Hoover Dam

So after eight hours of drive from the Bay Area and over 500 miles, my first stop was Hoover Dam. Also known as Boulder Dam, it is a concrete arch-gravity dam was on the border between the state of Arizona and Nevada, cutting across the Colorado River. The dam is located about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas and it was named after Herbert Hoover (former President of the United States).

The construction began in 1931 (not long after the Great Depression) and was completed in 1935, more than two years ahead of schedule. At that time, it was the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant and also world’s largest concrete structure.

So what can you do there at Hoover Dam? There are a few tours that you can take which will bring you into the power plant. Otherwise, the scenery around the dam is pretty good enough.
This is the view of Hoover Dam, with the four water intake tower clearly visible. The foreground towers are in the state of Arizona, while the two in the background are in the state of Nevada.

Side view of the dam

Here’s a photo looking all the way down the dam. If you noticed, there are a line of cars on the right side. They looked very very small.

There are two tours that you can take. The first is the Power Plant Tour ($11) and the other is Hoover Dam Tour ($25). I went for the Power Plant Tour. You can check out the official website on more information on the tours. Go there early and you may end up getting a personal tour guide like I did. =p Hoover Dam Official Website

Inside the power plant, you can actually see gigantic turbine generators. They are very huge. You can see the size of the turbine as compared to the two men next to it.

There are also these two Winged Figures of the Republic. They are part of the architectures around the dam.

There’s also this old museum which you can visit. You can see the original view of the overall map of Colorado River and the few states terrains constructed in the 1940s. It was completed by one guy without using Google Maps or satellite or other advanced technology equipment.

What amazed me was how the whole construction of the dam. It was no easy feat given the technology that they had in the 1930s. However, they managed to create such a magnificent structure despite all those constrains. It’s nice to drive around the place and there are many spots where you can get nice shots. Oh ya, the road to the dam is restricted only to cars, no lorries or commercial vehicles allowed.

Before I sign off, Happy Birthday mom! Be happy always! =)