Standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam

Ever tried to write something substantive while a presidential debate plays in the background? Probably not. But if you're considering it, I'd advise against it. I've been sitting in front of my laptop for a good 20 minutes now, trying to whip up a quick blog post about my trip this afternoon to Hoover Dam as a part of the WaterSmart Innovations Conference, and I can't get four words typed in before being distracted by the debate.

But in reality, pictures of Hoover Dam go a lot farther than words anyway. So I've thrown up a couple of photos in this post from our trek. In order (clockwise from top left), what you're looking at is ...

1. A sign in one of the generator rooms, just to prove I was there.
2. A view of the dam itself, taken from the observation deck at the visitor's center.
3. During our time inside the dam, we got an up-close-and-personal look through one of the four inspection vents on the side of the dam. This is looking through those vents toward the Colorado River; if we were looking the other way toward Lake Mead, we'd see water, since this vent would be about 300 feet under water.
4. This is a shot of Lake Mead that I found interesting in the contrast in colors on the side of the canyon wall. The line marks the historic high-water mark of the lake, which is about 45 feet below the top of the dam. Normally, the water is just below that line, but the lake is currently over 100 feet below normal which accounts for the large swath of white on the canyon walls. Pretty stark proof of the water issues facing this part of the country.

Time for a little dinner before making an early night of it before the formal start of the conference. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm totally hitting The Strip, maybe play a few hands of blackjack. Just as soon as this debate is over.