Hoover Dam

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Geo: 35.9786, -114.834

Tue 14th we drove about an hour to Hoover Dam, so renamed from Boulder Dam in 1947. (President Herbert Hoover, not FBI's Edgar Hoover.) The dam was built in four years from 1931 to 1935, mainly for flood control and water storage. Electricity generation was an afterthought, but a good one. Electricity revenue has paid for the dam construction ($165M) and still pays for all its operating costs. This piece of infrastructure funding works so well that the Federal Government has never done it again (or so our guide said, wryly).

We did the grand tour of the power plant and the dam itself, about an hour or so. Very interesting going inside the dam tunnels and getting an appreciation of how big it was. 660 feet thick at the base (!) and 726 feet high. What I found interesting was the Art Deco nature of the dam - there were lots of Art Deco elements in the construction. I wondered if this was the largest Art Deco construction in the world. Probably, but the Empire State Building is another example.

Finished off our SteinMart shopping in the afternoon, a quick stop at the hotel then an early dinner as part of our Shania Twain dinner and show ticket. Dinner was at Planet Hollywood, and the show at Caesar's Palace Coliseum venue. Dinner service was very poor, compensated by the manager waiving our drinks and extra food items costs. Shania (at age 49, she confidently announced) looked great and put on a super show for just under two hours without a break, except to change outfits. She enthusiastically wandered through the audience, spending some time happily giving hugs and posing for photos and selfies. She invited an ecstatic Aussie family (Mum, Dad and two primary school age kids) up on stage to sing some "campfire" songs with her.

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Photos

Winged Monuments
Nevada side of the dam. On the ground is an accurate representation of the night sky on bridge opening day, showing 200+ stars. An optimistic bureaucrat figured that a future civilisation would decode the star map and marvel at the age of the structure. !!!

Dam vent
There are four air vents in the dam face, this is the lower one on the Nevada side. These keep the air fresh in the main tunnels and surprisingly one could even feel a light breeze.

726 one ft stairs!
There are two elevators inside the dam, and at least one stair. Plus two horizontal tunnels.

Upstream
The water level is at a historic low, 85ft below the max level last reached in 1983. If the level drops another 60ft, the four hydro intakes (seen here) will become useless.

Dam wall
View from the recently-built McCallaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge below the dam.

Inside the Venetian
Ceiling, not sky!

Venetian gondolas
Quite a hoot experiencing this over-the-top fit out. The Forum also boasted an artificial sky and themed buildings. We didn't visit Paris, or Luxor. Aria and the Cosmopolitan are newer casinos and their interiors were more inviting and tastefully done.

The Coliseum
Waiting for the show to start.

Shania
Outside the signs said no photographs, but inside it was open slather.

Comments

[Lowie]

Sel, Rob, I continue to live vicariously through your holiday blogs! Good to hear the Steinmart "lesson" Carol taught Robyn has been enduring ....Hoover Dam is incredible isn't it. We were there late last year. The new bridge changes the
experience. Interestingly, if it runs out of water, will it still be referred to as a dam, or will it be a wall across a ravine? Trite comment, but the water shortage is serious.Vegas. Great to hear the shows have been good. Next time there we will take you restauranting. Some of the best restaurants in the US are in Vegas. Great town to visit. I think living there would be another thing!Keep enjoying.Cheers,Lowie