Nevada's Garden City (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)

(I'm documenting our latest trip through several blog posts for my future reference. Feel free to read along, or if you're not interested come back in a few days.)

The second stop on our adventure was Boulder City, Nevada. It's home to Hoover Dam, an engineering marvel on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona which provides water and electricity. The water trapped behind the dam is called Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the United States.

Hubby Tony and I chose a hotel five minutes from the historic district area of the city, but we drove there for shopping and meals. Our hotel was at the top of a hill, and we could see Lake Mead from the parking lot.

After a great night's sleep we drove to the dam for a tour, where our guide had fun sprinkling in "dam" jokes in between the facts.

Wikimedia

Hoover Dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936 in an Art Deco style. I enjoyed seeing the sleek sweeping curves, chevrons, and pyramids. Inside, there were beautiful terrazzo floors and insets that incorporated motifs of the Navajo and Pueblo tribes of the region.

Different sides of the dam, different states

There are a lot of nature areas in the area. The next day Tony and I walked on the Historic Railroad Trail, which was originally the railroad bed used to haul materials for the construction of Hoover Dam. There were five huge tunnels along the trail to accommodate the equipment. (For perspective, the end of this tunnel had a nine-foot tall shipping container placed at the end.)

Our last activity was a ride on the Nevada Southern Railway excursion train. Everything is run by volunteers, and the one in our car was knowledgeable and friendly. After lunch at a cafe recommended by the train volunteer we headed towards our next stop for the next part of our trip.

To be continued...