We were back on the road around 9:30 AM and on our schedule that we made the night before. Our intenerary was set, but informal as we just had to be in certain places on specific days for hotels. Everything in between was at our whim, but we had to consider driving times as we were going over a thousand miles in 4 days.
The ride up to the Dam was pretty uneventful, but I kept wanting to drive faster, but knew better. Once we got on US 93 I set the cruise control as the road was empty. Soon one, two, three, more cars pass me going quite a bit faster. Ok, blockers! I pick up the pace to about 84 aand and the group is still getting away......
We come over a crest and lots of flashy lights. I take my foot off and coast by the highway patrol at about 5 over the limit....Not this cowboys's first rodeo. Set the cruise back and wait for the next set of blockers. Aside from that one instance, the rest of the trip was mostly free of police.
These pictures loaded in reverse order, but it's not that big of deal. When I last went to the dam it was 1998 so no 9/11 stuff. You still had to drive across the top of the dam as part of US 93. You actually still can and I did by accident as I missed the turn for the parking garage. I made a 3 point turn in the middle of the road just on the other side of the dam. The bypass road was actually started a couple of months prior to 9/11 as the hairpin turns snaking down on both sides made for slow travel and congestion.
These awesome Art Deco statues are on the Nevada side of the dam next to the old museum. The new museum is further off to the side and much larger. The statues are being restored currently. Google had this to say about them: "Winged Figures of the Republic – Boulder City, Nevada - Atlas ...
The figures are sentries at the entrance to Hoover Dam, part angel, part symbol of the strength of man, they are the work of a sculptor named Oskar J.W. Hansen, a Norwegian immigrant who came to the United States after some time in the merchant marines." They were bad ass and big. the low part of that wood is 6ft. high.
We couldn't see anything staring into the sun for this picture. Just out of frame on the bottom is the Nevada (my side) and Arizona (JT's side) border, We were in two time zones and different states at the same time! The tour ends with you popping out in the middle of the top of the dam.
When I was here in 1998, the water was at the top of the these intake columns! They had a good winter and the lake rose 30 feet!
20 years of drought have not been kind. I can't even imagine how many cubic miles of water are missing...
The Pat Tillman memorial bridge. Opened in 2010. Killer view of the dam as you drive across. On the way in, they stop you and interview, etc. They were searching a cargo van, but let us right through. Guess JT's pseudo military look was still working for us.
The circular walkway up to the air vent inside the dam. We were about halfway up from the bottom. The forms were wood, so you can see the wood imprint in the cement.
Selfie at the vent. I had no Harrison Ford visions in my head, lol.
He looks to be alot lower than I was ha ha. Oh and the water wasn't spilling out.
View of the bridge from the vent.
This is the first time this stator has been removed for maintenance since it was installed in 1935 per our tour guide!!! If you zoom in the photo below you will see the one with the top missing. It's this one.
Back in 1998, Lucy and I took the tour and they took us down on this floor and we walked it from end to end and got to go ourside at the bottom. These turbines are HUGE, like the size of a 3 story building.
The terazzo work in this dam is AMAZING.. It is an Art Deco masterpiece. Why? The builders knew it was so far ahead of its time it would last for many generations and they had pride in workmanship.
Front side of the dam. If you get the chance, the tour is totally worth the money and time. The sheer scale of this is amazing and the fact it was built 90 years ago is amazing. We actually never stopped in Boulder City either. Vegas is only an hour away.
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