The Hoover Dam 12/30/06
On our return trip from the Grand Canyon, we stopped by the Hoover Dam.
The dam is adorned with statues and memorabelia since it was quite a feat to construct something this huge in the 1930s. I suppose it would be a big deal today, too.
We took a tour of the inside of the dam. They explained how the dam was built... what an engineering accomplishment. Cooling tubes to cure the cement. An onsite steel manufacturing facility (most of the steel tunnels were too big to transport). Enough concrete to build a sidewalk around the equator.
And the end result was this...
Notice the crane at the top left in the picture below. They have now begun to build a bridge over the river. Currently all traffic goes over the dam, and it moves very slowly. All traffic will use the bridge in 2008. I had to stop and enjoy the view knowing that the next time we go back the bridge will likely be finished.
Hiroe took time to continue pursuing her life's work.
That's Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the states. It was created when the dam was built. The water was incredibly blue. A bit different than the Mississippi in Minneapolis.
This is the backside of the dam. The water reached as high as the upper water line several years ago and stayed there for two months. When it gets that high they have to let all water bypass the dam, and that usually means flooding downstream.
There is a concrete shelf in the foreground of the above photo that is also shown in the photo below. That shelf was covered with coins. All of those poor people who made a wish then missed the water. Unfulfilled wishes for people with poor aim. When you're down, you're really down.
After touring the dam we returned to the airport. In the terminal there were several murals on the walls showing other cities in the world. It was kind of fun to see how residents of Las Vegas see the rest of the world. In Minneapolis it seems we have pink airplanes, an octopus, a yellow skyscraper, and Macy's.
And then there's Tokyo. Seems things have changed since we were there last summer. The peak of Mt. Fuji filled in. Some new Hiragana (or Katakana or Kanji) has been created. And lots of Chinese people are riding the Shinkansen.
The dam is adorned with statues and memorabelia since it was quite a feat to construct something this huge in the 1930s. I suppose it would be a big deal today, too.
We took a tour of the inside of the dam. They explained how the dam was built... what an engineering accomplishment. Cooling tubes to cure the cement. An onsite steel manufacturing facility (most of the steel tunnels were too big to transport). Enough concrete to build a sidewalk around the equator.
And the end result was this...
Notice the crane at the top left in the picture below. They have now begun to build a bridge over the river. Currently all traffic goes over the dam, and it moves very slowly. All traffic will use the bridge in 2008. I had to stop and enjoy the view knowing that the next time we go back the bridge will likely be finished.
Hiroe took time to continue pursuing her life's work.
That's Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the states. It was created when the dam was built. The water was incredibly blue. A bit different than the Mississippi in Minneapolis.
This is the backside of the dam. The water reached as high as the upper water line several years ago and stayed there for two months. When it gets that high they have to let all water bypass the dam, and that usually means flooding downstream.
There is a concrete shelf in the foreground of the above photo that is also shown in the photo below. That shelf was covered with coins. All of those poor people who made a wish then missed the water. Unfulfilled wishes for people with poor aim. When you're down, you're really down.
After touring the dam we returned to the airport. In the terminal there were several murals on the walls showing other cities in the world. It was kind of fun to see how residents of Las Vegas see the rest of the world. In Minneapolis it seems we have pink airplanes, an octopus, a yellow skyscraper, and Macy's.
And then there's Tokyo. Seems things have changed since we were there last summer. The peak of Mt. Fuji filled in. Some new Hiragana (or Katakana or Kanji) has been created. And lots of Chinese people are riding the Shinkansen.
posted by john and hiroe at 8:12 PM
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