The Hoover Dam

Today we will journey to the Grand Canyon national park by way of the Hoover Dam.

At least that's the plan. You will recall that Simon the sat nav has a way of conspiring to lead us away from our desired route, electing to use the most efficient route.

Checking out of the New York, New York is completed without contact with real people as is the Norm it seems.

The TV helping us check our account and complete the check out process.

While waiting to collect the car from the valet I attempt to get Simon to demonstrate the route it has selected, it does so, slowly! I figure out how to speed it up and the Valet turns up with the car. I stuff Simon into my pocket turning him off as we load the car and pass a tip to the valet for his efforts.

He offers to give us help with directions, which I decline, I have Simon and David who has been introduced once again to the pre printed Bing (nee yahoo) map route directions.

With the air conditioning fending off the Nevada heat I slot Simon into his holder on the windscreen and activate it. The screen remains defiantly monochrome indicating no satellite signal, curious it was fine outside the car.

We drive off our printed directions seem straight forward, right, right, then left onto I15 south. Simon remains recalcitrant, I power it off and on as we wait at an intersection, voila satellites found navigation active.

We have however made a loop round the hotel grounds whilst Simon settled into his role, its directions start to match the pre printed route and off we go. Aside from a small variation once on the I15 Simons route matches that which we have prepared, so we settle into what promises to be a forty minute drive to Boulder City and the Hoover Dam.

We arrive at the security checkpoint on the Dams approach road at around 09:30 and are waved through. A multi storey car park sits on the left just short of the Dam and we turn into it to pay a $7 parking charge.

Its busy and we eventually find a bay happily undercover on the fourth floor of five. We grab a few pictures from the parking level of the Dam and the new bridge which provides a bypass to it, before heading to the elevators and moving down to the ground level.

We step out of the elevator into the Nevada heat and walk down the slope towards the Dam, pausing only to take pictures of memorials to the men that built the dam, those that died in its construction and those who worked tirelessly to achieve agreement on its inception.

Two bronze winged figures reach to the heavens either side of the American flag, commemorating the achievement of construction that is the Hoover Dam.

We walk a little further in the heat to take more pictures from the Dams road deck, before heading back uphill to the visitor centre entrance, where we purchase a power plant tour for the reasonable total cost of $20.

This tour is the middle of three tour types offered and includes a 30 minute film presentation on the construction of the Dam, in addition to guided tours within the dam itself. The film is an interesting combination of still photographs and newsreel footage of the time with subtitled narration and explores not only the construction but the political background to the need for its construction.

Moving on from the theatre we wait in line for preceding tours to clear the elevators which will take us the 500ft down into the dam. There are two elevators each with a capacity for 40 or so people, the elevators are fully utilised to the consternation of a few who find it claustrophobic.

We will use these elevators three times in our journey through the dam, each time waiting in line until the previous tour has cleared.

The first stop is at one of the lowest levels to stand in a purpose built tour room, which itself is constructed in a cavern around the pipes which route the waters of lake Mead to the generator rooms. The guide describes the pipe diameters, volumes and speeds of the water passing through the system.

The description for me is unnecessary detail as the floor vibrates continually with the energies involved. We move on back through the tunnels toward the elevator.

The elevator proceeds down stopping at the generator room on the Nevada side of the dam.

We walk once again through small tunnels cut through the rock, small corrugated sections occur occasionally routing water away from the passing tourist as it permeates spaces in the rock.

Before us a double door of thick steel opens out onto a beautiful mosaic tiled art deco style mezzanine level.

The level overlooks the eleven generators in the generator hall, two overhead cranes sit immobile on their rails above the generators, the closest draped with the stars and stripes.

The guide goes on to explain the detail of the room and its equipment, once again facts and figures abound, for this tour they simply underpin the immensity of the achievement and practicality of the solution in respect of water management and power generation.

The guide is at pains to point out that whilst the Hoover dam is not allowed to make a profit, no American tax dollars are invested in its upkeep or continued operation as a tourist attraction, it is essentially self funding.

We return back via the elevator to the observation platform where we can take more pictures of the Dam (The large object in the background) and the new bridge.

The Cafe and some welcome refreshment (which I won't describe as it seems this aspect of our road trip is causing some consternation), is our final stop before heading back to the car.

Observing yet another queue at the elevators for the car park, we elect to stagger up the four floors in the noon day heat (not my first choice).

The car however is reasonably cool having been shaded and we once again engage Simon who guides us out the lot and attempts to take us over the Dam.

I ignore it and elect to retrace our steps in an attempt to pass over the new bridge, there may be a photo opportunity as we cross I suggest to David. This is misguided, we actually pass a car park which provides foot access to the bridge as we depart on the Dam road, the view from a car using the bridge of the Dam is non existent.

The journey from the Hoover dam although not lengthy, being approximately three hours, is fairly dull. 

The dry barren Nevada landscape flashes past as we travel on the Interstate.

Once in Arizona it is a while before the landscape starts to become yellow in colour and populated with many low round gray green bushes, like thousands of cheerleaders pom poms hugging the terrain.

At Kingsman we make a left turn and start to head in towards the Grand Canyon, the interstate allows us to do 75mph, the Honda enjoys the road, until once again we start to climb and the cruise control set at 75mph causes it to rapidly change down in a vain attempt to maintain the speed.

The roadside scenery is much greener now and includes trees, which break the strong wind which whistles across the plain landscape.

We finally pull into the hotel at 17:53, a long day of driving behind us we check in quickly, discover we have a good wireless internet connection in the room, unpack the car and head back to reception to use the free coffee urn. No coffee in the room.

The Red Feather Lodge offers typical American motel style accommodation, by which those of you that remember our 2009 Florida road trip, will recognise the style.

It is however very convenient to the Canyon, without being in it and is located close to other amenities.

After unpacking the car we take a walk around Tuscyan.

Eventually entering the Information centre where we enjoy a snack meal (again no detail, just to reassure you that David enjoys it), before procuring IMAX tickets to watch a National Geographic film of the Grand Canyon, that evening.

The film is spectacular in scale, informative in content and nauseous in its delivery as the IMAX format has you reeling with vertigo as the camera steps into the abyss and pitching in sympathy as it follows explorers braving the white water rapids of the colorado river as it passes through the canyons base.

We return to the hotel humbled and exhausted, there to blog and veg out with the TV.

Tomorrow, we have to decide how to 'do' the canyon...   

Posted in: hoover,photos,travel