Hoover Dam

The answer to the only project to get done early and under budget.  (Ok, maybe not only, but it has to be close, right?)  It's hard to explain how big it is.  Mind boggling to think about all the effort that went into building it.  And only 5 years and $46 million (in 1935)!

The dam tour actually goes into the inspection tunnels and other areas in the dam.  They only allow 20 people per tour so the tickets go fast.  I got the last one!  (Traveling by yourself does have some perks!)  There are original public areas that are no longer used that have terrazzo and glazed block.  

Above is the inspection tunnel where the joints in the concrete are visible. .Below a view out an air intake about halfway down the dam.

The land of the hoodoos

Hoodoo sounds like something from Dr. Seuss, and they look like it too.

But they are all over Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.  I wasn't sure what to expect,  but it's very cool.  Basically the stone has eroded away leaving arches and different shapes. Some even look like historical figures, if you squint. (It's supposed to be Queen Victoria.

I had only planned on walking along the rim, but I had the whole day to explore so I hiked to the bottom.  Of course then I had to come back up.  At the end of the day, I was the same color as the hoodoos, but it was worth it.

Salt Lake City

After all the nature I've seen,  it was time to see some buildings.  I walked around Temple Square,  where the cathedral and tabernacle are.   The cathedral isn't open to the public, but the tabernacle (home to the choir) was and a guy was playing the organ.  The sound was everywhere:  it seemed like the air was vibrating.

For lunch I went to Maxwell's East Coast Eatery, featured on Triple D.  There was pizza,  salads,  and sandwiches on the menu so I choose the chicken wrap (just kidding).  I had the eggplant parmesan sandwich, which was good.

I traveled to Bryce Canyon in the afternoon (crossed Highway 50 and Interstate 70, in that order).  There was nothing for miles around.

Craters of the Moon

Parts of  Idaho reminded me of central Illinois -- if the potato fields were soybeans (which I thought they were at first) and there weren't mountains in the background.  But Craters of the Moon was unlike anything I had seen before.  I don't know how to describe it -- it's not really beautiful, just very strange.  Volcanoes erupted years ago, and the hardened lava is what's left.

There are also hills covered in cinders to hike up. . . 

And caves to explore (nature's Pantheon).

Yellowstone

Today was Yellowstone!  Since I didn't plan ahead, I didn't have a good plan of attack so I decided to just do one day and see what I could (or at least Old Faithful).  Today turned out to be cloudy and cool so waiting for Old Faithful took a little more patience.  (I kept thinking of the saying, "A watched pot never boils."  Except it finally did.)    

I then braved the weather and visited other geysers.  Standing in the steam felt good except for the smell!  When I was leaving, I stopped by a waterfall.  There were some people swimming in the river.  It had to be freezing!

While it was beautiful, I've decided I'm definitely a beach person.  I like the wide open space.

I saw a moose!!

While traveling through the Bighorn National Forest, there were a few cars parked along the side of the road (not at a scenic overlook), and people were looking at something.  I thought it seemed strange so I pulled over too.  There was a moose!!  Glad I stopped!!  

I also saw prairie dogs near Devil's Tower.  So cute!  (I was hoping one would attack the girl who was trying to catch it, but they just ran to their hole.)  

Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower

I didn't post yesterday because I went to the lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore.  I was looking forward to it, but it was a little disappointing.  It didn't seem to be very well lit.  (It looked better from farther away.)  I did enjoy my time there in the afternoon.  The "Walk of Flags" (I think that's what it's called) was a cool entrance.  Also the trail to get closer to it made for better pictures.  Piece of advice:  start on the left that way you go down the stairs.

Devil's Tower wasn't on the list, but was only an hour away.  Also a few people told me I needed to have a close encounter.  No aliens, but there were people climbing it.  I wasn't that adventurous, but did walk the trail around it.  It's just odd that it's the only thing like it around.  

But the whole Wyoming landscape is strange.  There's red dirt and hills with scrubby bushes and protrusions on the top.  Then there's tree covered mountains which leads to a flat, brown almost desert-like (I'm assuming) land.  Then back to mountains which is what I get to drive through again tomorrow to get to Yellowstone.  Can't wait!  I wish my sister was with me so I could make her drive -- just kidding!