Hoover Dam & Death Valley

Our last day at the canyon we wanted to see Yaki Point which is only accessable by park shuttle. The skies were sometimes overcast and the wind blew very hard, making it cool to stand on a jutting cliff with no natural protection. Even when the sun came out, the wind was very cold. I was glad I decided to change from shorts to jean before leaving the hotel. Although no weather could deter from the magnificent views we enjoyed that day, we cut it short. After three solid days in the sun and wind, hiking along cliffs at 7,000', we were pretty tired. We said good-bye to the Grand Canyon and got a good night’s rest.

The next day we headed for Nevada. Some of you may ask why we didn’t go to the new skywalk that the Hualapia Indians have built. It was really out of our way and they wanted a minimum of $75 per person (with park fees and skywalk tickets) to go out on the glass walkway, but the deal breaker was that no one is allowed to take anything out on the walk. No cameras. We wanted pictures. So - no skywalk.

Next on our list of things to do was Hoover Dam. To those of us born in the last half of the previous century, it's hard to imagine the magnitude of a project like Boulder Dam (name changed in 1940 to honor the president who pushed the project through congress). These people rerouted the Colorado River (then put it back), they cut miles of massive tunnels through solid rock, poured the largest amount of concrete to that date, worked every day for 4 years (only Christmas and July 4th off) and finished ahead of schedule. This is an amazing story I became interested in after reading Phyllis Barber's "And the Desert Shall Blossom" (Phyllis was one of my instructors when I was at Vermont College.) The book is based on the lives of her grandparents and is truly a tale of American heroism and ingenuity. Seeing the dam and the surrounding countryside, understanding what those people did and under what conditions is quite an experience. Don't miss it if you get an opportunity to visit.

That night we stayed in Beatty, Nevada - a hub of activity if you're a horny-toad. Although we didn't stay at the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino, we did enjoy their restaurant and games of chance. The next day. . .

Death Valley. That pretty much says it all. One doesn't need to ask how this place got it's name. It is 282' below sea level. Badwater, located within Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest point in North America. (Surprisingly, the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, is just 76 miles (123 km) west of Death Valley.) The valley radiates extreme amounts of heat, creating temperatures that are among the hottest on earth. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 °F (56.7 °C) at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. The highest average high temperature in July is 116 °F (47 °C) with temperatures of 122 °F (50 °C) or higher being very common. The valley receives less than 2 in (50 mm) of rain annually. The Amargosa River and Furnace Creek flow through the valley, disappearing into the sands of the valley floor.

Twenty mule teams were teams of eighteen mules and two horses attached to large wagons that ferried borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1889. They traveled from mines to the nearest railroad spur, 165 miles (275 km) away in Mojave, California.

Can you tell I've been pulling info off the Internet?  Is that cheating? I hope not because I think this is interesting stuff. Let me know what you think.

love to all,

pdb