17 states and 6752 miles!

[Bob Miller]

My wife and i just drove from Indiana to McMinnville, Or. Our destination was the Spruce Goose museum that houses Howard Hughes' airplane. We drove thru 17 states and revisited old haunts as well as some new places. We drove our full size Chevy Express van. I haven't gotten the nerve to see how much we spent on gas!
We were saddened to see how post 9-11 has changed some things like the Hoover Dam. But we were still heartened to see that many of our treasured places are still operating. Oh to be rich and in good health so that we could do this more often!

[Mark Sedenquist]

My wife and i just drove from Indiana to McMinnville, Or. Our destination was the Spruce Goose museum that houses Howard Hughes' airplane. We drove thru 17 states and revisited old haunts as well as some new places. We drove our full size Chevy Express van. I haven't gotten the nerve to see how much we spent on gas!
We were saddened to see how post 9-11 has changed some things like the Hoover Dam. But we were still heartened to see that many of our treasured places are still operating. Oh to be rich and in good health so that we could do this more often!

While it is true that the "old hardhat" tour of the dam is no longer an option, I actually think that the current tour is, in many ways, far superior to the "way it used to be." The docents work five seperate stations and if one has the time to do it all -- there really is more to see than before.

Plus, of course, the new bridge will provide a way to see the area that the old dam road could never achieve.

When you get the nerve, we want to see those numbers on the fuel consumption!

Mark

[Bob Miller]

We were only allowed to go down in the elevator and was shown the generator floor from the gallery and then whisked right back up on the other set of elevators. That was the total tour that we got at the end of Sept! We are so old we remember when you went down in the elevators in the middle of the dam! So this abbreviated tour was pretty disappointing. They also did not show the movie that we were promised at our last visit. All they showed was some still pictures.
But all the security, such as the "hidden" barriers in the road, were sad. I understand that they may be neccessary. But that is also sad!
I'm gonna havta add all those tankfuls of gas soon. The prices were actually cheaper out west that at home. Usually it is the other way around.

[Mark Sedenquist]

We were only allowed to go down in the elevator and was shown the generator floor from the gallery and then whisked right back up on the other set of elevators. That was the total tour that we got at the end of Sept!

Um, I know all of the docents -- the tour is much more extensive-- it requires a bit of walking, but the tour is conducted by five docents -- each at different stations -- only one is in the dam. The others are located near the flag poles, on the observation deck, in the old map room and near the top of the dam.

All they showed was some still pictures.

That movie is barely disguised propaganda -- if you ever get a chance to see the PBS production -- do it. For some more information about the Dam check out these articles. Hoover Dam and the 31'ers.

Mark

[Mark Sedenquist]

I haven't gotten the nerve to see how much we spent on gas!

Bob,
When you pull together your numbers, we would love to include them in our on-going data project -- found here.

Thanks,

Mark