A bridge runs over it

If you are interested in engineering and ever visit the Southwest, I recommend a visit to the Hoover Dam. It is built on the Colorado River which borders Arizona and Nevada and creates Lake Mead. When it was completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It is now the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station. It's really an impressive structure if you consider the undertaking to build it in the 1930s. You don't get to be one of America's seven modern civil engineering wonders without being pretty spectacular. There are tours available that take you into the bowels of the dam and the power plant and the views from the top are amazing.

As spectacular as it is, the Hoover Dam is the bane of automobile travel between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The most direct route, Highway 93, literally takes you over the dam when you cross the border. It involves switchbacks down to the dam and then, depending on the time of day, you'll likely be slowed down by the tourists that are walking across it. Since 9/11, there has also been heightened security so you are slowed down by the check-points.

That's why the Colorado River Bridge is being built over the canyon. When completed, it will be a 2,000 foot long bridge nearly 900-feet above the Colorado River. I imagine it will clip about 30-45 minutes off of an average trip between Vegas and Phoenix. I also suspect it'll get some honorable mention in the "concrete arch bridge" chapter of some civil engineering textbooks too.

Some of our very good friends live in Vegas so we drive out there at least once a year and have watched the project develop over the past 4 years. This last trip we saw some significant progress and took a number of pictures for posterity. In 20 years when our girls are making the trip to Vegas we'll be able to pull out our digital photo album and say things like, "Your dad and I remember the days when you had to drive across the dam, up hill, both ways. And gas was only $2.51 a gallon."

Welcome wagon

We have a new resident at the Desert Doers abode. And he came with his own portable home. No, there isn't an RV parked out front with an extension cord running from the garage. He brought a shell. That's right, we now have an ornate box turtle. A friend of a friend's family had some babies and we decided to take one in.

He's adjusting to his new environment but seems to be settling in well. The girls are very excited about him...decorating the back of his tank with pictures of trees and flowers. They've also been great about washing their hands. We were relieved to see that he'd eaten today. He seems to really like carrots and leafy greens. Tonight he'll be trying out some mushrooms. It's a rough life for any pet around here.

We're thinking he's a boy turtle and are deliberating on the best name. Let us know your favorite.

a. Tex
b. Dash (Emily doesn't seem to appreciate the irony)
c. Soup
d. Sal (short for Salmonella...just kidding, that's not a real choice)

Viva Las Vegas

Last weekend we had a great visit with our friends in Vegas. Whenever we go to visit the Woods, I find myself having conversations leading up to the weekend going something like this,

Others: "So do you have any big plans for the weekend?"
Me: "Definitely. We're visiting our friends in Vegas."
Others: "Vegas? Awesome. That will be a fun time."
Me: "Well, it's not your typical Vegas trip. You see, they live there. In the 'burbs. Just like here."
Others: "Ohhhhhhh."

When you say you are going to Vegas, everyone automatically assumes "The Strip." I would too. It's natural. But usually when we go to Vegas we're visiting our good friends the Woods. They have a 4 year old son. And as you know we have an 8 year old and a (almost) 5 year old. So it's not your typical Vegas trip. But it definitely was a fun time.

As it turned out, we did get down to The Strip. Steve's sister, Susan, flew in from Utah so Debbie volunteered to stay home with the kids while the four of us headed out for the night. Steve decided to check the web to see what bands might be playing. Turned out our favorite local boys, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, were playing at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues. We headed down after dinner, bought some tickets and enjoyed a great show. James and Susan weren't familiar with the band, but after that night I think they became fans. The band played for three hours...so our $33 lasted much longer in the club then it would have out in the casino.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, having Rock Band jam fests that had me laughing so hard, I was crying. We took the kids to a fun neighborhood park with wild slides. We spent Sunday afternoon up at Lee Canyon enjoying the views while lounging in the shade of pine trees. The girls bonded with Misty, the family dog. And we spent plenty of time playing in the pool.

Thanks Woods for a great weekend of non-laboring on Labor Day!

Never Forget

A year ago today we were in the middle of a very heated presidential campaign. My post on that day was a plea for the insults and criticisms to be put on hold long enough to remember what united us on this date in 2001. A year ago I never imagined we could be more divided than we were then. Unfortunately, a year later it seems as though we are.

Anyone over the age of 15 probably has memories from that day eight years ago. I remember watching the morning telecast with my 6 month old baby in my arms wondering how the world she was going to grow up in was going to be changed. That same 6 month old is now a 3rd grader and one of this week's homework assignments was to interview us about that day. What were we doing when we heard the news. How did it make us feel? Our answers were the same as probably most of the other parents. Dumbfounded and numb at first as you were transfixed on the TV...making sense of what you were watching. Then as you heard about the Pentagon...terrified. What would be the next target?? Then the towers fell. And it turned to anger. An anger that brewed from deep inside. An anger that you didn't even know you possessed. That anger turned us all into patriots. The flags were proudly displayed everywhere. We all shared our stories, our fears and our unity. We were proud to be Americans. For months that followed...we were not Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians or Independents. We were Americans. United.

Call me idealistic. Call me a fool. But I continue to pray that we can come through this turmoil and become united again. And that it doesn't take another national tragedy...a tragedy that claimed 2,996 innocent lives (and that's not counting the lives of servicemen and women lost in the war that's followed), to get there.