Where In The World Is Sum1?

Vegas Baby! Vegas!

Date: Week of January 4^th

Locale:  Las Vegas, Nv

         My journey this week found me flying to Las Vegas, Nevada.  I think most everyone in the States know of Vegas, the gambling center of the universe according to some I'm sure.  For me, it was 'just another town' to visit for business.  This is not meant to be a 'put-down' for the city, it's just that Vegas and its gambling & fantastic shows holds no real draw for me.  It's just me, I know.  I have several friends who visit there regularly, and either spend quite a bit of time in the Casino's, or seeing the wide variety of shows.  It's just not something I do.  There was a draw for me though, of a different type.


         I looked at Google maps, and realized that Hoover Dam would be only 15 miles from my hotel!  Now there's something I can get in to!  When I arrived on Tuesday, I immediately drove the short distance to visit the dam.  This would be my only chance, since I would be teaching class all day Wednesday and Thursday, and flying home early Friday.  The dam was everything I expected, and then some.  It is difficult to snap a good photo of the dam, since most viewpoints are too close to allow a decent view.  I could have driven a bit to find a lookout I'm sure, but I was short on time, and had a self imposed agenda to adhere to.  I arrived at the Dam around 1:30, and purchased tickets for a tour of the dam, and powerplant.  The Dam was built to control the flooding of the Colorado river, as well as provide hydroelectric power for the region.  The powerplant was something I was really interested in, but knew I'd see very little of it.  My Navy background is Power Generation and Distribution, hence my interest.  I found the whole tour interesting, especially the details about how the Dam was built.  Some of you may not know this, but when you pour cement, it heats during the drying process.  I believe the tour guide said that if artificial cooling had not been provided, it would have taken over one hundred years for the cement to cool enough, and set properly.  They installed over 600 miles of piping in the concrete as they poured it, cooling it far faster than most thought possible.  This is the kind of stuff I found fascinating.  I know, I'm a geek.    It was very interesting what they did to check for movement of the concrete pieces that make up the dam.    For more information on the Hoover Dam construction, click here.

http://www.history.com/topics/hoover-dam

I did snap some photo's of the dam itself, but none show the complete dam.  Here is one taken while standing on the sidewalk that crosses the dam, at about the center of it.

Historic/Interesting Places Visited:

         Hoover Dam    https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

         I teach class this week in Chicago, but will work from home in Central Illinois next week.  I have two weeks working up here as a student before flying to Plantation Florida for my next class.  It's winter here, y'all stay warm, take care of yourselves, and be careful driving and getting around in the snow.  Til next time....