Engineering Marvels and Art Deco: A Day at Hoover Dam
As a bunch of engineering school nerds, we couldn’t pass up a trip to one of the human-made marvels of the world. Being an electrical engineer, Josh was especially excited to get a look at the power plant and the massive scale of the hydroelectric systems that help keep this part of the country running.
Into the Concrete Giant
We drove out through Boulder City into the rugged landscape of Boulder Canyon, eventually making our way to the visitor’s center. We started with a short propaganda-filled intro video regaling us with the wondrous virtues of the Bureau of Reclamation, before heading deep into the structure itself.
Our guide led us down to view the truly enormous diversion pipes used to reroute the Colorado River during the dam’s construction. There were four in total, and the scale is hard to fathom: each one can carry enough water to fill an entire Olympic-sized swimming pool in just eight seconds!
Art Meets Industry
Next, we transitioned to the power plant. Seeing the massive generators and the control booth was impressive, as were the specialized cranes designed just to lift the magnetic cores of the generators for maintenance.
Another eye-catcher was the unexpected elegance of the place. The guide pointed out the fancy marble floors – the kind you’d see in a high-end city skyscraper. These weren’t just plain stone; they featured intricate artistic designs mimicking the pottery of the native Americans who lived in this desert over a thousand years ago. To replicate that amount of marble work today would apparently cost over a hundred million dollars.
Inside the Walls
The tour then took us into the ventilation tunnels in the middle of the dam itself. One tunnel ended at a vent facing right out of the dam’s face, giving us a dizzying perspective of the river downstream and the suspension bridge from the inside looking out.
We also got a fascinating look at the joints between the countless concrete blocks that prevent cracking. We learned that because the dam is over 600 feet thick at its base and Nevada is so seismically active, the structure isn’t actually permanently adhered to the canyon walls. Instead, it’s wedged in under its own immense weight, allowing it to vibrate safely during an earthquake.
Goodbye to the Crew
After a quick coffee at the site café, we began the transition to the next leg of our journey. Since Josh had a flight back to Denver, we stopped in historic Boulder City, a town built from scratch just to house the dam workers in the 1930s, to grab some smash burgers at a local brewery.
At this point, it was time to say goodbye to Josh. Monika headed off to the airport while Rose and I made a few pit stops for last-minute supplies. As the sun began to set over the wide, open expanse of the Mojave, we started the long drive west toward our next big destination: Joshua Tree National Park.
