MOJAVE didn't cool off while we were sleeping! As we hit the road this morning, a bit earlier than usual, we watched the mercury climb into triple digits. We continued east and made our first stop, briefly, for the obligatory photo at the gates to Sin City...
This is as close as we got!
Without dropping so much as a single nickel in a slot machine, we promptly left Las Vegas and headed into the desert to see Hoover Dam. It's not that we object to gambling, but we have a 12-year-old and a busy agenda!
On the approach to the Dam, we snapped the diminishing Lake Mead, then the thermometer. YIKES! Upon reaching the Dam, Paul and I made the hike to the bridge walkway that overlooks the Dam for yet another photo op...
The incredible shrinking Lake Meade
Paul at dead-center of the bridge walkway overlooking the Dam
The center of the bridge is the scene of the picture of Paul
Mom wasn't up for the hike (by a long shot) but yours truly trudged the entire switchback to the top and across the bridge to center to snap Paul looking at the Dam! I thought I'd die a time or two on the way up, and not without good reason...
The outside temp as we approached the turn-off to the Dam. Pay no attention to the speed read-out. I'm fairly certain it was malfunctioning on account of all that heat and stuff. 😁
After looking at the Dam we made our way back down to the car and drove across the actual Dam, twice, since the exit road was closed! Paul noted that we went from Nevada to Arizona, back to Nevada, and back to Arizona for good when we finally left the Dam area and headed toward the Grand Canyon 4 hours distant.
A couple of interesting shots of the back side of the Dam and the old watermark on Meade!
Back and forth we went, with the state line somewhere in the middle of the Dam! Arizona is in the Mountain time zone, but they don't observe daylight savings, so during the summer, there's no difference.
We had hoped to make the run into the Grand Canyon in time for the sunset and we would have made it except for mother nature's intervention...
A gnarly storm arose in the desert and dumped copious amounts of water on us...
all the while double rainbows put on a brilliant display!
By the time we resumed freeway speed after the storm, it was too late to get to the Canyon before dark. We decided to stop early in Williams and hit the rim in the morning before proceeding to Meteor Crater. It's been a long hot day, but well worth the trip in spite of it all.
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