I had booked to pick up a car at 8, but as usual, I was a bit early. The car wasn’t ready, apparently, every car had been out yesterday and was still being cleaned. However, he just left for a couple of minutes and then came back with a set of keys. I had reserved a “large sedan” but got an SUV instead. Comfortable to drive and with both adaptive cruise control and Android Auto, so I was happy.
After managing to get out of the ten-story parking structure, the signage could have been better, I set off towards the Hoover Dam. Took just under an hour, and when I got there, I missed the parking, so I crossed the dam before I could turn around and leave the car where I was supposed to.
I had already booked a ticket with a power plant tour, but you could only upgrade it to a dam tour on site. That’s why I was set to be here early, in case they would run out. I passed through security, the ticket office, and then into a theater for a short introductory movie.
Then we took the elevator down to one of the tunnels, the pipes are quite big….
Then up a level to the powerplant. The generators are quite big….
After these two stops, we split up the group. We who had the dam-addon walked one way. If the tour was over for the others, then I’m not sure that was worth the money, two stops with a couple of minutes each.
Anyhow, our new guide was a woman who had done this for 16 years. She had a bunch of dam(n)-punchlines throughout the rest of the tour. We walked through a couple of tunnels that were quite nice. Already when they built the dam in the 30’s, they thought of bringing tourists, so there were some parts very well prepared for it.
However, our first stop was a tunnel, whose primary function was not for tourists but to provide ventilation for the inspection tunnels. We could look out through a vent on the south (dry) side of the dam. Didn’t want to lose the grip of your phone/camera there…
The guide told us a bunch of things about how they had bolts and marks in the tunnels to see if the concrete shifted in any direction.
Not what you want to see when you are under the water level
Next stop was the original stairs that went from the top, all the way to the bottom of the dam. About 220 meters and 750 steps. A very steep staircase.
We finally took an elevator to the top. Interesting 45 minutes. Impressive that this was built in just five years in the 1930s.
I walked back and forth across the dam. I must say I was quite nervous when I approached the wall and looked down on either side. It’s very far down.
On my way back to the visitors center, I was stopped by a local news crew that was looking for foreign visitors. They wondered if they could ask a couple of questions, and sure, why not?
I found the clip on YouTube, and I could have done worse. They kept only one sentence.
Before leaving, I grabbed a burger and looked for something else to do when I had access to a car. It was several hours before I should return it.
Google Gemini suggested Hemenway Park in Boulder City, which was just ten minutes away, so I put it into the GPS and took off. On the way, though, I saw a sign for Lake Mead overlook, so I made a stop there as well. Beautiful!
I got to Boulder City and found the park. Not sure how and why the animals stay there, though, no fences and no apparent feeding apparatus. Maybe it’s the only green grass there is in the vicinity?
I also stopped at the famous Las Vegas sign to take a selfie 🙂
I drove back to the hotel to return the car. But just as I had parked, I saw a sign that the spot was reserved for vehicles with alternative fuels, and then remembered I forgot to fill up the tank. So then I started to look for a machine where I could pay for parking so I could leave again. But, apparently, you get one hour free parking, so I just headed out, went a few blocks over to Shell, and then back again, selecting another spot. Dropped the key in a metal box and walked out.
I got back to my room and just took it easy until it was time to look for some dinner. I walked to the Bellagio and watched their fountain show. Quite impressive. While I was standing outside a complex googling menus of the restaurants inside (often there are no prices on the menus outside), a woman approached and started chatting. We talked about food options and what I should do tomorrow. Her friend (or colleague) joined and then asked if we should take a souvenir photo. Naive as I was, I thought they wanted the photo for some promotional thing, but then they asked for my phone. She said this was for a tip, and asked if that was okay, and I said Fine. We took the photos, and then the bargaining began. Let’s just say that had I known it beforehand, I would have said no. Didn’t get too expensive, though, but I was quite mad at myself for not realizing the situation earlier and cutting it off. Well, well, I wish Megan and Rebecca a happy future.
I walked back to the Linq Promenade, still looking for dinner (and being annoyed with myself), and ended up at Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery, where I ordered a Glazed Salmon. It was really good, a bit spicy, and maybe too much broccoli for my taste.
Went back to the room and wrote this. Tomorrow I’m flying to San Francisco, the last leg of my trip. The flight leaves in the evening, so I need to find something to do during the day first.