Hoover Dam

I guess it is normal to have post holiday let down. You know, when you get back from holiday and you have to face the facts
that the holiday is over and it is back to work and back to normal. I have just spent a few hours reviewing my holiday photos and seeing all the pictures has made me want to find more time to travel. It is so nice to see new and different things.

The funny picture from yesterday's blog was taken at Lake Mead. We did a full day bus tour with "Comedy on Deck Tours" and we were really lucky with this tour. Firstly, we were a small group of 9 and so we had just a small minibus rather than a great big tour bus, which was intimate and friendly. The driver did a lot to make sure we had a great time, including handing out the fake glasses for when the Hoover Dam Security folks did an inspection of the bus in preparation for crossing the dam.

Apparently, a couple of now known Osama Ben Ladin generals came across the Hoover dam several months before 9-11 and took photos and did a tour of the facility so they are really careful now, in case there are plans to bomb the dam. They search all vehicles to cross and have banned trucks and buses carrying luggage All commercial truck traffic has been rerouted 90 miles south to the next canyon crossing and they are building another crossing bridge for regular traffic to reduce the danger.  The new bridge which is under construction is pictured to the left.

Lake Mead is the lake that was formed when the Hoover Dam was built. It is in a 9 year drought and the lake level is down 150 feet! You can see the white rings at
the top of the lake which marks the high water point. Construction on the dam started in 1931 and completed in 1936 during the worst of the depression years. Construction was expedited in order to employ as many people as possible.

After spending a few minutes at the Hoover Dam lookout we continued to our Breakfast stop at a picturesque stop at Black Canyon. Will tell you about that another day.



I am off tomorrow morning to go to St. Lawrence Market to meet a friend and to buy some nice fresh food for dinner.  There are so many wonderful things that can be had at the market.    Should be fun!