Locals, tourists enjoy safe Memorial Day weekend

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

Memorial Day, the first hot, summer-like weekend in Las Vegas this spring, drew fun-loving boaters and picnickers to Lake Mead from as far away as New York.

Locals and out-of-staters alike had to contend with low water levels at the lake, a result of the ongoing drought, but celebrations generally went off safely.

John Fox, a 40-year Las Vegas resident, marveled at the low lake-level and its attendant white ring that looked like a stripe painted around the surrounding mountains.

"Boy, it's low this year," Fox said as he wandered down the sidewalk to Callville Bay's docks to find his family Monday.

The lake's elevation in May dropped to 1,146 feet as drought gripped the West for the fourth straight year. Once again, not enough snow fell in the Rocky Mountains to feed the Colorado River that fills lakes Mead and Mohave.

Boaters had to use extra precaution as sandbars and islands emerged that have not been seen in more than 30 years.

One boat struck a sandbar on the way out of Callville Bay on Sunday and landed 70 feet above the shoreline, National Park Service Ranger Robert Carns said. No one was seriously injured.

In another incident Sunday, two people were taken to University Medical Center, one with third-degree burns on his legs, after an explosion on a boat that three California men were trying to launch.

The accident will be investigated, Carns said. It is believed that fumes from fuel floating inside the boat's motor were not blown out before one of the men turned the ignition switch.

None of the injuries was life-threatening and business was back to normal at the docks on Monday, National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said.

"It was a pretty non-eventful Memorial Day, thank goodness," Dey said.

So far this year there have been a total of 11 deaths from all causes at the lake, though none took place over the holiday weekend. In 2002 the total was 21 deaths for the entire year, Dey said.

For the estimated 200,000 to 250,000 visitors to the lake, however, the weekend was a time to relax, rent a houseboat, water ski or fish.

Boaters arrived at the lake's edge clutching water bottles in one hand and sunscreen in the other.

"We had a great time," said Jennifer Oldham of Provo, Utah, who sailed across the lake on one of two houseboats with 30 other people. "It was awesome."

Most of Oldham's friends were from Utah, she said, but a few came from California and Arizona and two from New York flew to Las Vegas to join the party.

Although a couple of her friends tried to fish, Oldham said they didn't catch anything.

"We played hard all day, then played hard all night," she said as she climbed into a sport utility vehicle for the ride home.

Some spots around the lake heated up to above 100 degrees; for instance, Captain's Cove reported 108 degrees and Callville Bay registered 102 degrees on Sunday and Monday, National Weather Service meteorologists said.

To beat the heat, Chuck Schrader said he took his family swimming at 7 a.m. on Monday.

"We swam and came in before the crowds arrived at 10 a.m.," Schrader said.

The real estate agent, who lives in Brookside, Utah, north of St. George, and works in Mesquite, arrived at Lake Mead on Sunday.

"The traffic on the road was stacked up a mile Sunday morning," Schrader said.

The traffic jam reversed itself Monday evening, as a steady stream of campers, pickup trucks and vehicles towing boats rolled home along Lake Mead Drive.