Hoover Dam

After leaving Vegas, our first stop on our mini road trip through the Southwest was The Hoover Dam. We happened to make our trip out to Vegas/Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon during a heat spike where they were reaching record temperatures....120 degrees Fahrenheit. Crazy! So needless to say, it was very very hot.

The Hoover Dam was one of those things that I've always heard about but never actually seen, or really cared to see. I mean...really what is there to see, it's a Dam right? But it was sort of on the way, and it was a landmark, so we stopped. I'm glad we did!

I am so impressed by this thing. It is amazing. It is huge and the engineering involved to design, build, and create this thing is mind blowing. I absolutely love seeing things and their inner workings and knowing that some brilliant people worked together to create something so magnificent. We signed up for the tour and headed on our way. This gigantic Dam was created to provide energy that is divided between 7 states, over 40% which goes to Southern California. Why can't we be as innovative and energy efficient everywhere? They started the designs in the 1920s and build these various pipes to divert the water, pour the concrete, and build it. It amazes me how much work and thought went into it.

So, needless to say. I was impressed and very glad we stopped despite the scorching heat. Seeing things like that or some amazing bridge make me wish I would have been a civil engineer. Too cool.