After 2 nights in Las Vegas we were kind of glad to take a break from the craziness & head for Arizona & the Grand Canyon.
Along the 500km (ish) journey there isn't that much of interest to see. The Hoover Dam is raved about so much by Americans & it was on the way, so we figured it couldn't hurt to take a peak. Unfortunately the weather on the out lap was overcast, windy & cold. We did manage to have a better look on the way back.
To be honest, it wasn't worthy of all the hype. Having said that, you can't actually see the dam wall front on. You be the judge.
More impressive than the dam is the bridge they're building just down stream.
The background is that the shortest path to Northern Arizona from Las Vegas is across the Hoover Dam. Heavy vehicles aren't allowed on the dam & instead have to take a 250km divert to the south to cross the Colorado River & get back onto Hwy 40. So the Yanks thought a bridge would be a good idea.
The problem is the bridge. Its being built way above the Colorado river & quite a way above the dam. Those in the engineering game would recognise that its quite an engineering feat.
Lake Mead
This is the whole point of the Dam. Lake Mead is the result of blocking the Colorado River. It even has a marina & I saw a paddle steamer heading off for a cruise. It's big, but I'm guessing it pales into insignificance against the "Great Lakes".
The locals are as concerned about the lack of water in their dams as much as most of the Australian Capital cities. Check out the tide mark.
Route 66 - Hackberry
Route 66 used to run from Chicago to Las Angeles & was the main connection between the East & West of the USA. Now much of it has been replaced by multi-lane freeways, but some sections are still preserved. We travelled along to section between Kingman & Seligman Arizona. Apparently its the longest section of the original road still in tact.
Again I couldn't see what all the hype was about, but there were a couple of weird little spots stuck in the 50s & 60s. This shot is of a roadside gas station at Hackberry.
Seligman
Here's the Eastern end of Route 66. Seligman is a very weird place. We were there in the off season & the whole place was shut! Not one diner or gas station was open???? Despite that, it was worth taking a few shots.
The Grand Canyon
After the long & fairly boring drive along Route 66 & then North to the Grand Canyon National Park, we finally made it. It was a little before dusk & caught an opportunity to have a bit of a look around before it got dark.
This photo is from Travel View Point just near the South Rim village where we were staying. We were caught a bit by surprise by how cold it was. The snow around the place gave us a bit of an idea, but we hadn't expected the wind to be so nasty. It was a bit of a shock after some quite pleasant weather in Las Vegas the day before and Calgary the week before we left.
