All members are encouraged to share pictures + stories from any trips or vacations you take 🙂
October 2026:
Bob Craig (K6AII) – This October, Yvonne and I drove out to Hoover Dam for the guided tour. If you have never been, the dam sits on the Arizona-Nevada border in the Black Canyon off the Colorado River. It’s the tallest concrete arch-gravity dam in the US.
The tour lasted more than an hour and it was worth every minute. Our guides were excellent and we came away knowing far more than we expected to. Construction ran from 1930 to 1936. The dam was built to do several jobs at once; control floods and silt, generate hydroelectric power and supply water for farms and homes across the southwest.
The most striking sight was Lake Mead itself. The water was very low, and the white “bathtub ring” on the canyon walls showed how far it had dropped. Actually in mid-September 2026, the lake stood at about 1,038.5 ft. above sea level and held about 26% of its active capacity, the lowest level in recorded history.
If you haven’t been, I highly recommend the tour. Plan for at least half a day, wear comfortable shoes and bring water. It’s a great trip for anyone who appreciates engineering, history or power generation. And what Ham doesn’t enjoy a visit to a place that makes this much electricity.
