Claire L
<font color=blue>Enjoys a good broadway show<br><f
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2002
- Messages
- 10,782
Monday July 3rd 2006
We woke around 7.30am and slowly got up with a cup of tea and some cereal. By 9.15am we were packed and ready to go. After packing the car and settling up we quickly took a look in the Hopi House right opposite the El Tovar, it had some lovely pottery but much too delicate to get home. So we were off on the open road again! As we left the Grand Canyon we stopped for one quick picture.
We had to stop for fuel in Tusayan and as we hadnt had brekkie we popped into the McDonalds which was next door for a Sausage and Egg McMuffin with hash brown
Feeling suitably fuelled up it was then time to cover about 150 miles we had already driven only 3 days ago, until we got to the 93 to head north to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam. As we approached the 93 huge signs warned of long delays and to take alternative route through Laughlin and up the 95 but we ignored this as we wanted to see the Hoover Dam. Again the roads we straight and to be honest there was little to no traffic so we were a bit confused about the warnings!
Anyway we kept going and going and suddenly we were nearly at the Hoover Dam, with not a queue in sight. We then had a quick stop at the security checkpoint, we had to wind down the rear windows so that the Official could see there was the two of us, we were off. It was clear that the new road was going in, slowly and it wasnt due to be completed for a few years yet. At present no goods vehicles are allowed across the Hoover Dam only private motor cars and tour buses so having a new bridge is likely to save a lot of time for truckers travelling west through Arizona for Las Vegas.
As we went over the brow of the hill we then saw the Hoover Dam in front of us and the road winding down towards it. We stopped briefly at a parking area to take in the view from above.
It was then time to drive across the bridge and as we did I took pictures of the two water towers showing the time in Arizona and Nevada, as Arizona generally doesnt observe Daylight Saving Time in winter they would be one hour ahead of Nevada but being as it was summer they were the same.
I must say that the Hoover Dam has changed since I lat visited in 1995 and the car park I remember on the Nevada side is now for employees of the Dam only and visitor parking is in a huge multi storey car park built into the hillside! It was now lunchtime and we stopped and parked and had a wander over the Dam, looking at how huge it was and imagining the engineering feat that it must have been to construct some 70 years ago. There is also a little plaque showing the stateline which is quite interesting as it is the dead centre of the Dam!
Lake Mead which feeds the Dam was looking very very low and the mark on the side of the cliffs showed how full it usually is.
Wow was it hot walking along the Dam but considering it is so enclosed from any breeze and is full of rock I guess that is no surprise. It was amazing to see how tall the Dam actually was and all the buildings at the bottom.
It was then time to head off to Las Vegas. As we left we then found out what they meant by long delays but it was for people going from Nevada to Arizona and the queue must have been 5 miles long at least! It was nice then to see the Nevada sign and know that we were nearly at our final stop.
We woke around 7.30am and slowly got up with a cup of tea and some cereal. By 9.15am we were packed and ready to go. After packing the car and settling up we quickly took a look in the Hopi House right opposite the El Tovar, it had some lovely pottery but much too delicate to get home. So we were off on the open road again! As we left the Grand Canyon we stopped for one quick picture.
We had to stop for fuel in Tusayan and as we hadnt had brekkie we popped into the McDonalds which was next door for a Sausage and Egg McMuffin with hash brown
Feeling suitably fuelled up it was then time to cover about 150 miles we had already driven only 3 days ago, until we got to the 93 to head north to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam. As we approached the 93 huge signs warned of long delays and to take alternative route through Laughlin and up the 95 but we ignored this as we wanted to see the Hoover Dam. Again the roads we straight and to be honest there was little to no traffic so we were a bit confused about the warnings!
Anyway we kept going and going and suddenly we were nearly at the Hoover Dam, with not a queue in sight. We then had a quick stop at the security checkpoint, we had to wind down the rear windows so that the Official could see there was the two of us, we were off. It was clear that the new road was going in, slowly and it wasnt due to be completed for a few years yet. At present no goods vehicles are allowed across the Hoover Dam only private motor cars and tour buses so having a new bridge is likely to save a lot of time for truckers travelling west through Arizona for Las Vegas.
As we went over the brow of the hill we then saw the Hoover Dam in front of us and the road winding down towards it. We stopped briefly at a parking area to take in the view from above.
It was then time to drive across the bridge and as we did I took pictures of the two water towers showing the time in Arizona and Nevada, as Arizona generally doesnt observe Daylight Saving Time in winter they would be one hour ahead of Nevada but being as it was summer they were the same.
I must say that the Hoover Dam has changed since I lat visited in 1995 and the car park I remember on the Nevada side is now for employees of the Dam only and visitor parking is in a huge multi storey car park built into the hillside! It was now lunchtime and we stopped and parked and had a wander over the Dam, looking at how huge it was and imagining the engineering feat that it must have been to construct some 70 years ago. There is also a little plaque showing the stateline which is quite interesting as it is the dead centre of the Dam!
Lake Mead which feeds the Dam was looking very very low and the mark on the side of the cliffs showed how full it usually is.
Wow was it hot walking along the Dam but considering it is so enclosed from any breeze and is full of rock I guess that is no surprise. It was amazing to see how tall the Dam actually was and all the buildings at the bottom.
It was then time to head off to Las Vegas. As we left we then found out what they meant by long delays but it was for people going from Nevada to Arizona and the queue must have been 5 miles long at least! It was nice then to see the Nevada sign and know that we were nearly at our final stop.
As we went towards the lobby we could see huge queues at the checkin desks but as I ahd booked through Virgin Holidays we were able to use the preferred guest checkin desks 
As it was still mid afternoon there were no non-smoking rooms ready but we were assured all rooms were thoroughly cleaned and if we didn’t like the room it could be changed so we accepted the room as went up to it. It was on the 20th floor and first impressions were WOW! The room looked and smelt fine so we arranged for the luggage to be brought up. 
But the view from the room was fab, very very impressive 
