Hoover Dam

Took a detour on the long drive back to Los Angeles to visit Hoover Dam, which dammed the Colorado River at Black Canyon to create Lake Mead.

Overview of Hoover Dam complex from Arizona side

View of Hoover Dam from Arizona side

 Hoover Dam and new road bridge over Black Canyon

View of Lake Mead from Nevada side

Finally made it back to California

for the drive into the maze of freeways in Los Angeles to drop off the car and walk to Hilton Hotel, fortuitously only 400m down the road from the car rental return location.

So the trip was:

• 7 days
• 2600 miles, of which I drove 2296 miles = 3695 km
• 6 states (OK, 5 really...if you don't count Colorado - see posting for Monument Valley on 5 October)
• 4 new states (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico) making 29 for lifetime list
• 3 National Parks, 1 National Monument, 1 National Preserve and 1 Tribal Park
• 14 state border crossings
• some amazing weather and a lot of red rock!

but plenty saved for another time.

Highlights? Where do I start? The Grand Canyon is certainly awe inspiring, Bryce Canyon is astonishing and Zion Canyon beautiful - that's why they are National Parks - but for the best overall experience, the wide open grandeur combined with the ability to get close to the landscape and the Navajo people made Monument Valley my favourite.