FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR

We used our afternoon today to circumnavigate Flaming Gorge Reservoir, the second largest in the USA right after Lake Mead in AZ / UT.  So did some research:  Flaming Gorge was built between 1958 and 1964 and stores 3,788,900 acre feet of water when at the 6,050 foot elevation.  (I did not realize that you could measure the level of water by a boat in the lake telling you the elevation of the water.)   It is 90.72 miles in length and covers an area of 65.66 miles squared!

Lake Mead was bult in 1935 and has a length of 120 miles and a depth of 532 feet.  Hoover Dam holds back 26,134,000 acre feet of water with a shore line of 759 miles and surface elevation of 1,229 feet when full.  Lake Mead has a surface area of 247 square miles.

We camped at Lake Mead - Echo Bay RV Park last April on our way from AZ to CA.  We were hoping that the very wet winter we enjoyed in the mountain west last winter would make a big difference there at Lake Mead.  The projected inflow as of May 31st was 148% of normal!  Lake level for this water year is 1075 feet in elevation, that is 85% of the capacity of the Lake Mead System!  HALLELUIA  It is awesome to see FULL reservoirs in just ONE WINTER.

We are heading east tomorrow for three nights in Laramie WY before a few days at our favorite spot - West Lake in Red Feather Lakes CO and then to the McKee Family Reunion at Carter Lake near Loveland CO.  We are expecting a good turn out from the West Coast Branch - all three of our kids are coming at least for the weekend! (It is afterall summer, and while the livin' is easy for us retirees,  it is "HiHo, HiHo it's off to work I go" for our adult children!!)  The ARMY even cooperated and Brandon, Lauryn and Ryder will join the fun!!  That baby/toddler will be ONE Year old the end of August!