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| - Hoover Dam might as well have been built by aliens. It came in at/under budget, exhibits the finest craftsmanship to this day (still perfectly-aligned aluminum door frames, art deco touches everywhere, Italian mason-crafted tile work with incredible detail, itself telling the stories of multiple Native American tribes in the area), and collectively inspiring even the most jaded visitor through sheer magnitude.
If you have the opportunity for the 2+ hour VIP tour, often led by the direct descendants of those who built the dam, take it. Wear comfortable clothing - those louvered grates on the face of the dam are at the ends of crawlways. Presuming the tour doesn't change, you'll get to crawl along one to see where "Kilroy was here" was written 80 years ago.
The tour we were on had foreign power company officials as guests. They asked pointed questions about power generation over existing lines to the west (California). The guide pulled no punches, noting that overtransmission does happen to meet demand, at the expense of a higher possibility of illness for those in close proximity to those lines. Striking candor. Your mileage may vary.
This dam is one of the wonders of the modern world - at minimum, take the nickel tour, and bring a camera. At best, try the tour above. It's worth the extra money, and then some. From concept to construction to present-day production, this place is a trip.
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