Nevada/Arizona border
After our lunch at In-N-Out Burger, W and I hopped on our bright blue Mustang convertible rental car and drove to Hoover Dam, our sight-seeing attraction of the day! Look, the colour of our car matched the colour of the clear blue sky!
Luckily it was bright and sunny so we got to experience riding the convertible with the top down. However, now I know why all those ladies in those olden movies (and even Bridget in The Bridget Jones Diary) wrapped their head in scarves while riding in convertibles. The wind just whips through your hair like a monster!!
On US Route 93 heading towards Lake Mead
We made a pit stop at the Lake Mead recreation area for a small stretch. Lake Mead was formed as a result of the dam and the water from the lake, as well as the electricity that the dam generates, serves the people living in Nevada, Arizona, and even California. The road through this area follows down to the marina and some camp grounds but access is restricted as you need to go through a toll before entering the grounds.
After the stop, we continued on our way to Hoover Dam on Route 93. There is now a separate exit off of this route to access the dam and one must pass through the security check point first before entering the area around Hoover Dam. Once through the security personnel, we drove up to a look-out point of Lake Mead.
We saw a little squirrel/chipmunk like creature clambering the rocks!
Then, we drove a little further to the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. We parked our car and walked up a series of stairs and paths to the Nevada end of the bridge. Along the way, there were information plaques about the history and construction of the bridge.
Originally, there was a 2-lane roadway across the top of the dam for vehicles to cross the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. Due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, US authorities quickened the pace to build the Hoover Dam Bypass in order to divert traffic away from the dam (there was already a plan to build the bridge prior to 9/11 but progress was slow). This was how the bridge was born. Construction was completed and opened to traffic in 2010.
You can actually walk across the bridge itself over to the Arizona side (or vice versa) on the pedestrian sidewalk and if you walk to the middle of the bridge, you'll get a nice view of Hoover Dam. The walk across the bridge is not really for the faint of heart. I'm not normally afraid of heights but even I was a little weak in the knees when I got to the middle of the bridge and looked down the valley! And don't even mention W! He went a quarter of the way, left me behind and walked back to the side LOL...
The concrete dam is situated in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. It was built between 1931 and 1936. Though the dam is now named Hoover Dam after the US president Herbert Hoover, it was initially named Boulder Dam because the dam was located near the town Boulder City in Nevada which was specifically created to house all the workers and their families while they built the massive structure. Above is Lake Mead and below is the Colorado river where the water spills into.
Too bad the sun cast a shadow of the bridge over the dam or else it would've been a nice photo of the dam from a different angle.
After viewing the dam from afar, it was time see it up close and personal. There were 2 different tours of Hoover Dam provided by the Bureau of Reclamation of the Lower Colorado Region: the guided powerplant tour ($11 for adults and lasts 30 minutes) and the guided dam tour ($30 for adults and lasts 1 hour). If you only want to access the visitor center which grants admission to the Observation Deck, tickets are $8 for adults (prices current as of this post).
Electrical generators inside the dam
Both tours offer a combo of presentations by the guide, audio and film presentations (though the film was soooo old and it sort of felt like watching a propaganda film), exhibits, an elevator ride down the rock wall of the Black Canyon, a stop at the Penstock Viewing area, a visit to the powerplant generators, and access to the visitor center.
The difference between the 2 tours are that the dam tour also includes more access to the Inspection Galleries (the tunnels in the dam itself).
View from the Observation Deck
Alternatively, you can still walk across the top of the dam and look at some outdoor displays and exhibits at street level which is free (although you must still pay for parking if you are not traveling with one of those pre-arranged tour groups).
Street level displays include the Winged figures of the Republic (memorial for all the workers that died while building the dam), and the Old Exhibit Building (the dam's first visitor center). It houses education exhibits and a topographical model, but it was closed when we were there.
Walking across the top of the dam, you can also take in the views of the Nevada and Arizona Spillways, the Nevada Intake Towers, Lake Mead, the dam face, and the Memorial Bridge. I know it's cheesy, but I made W stand on the Arizona side while I stood on the Nevada side while holding hands haha...
It was fun and interesting while visiting Hoover Dam. I especially loved the view of the lake, how the colour of the water mimicked the crisp blue hue of the sky! It was a good idea to take this side trip so we could be away from the bright city lights, loud noises and smokey/perfumed air and come here to breathe in some fresh air and take in some natural scenery, even for just a few hours.
