The Dam Daytrip

After a brief stop at a Carl's Jr. for what was technically brunch, we set off towards the famous Hoover Dam. The ride was uneventful aside from the strange phenomenon of traffic. Typically our drives were only impeded by construction, but metro areas always contained mild amounts of traffic. As we got closer to the Dam, the density of cars increased, but before too long a giant chasm could be discerned ahead telling us that we were close. Just before reaching the structure, we were waved into a small security checkpoint where I was instructed to open the roof top carrier. The guard glanced inside and waved us on. Merging back into the single file stream of cars, we drove slowly over the mass of concrete that powers Las Vegas. On the other side we were welcomed to Arizona by a small sign.

We parked and took a moment to view the back of the massive Dam. The color of the Colorado River on the upstream side of the dam is the most amazing blue-green color. Combined with the immense depth, I could easily imagine the river to be a slice of an ocean that was scooped up and transplanted into the desert by some magical being with a sense of irony. We marveled at the sight, noting that the water had once been even deeper as evidenced by a band of white bleached into the rock above the current water line. Not half a mile north of the dam, several boats sat on the glass still water, held back by a line of buoys. Half a mile downriver, high above the water and even above the level of the dam, the skeleton of a incomplete bridge spanned the canyon. This is a project I had read about before the trip, and will presumably offer an amazing view of the Dam. After a few minutes, the temperature eventually drove us back into the car. While chilly in comparison to Death Valley, it was still over 100 degrees in the sun.



We drove back into Nevada and parked at the visitor's center. Welcoming the air conditioning within, we perused the cheesy paraphernalia, purchased some water, and headed back out into the heat to see the Dam on foot. A monument erected to those who died while building the Dam stood just outside the visitor's center and caused us to pause for a minute. Two statues, of an ancient Egyptian flavor, flanked the standard flag and inscribed stone present at most memorials. I have no idea who chose the sculptures, for they do not fit the whole strictly American aesthetic pervasive in most of the west, but I'm glad they were commissioned because they were truly beautiful. We crossed the road and looked down the massive face of the Dam. I can't really fathom how much potential energy is stored by that gigantic wall in the Colorado River, but it felt like one of those quantities that's measured in number of atomic bombs instead of kilowatt hours.

We didn't have time or ambition to take a Dam tour, but having acquired our Dam postcards, Dam magnets, and Dam photos (c'mon you knew that was coming) we returned to the car. Pri had scandalously, though without incident, left her door unlocked. While I chided her about making sure her door was locked and that the car was basically our home on wheels, I discovered that I too had forgotten to lock my door. Somewhat put in my place by my own doing, we both had a laugh before quickly cranking the air conditioning and preparing for a speedy return to the Las Vegas. When we originally sat down to plan this trip we had decided to do one "nice" hotel and one cheaper one. It was immediately obvious to me what our "nice" hotel would be. With fond memories of Ocean's Eleven I programmed the Bellagio into the GPS, where we would hopefully have luck seeing the more glamorous side of Sin City.

[adam]