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New Rt. 93 Bridge
overlooking Hoover Dam |
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| Hoover Dam from the Rt. 93 bridge |
Today was long. We had planned to stay in Vegas for 3 nights, but were just so disappointed with it here, we decided to take off for New Orleans. Of course this requires 1,750 miles of driving! So, we fired up our little car (poor thing), which we've decided looks like a skunk and have hence been calling Pepe, and headed east.
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| Rt. 93 Bridge Pedestrian Way |
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| Hoover Dam's art deco motif |
Hoover Dam was our only major excursion today, but was well worth the time spent. In recent years, Nevada completed a new bridge for Rt. 93 that diverts non-dam-going traffic in order to relieve traffic congestion on the dam. They included a pedestrian way so that visitors can walk out onto the bridge and look DOWN on Hoover Dam, ugh. Swallow hard, hold your breath and don't look down! The dam itself is actually quite beautiful, built with an art deco motif. It is very impressive and shouldn't be missed if you're ever in this neck of the world.
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| Colorado River canyon |
After leaving the dam, we followed the Colorado River downstream along the tapering canyon it formed. While not officially part of what is referred to as the Grand Canyon, you can still appreciate the river's power and grand effects on the landscape here.
Along the way, we hit a stretch of Rt. 66 where we stopped for lunch. That may be a future trip all on it's own, but for today, Phoenix was the next major dot on the map. We've never driven on a road that is still being built. Rt. 303 is actually more of an interstate, being a 6-lane divided, limited access highway. They routed us (i.e. traffic) along it for while and then they'd route you down the exit ramp, across the cross road, and back up the entrance ramp...because there was no bridge built over the cross road yet. At times, there was no oncoming traffic because their side hadn't yet been built. It was a very interesting 15 mile stretch.
We passed a dust storm coming into Tucson on I-10, our route of choice for this leg of the trip. We were able to secure another cheap room ($50
Radisson Suites Hotel) since camping would have meant snakes, sand, dust storms and hot heat (vs. the less hot kind). We decided it was about time to get some more real Mexican food and did just that at a comfy place called La Parrilla Suiza just near the hotel. Dad, we did look up your favorite place here, La Fuente, but unfortunately it was sold to some people who aren't living up to the reputation it's original owners built.
Good night!
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| Dust storm |
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| La Parrilla Suiza |
We passed a dust storm coming into Tucson on I-10, our route of choice for this leg of the trip. We were able to secure another cheap room ($50 
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