{"id":4263,"date":"2025-12-08T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backeman.se\/?p=4263"},"modified":"2025-12-09T08:37:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:37:46","slug":"ill-be-damned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backeman.se\/index.php\/2025\/12\/08\/ill-be-damned\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ll be damned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After managing to get out of the ten-story parking structure, the signage could have been better, I set off towards the Hoover Dam.\u00a0Took 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0I passed through security, the ticket office, and then into a theater for a short introductory movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we took the elevator down to one of the tunnels, the pipes are quite big…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then up a level to the powerplant. The generators are quite big….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.\u00a0We 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rainwater leaked in once<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Thats an A4-sheet, tucked all the way in.
Not what you want to see when you are under the water level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We finally took an elevator to the top. Interesting 45 minutes. Impressive that this was built in just five years in the 1930s.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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