendly folks there made for some good laughs. Don’t miss it if you can.