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| - Minus one for traffic. Oh, gollee, gosh, gosh. And there was traffic.
Hubby was ready to skin and tar them Jr. Yelpers for their lack of cooperation on this side-trip to see the dam, which was the only thing I cared about seeing on this trip. They wouldn't get outta bed to hit the road early. So, we got stuck on this long, winding road, taking over 1 hr to go a couple of miles. Seriously.
The cashier at the visitors' center where we bought our plant tour tickets told us if you're not there by 0900 during busy times, it's a long, long ride and long, long wait. During Spring Break, they get 3500 visitors/day, during the summer months, she says the numbers jump to 5000-6000/day. The bigger tour which was $30/person was all sold out when we got there around 2PM, but there were tickets available for 2 hrs later.
The plant tour was only $11 and still available, so we went. They put you in a line like at Disneyland and as you get closer to the door, a photographer is waiting to take your family pic. Wished we had done that because at the end of the tour, you can see a picture of you and the family with the Hoover Dam in the background. Even if you don't buy it, it's kinda cool to see it, so just take the picture.
We watched a movie on the history on the dam construction, which was pretty cool and then the guide takes you down the elevator, into a dugged out tunnel and you take a walk and enter a room to see the big diversion pipes and another room with generators and art deco floor design. Back up the elevators to the viewing tower. One part is enclosed with huge standing plaques of the areas serviced by the water (Las Vegas, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, etc.) and the outdoor viewing area looking straight down into the working area below the dam and in the distance is Hoover Dam with Lake Mead. Walk a little ways south and you can see the new bridge being constructed to divert traffic and the beautiful flow of the Colorado River as it heads to it's destination. It's like being in Yosemite.
After you exit the building, you can walk the rim (no worry, all paved) to see the dam up close and intake towers, one with Arizona time and the other with Nevada time. Lake Mead (the largest US man-made lake located in the dam) is a recreation area, so you can go boating in it. Sadly, due to a 10 yr drought, the dam is at about 50% capacity and 50 ft lower than where the water line should be, according to our guide.
As you leave the dam, cross the street, there's a gift shop and tiny cafe to visit. It gets very windy in the area, so dress accordingly. Fortunately, the ride back into Las Vegas was less congested.
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