We took a 16 hour bus tour from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. They are building a new bridge over the Hoover due to 9/11, hence this is the last year for actually driving over the Dam itself. The Hoover Dam was constructed during the depths of the Great Depression in only 4 years (1931-35). It is 736 feet tall and holds back 2 years of the Colorado River, at 45,000 pounds/sq.foot....pretty impressive! It got built 2 years ahead of schedule and under budget.....I guess having no computers must have helped.
The Grand Canyon is really spectacular, it is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and is the most visited one. Interestingly, it has mistletoe trees near by. We saw an IMAX film on the Canyon and stopped at several look out points. Some brave folks rode mules down the narrow trail to the river. The mules are much better at tight switch backs then we are with our bikes, in fact they are referred to as the "long eared taxis" (see picture of them on a path in the distance). Personally I could never ride one down those narrow paths on the side of the canyon, an activity that even Roosevelt took part in. On a more sad note, there are many deaths at the canyon....people of all ages from 4 to 70 taking unplanned dives. There is a lack of perspective looking into the abyss and when people are off the beaten track (so stupid!!), they can get dizzy or loose footing etc. and have no bearings to get reoriented.
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