Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Boulder Beach Fun

We were at Boulder Beach for 8 days, plenty of time to have lots of fun. One morning the swimming portion of the Pumpkin Man Triathlon took place right next to our campground. It was actually 3 different lengths of triathlons, going on at the same time -- Half Iron Man, Olympic, and Sprint. The swimmers took off in waves, organized by age and the length they were doing.


Once in the water, they looked like schools of fish thrashing around.


After the swim, they raced out of the water and up the ramp --


To try to find their bicycle among the thousands there.


One odd thing about the area is that Boulder City is home to a flock of wild big horn sheep. They congregate in the city park, right next to an active baseball diamond, seemingly oblivious to the people noise.


Right near our campground was the Historic Railroad Trail, which followed an old railroad bed, built in the 1930s to carry materials and equipment used in the construction of Hoover Dam.


There are 5 tunnels leading to the dam. The last train trip was in 1961, and the tracks were dismantled shortly thereafter.


There were lots of great views of Lake Mead along the way.


Hoover Dam was completed in 1935, providing flood control, irrigation, drinking water, and power to communities in the desert Southwest.


I love the Art Deco look to it, especially these intake towers.


A major highway crosses the Colorado River right across the dam, necessitating vehicle inspections and limitations on who can cross. In order to eliminate this major bottleneck, a new bridge/bypass is being constructed. They are starting construction from each side and hope to meet in the middle.


Here you can see the beginnings of a huge arch.


When finished, the bridge will look like this.

2 comments:

  1. That bridge seems to be taking a long time.

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  2. WOW!! Al those men running around in tights and other skimpy things. :-)

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