Hoover Dam and Las Vegas

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Day 17 - August 21, 2006

Today is my mother’s birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! We are heading to see Hoover Dam. Even though more recent dams are bigger, more efficient, etc., Hoover Dam is still visited by more than one million people a year. In one day, they sometimes get over 5,000 visitors.

It was “Africa hot”. The gauge in the rental vehicle (you can’t tour Vegas in a RV) read 120 degrees at one point. Since the RV Park behind Circus Circus is all paved asphalt, it seems like we are all grounded planes stuck close together on the tarmac.

It is HOT! Thankfully, by the time we got back to the tarmac, it was a little cooler. Then we went to the Las Vegas Hilton to catch the last day of the Trekkie Convention and also The Star Trek Experience. Unfortunately, they were packing up the convention when we got there. (But we did see some “leftovers” later.)

We went to go eat at the Hilton buffet. It was huge! So much food! The number of desserts alone was mind boggling. The food was pretty good, the desserts terrific. The best thing was that EVERYONE found something they liked.

We hit The Star Trek Experience. There are tons of Star Trek trivia and memorabilia in the exhibit area. Very interesting for those of us who are Trek fans. The weapons were fascinating for Robert. Then there are two rides, of the simulator variety. It was worth the price ($194 for the five of us). We all had fun.

Scott and I took Austin swimming when we got back to the RV park. It was refreshing (99 degrees at 10 pm).

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Photos

Austin and the Alien
Austin takes on the alien with a smile!

Touring Hoover Dam
There are 17 seven story tall generators that produce electricity for California, Nevada, and Arizona

Our Dam Tour Guide, Tom
Tom explained the history and workings of the dam in great detail

Star Trek Experience
If you're a fan, this is a must