Hoover Dam

nicensleazy

Has anyone ever visited the Hoover Dam? Quite an amazing structure!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-boNWsi_Wk

Percy Vera

Yeah, was there in 1999 - after a few hands of cards! Impressive!

Were you there recently?

SteppenHerring

I thought you were referring to the song by Sugar. That's impressive too.

mrushton

Yes, it's v.impressive. I went on a tour bus but as a bike ride it might have been more fun. The new bridge that is being built across the canyon should be v.dramatic. However,good as the dam is, it doesn't compare to the Grand Canyon. Amazing what nature can do with water,wind and millions of years

crumbschief

I went over something similar while playing Half Life once,it got a bit hairy.

Ben6899

I went to the Hoover Dam in 2006 (the morning after a Vegas night before with strippers and slot machines, but that's another thread). Fookin mind blowing and I was in my element being a Civil Engineer.

And that new road they're building is on a par!

nolf

crumbschief wrote:

I went over something similar while playing Half Life once,it got a bit hairy.

YES!
There was a huge scary alien in the reservoir.
And soldiers shooting you.
And a helicopter.

Splottboy

Hoover dam? Wasn't it called something else at one time?

Me old man. aunt/uncle/cousins been there and flew down the Grand Canyon too.

You lucky, lucky bastards !!!

Ben6899

Was always called the Hoover Dam.

Did you know hard hats were invented on this project? Baseball caps dipped in bitumen.

crumbschief

nolf wrote:

crumbschief wrote:

I went over something similar while playing Half Life once,it got a bit hairy.

YES!
There was a huge scary alien in the reservoir.
And soldiers shooting you.
And a helicopter.

Yup,good times fella,we made it through.

Splottboy

Nope, I knew I was right...for once, Hoover Dam WAS known as the Boulder Dam.

bikey2009

Never been over the hoover dam, but have seen programmes on the discovery channel about the construction of it. It's a was a massive construction project that cost many lives and many years to complete.

The new bridge seems to be a massive and complicated project as well. It looks like it will be just as impressive as the dam as well as keeping the local traffic off the dam so us tourists can drive over it while enjoying the views

bikey2009

The bit in the video about the water levels in the resesvoir seem to be a worry for Las Vegas. Vegas is the fastest growing city in the USA, the dam provides much of the power for the city, but the water levels are dropping.

Before you get on to me about where I got my info, it was from a documentry on the bbc last month and yes I know they have there own agenda, but I don't :roll:

Ben6899

The concept was known as Boulder Dam, but then it changed location and President Hoover's Secretary of the Interior announced that it would be renamed to honour the President.

The concrete at the heart of the gravity arch wall is still going off!

larfingravy

If you're thinking of going as part of a holiday, let me suggest the following.

If you've got a hire car, drive yourself. It's an easy short drive. Organised trips normally involve some convoluted journey to get there along with a visit to a grim casino or tourist trap shop..

Get there early as traffic can be bad. If you're in Las Vegas leave about 0900 and miss the coach tour crowds. Afterwards take a trip up through Lake Mead national park to the Valley of Fire. Take water and supplies with you as there are very few facilities there and ensure you have enough fuel.

Definitely worth seeing....but get there early would be my overriding advice.

crankycrank

bikey2009 wrote:

The bit in the video about the water levels in the resesvoir seem to be a worry for Las Vegas. Vegas is the fastest growing city in the USA, the dam provides much of the power for the city, but the water levels are dropping.

Before you get on to me about where I got my info, it was from a documentry on the bbc last month and yes I know they have there own agenda, but I don't :roll:

Yup, that is correct about the water supply. Odd how a big city in the middle of the desert would be short of water. We still have plenty of oil flowing in from around the world though so no need to worry about water.

nicensleazy

No I have not been, but would love to visit. Maybe a trip this year! Thanks guys

passout

I went in 1988. It is impressive, mind you the whole landscape is impressive.

greasedscotsman

larfingravy wrote:

If you've got a hire car, drive yourself. It's an easy short drive. Organised trips normally involve some convoluted journey to get there along with a visit to a grim casino or tourist trap shop.

Interesting, I was advised by a friend not to drive as it was quite a long way. But then I was more interested in the Canyon, so maybe that is a bit further. So when I went in '06 I did a helicopter flight instead. Think it worked out at around £300, but then I think the exchange rate was much better then. Well worth it, as far as I'm concerned. Got picked up from the hotel in Vegas, taken to the 'heliport', then flown past the Hoover Dam, landed in the Canyon. Great stuff! Would love to go again...

larfingravy

greasedscotsman wrote:

larfingravy wrote:

If you've got a hire car, drive yourself. It's an easy short drive. Organised trips normally involve some convoluted journey to get there along with a visit to a grim casino or tourist trap shop.

Interesting, I was advised by a friend not to drive as it was quite a long way. But then I was more interested in the Canyon, so maybe that is a bit further. So when I went in '06 I did a helicopter flight instead. Think it worked out at around £300, but then I think the exchange rate was much better then. Well worth it, as far as I'm concerned. Got picked up from the hotel in Vegas, taken to the 'heliport', then flown past the Hoover Dam, landed in the Canyon. Great stuff! Would love to go again...

Sounds a great way to do it

In 2008 I left the LV strip at about 0900 and was there well before 1000. To get to the canyon is a considerable further drive.

passout

Lake Powell is also worth a visit - boat trips available. Flying over the Grand Canyon is amazing. Would love to hike down into it.

Stewie Griffin

crumbschief wrote:

nolf wrote:

crumbschief wrote:

I went over something similar while playing Half Life once,it got a bit hairy.

YES!
There was a huge scary alien in the reservoir.
And soldiers shooting you.
And a helicopter.

Yup,good times fella,we made it through.

Its funny how many people claim to have been there, I remember being up against it pretty much all alone!

guinea

greasedscotsman wrote:

Got picked up from the hotel in Vegas, taken to the 'heliport', then flown past the Hoover Dam, landed in the Canyon. Great stuff! Would love to go again...

+1

Did the same thing.

I also hired a pinarello and went cycling in the desert with a couple of guides from http://mcghies.com/articles/mcghies-las-vegas-pg294.htm

Top days indeed.

My random Hoover Dam fact is that there's so much concrete in it that they reckon the stuff in the middle hasn't set yet.

cedar404

SteppenHerring wrote:

I thought you were referring to the song by Sugar. That's impressive too.

Damn straight ! Must dig their albums out for a re-listen.

passout

Stewie Griffin wrote:

crumbschief wrote:

nolf wrote:

crumbschief wrote:

I went over something similar while playing Half Life once,it got a bit hairy.

YES!
There was a huge scary alien in the reservoir.
And soldiers shooting you.
And a helicopter.

Yup,good times fella,we made it through.

Its funny how many people claim to have been there, I remember being up against it pretty much all alone!

Alone - really? I went with a bunch of other tourists on a coach and it was really crowded with tour guides, different parties and so on when we arrived. I went in summer, when did you go? Must be great if you have it to yourself.

OffTheBackAdam

I've been to the Aswan Dam!

Ben6899

Newmillerdam, anyone?

Porgy

Splottboy wrote:

Nope, I knew I was right...for once, Hoover Dam WAS known as the Boulder Dam.

it was politics - called Hoover dam during the early stages of the project - changed to boulder dam when Roosevelt became president, later restored to Hoover dam.


I've been to the Burrator dam on Dartmoor.

and one newish one in the Alpajurras in Spain. Didn't find out it's name - it's quite big.

Porgy

passout wrote:

Lake Powell is also worth a visit - boat trips available. Flying over the Grand Canyon is amazing. Would love to hike down into it.

Visited Grand Canyon in 1990 and always meant to go back so I could hike/ horse ride/ whatever transport available into the canyon itself...never got around to it. Of course these days I'd mountain bike it - if allowed.

mercsport

I recall being a wee bit underwhelmed when visiting this site-in passing- in about '88. Can't remember why exactly. Not as big or grand as I'd expected probably.

I was riveted by a tv doc' on the project not too long ago though, and among the many engineering facts about the structure was the chapter about the pouring of the concrete on a biblical scale and that it is still setting (heating) to this day and has to be cooled and monitored all the time. And so on.

Also, as usual, worth a visit to Wiki' : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_dam

Ben6899

mercsport wrote:

... about the pouring of the concrete on a biblical scale and that it is still setting (heating) to this day and has to be cooled and monitored all the time. And so on...

That's right... the conditions at the heart of the arch are ideal for retarding the going off process of concrete. Difficult to believe the concrete there still hasn't 'set' isn't it!?