Saturday, February 9, 2013

Hoover Dam

I drove over to Hoover Dam early in the morning to avoid the crowds but that was not possible. There were more people there than I had seen the entire previous week.  I think they must have all come from Las Vegas.

The dam was impressive from every angle but frankly I just couldn’t get interested in it.  I tried going to the exhibit to get a little inspired but compared to all that I had seen made by Mother Nature this man made structure didn’t do much for me.

Perhaps I should have taken the tour down into the bowels of the Dam but it was a little pricy and I wanted to save my knees for outdoor exploration.  The Dam is 726 feet high and 1,244 feet long, 45 feet thick at the top and 660 feet thick at the base. It weighs 6.6 million tons and used 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete to make it.

Below is one of the statues commemorating the structure and documenting the date it was built. You can see how shinny the feet are from everyone rubbing them for good luck.  You can imagine how often they are rubbed by those headed for the gambling tables in Vegas.  I too gave them a rub for a safe and interesting journey.

Off to one side I found this sign commemorating the builders’ mascot. 

Below is a view of Lake Mead I took the day before. So that was my trip to Hoover Dam. Check.


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1 comment:

Roger Owen Green said...

Damn impressive dam!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team