Las Vegas in 1,200 Words or Less

Ethel M was a dud since we hit it on a Saturday. Apparently, this is a chocolate factory that gives its workers the weekend off. Luckily for us, the gift shops were still open, so we were able to get our chocolate fixes. Ethel M is part of the Mars family so Elise got some M&Ms and I very judiciously got myself three small chocolate bars. Bobby, of course, got ice cream.



The cactus garden on the grounds of Ethel M reintroduced us to the desert plants we hope to see again in the next month. Many of the cacti were in bloom which we hadn’t seen before. Elise wasn’t feeling great so we cut short our wanderings and headed to Trader Joe’s.



Have I mentioned how much I love my Trader Joe’s cookbook? Love it. I made a huge list before we left the trailer of everything I would need for yummy lunches, dinners and a dessert and got everything I needed. I filled up the cart as much as I could and still wished I could get more. But the fridge is stocked, the pantry is full and delicious meals are in our future. It’s all good.

After TJ Elise and I were dropped off at the trailer while Bobby headed to the nearest Starbuck’s to post. Elise’s stomach was bugging her so she watched a movie while I put away all of our goodies and puttered.

We treated ourselves to a dinner out and filled up at The Olive Garden. I know, I know. I had all this Trader Joe’s food in my trailer — why head out? Elise asked me earlier in the day what I was craving and I told her that I was craving feeling full. Our food supply had been dwindling the last few days so I ate, but never felt full. I wanted to feel full. Olive Garden took care of that nicely.

Elise and I finished off the night by driving down I-15 parallel to The Strip to see the casinos all lit up. Bobby was too comatose from his meal to want to see it, so we dropped him off at the trailer. Elise’s favorite was the pyramid again, this time with a huge beam of light coming out of the top into the night sky.


The support structures for the new bridge over the Colorado River.

This morning’s Mass was brought to you by Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Afterward we headed back to the trailer for lunch before heading to the Hoover Dam. I have heard for a few years now that they are building a bridge near the dam that crosses the Colorado River. Why, I wondered, since there is already a road that goes over the dam. Today I figured out why. The traffic getting to the dam is terrible. Over four and a half miles from the dam, we hit stop and go traffic that crawled for the next 45 minutes until we finally got to the parking garage on the Nevada side.


Looking over the edge of the dam, very carefully.

The Hoover Dam is massive. Let me give you the superlatives first. It is 726.4 feet tall. At the bottom, it is 660 feet thick. At the top — 45 feet thick. Enough concrete was poured to create a four-foot wide sidewalk around the earth at the equator.


Arizona turbines are in the building on the left, Nevada ones on the right.

The dam regulates the Colorado River. I knew that, on the surface. What I didn’t think about was the reason why. Turns out the snowmelt from the mountains would flood farmland every spring, but by late summer there wouldn’t be enough water in the river to take care of the crops. The creation of the dam was the solution and the electricity generated would pay for the cost to build it.



Working on the project was a boon for many who needed jobs during the Depression (construction began in 1931 and ended in 1935). It wasn’t easy, though. You worked an eight-hour shift, seven days a week and had two days off a year: Christmas and Fourth of July. If you were sick for any reason, you were fired. And we complain about only getting two weeks vacation in the U.S. . .


Paintings in the visitor center.

Neat fact I learned: A guy asked our tour guide how many fish get into the pipes. The answer is almost none. Water gets taken in over 400 feet below the surface. The fish don’t live down there because there isn’t enough oxygen for them. They hang out near the surface and so don’t get sucked into the pipes. Smart fish.

One of the most impressive pieces of the dam is the concrete. If the concrete had been poured all at once to make one huge, huge slab it would have taken 125 years for it to cure. Knowing this would slow things up, the engineers came up with another plan. The concrete was poured into interlocking blocks, five-feet thick. Before it was poured, pipes were laid that ran refrigerated water through the concrete to cool it, thus helping it cure faster.


We are over 500 feet underground here, looking at the pipes that carry the water.

We took a tour that showed us the giant pipes the water runs through and the turbines that generate the electricity. There are 17 turbines — 9 on the Arizona side and 8 on the Nevada side. The size of them is hard to describe. What surprised me most is that less than one percent of the electricity generated here goes to Las Vegas. Most goes to southern California. That last bit doesn’t surprise me, but where does Las Vegas get its electricity from?


The turbines on the Nevada side.

After the tour, we walked across the dam. The first thing you notice is the high water mark — and how far below it the water is. You hear lots of people talking about water shortages, but you don’t really think about it (or I don’t) until you see something like this. Makes you think about taking a shorter shower.


Lake Mead. The tower to the left is one of the water intake towers.

Pssst — Ralph! Lots more pictures of the dam and new bridge on our Flickr site!

We will again be out of touch for a few days. Tomorrow (Monday) we are driving to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We will be there until Thursday when we drive a short distance to Kanab, UT to spend two days at the Best Friends Animal Society where we will volunteer with the horses and dogs. I found this place in my Family Fun magazine and Elise is beside herself with glee. She has been huge on horses ever since she visited Dana in West Palm Beach and she is excited to spend the day taking care of them. After Kanab, we will be in Zion for five days. Hopefully there, we will have wi-fi and we can let you know what we have been up to! Have a great week!