We started another beautiful Las Vegas day by visiting the Las Vegas Temple. This temple is similar in design to Chicago and Dallas. It is really beautiful. It is up on a hill in Las Vegas and overlooks the valley. It was a warm day in Las Vegas but the grounds around the temple have plenty of trees for comfort. We even saw a bride and groom there taking pictures.
After our temple excursion, we decided to take a trip out to Hoover Dam. There is a new observation bridge that was built and it is awesome. Not only does is provide a great place to view Hoover Dam, it lessens the traffic over the dam between Arizona and Nevada. This is a view of Hoover Dam from the bridge.
This is a view of the bridge from the observation deck on Hoover Dam. There is enough concrete in Hoover Dam to build a 3"x 4' sidewalk all the way around the world at the equator! That's a lot of concrete.
Hoover Dam is definitely an operating dam. It provides electricity for a large region but the main purpose is to control the water flow. Prior to Hoover Dam, the locations on the Colorado River were subject to the ebb and flow of the river in order to grow crops. With Hoover Dam, that water flow can be regulated. Since 30% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States are grown in the Imperial Valley of California, it is rather important that the region has a consistent water flow. The reservoir is quite low this year. The tour guide said that they are in the 12th year of drought. He suggested that we all drink beer and wine to conserve water. We decided we should pray for rain.
It was breezy but it was a hot breeze. The temp guage on the car said it was 111 degrees outside. We didn't melt but it sure felt like we were. It was still so worth it!
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