On our last day in Vegas, we rented a car to make a trip to Hoover Dam. We could actually see the blue waters of Lake Mead while we were hiking in Red Rock Canyon NCA the day before - it's about the same driving distance from the Strip, but in the opposite direction! We really lucked out with the weather - clear skies, beautiful warm sun, and very pleasant temperatures. Once we got out of the valley and into the mountains, the scenery was gorgeous. We climbed up and down along Route 93, and made our first stop at a Lake Mead lookout point.
It was beautiful - the water was brilliant blue, and very clear. Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the U.S., named after Elwood Mead who oversaw the construction of the Hoover Dam.
The Hoover Dam itself was amazing. You have to see it to truly understand the colossal size of it.
The view from the top of the dam. The ledge we were looking over is in focus. I get a bit lightheaded when I look at this picture - it gives you an idea of the height of the dam. You can see the tiny white cars in the shadows at the bottom.
It was interesting to see how all of the buildings, the access tunnels, and the dam itself were built right into the rock.
A bridge is being built just south of the dam. Transport trucks and buses have not been allowed to cross the dam in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Once this bridge is completed, no through traffic will be allowed to travel across the dam, and will be using this bridge instead.
The Hoover Dam was named in honour of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the U.S.
Boulder Basin, the beginning of Lake Mead to the north of the Hoover Dam.
How often are you able to stand in two different time zones at the same time??
Nevada time - 9:30 a.m.
Arizona time - 10:30 a.m.
Palm trees in the desert ... if I hadn't been told that they're imported from California, I wouldn't have thought about it much ... they're everywhere on the strip, and at Hoover Dam, too!
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