Having never been to Hoover Dam and always hearing about its massiveness, it was a must-do since we were in the neighborhood, so to speak. Because of covid there were no dam tours but you can still walk across the dam and Memorial Bridge. The kiosks describe the feats of construction of both structures, one old and one new.

The dam was finished in 1935. It’s the highest concrete arch dam in the US. What is fascinating is that the 4,400,000 cubic yards of concrete are still curing! The base is 660’ thick and is equivalent to a 60-story high building (726’). Employed at any one time were 5200+ construction workers. How they diverted the river in order to have a dry river bed is worth the read. Temps in the tunnels reached 140 degrees at the height of the heat with someone dying every 2 days.

What I really liked is the touching story of the “Dog of the Dam.” He would go to work every day with the men, go into the tunnels, and up and down ladders. What is so endearing is that “each day he picked up his pre-prepared sack lunch when the men did, and left his lunch in the line where the men left theirs. At noontime, he waited for one of the men to unwrap his meal for him, and he and the men all enjoyed their noon break together.” Very, very sadly one of the workers accidently drove his equipment of the dog killing him. On February 21, 1941, it was unseasonably hot and the dog looked for shade under an idling truck. Sadly the driver was unaware that he had crawled under the rig, and as the driver moved away from the site, he was crushed beneath the truck’s wheels.

“Rough, tough rock-hard men wept openly and unashamed,” a newspaper wrote.

He was buried in a concrete crypt near the Nevada abutment and memorialized with a plague identifying him as a dog that adopted a dam.

Mike O'Callaghan—Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was windy and also an engineering phenomenon. Watch the time-lapse construction video. Wikipedia says “the bridge was the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States, and incorporates the widest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere. At 890 feet above the Colorado River, it is the second highest bridge in the United States and is the world's highest concrete arch bridge.” I was just glad that the wall railing was high or else I could have easily been blown over! Nestled high in the mountains, high winds are a frequent danger.

Finally…satisfied to have seen Hoover Dam and the unexpected bonus of the Memorial Bridge.

In the evening we stayed at Hoover Dam Casino overlooking the blue, blue waters of Lake Mead formed by the dam.

Tomorrow is Vegas! Never been there (nor have I ever really had the desire to go) but now I’m here & ready to explore with Jody who has been to Vegas many times for work (lest her reputation be tarnished… :)