Hoover Dam

[CarolineWH]

What I write here I wrote three years ago....It really fits in with what this site is all about...

This is a story of life. This is a story of what has happened in my lifetime. This is a sad story but one that must be told.

Twenty two years ago we went to Las Vegas for our first time in my life. It was a new adventure. During our stay there I discovered many things. Many I have retained and some sad as this one is a stirring memory. We stayed at the Hilton over near the Convention Center. This sucked as it was not on the Strip. This was to be the only time we ever stayed off the Strip. Only thing nice about it was our room that overlooked some stu*id golf course where professionals played some tournaments. For some reason my husband loved to look down on a golf course where professional had walked. There from our high whatever floor room it was, I swear he could see their footprints in the grass. This gave him a charge...Now I give him the charge..But seeing he let me gamble all I wanted, I told him I, too, could see the footprints on the grass... Now that is love...

On one of the day's that we were there we drove up to see Hoover Dam. I had heard about it and did want to see what it looked like. I was thrilled and so impressed by the beauty of what I saw. It was just so very beautiful with the glistening blue water and motor boats going around in the Lake Mead area leaving their trail of waves. Coming out of the mountains it just was a picture to behold. To see those people boating down on Lake Mead was like out of a painting. I loved it. When we finally had turned many corners on a narrow road there in front of us was the giant Hoover Dam in all it's glory.. We parked close and were able to walk down to the Dam and take a tour. My husband has a friend who worked at the Dam and was able to get a special pass to go through the working of this big structure. Because of his occupation he had a great interest in this. I figured I could wait for him to do this as one of the corporal works of mercy in my life...This way it would be easy for me to roam free all night and gamble until my heart was content. And I did. I knew I was going to enjoy the tours like a giant hole in the head but I endured. After our "people" tour he called on some telephone talking with personnel..They sent a man to take him in the basement of the Hoover Dam where only certain people are allowed and they would show him all the wonderful things about this Dam. I understand this was a great privilege but one that I did not want. He quickly informed me I was not invited so not to worry. Like I was going to cry.. So we walked up to the refreshment stand which would be my place to wait for him. There he left me...I was in heaven.

At the Upper most part of the dam there was a parking lot for personnel..Next to this was a great little tourist eating place with benches outside to look at the Upper Lake Mead. Here you can see people fishing.. I could look down at the water that was so clear that I could see the large fish and see all the way to the bottom of the Lake. I could see the large fish outside the inlets or outlets whatever they are, staying away from the lines of the fishermen in the boat in front of me...They were only allowed to come so close.. There I sat for a good two hours as my precious other half was with the top dogs at Hoover Dam and was getting his own private tour of the bowels of Hoover Dam. Lord they even gave him his own Hoover Hat. Now I am sure to some other person who enjoys looking at the bowels and pipes of the Hoover Dam this would be interesting...Not me...Seeing I was not invited I planned to enjoy myself in peace and quiet. You can believe I sure did not scream and kick about that. No temper tantrums, no pouting, just honey I will be lonely and hurry back. He went off and was gone for close to two hours..During that time I had my pop, popcorn and whatever I wanted to eat and besides that I had my bathroom... What more could a woman want. Seeing I smoked then I even lit up a few..Actually quite a few... Oh, those were the days. Privacy, serenity, time to think and enjoy the wonder of this beautiful place. After he returned we left to go back to the reason I had come to Las Vegas...Gambling time!!! I could and would stay up all night. But alas, these are my days of the past.....

Two years ago this July or August we had purchased a new SUV or whatever they are called...It was my smart idea to test it in the mountains and drive out to Las Vegas. Now I knew it did not need testing and I just wanted to go back to Las Vegas....He probably did too... We drove out with reservations waiting for us at the Venetian. They surprised us with a suite two floors from the top..I asked them when we got there if they could upgrade us. That was beautiful and wonderful... On driving out it was so hot that we could not believe it. In the mountains of Colorado it was 103 and so warm. On arriving at Mesquite to gas up and get more ice, the temperature had reached it's highest. Even our new air conditioner on the car gave us problems. We arrived at the gas station and I got out of car and just about fell on my face. The heat was unbearable. It was 117 degrees..When we finally arrived in town the only thing you wanted to do was stay inside. One day it rained and the rain never got us wet. It would dry on us as it came down. I have never seen this happen before. We had decided on the way out to go up to Hoover Dam for the first time in many years if we found time. We had driven by it only one time when we took the Southern route home rather than go through Grand Junction. We arrived there and were shocked. First the additional security from 9/11 was in place, and traffic was very slow just getting there. I was so confused when we were in the hills coming down as I could not see the blue bubbling lake in the distance but figured it was a different direction. Finally with a lot of turning we arrived there. I could not find our little tourist restaurant as that was not there. Instead was a big parking stall building. We continued on around the Dam and near the middle there was a pull off where we pulled off at my insistence to find a place. My husband believes in only following the car in front and never to waver. I do not believe God made me to walk 4 miles back to see something so he did what he was told. That was smart of him. He knew it was hot to start with and do not ever mess with Mother Nature (me). We parked and got out of the car. Pretty soon about 12 other people parked too. We had made a parking lot. Should not have been but as far as I was concerned it was great. We got out of the car and I received the biggest shock of my life. Where was my Lake Mead? Where were the fish and the boaters and the fishermen? Why were the water intakes showing? What was happening? It was as if I was on the moon. Barren, low water. Terrible. I was to find my looking at the rim that in the last 8 years it was down a good 80 ft. It is not my Hoover Dam anymore. It is a mess. Where had all the water gone? Now I read on the net that this January it should go up 10 ft. but by the end of the year it will have lost another 12 and one half feet. I never would have believed this had I not saw it. We talked to people about what had happened as we drew a crowd and explained what had happened and where it should be. The average person thinks it is just great. It is a sad situation. All this for what. Everybody takes the water. We must keep the fountains going in Las Vegas plus everyone taking their share. Sadly in Grand Junction, Colorado we saw people watering useless straw just to use their amount they were allowed. Yet we went to a McDonald's in town and the manager charged us for a glass of water. He said he had to charge us for the cup..Go figure... This is the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen that has happened in my lifetime. It was like I was visiting another time and another place.

If this is progress, we are in big trouble.................................

[NW Admin]

Yes, that is happening everywhere unfortunately. We are slowly running out of water. A lot of people just overlook it, don't care or don't want to admit it. I see that at the lakes here in Ohio too. You can see where the water line used to be and now it is much lower.

I have also been to lake Mead when I was very young. Now that you mention this, I am curious to see it. I am not surprised at all to hear you say that though.

Water consumption and evaporation is a big problem and growing fast. We need to be making more water somehow. A day will come when water is rationed if we are not careful. Everything will dry up here and Antarctica will become the lush place with lots of vegetation and water. No more ice burgs, everything will be melted. People will have to migrate in that direction. Then that too will dry up and if we haven't done something by then, the human race will be screwed.