Day 5: Henderson to Flagstaff, AZ - 343 miles
Today was going to be long, with, unfortunately, mostly freeway miles. But, at least you get to go really fast, so there's that.
First up is a trip back to Hoover Dam to catch the first Powerhouse tour of the day. Got there at about 8:45 - damn, 2nd in line.
Popped back topside, while we waited, for some pictures - no one around. Cool.
The Powerhouse Tour takes you down an elevator about 650 feet, then through a couple tunnels to the powerhouse.
The guts of one of the turbines and the original 1930's terrazzo floors still looking good going on 85 years.
Back on top - the dam is 726 feet tall and 1,244 feet long. 4.4 million yards of concrete. Unbelievable for 1931.
Tillman Bridge and Visitor Center on the right. Powerhouses below.
One of four intake towers for the powerhouse turbines.
These things are massive
The water level is quite low due to years of drought. The picture below shows the highwater line and one of the 2 spillways. The spillways have only been used twice - once to test after completion (it took two years to fill the reservoir), the other during the 1983 floods due to an extremely high Colorado snowpack. The high water line is actually seven feet above the spillway. Normal level is considerably lower, but it's still way, way down from that. Other than 1983, virtually all water passes through the turbines. Vegas needs lights, baby. Lots and lots of lights.
Humans be looking all tiny and such....
The old visitor center has the original complete topographical model of the Colorado watershed. Its quite large (the model). Many of our previous stops can be seen in this portion.
One final shot on the way out. Pat Tillman was an NFL player with the Arizona Cardinals, who enlisted in the army after the 9/11 attacks. Sadly, he was killed by friendly fire.
Back on Hwy 93 south for a 75 mile run down to Kingman, AZ. Cool town. Finally, a car picture again. Starting to pick up parts of Route 66.
Mohave County Courthouse
Then we blasted along I-40 for another 75 miles to Seligman, AZ. Really doing up the Route 66 thing here. There was a '60s TV show about the adventures of two young drifters across America, staring Martin Milner and George Maharis - and their Corvette - on Route 66. Some of the route remains, but the Interstate Freeways obliterated many of the small towns because no one drove through them anymore. Some are making a comeback.
I dunno - looks like another road trip?
And, of course, some fool standing by the big sign.
All Seligman.........
Had a nice nice lunch and then off to Meteor Crater on the other side of Flagstaff. Dry gives way to pines as you rise to nearly 7,000 feet
around Flagstaff. Then things flatten out and dry out again heading east along I-40 beyond Flagstaff. I was doing 83 and everyone was passing me. What. A. Wus.
Meteor Crater is just south of the freeway about 45 miles east of Flagstaff. We got there just before 5 and hoped they would still be open awhile. They were. The crater was created about 50,000 years ago - so no humans were around - by a nickel-iron meteorite about 50 meters in diameter. It was estimated to be travelling nearly 30,000 mph. The hole is 560 feet deep with a 148 foot high rim above the surrounding countryside. The crater is 3,900 feet wide.
Visitor Center
This thing is big.........
Pretty flat around here. And, still no people to speak of.
Say hullo to my little friend..................
Quick 1/2 hour and 45 miles back to Flagstaff and a late dinner - handily just across the parking lot from the hotel. 12 hours is a long day.