Hoover Dam and Mel’s Diner

Yesterday we met up with friends, Jeri and Terry and Steve and Carol and went out to Hoover Dam.  In all the times I’ve been to Vegas I’d never been out to see Hoover Dam. It was amazing. Hoover Dam was built in the 1930’s and was the largest government work program during the depression.  The dam was finished in 1935 and first started to generate electricity in 1936.  Today there are 9 generators on the Nevada side and 8 on the Arizona side. 

It’s so large I couldn’t get it into one picture.
These generators provide electricity for Nevada, Arizona and California. 
It’s one of the largest hydroelectric power facility in the US.


Lake Mead is the reservoir formed by the dam. 
As you can see from the water lines, the lake is very low.  While talking to guide during the tour we took, they are beginning to worry.  Snow melt in Colorado and Wyoming is what feeds the river so it should be good this year but they need several years to totally fill the lake.  In all the years, only once have they had to release water over the spillway. This water helps provide irrigation for crops in California, Nevada and Arizona.


Now they have a new marvel at the Hoover Dam. Highway 93 runs across the dam and to get to Arizona you had to cross the dam.  However, its only a 2 lane road and it sometimes took several hours to get across.  They now have a bridge that crosses the river.  It’s a longggg way down!!!


After spending several hours touring the dam, we were hungry.  We went back into Boulder City to Mel’s Diner.  Ed always gets a kick out of this since the actress who played Alice was named Linda Lavin.  It’s a very small little diner and we were lucky to get in because they closed at 3pm.  Only open for breakfast and lunch.  Food was very good and the company even better.



Group picture at the Lake Mead Overlook.