On our way from Zion to Las Vegas, I forced Jeni to take a detour to see Hoover Dam, which is about 25 miles outside of Las Vegas.

Just as Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell, Hoover Dam created Lake Mead. Both are on the Colorado River, and while the Glen Canyon is hated by environmentalists, Hoover Dam doesn’t seem to get such bad press. Perhaps, it is the fact that is Art Deco. Good architecture goes a long way.

We paid our $10 for parking and took a quick walk along the top of the dam. Worth the excursion.

Hoover Dam stats:

• It took 5 years to build the dam, completed May 29, 1935
• It is 726.4 feet tall from foundation rock to the roadway on the crest of the dam
• It weighs more than 6,600,000 tons
• Maximum water pressure at the base of the dam is 45,000 pounds per square foot