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| - I can't believe that I'm Yelping a bridge.
The first time that I visited the Hoover Dam was just a couple of days before the bypass bridge opened - I stared up at this massive, gorgeous structure bridging the cliffs above the dam, and desperately wanted to see the view. But, alas, I flew home before it opened to traffic.
So when I had another chance to visit the dam, I insisted that we also had to check out the bridge - even though it was a terribly rainy, windy, grey day. We had a bit of trouble finding our way to the bridge from the top of the dam, because we figured it could be reach from NV or AZ. Wrong! There's no longer any outlet from the dam on the AZ side, that went away with the opening of the bridge. So we drove back across the dam (thankful that it was a slow day, because I've seen the insane traffic during the busy season) and headed back to the highway to find this... dam bridge (*groan*).
There's a parking lot for visitors before you cross the bridge, with a little area with panels of information about the bridge and stairs (or a ramp if you'd prefer) that ostensibly take you up to the main attraction. It was a mystery what would await us at the top of the insane number of stairs we were blindly climbing. More informational panels... a spiral with even more panels... and then... THE BRIDGE! You can cross the entire bridge in a protected area right along the side facing the dam. It's also lined with EVEN MORE placards with information, these included some pretty spiffy pie charts (mmmm, pie charts).
The view is spectacular, even when it's grey and gross and you're getting completely soaked by blowing rain and deep puddles. We drove across the bridge afterwards, and couldn't see anything because the walls around the lanes were so high. So the only way to really get the great view and photo ops - safely, or at all - is as a pedestrian.
Totally worth it. A marvel of engineering, a wonderful tribute to two interesting individuals, and the best dam view you'll get without your own helicopter.
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