Here’s Your Dam Blog!

My Mom and Step-dad recently retired and moved to Bullhead City, AZ.  I took advantage of  the long weekend this past Memorial Day holiday to head east across the High Desert to spend a few days at their new place.

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer and the HOT temperatures did not dissapoint! As I pulled off the highway into Bullhead City and filled the gas tank I saw this brightly colored kiosk for Ice and Water.

This is NOT a mirage!!

Mr. Zippy's Ice and Water House - Bullhead City, AZ

(Please note:  throughout this blog, you can click on the images to see a larger version)

So first off, no blog about Arizona or the Desert would be complete without a picture of a Roadrunner bird.

“Meep-Meep!” (click to listen)

The Greater Roadrunner

That night after catching up on the latest, my mom, step-dad and I watched a 45 minute video Hoover Dam:  The Historic Construction. Hoover Dam is about 2 hours north of Bullhead City and we discussed whether we wanted to drive up to see it.

But before that, the next day we already had plans to head outside of Laughlin, NV to go off-road along Christmas Tree Pass:

Off-road on Christmas Tree Pass, Laughlin, NV

to check out some Petroglyphs:

Petroglyphs - Christmas Tree Pass, Laughlin, NV

Petroglyphs - Christmas Tree Pass, Laughlin, NV

Petroglyphs - Christmas Tree Pass, Laughlin, NV

Petroglyphs - Christmas Tree Pass, Laughlin, NV

I think the Petroglyph Spirits were working against me this day.  After climbing among the paths and rocks, on the way out I gingerly perfected a crouching slide down a few feet of smooth rock … until I reached the sandy ground, where I effectively stuck fast and pitched forward, scraping and bloodying up my knees. Hey, that’s not a big deal…what’s worse was when we got back, I started sorting through my camera pics to get them ready to view as a slideshow on the TV…and I deleted my ENTIRE FILE OF PICS!! I have never done that before! Thankfully my Mom and Step-dad had pics from a previous outing, and so the 5 pics above are entirely thanks to them!

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Last day of the weekend and we decide to make it an early start and check out Hoover Dam.  I am excited.  The video we saw the other night had been amazing!  I was struck by the fact that the Colorado River had to first be redirected by building TWO massive bypass tunnels, which took a couple years.  Then they talked about the town of Boulder City created specifically for the Dam workers.  Then the mountain scalers that hung from cables to clear the canyon walls of loose rocks, the incredible stage of pouring concrete in an interlocking pattern, 120 degree heat, 96 work-related deaths (and still more indirectly related), Ginormous equipment and other riggings built right there on site because they were too big to transport otherwise, and in the end they finished 2 years ahead of schedule.

Hot Damn!!

So here’s my (yes, these are from my camera, I managed not to delete them this time) pics from the day!

U.S. Highway 93 at Hoover Dam

In the pic above it was still early morning about 9 am.  I took this during a break in the traffic.  But by the time  we left early afternoon, honestly it was bumper to bumper for miles back!  I think they could use something to help ease congestion…(hint, file this one for later in the blog )

We parked in this gorgeous structure that was virtually the same color as the surrounding natural rock!!

Staircase at Hoover Dam Visitor Parking Structure

First, we take a tour of the Inside of Hoover Dam:

Hoover Dam Tour

Cross-section core sample

Hoover Dam Guided Tour

The Hydroelectric Generators are the most awesome part of the inside tour!:

Hoover Dam Hydroelectric Generators

The other notable thing about Hoover Dam is its Interior Design and Color.  It may be hard to appreciate but these doors to this tunnel are gorgeous!!  Below is an excerpt and link to more about the Artwork and Design of Hoover Dam…

Interior Design of Hoover Dam

The Grand Dam by Julian Rhinehart
“When Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s, the great dam was known for its engineering superlatives. It was the highest dam ever built, the costliest water project, home of the largest power plant of its time.

Today, as Hoover celebrates its 60th anniversary, we can see that the dam is not only an engineering wonder. It also is a work of art.

Few structures in America display the diversity of design and craftsmanship that you see at Hoover Dam. It is a showcase of seldom-seen skills of artists and artisans–beautifully presented terrazzo tiles, sculpture, metalwork, and even military emplacements.”

…”Kaufmann was a native of London, England, who lived in Southern California. Kaufmann simplified the dam’s design and replaced ornamentation with the flowing lines of Modernism and Art Deco.”

…”Allen True, the Denver artist, assisted Kaufmann with interior designs and color. True was responsible for one of the dam’s most distinctive motifs–the Southwestern Indian designs in the terrazzo floors. Using such sources as an Acoma bowl and Pima basket, True linked Native American geometric concepts with Art Deco design. Many of the Indian designs were based on centrifugal themes, which related to the turbines in the power plant.”

…”You can see the power plant and terrazzo work during a tour of the dam. Following an elevator descent of 530 feet, you emerge into seemingly endless galleries. There you find gleaming terrazzo floors imbedded with the Southwestern Indian patterns adapted by True from baskets, pottery, and sand paintings.” MORE…

Terrazzo Floor - Hoover Dam Interior Tunnel

Interior Tunnel of Hoover Dam

Below pic is some stairs, thankfully NOT part of our tour!  ;-)  Note the steep angle evidenced by the true horizontal “D-115″ label on the left wall (click on image for bigger view):

Interior Access Stairs - Hoover Dam

And for those that live life dangerously…I dare you to kick the earthquake sensor!!  If you do, give it your all and better make it a 10.0 on the Richter Scale cuz you’ll probably serve 10.0 years in prison for it!!  LOL

Earthquake Sensor Box- Hoover Dam

After the inside guided tour we emerged outside to roam around on top of the Dam:

Hoover Dam Plaque

Hoover Dam (and U.S. Highway 93) crosses over the border of Nevada and Arizona States and also the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones.  This part of year Nevada and Arizona are on the same time. During winter there’s an hour difference.

Nevada Time - Nevada side of Hoover Dam

So how long did it take me to walk, not run (nor knock down other tourists, or get run over by a car along U.S. 93) from Nevada to Arizona for these two pics??

Arizona Time - Arizona side of Hoover Dam

A few more pics taken while standing on Hoover Dam/U.S. 93…

Intake Tower at Hoover Dam

Upstream view from Hoover Dam of The Colorado River

Plaque on Hoover Dam/U.S. 93 on the Nevada-Arizona Border

Midway on top of Hoover Dam marking the Nevada-Arizona border is a Plaque from the American Society of Civil Engineers (above) and directly below on the sidewalk, is a shiny badge (below). Now, you can’t say that you’ve never seen what a Geodetic Survey Marker looks like:

Geodetic Survey Marker - Nevada/Arizona Border at Hoover Dam

A visit to Hoover Dam includes stopping at the Monument Plaza where the Winged Figures of the Republic, two 30-foot high, statuary bronze sculptures rest on a base of black diorite set atop a terrazzo floor. The floor is inlaid with a celestial map pinpointing the precise astronomical time, September 30, 1935, 8:56 pm, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the Dam.

Near the figures and elevated above the floor is a compass framed by the signs of the zodiac. There is also a nearby plaque commemorating the 96 men who died during construction of the dam.  Here’s a link to still more about the Artwork of Hoover Dam and the Monument Plaza.

Compass framed by the signs of the zodiac - Hoover Dam Monument Plaza

Winged Figures of the Republic - Hoover Dam Monument Plaza

IMPORTANT NOTE!:  You’re supposed to rub the toes of the Winged Figures of the Republic for good luck. Superstition states that rubbing all twenty toes of both winged figures (only one pictured) with all ten of your fingers will bring good luck (don’t forget to use your thumbs). This has provided a high polish for the toes of the figures from all seeking fortune.

Here I am hoping to bring back my good luck that the Petroglyph Spirits spirited away from me earlier in the weekend.

Bronze Toes of the Winged Figures of the Republic

(Now it’s time to bring out your filed away hint) Not only is Hoover Dam a tourist sight to see, but there’s new construction currently underway on a Hoover Dam Bypass to ease congestion, which includes The Colorado River Bridge.  Construction began in 2005 and is expected to complete in late 2010.

Model of Hoover Dam and Hoover Dam Bypass

And for a real life current look of how the New Colorado River Bridge bypass is coming along, have a look for yourself, this pic was taken from INSIDE of, and about HALF-WAY DOWN the Hoover Dam!  (Click pic for larger view):

Colorado River Bridge aka Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

And in closing some final shots of Hoover Dam from as many wide and long shots as I could possibly take!!!

U.S. 93 over Hoover Dam

Base of Hoover Dam - Downstream

Hoover Dam

But what’s this?!  As we headed back to the parking lot we came across this monument to the High-Scalers:

Monument to Hoover Dam "High-Scalers"

During the preliminary stages of Hoover Dam construction, the High-scalers’ job was to climb down canyon walls on ropes to remove loose and weakened rocks along the canyon walls where the dam walls would join. Descending down the cliffs with the weight of tools, water and food, others would lower jackhammers to drill powder holes. The High Scalers would fill the holes with dynamite and after hand maneuvering out of the way of explosives, they went to work with crowbars to remove loosened rock.  And their pay for this crazy job? About 75 cents per hour versus the average of 50 cents for regular Hoover Dam construction.

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Well that’s it!  We went back to Bullhead City, and a quick refreshing ice tea to beat off the desert heat and it was time for me to head back home.

Whew!!  I’ma tired!!  Ahhh!!  What a great weekend that was with the folks!!

Here I am driving across the desert back to Southern California. Thanks all for reading and hope you enjoyed your Dam Blog!!

Joshua Tree Sunset - California State Route 18