We had one more stop after Moab and that was in Boulder City, Nevada. I had considered stopping in Vegas for a few nights but the cost just didn’t make sense. So we muddled through rush hour traffic (later realizing the Consumer Electronics Show was there that weekend) and stopped about 45 minutes later at a classic old time casino hotel, the Hoover Dam Lodge. Dinner was very affordable. A glass of wine cost $2.50. We each played and lost $5 in the nickel poker machines.
This was the view from the parking lot/dog area beside the hotel. You can see Lake Mead, a reservoir formed by Hoover Dam. The lake provides water to people in Arizona, California, and Nevada but it has been below full capacity since 1983 due to increased demand and drought.
If water levels continue to drop, Hoover Dam would cease generating electricity at a certain point. In order to ensure that Las Vegas will continue to be able to draw its drinking water from Lake Mead, nearly $1.5 billion was spent on building a new water intake tunnel in the middle of the lake. But with the booming population in this area, it remains to be seen how long this is sustainable.
Though Kismet was not allowed in the casino, she posed for a photo in the lobby.
Next week, the newsletter will finish up our November trip to Savannah. And then in April, look forward to hearing about our time in the Phoenix area as well as the drive home which took us to Austin, Texas; Lake Charles, Louisiana and finally a visit to The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
I love her!!