Penny Thoughts

Day 6…starts in Boulder City and crosses some blessedly flat(ish) land into Death Valley.

First stop of the day: Hoover Dam. I imagined that it would be a quick visit. Get to the bridge for a look at the Dam then the Dam to look at the bridge… all in all something akin to Chevy Chase looking out over the Grand Canyon on his way to Wallyworld.

Oh was I wrong.

The guided tours are covid-cancelled but the visitor center is open and they’ve done a marvelous job of showing you what you would’ve seen. I would like to go back someday when I can get down into the bowels of the building. That would be cool.

As I was about to climb the steps to the bridge overlook I spotted this beauty.

Turns out it was a rental, being used in the filming of a forthcoming YouTube channel video due out for Earth Day 2022 featuring Hoover Dam.

The show is called Pindrop, and I’ll be looking for it this spring!

Hoover Dam was on Dad’s list so here I am. Like every other stop so far, I’ve never been so I had no idea how much there was to see.

So much to read and I appreciate the narrated explanation of this sculpture and all of the elements in the plaza. The bronze angels, the flagpole, the gold ball atop the flagpole, the constellations pattern inlaid on the deck of the entire display, the partnership of states through which the mighty Colorado River flows:

Narrator man spoke of every element and it was fascinating, at least for people that love history and hearing about long dead people who hoped and loved and designed and created and here I am 90 years later enjoying their labors. Narrator man also encouraged the rubbing of the angels’ toes for luck. When in Rome…

It would appear that the angel toes are not the only things that get rubbed…

I especially love the authentic Art Deco style that permeates every aspect of the installation, and that modern updates have continued in the style.

Love the diorama!! Better than anything I ever made in a shoebox the night before it was due!

Spent three hours there, taking in everything; every display, every info graphic panel, every video. In person tours are still closed due to Covid but they did a pretty nice job showing you everything they would show you on a tour. I’d like to come back someday to get down into that machine pump room because it would be awesome to see these things in person.

The colors of the river canyon are just so cool. The mineral deposits left on the canyon walls showing how much of a drought the area continues to suffer, and the minerals still below the water, gleaming in the sunlight.

On the way out I came upon this memorial to a Very Good Boy who clearly lifted the spirits of the workers each day. Although apparently not enough to receive a name. But he got this special on-site grave memorial and that’s really something.

Once again my carefully curated agenda got pushed back and it would be a race against the sun to get to the next destination before dark.

As I pointed northwest out of Boulder City I saw more mountains in the distance and my stomach turned a bit at the thought of those curvy downhills again. Luckily, the road winds around or at least found valleys to wind through.

With about an hour left into Death Valley I find myself on a two-lane road with desert brush on either side and mountains in front and behind me. The sun has dropped low in the sky which has turned pink and tan and blue and orange behind the mountains. The road feels like it stretches out forever as it disappears into the distance but I’m also realizing that the snow I see on the peaks represents the end of my vacation.

The radio is off and I am just trying to drink in this experience. This was the place my dad wanted to come back to and that man loved loved loved to drive. He must have loved this road with its soft rolling hills and gentle curves, this road that looks like it disappears into the mountains, knowing that this beautiful place existed just on the other side. And now I’m going to get to experience that place too.

With 20 miles to go across desert highway in pitch blackness, I eventually lost cell signal and that was a little unsettling. The GPS hung in there though so that was comforting. Cars would pass going the other direction every 10 minutes or so, so that was nice. Needless to say the foot got a little heavier on the pedal until lights turned up in the distance and the cell signal started to return.

I arrived at the Inn at Death Valley and was greeted by a very cute Bellman who took all my stuff to my room. The winds had been kicking up and were forecasted to continue that way through the next day, gusts up to 35 mph. Cold, dark, windy…Not a good time to explore. Will have to wait until tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!