After leaving Las Vegas, we headed directly into the desert. Man, it was hot!!! We stopped an a Lake Mead overlook, the reservoir lake that is created as a result of the Hoover Dam.
Although it is only about 30 miles from Las Vegas, we decided to stop at Hoover Dam. The site has a walking bridge where you can see the dam. You have to climb up a sidewalk trail to get there - not normally a problem for either of us but my knee was hurting and it was 107F! But, I decided it was worth the view. And it was.
After we descended, we drove around to get an up-close view of the dam. The dam was built from1931 to 1934, and it was built across the border between Nevada and Arizona. We crossed the border to another vantage point, then crossed back over to get back on the highway. (Note: Google Maps says you can exit on the Arizona side but you can't! The road is closed there.) Over 5,000 workers labored to build the dam, and 100 lost their lives. Because this was during the Depression, thousands of unemployed flocked to the site early on. Chinese workers were excluded from consideration for hire by the company's contract with the government, and the company never hired more than 30 African-Americans at a time, segregating their work team from the others, and paying them lower wages. Members of the Apache nation, among others, were hired for the dangerous job of "high scaler." These workers dangled from ropes on the cliff sides, removing loose rocks and swinging supplies (including TNT) from one spot to another. Tourists watched the high scalers work during Dam construction. Today, there is a visitor center and parking garage, but we just drove around the site.
We continued on to Flagstaff, Arizona for the night. In addition to the electric power generated by the dam, we passed large solar arrays along the way. You can see below that I captured the 113F temperature on film, but Paul reminds me that it actually got to 114F! Lucky for us, we stayed in the car most of this time. We began to ascend into the lower mountains, and you could see the rain all around from quite a distances. As we approached Flagstaff, we saw Ponderosa pines and the temperature lowered to a reasonable 77F when we arrived. Flagstaff is located on Historic Route 66.
We spent two nights in Flagstaff. I had to see a doctor because my knee was in a lot of pain, and I was able to get a walk-in appointment with a specialist who took X-rays and gave me advice. Diagnosis: osteo-arthritis. Ice, heat, exercises, rest.
The next day we went north to the East entrance to the Grand Canyon. We drove north to Cameron, through Navajo land to the entrance. Our first stop was the Desert View watchtower built in 1932. Paul went up the tower to dramatic views. He also saw murals painted by Hopi artist Naqavoy'ma (English name Fred Kabotie). There was a Hopi artist displaying his carved, painted toys on the ground floor.
As we drove around the scenic road, stopping at viewpoints, we could see that this is a dramatic side of the canyon. The pictures speak for themselves.
As it got closer to evening, we drove back to Cameron, and stayed overnight in a lodge located on Navajo land. The Cameron Trading Post was established in 1913, and the adjoining lodge opened in 1928. It was lovely, and offered beautiful views of the Little Colorado River and pink cliffs.
The following day, we drove through the Navajo nation from Cameron, Arizona to Four Corners, which is the intersection of the borders of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. The stretch through the Navajo nation is seemingly endless desert. Part of it goes by Monument Valley and we saw cool rock formations, including one called the elephant legs. See if you can tell which one that is from the photos. We were impressed by how the Navajo stewardship of the land is mostly to leave it alone. There were small towns and scattered homes, but mostly unspoiled desert.
Our arrival at Four Corners monument was the end of our drive through Arizona. The monument is now operated by the Navajo nation, and cost $8 per person to enter. Inside, there were tables selling crafts from indigenous tribes from all four states. Almost as soon as we crossed into Colorado, we saw blue mountains, streams, and green trees. In the next post, I'll talk about our time in Colorado.
This is the most time I've ever spent crossing a desert. I was reminded of the song "Horse with no Name" the band America recorded in 1971 by Dewey Bunnell, who apparently wrote it based on his experiences traveling in Arizona and New Mexico, meant to convey a sense of peace. The song was a big hit when I was in high school.
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