It was a brilliant day to go for a drive! The windows for the car were down, and the warm summer breeze blew through my hair. The radio was blasting as I sang along to some of my favorite songs. I was feeling pretty good, and it was an excellent day to go for a drive. From the Las Vegas Strip to the Hoover Dam, my road trip only lasted for approximately one hour.

The Hoover Dam which is formerly known as Boulder Dam, named after the late President Herbert Hoover. It is a massive concrete dam shaped like an arch. The Hoover Dam, located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River that is on the border of both Nevada and Arizona in the United States. During the Great Depression, it took approximately four years for construction workers to build the dam from 1931-1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the Hoover Dam in 1935.

Considering the Hoover Dam is a popular tourist attraction, there was plenty of parking spaces even if it meant driving to the very top of the parking lot. There were elevators in the lot that took me to the Visitor’s Center; where I watched a quick 10-minute video presentation about the Hoover Dam.

Afterwards, I was greeted by my tour guide for the Power Plant Tour. The tour was fascinating because it took place 530 feet below street level. It was in between and underneath the rocky walls of the Black Canyon. I was given a construction hat to wear for the duration of this 30-minute tour. You are probably wondering how I arrived that far underground. However, the answer is simple. I stepped into a high-speed elevator, and in less than 70 seconds, I was 530 feet underground! That was cool.

The Power Plant Tour was very educational. It covered the engineering aspect of the Dam and how it functions daily. Upon exiting the elevator, I walked through the first tunnel that was built by construction workers in 1935. This led me to the Penstock Viewing.

Penstock Viewing was located slightly above the large pipes that transport an estimated 90,000 gallons of water per second from Lake Mead to the hydroelectric generators of the Hoover Dam. According to my tour guide, the Hoover Dam provides electricity to southern California, Arizona and of course, Nevada. After taking a few pictures, I headed to the Power Plant Generators. Afterwards, I went to the power plant balcony in which I saw the seventeen massive generators that are responsible for electricity in Nevada. This wing was 650 feet long, and the views were terrific.

The final stop of my tour was the Observation Deck. The Colorado River, Lake Mead, the Nevada Intake Towers and the face of the dam, viewed from the open air deck. The panoramic views were beautiful and peaceful.

Upon completion of the Power Plant Tour, my next stop was the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Next, to the small parking lot, there was a ramp (for people who are disabled) and stairs. It was indeed nice to know that this bridge was accessible to everyone. The bridge was a self-guided adventure.

I walked up the steep stairs that led to the bridge. From this vantage point, the entire view that I saw on the Observation Deck seemed a lot smaller higher up on the bridge. It was a great place to get additional pictures of the Hoover Dam in its entirety.

Overall, I had a wonderful time. On the drive back to the Las Vegas Strip, I couldn’t help but think about what a fantastic job the engineers and construction workers did building the magnificent Hoover Dam! I rolled down the windows, turned up the radio and enjoyed the road trip back to the strip.

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View from the Observation Deck of Lake Mead.

Africah at the Hoover Dam with the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in the background.