Night Rider

There is free camping at Stewart’s Point, a secluded area on the North shore of Lake Mead. I’m able to pull the van all the way down to the beach, right by the water. The view is picturesque, but fairly isolated, so I sit down to read a good book and relax for the night.

As I open the book, I hear a voice. Hopping out of the van, I spot a small Filipino and a shirtless Caucasian man with a red bandana and a tan that would make George Hamilton envious.

"Can you give me a jump?" asks the Filipino, who introduces himself as Manny.

The other man, who introduces himself as Wayne, has jumper cables, but can't easily unhook his truck from his trailer because of his three bloodhounds. Manny has lost battery power on his boat.

"Where is your boat located?"

He points across the lake into the far horizon. I look at my van and then back at the rugged terrain. He's got to be kidding.

We decide that the best plan of action is for Manny to paddle the boat to the closest shore. I ask if he needs help, but his wife is waiting in the boat, and Manny decides that three would be too crowded.

Wayne and I each give Manny our cell phone numbers and wait for his arrival on shore. Wayne is extremely helpful, which makes sense when I discover that he works search and rescue for the lake. (More on Wayne, an extremely colorful character, to come in tomorrow's blog.)

When Manny and his wife reach shore it is nearly dark outside. Still, I accept his request to drive him to Echo Bay, a marina about fifteen miles away, so he and his wife have a vehicle to sleep in for the night.

I can not recommend driving in a secluded desert at nighttime highly enough. There's nothing like driving in pitch black surroundings on unpaved roads filled with sudden cliffs and drop-offs. Although, I must admit, Manny seems like a really nice guy.

He has dealt with too much death in his life. His first wife died at the tender age of 49. His oldest son passed in his sleep before reaching his forties. I shake my head, struggling for words of consolation.

"Sometimes life just isn't fair."

"No. Sometimes it really isn't."

Manny met his current wife in 1992 and just recently moved to Vegas. After working as an auditor for many years, he is now retired and enjoys boating in the lake when he can.

"After I retired, my blood suger went down a lot." He smiles. "I'm very happy now."

I'm happy when we finally find the campsite. I don't wish to find the meaning of life trapped in a van at the bottom of Lake Mead.