Hoover Dam

Monday morning was sunny but pretty windy when I started the day but I took my time getting ready for the day and thankfully the worst of the wind had died down by the time I headed off from Boulder City. The Hoover Dam was originally called the Boulder Dam and is about 5 miles from the town.



Firstly you come to Lake Mead which is the body of water created as a result of the Hoover Dam. It has beaches and a marina and is obviously well-used by the locals and in the sunshine it is pretty lovely.

you can just see an old rail tunnel in the rock face...

The dam itself is a very impressive engineering accomplishment....it was the largest concrete structure in the world when it is was built in 1935. The one thing that surprised me when I got there was the tourist-circus that was all around......I just didn't realise it was such a draw with about a dozen parking areas, guided tours, a visitor centre.......the place was heaving......not sure what all these people do that they are free on a Monday in March to be sight-seeing.

they are building a new bridge over the canyon

don't look down