Hoover Dam

We drove west out of Flagstaff and into desert again.  Where did all those nice pine trees go??  We got to Kingman and turned left.  It was late in the day, and we were sort of looking for a place to camp in the Lake Mead Recreatioin area and when we saw the sign for Willow Beach we turned in and started driving down, down, down.  "Warning, flash flood area" signs appeared frequently as we continued down this road.  Eventually we came to a boat launching area and then later, a new campground.  Too bad it was so dark out, it looked fairly interesting, but not quite the place we had in mind. 

Here I'd like to comment on the wind.  Perth is supposed to be one of the windiest cities in the world but it has got nothing on this region!  We stayed in Albuquerque a few extra days because of high winds (and snow to the west) and since then, all across Arizona, it is just windy windy windy.....and then there is that static electricity that we don't seem to have in Perth.  I tell you, my fur is a mess...it is just one bad fur day after another.  Can't do a thing with it.

Back to the dam.  We found ourselves a nice camping spot near Lake Mead.  Next day Phil and Chris hiked the eleven miles to the dam (and back).  They said that it actually didn't look so big from their vantage point near the new parking lot.

The following day we drove in early and got on the first tour through the power plant.  The complex may be dwarfed by the canyons and everything that is so big nearby, but it is truely massive, and it is nearly as wide (deep) at the base as it is tall.

The photos from the dam's construction are interesting too.  These water intake towers are very high, and perched on little ledges that were created by blasting out part of the canyon wall. 

We were down in the room with the generators, of which there are 17, and they produce enough electricity for about 1.3 million homes.  Somewhat unnerving to be standing next to the base of that dam, about 400 ft below the level of the water on the other side.  A very interesting but short tour.

Traffic used to jam up on the dam so a new bridge was planned and recently constructed.  Chris and Phil were able to walk up there for a photo op.  We drove across it at night when it was really windy and could not see a thing.  At 890 ft above the Colorado River, it is not recommended for anyone afraid of heights.

Those intrepid little tourists.

The damming of the Colorado River created the largest man made lake in the US...Lake Mead.  In 1983 the water reached it's highest level and that is what accounts for the "bathtub" ring around the lake.  There are marinas on the lake and plenty of boats.

 The hike to the dam was along the old railroad bed.  During construction of the dam they built this rail line to haul all the equipment and supplies from Boulder City, there were five tunnels along the relatively short distance.

Boulder City is only 26 miles from Las Vegas, so that looks like our next stop.