{"id":1987,"date":"2018-04-26T18:04:12","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T18:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/?p=1987"},"modified":"2018-05-04T18:04:38","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T18:04:38","slug":"hoover-dam-and-lake-mead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/26\/hoover-dam-and-lake-mead\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoover Dam and Lake Mead"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the awesome week of camping, we headed to Hoover Dam. We stayed in a little RV resort in Boulder City that wasn\u2019t worth talking about too much except for the price. It wasn\u2019t cheap, but it was close to where we wanted to be.<\/p>\n

The next day we drove to the Dam. Scott and I giggled that we had been to Vegas so many times but never bothered to go to the Hoover Dam for a tour. (I had once taken a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon from Vegas that included a flyover of the dam, but that was as close as either of us had gotten.)<\/p>\n

\"\"

The backside of the dam.<\/p><\/div>\n

First we stopped in at Lake Mead. Thanks to the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead is the largest man made lake in the country. It was beautiful. The Lake and the Dam are part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Again, the kids were able to do a junior ranger badge (although this particular one was so easy that it shouldn\u2019t actually be worth a badge).<\/p>\n

\"\"

It\u2019s a pretty lake that is 150 feet below where it was even ten years ago.<\/p><\/div>\n

After the sights there, we drove the short distance to the Hoover Dam. We were all surprised at how much bigger it is than any of us expected even though we had all seen countless pictures of it in books and movies.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It was too large to get in the frame.<\/p><\/div>\n

The tour took us down into the dam to about 50 floors underground. Learning that the builders worked 24 hours per day for almost two years really brought home the amount of labor it took to create such a structure. They were dumping 16 tons of concrete about every 80 seconds. Because of the heat, they had to cool the concrete in order for it to set. To do that, they ran cooling tubes of ice cold water all over the blocks as they laid them in order to speed the setting process and speed up the work.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The tunnels so far down seemed spooky. Understanding they were made more than 80 years ago made them impressive.<\/p><\/div>\n

After we were taught about the creation of the dam, we then were able to see the giant turbines that generate the electricity from the water flow. The tour was an incredible learning process for all of us.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Huge turbines convert the energy from the rushing water into electricity.<\/p><\/div>\n

All in all, the dam stop was well worth it. Boulder City had an outstanding barbecue restaurant that we all enjoyed. Perhaps the most impressive part was that we were so close to Las Vegas, and Scott didn\u2019t even make a single bet. He reported that his hands were sweating the whole time, but I\u2019m not sure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After the awesome week of camping, we headed to Hoover Dam. We stayed in a little RV resort in Boulder City that wasn\u2019t worth talking about too much except for the price. It wasn\u2019t cheap, but it was close to where we wanted to be. The next day we drove to the Dam. Scott and…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[120,121,122,49,119,24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boulder-city","8":"category-hoover-dam","9":"category-lake-mead-national-recreation-area","10":"category-micha","11":"category-nevada","12":"category-united-states","13":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/8B9DDD69-B4EF-434E-B3E2-27DA6B3A79B0.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1536","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8k10v-w3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1589,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/30\/laguna-de-apoyo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":0},"title":"Laguna de Apoyo","author":"Micha Hooper","date":"September 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"After a week in Granada, we drove to Lake Apoyo to spend about five days. \"Laguna de Apoyo\" is a crater lake that is over 575 feet deep. It has six endemic species of fish (cichlids), and because of the minerals of the volcano, is believed to have healing powers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Central America"","block_context":{"text":"Central America","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/central-america\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/P9280144.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/P9280144.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/P9280144.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/P9280144.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/P9280144.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1768,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/13\/the-maiden-voyage\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":1},"title":"The Maiden Voyage","author":"Micha Hooper","date":"January 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Finally! We were able to give the new fifth wheel a trial run! Because it coincided with Keali\u2019s birthday, the kids each invited a friend to go with us, and we hit the road. Destination: Lake Somerville. For those who didn\u2019t know, we used to have a ranch that overlooked\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lake Somerville"","block_context":{"text":"Lake Somerville","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/united-states\/texas\/lake-somerville\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/7099FE21-F875-426F-83A2-D18935498F82.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/7099FE21-F875-426F-83A2-D18935498F82.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/7099FE21-F875-426F-83A2-D18935498F82.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/7099FE21-F875-426F-83A2-D18935498F82.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/7099FE21-F875-426F-83A2-D18935498F82.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2199,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/11\/camping-near-crater-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":2},"title":"Camping Near Crater Lake","author":"Micha Hooper","date":"June 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The family trip took us from Redwoods to Crater Lake. It was our first trip into Oregon. As we pulled into Umpqua National Forest, we stopped at the forest ranger station. Because we were after the snow but before the off-road trails opened for the summer, we were told by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crater Lake National Park"","block_context":{"text":"Crater Lake National Park","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/united-states\/oregon\/crater-lake-national-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D20512CF-D2AC-41CF-B1C3-D52FE7DA5D92.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D20512CF-D2AC-41CF-B1C3-D52FE7DA5D92.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D20512CF-D2AC-41CF-B1C3-D52FE7DA5D92.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D20512CF-D2AC-41CF-B1C3-D52FE7DA5D92.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D20512CF-D2AC-41CF-B1C3-D52FE7DA5D92.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1680,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/16\/cleveland-ohio-for-a-visit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":3},"title":"Cleveland, Ohio for a Visit","author":"Micha Hooper","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We were chased out of Nicaragua with a week and a half to kill before our next scheduled destination. Because a friend had raved about Ohio (and we had only been when Scott was there for a month long trial), we decided to check out Cleveland. We landed and walked\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cleveland"","block_context":{"text":"Cleveland","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/united-states\/ohio\/cleveland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/78E91B8E-58BD-4180-8444-1055B0358ABD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/78E91B8E-58BD-4180-8444-1055B0358ABD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/78E91B8E-58BD-4180-8444-1055B0358ABD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/78E91B8E-58BD-4180-8444-1055B0358ABD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/78E91B8E-58BD-4180-8444-1055B0358ABD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":501,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/28\/saigon-zoo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":4},"title":"Saigon Zoo","author":"Keali Hooper","date":"February 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I would not recommend this zoo, and I love zoos.The birds had bigger cages than the monkeys. The cages for all the animals were very small and without grass. The monkeys could barely climb, and they definitely did not have enough space to run. There were a bunch of birds,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Keali's Kritters"","block_context":{"text":"Keali's Kritters","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/blogs\/kealis-kritters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/fullsizeoutput_4e2c-300x285.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2224,"url":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/18\/wining-it-through-oregon\/","url_meta":{"origin":1987,"position":5},"title":"Wining It Through Oregon","author":"Micha Hooper","date":"June 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We left Crater Lake largely because it was so cold. But we were also eager to get to Corvallis, Oregon to see my sister-cousin and her girlfriend, Katy and Christy respectively. Corvallis is a ridiculously cute little town of about 50,000 with the state\u2019s largest university, Oregon State University, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Corvallis"","block_context":{"text":"Corvallis","link":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/category\/united-states\/oregon\/corvallis\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/00E078C1-1569-45A0-B6FB-18251A5389F0.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/00E078C1-1569-45A0-B6FB-18251A5389F0.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/00E078C1-1569-45A0-B6FB-18251A5389F0.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/00E078C1-1569-45A0-B6FB-18251A5389F0.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1987"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1996,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1987\/revisions\/1996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/passportsnothallpasses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}