Who could stay in Vegas without putting some time aside to visit the Hoover Dam? Certainly not us! The view as you approach from Vegas is staggering, and I did wonder what this valley would have been like before the dam was built. Parking wasn’t straightforward and even gaining access to the car park proved a long-winded affair. This place is popular!
This engineering masterpiece is aesthetically pleasing and appears to be at one with the surrounding scenery. Perhaps it enhances nature? The dam, at 726 feet high, is one of the tallest in the world, and, standing at the top, you cannot help feel admiration for the workmanship as its sleek, curved wall sweeps down to the river below. On the other side of the bridge, the mighty bright blue waters of Lake Mead reflect the glorious rugged rocks of the canyon side.
Not only was the Hoover Dam a masterpiece of mechanical engineering but also social re-engineering. It was built out of the Great Depression and would provide thousands of jobs in the desert wastelands of the Mojave Desert. However, the downside was that over 100 people died in the 5-year construction period, and it is rumoured that at least six are buried in the actual construct of the dam (we were told it was vital that there was a continual flow of concrete for each section and that the process was not stopped if someone fell in!) Macabre? Yes, but no one seems really sure if it’s the truth.
What I can be sure about is that the original settlement town of Ragtown is buried under gallons of water in Lake Mead, and from what I’ve read, none of the workers would have mourned its demise, as they were appreciating the far better quality of life that they found in the purpose built town of Boulder City. Boulder is now a distant suburb of Vegas and comes with its own casinos, shopping centre, and nightlife. But I digress!
There’s an interesting visitor centre that will give you all the information (technical or otherwise) that you could possibly want, and the upper observation deck gives terrific views of the dam, Lake Mead, and the river valley.
Halfway along the bridge you can play around with the time zone. I spent some time chatting with my wife for an hour after I’d already spoken and clocking her reply an hour before she had spoken (know what I mean?). At least I would be ready to give her the correct answer when I next heard the question! I am sure I wasn’t the only mad tourist playing around the time zone, but my wife assured me that I was. Never mind, who will ever know?
We’re not too interested in the technical stuff, but we found the visit to Hoover Dam interesting, and above all, very scenic. The new landscape looks tons better than the original barren land – not often said about progress!