"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Las Vegas Hoover Dam

What the heck is this you ask?



It is the Eiffel Tower - the one in Las Vegas - not France.

I decided to take a side trip to Las Vegas for a couple of nights. Didn't get any good pictures of Las Vegas really - and let me ask - does any one out in Las Vegas know that smoking can kill you? I mean everyone smoked!! The smoking capital of the world.

And drinking and other things I won't mention aren't too good for you either. I played the penny, nickel, and quarter machines - I played $100 (?) and lost it all, but it was fun. I mostly went and people watched - and I must admit ate at Krispie Kreme donuts! Okay guess I'll admit that is not to good for me either.

Went to see David Copperfield - I love yah David, but you're looking older like me and not so interested in magic anymore. It's okay though - we all get older.

Went to the Hard Rock Cafe, Margarettaville, M & M Store, Coke Store, and I do believe I WALKED to every hotel except the Venetian.

On the way back to LA stopped by the Hoover Damn. It was one of the most interesting sites I've ever seen. If you ever get a chance go.

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest hydroelectric power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 38th-largest hydroelectric generating station.

This dam, located 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as the Secretary of Commerce, and then later, as the President of the United States. Construction began in 1931, and was completed in 1936, a little more than two years ahead of schedule. The dam and the power plant are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Lake Mead is the reservoir created by the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.

Below is the new bridge/road they are constructing so that you don't have to go right into the Hoover Dam area - you can eventually go over it.

Looking down into the dam. You can't go down there any more because of 9-11 and security.

The sides - all concrete.

The underneath - rerouting the water.


13 generators - helps give power to a lot of people.


The 'little' water pipe.

The drive through the desert proved interesting and looked nothing like I thought a desert would look like. It was raining and when I got to the last elevation - without any notice the temperatures changed, my windshield clouded, I was on ice going 50 miles an hour - kind of scary. I was glad to get back to my sister!!!!


Donna Reed - Happy Birthday - You are in my favorite movie - my all time favorite - It's A Wonderful Life - LOVE THAT SHOW!

Reed was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, Iowa, the eldest of five children. After graduating Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for college. She decided to move to California to attend Los Angeles City College on the advice of her aunt. While attending college, she performed in various stage productions but had no plans to become an actress. After receiving several offers to screen test for studios, Reed eventually signed with MGM, but insisted on finishing her education first

In 1984, she temporarily replaced Barbara Bel Geddes, who had decided to step down from her role as "Miss Ellie" in the television series Dallas in the 1984-85 season. When Bel Geddes agreed to return to the role for the 1985-86 season, Reed was abruptly fired. She sued the show's production company for breach of contract and later settled out of court for over a million dollars. Wikipedia

It was a nice trip, but it was time to go home.

Chatty

14 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I haven't been to Las Vegas but would love to see Hoover Dam. Not so interested in the casinos but the lights are suppose to be pretty. I am not a gambler, hate parting with money like that, lol. I think a lot of addictions go together: drinking, smoking, gambling...etc. At least you had a good walk!!!

Unknown said...

i'm not a fan of vegas even though i lived there for a few years, 20 years ago. the folks that live out away from downtown are wonderful, but the rest of vegas- not my favorite. i went on a tour of the hoover dam way back when and it was amazing! glad you didn't pick up any of those nasty habits, haha!

Deb said...

We've been to Vegas a few times and walked our feet off! Vegas is a fun place but you only need to spend 3 days there, tops, otherwise, well, you know!
Driving over the Hoover Dam in an RV on an incredibly windy day beats any thrill ride ever built. I was sure we were going over the edge, but that is just me, I am a scary cat!

Knitty said...

I've been to Vegas a number of times as my husband used to work a convention there every fall. I am not a gambler either so I did as much sight seeing as possible. Hoover Dam was much more interesting than I imagined it would be.

My last trip there, a number of years ago, is when I visited 6 quilt stores, each within an hour of the strip. Back home, one man asked who on earth goes to Vegas to find quilt stores. My husband proclaimed "My wife does!" and said it proudly. :-D

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

I have never had the desire to go to Las Vegas, I work to hard for my money to feed it to a slot machine. I have gone some to the one in Vicksburg, but $20 is my limit. I would love to go to Hoover Damn.
Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Molly

Stella said...

When we visited Las Vagas we just visited all the casinos to see how they were decorated. Our next biggest treat was to buy the dollar shrimp cocktails the street vendors were selling on the street. Yes, I know we are easy to entertain. Glad you liked the dam and had a good time.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

All that walking was healthy for you though right? Thanks for sharing your trip. We haven't been to LV for years. Not a gambler at all -- but just walking around and looking at all the sites in Las Vegas is kind of like being in a grown-up Disneyland don't you think? I enjoyed the Hoover Dam tour too.

ClassyChassy said...

I've never been to Las Vegas - my folks have been there several times - dad called it "Lost Wages", and apparently you know why now, after playing the slots!

Angela said...

Your were busy girl! I went to Reno with my husband on a business trip a good 15 years ago. We went to Circus Circus and played the nickel slots. I won a lot of old nickels. That is what I was trying to win for my coin collection! lol So I broke even and possibly made out better because I got some old coins!

We did see a dam when we were there but my husband said it was in Sacramento, CA. We went to the Ponderosa Ranch, Donnor Pass and the Capital.

Glad you got to do some exploring!

Hugs,
Angela

betty said...

glad you had a chance to see some other parts of the west when you were out this way Sandie; great pictures and commentary of your trip. Sure did do a lot too!!! haven't been to Las Vegas in years, but always fun to gamble a bit

went to the Hoover Dam a few years back; it is very interesting for sure!

betty

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Looks like you had a great time, Sandie! I 'm so glad it was a fun trip, but you know, the older I get I'm always happy to be home! When I was a kid, I begged to stay on vacation. I loved all the fun adventures! Now, my idea of an adventure is taking a cool photograph for my blog. LOL!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Anonymous said...

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Unknown said...

glad you had a chance to see some other parts of the west when you were out this way Sandie; great pictures and commentary of your trip.
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