Rent a houseboat on Lake Mead
Stargaze in Great Basin National Park Look upward in Las Vegas and the Luxor’s blinding light clouds the view of anything star-worthy, so head It’s like: north out of the city for the world’s largest, most Checking out spectacular, free nightly show. Once you reach Great the stars Basin National Park, look upward on a moonless night anywhere for a feast of generally unseen celestial bodies. What else — but are those strange lights dotting the sky? Why, it’s a farwith darker out selection of thousands of stars, several of the solar skies system’s planets, meteors and satellites. Low humidity plus minimal light pollution and high elevation also make it possible to see the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way with the naked eye. A summer astronomy festival provides context and equipment for those wanting to hone their star-searching skills, but rangers offer information on the skies, one of the area’s greatest resources, year-round. Escape the campground with its glowing fires for the best viewing conditions in the park. Info: nps.gov/grba
54 | Desert
Companion | MAY 2013
Need to get the extended family together for a reunion? Check! Searching for the perfect place to hold a get-together for the college roomies? No problem! Staying in a vacation rental has become a popular alternative to booking a few hotel rooms. If you can handle close quarters with your family and friends, up the ante by renting a houseboat on Lake Mead. The dog days of summer are ideal for lounging by the pool, but with a houseboat, the world is your swimming hole. A number of companies offer houseboat rentals on the expansive body of water, many of which are as classy as any kind of accommodations found on land. Fully furnished kitchens, barbecue sets, flat-screen televisions, hot tubs and even water slides come standard on most boats. Price per night is high, but splitting it between everyone on the boat sweetens the deal. Info: canyon-country.com, houseboating.org, foreverhouseboats.com
G R E AT B A S I N C O U R T E S Y O F N ationa l Par k S er v ice ; H ouse B oat courtesy of F ore v er R esorts
It’s like: Booking a vacation rental with a built-in swimming pool