Like any good American road trip, we had to go see the Hoover Dam. But a quick word about the weather. It hit 100 degrees by 919AM. If Sedona was 8 bajillion degrees, Hoover Dam was 8 bajillion degrees squared. Thats 64 quadragazillion degrees for anyone wondering. I've never been to the sun, but I imagine people that work at Hoover Dam go there to cool off.
But it didn't matter because seeing Hoover Dam was well worth the heat. Built in 1931 to harness the power of the Colorado River, it was complete in 4 years, both ahead of schedule and under budget. I don't think that has happened in the government contracting arena in the 80 years since.
So how the heck do you build a dam across one of the most powerful rivers in the US? Let me tell you (because we went to the visitors center and took the power plant tour, we are now qualified in explaining the art of dam building). First, you need to dig four massive 56ft diameter tunnels through the Black Canyon to completely divert the Colorado river around your work site. Then you need to build two earthen dams both above and below your worksite to keep the river out. Then you dig down through 150 feet of sludge to reach bedrock. Then you pour 3.25M cubic yards of concrete, over 6.6M tons, in 5 foot blocks to build up the dam. But because its in the 1930s, once the dam is complete you make sure its decorated in the Art Deco style of the time, including a marble terrazzo floor inside the generator room.
Thats all after you hire 5000 workers from all over the country, build a city in the middle of the desert for their families to live as well as establish the transportation and communication infrastructure in the middle of nowhere that allows you to do the impossible.
So ya, you pretty much have to do the impossible.
But it didn't matter because seeing Hoover Dam was well worth the heat. Built in 1931 to harness the power of the Colorado River, it was complete in 4 years, both ahead of schedule and under budget. I don't think that has happened in the government contracting arena in the 80 years since.
So how the heck do you build a dam across one of the most powerful rivers in the US? Let me tell you (because we went to the visitors center and took the power plant tour, we are now qualified in explaining the art of dam building). First, you need to dig four massive 56ft diameter tunnels through the Black Canyon to completely divert the Colorado river around your work site. Then you need to build two earthen dams both above and below your worksite to keep the river out. Then you dig down through 150 feet of sludge to reach bedrock. Then you pour 3.25M cubic yards of concrete, over 6.6M tons, in 5 foot blocks to build up the dam. But because its in the 1930s, once the dam is complete you make sure its decorated in the Art Deco style of the time, including a marble terrazzo floor inside the generator room.
Thats all after you hire 5000 workers from all over the country, build a city in the middle of the desert for their families to live as well as establish the transportation and communication infrastructure in the middle of nowhere that allows you to do the impossible.
So ya, you pretty much have to do the impossible.
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| On Top of the Dam |
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| The River Side of the Dam |
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| Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge |
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| Top of Hoover Dam |
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| 2 of 4 Intake Towers |
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| Outside the First Visitor's Center |
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| Power Plant Tour - 400 Ft Underground |
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| Art Deco |
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| Power Plants |
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| The Monument of Dedication |
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| "Winged Figures of the Republic" |
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| "Winged Figures of the Republic" |
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| Memorial to the 96 Workers Who Died on Site |
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