On our drive back from the Grand Canyon, the first stop we made aside from McDonalds (I love my berry smoothies) was the Hoover Dam!
If you’re wondering just how big the dam thing is, here’s a summary:
Although due to national security or something you are no longer allowed to take a tour of the dam, however, you can admire from above and take a tour of the plant, for a fee of course.
Parking is about $8 and access to the visitor center and plant is another $11 per person. If you’re traveling with lots of kids, I don’t think its worth it, but if you don’t mind paying its about a 30 minute tour which includes a short video before they hurry you back out.
Inside one of the two viewing areas they take you in the plant. Unlike most government projects nowadays, the Hoover Dam was completed UNDER budget and 2 years early!
The dam’s generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California!
The marble floor had these cool random designs like this plug one here.
And just in case you’re wondering if this place is still worth seeing, here’s some honors it got above.
Now I’ll skip the part about Vegas strip (for now, because it warrant’s its own post of gratuitous photos.) Instead I’ll share on a sight that’s about 90 minutes North of Vegas.
You would think we didn’t get enough red rock at Bryce or Zion National Park. But no, I decided a visit to Nevada’s Valley of Fire was a must. Besides there’s only so many yard sticks of margaritas a girl can drink in daylight.
Valley of Fire of Nevada’s OLDEST state park located 50 miles northeast of Vegas. The beautiful red rocks formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs.
The Valley of Fire completed earned its name as we were melting in sweat within 2 minutes of being out of the car. I think our dashboard say it was 98 degrees outside. Dry heat or humid, 98 degrees is hot!
A camping shelter Tony found refuge in. There’s even a fireplace! Maybe in the winter the temperatures get more mild?
It’s hot and bright but I suffered from view-point to view-point in the name of photos.
There is about 11 miles of scenic drive with look out points. A few of the look out points have a mile or 2 of hiking trail available that in cooler temps (or those who can wake up early) would have been worthwhile!
I think it cost about $10 (per vehicle) to enter the park and we spent around 2 hours between driving and the small visitor center. Had we been hike ready, we could have definitely spent another hour, (or at least I could have, Tony might have still stayed in the car glaring at me).
