Hoover Dam

We stayed in Kingman, AZ for a couple of nights so that we could tour the Hoover Dam. We keep forgetting to take pictures of the parks where we stay - but we remembered this time!

Halfway along the drive to the Hoover Dam (about 90 miles), we realized our camera was still safely stowed in the trailer - ugh! We purchased a ridiculously priced disposable version so that we could capture a few photos. We also decided to purchase the tour of the dam - a little pricey at $30 per person (kids too!), but worthwhile to tour with no more than 20 people with an informed guide. We had to at least carry, if not wear, the little yellow plastic hard hats as evidence of payment for the tour.

The guides did a terrific job of showing the features of the dam's construction and the massive sets of turbines that generate power for several states. We learned about the significant difference this dam created for this region of the country by providing flood control and a source for irrigation. The power generation aspect is how the dam project paid for itself and then some over time. We contemplated how influential Herbert Hoover must have been to bring seven states, a couple of Indian tribes and Mexico into agreement on the water distribution. Hard to imagine how long negotiations would take for a project of this magnitude with today's politics! There also was great difficulty at the time in talking the government into taking the project on during the Depression. Labor, however, was no problem as thousands of families moved to the area an entire year before the project began in hopes of gaining employment. Since Cory is studying this era of history now, this visit added tons to his comprehension of how hard the Depression was and also how hard people were willing to work to earn a living.

As retired transportation engineers, Craig and I gained almost as much from observing the construction of the nearby bridge. The tour guides advised that while the Hoover Dam was completed 2 years in advance of projected completion, the adjacent bridge construction was over 2 years behind! Hmmm....our advanced technologies don't necessary make the construction business any quicker, do they? We were advised that two tremendously large cranes had been lost in a terrible windstorm, sending one crane to destruction at the base of the canyon and inducing huge delays due to the loss of the critical equipment.