Hoover Dam (why not?!)

On my first day on vacation (three more days left/two if you don’t include the weekend), I went to Hoover Dam.  It took five years to build and sits on the border of Nevada and Arizona.  I should’ve brought sunglasses, and was surprised it was that busy on a weekday.  I had to wait for a good two hours before taking the Dam Tour where I saw the power plant and went down the dam about midway inside.  I learned a few things such as how the dam was built and if they used nature alone, they’d probably still be building it.  The workers had to build it a foot at a time so the concrete would dry.  The experts say it has another good 100 to 200 years before any major repairs need to be done, but it’s not full proof.  The lack of water over the last twenty years has put the dam in a somewhat precarious state.  Experts say if the water levels continue to decrease, the dam won’t be able to maintain electricity to the states and cities it services.  The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (under the Department of the Interior) reported Nevada, Arizona, a handful of Southern CA cities using energy from the dam under contracts that ended in 2017.  In terms of the interior decor, the marble flooring if done today would probably cost around 40 to 60 million dollars and that is if you could even find the marble anymore.  There were some other historical tidbits, but to not be long winded here are the pictures.  I’m hoping to get back to Lake Mead because it looks like a great place to relax and of course, take more pictures.

Hoover Dam facts are from a brochure

Hoover Dam and Spillways from the outside

Hoover Dam, Spillways, and Power Plant from the inside

Stairs going down

Stairs going up

Tunnel where I took the photo of the Hoover Dam

Reclamation of water and power

Marble entryway leading up to the women’s bathroom

Magnet before condensation from my water bottle ruined it