Hoover Dam

Wires everywhere! Taken during our 2012 visit.

Taken during our 2012 visit.

Taken during our 2012 visit.

Taken during our 2012 visit. They had completed the Pat Tilman Memorial Bridge, across the Colorado canyon just below the Dam.

Equipment being delivered or removed has to be slung down the steep canyon sides, in order to be (de)installed. This item was delivered during our visit to the Dam, and appears to be part of the electrical generation equipment. These cable cranes, spanning the entire width of Black Canyon, date from the original construction of the Dam in the 1930's. Taken during our 2012 visit.

How many toes? Taken during our 2012 visit.

Fanciest rest room sign I've ever seen. The Art Deco design of the buildings for Hoover Dam are very impressive. (Of course, these masses of concrete don't just contain a restroom...) Taken during our 2012 visit.

In contrast to the 1950's black and white photo, here is the Dam in 2012, taken during our road trip (eventually) to Alaska. One of the things to notice is the lens failure on the left side. This became more noticeable over time, and the lens I was using had to be thrown in the "don't use" box. Also note the low water behind the dam. The water level continues to be a problem. By the time we took this photo in 2012, there was a highway bridge downstream of the dam. In the 1950's you had to drive over the dam when passing between Arizona and Nevada. Now the road crosses the dam, and stops. You have to turn around. The architecture of the dam itself has been preserved and shows quite an art deco style to it, not visible from here. Image processed with GIMP.

One of my early photos, taken during a family trip to Arizona and Nevada. This was taken with a folding Japanese 2 1/4 film camera, brand unknown. Now that I look at it, seems a long time ago and the view is a long way DOWN. Oh by the way, this was summer and the temperature at Hoover Dam was about 120 F. I recall that some of the (plastic) items in the car actually melted during our visit. Scanned from print and processed with GIMP.