Hoover Dam

Our next stop after Death Valley was the Hoover Dam. The purpose of the dam at the time (back in the '30's), was to prevent the frequent flooding of the Colorado River, to protect property downstream, and to provide water storage. It was built during the time of the Great Depression, 1931- 1935, providing jobs for many. In spite of harsh working conditions, the job was finished under budget and 2 years ahead of schedule (a government project? It WAS a wonder...,) The reservoir created by the dam, Lake Mead, is America's largest man made lake. Because of his strong support of the project, it was named after President Herbert Hoover.

We opted to take a tour of the power plant, which consisted of a LONG elevator ride in a crowded elevator down to the level of the generators. Although its primary purpose was not power production, the 726 foot high concrete dam produces enough electricity to serve 1.3 million people. We were able to view and learn about the generators and some of the other "inner workings" of the dam. Although the dam is impressive, Dale was a little disappointed, expecting it to appear larger than it did. The tour was minimal, the museum at the Visitor Center interesting. As a side note, the main route used to run over the dam, with its security checks and back-ups due to tourists. A new bridge is being built just downriver from the dam, where the main route (Rt 93), will run.

After leaving the dam, we headed through the northwest corner of Arizona into Utah, where we will visit Zion National Park.