Kitties!
Mommy worked eight days in a row this past week, and she finally had a day off today. So did she spend the day with us, playing and loving on us?
No, she did NOT!
She and Daddy left us all alone (with nothing to do) for TWO WHOLE HOURS!
Inexcusable.
And now she wants OUR blog to show all y'all and your Moms & Dads what her and Daddy did today.
Well, since we got tuna for a snack...we'll let her.
*
Hi Folks! Mommy here.
As you may or may not know, I operate (both) of the water treatment plants for Las Vegas...which is a 24/7/365 operation. We have two operators on vacation right now so I've had a little bit of overtime this week. But I wasn't gonna miss the walk across the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge for anything! So I took a day off, too. (I normally work weekends.)
Hubby and I have been watching the construction of the Bridge for years and it seems unbelievable that it's finally done. Hoover Dam is going to be closed to through traffic soon, and will only be accessable by car on the Nevada side. All vehicles will be using the new Bridge and bypass to go from Arizona to Nevada, or vice versa. Since 9-11 all truck traffic has been banned from Hoover Dam, and has had to make an hour detour through Laughlin, Nevada. So this is going to be VERY nice for the long-haul drivers!
Last week the Bridge was open for cyclists, and this weekend for pedestrians.
It was a very well-organized event, with buses running back and forth every few minutes.
In the bus, heading down to the new Bridge on US 93.
A shot of the Colorado, below Hoover Dam.
(taken from the bus)
Another view of the Colorado river.
Check out the access road for maintenance crews on the right!
The bypass, going into Arizona.
I suspect it will NEVER be this empty again.
This is NOT the finished Bridge!
I just wanted to give you perspective from the Dam how high up it is.
Hoover Dam, from the Bridge.
The Dam is 720 feet high, and the Bridge is nearly 1000 feet above the river.
We are experiencing an extended drought in the Mohave Desert...most of the water that fills Lake Mead behind the Dam comes from meltwater off the West side of the Rocky Mountains. The big white "bathtub ring" around the lake shows how far down the lake is...almost 200 feet.
These are the power generating stations at the base of Hoover Dam, the set on the left in Nevada, and the set on the right in Arizona.
There were three HUGE flags hanging off the rail of the pedestrian walkway.
The Arizona State Flag,
An American Flag,
and the Nevada State Flag.
There were several plaques outlining Bridge construction:
We had a wonderful time!
And Kitties, The Kats will be back tomorrow.
Have a Great Sunday, Folks!
XX MomKat Trish
That bridge needs more cats. And more tunas. And more cats catching those tunas.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, it looks very cool!
Your Mom ROCKS!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, the bridge looks amazing! Sounds like you had a pretty crazy work week - hope things calm down for you soon.
ReplyDeleteHow cool is that...great pictures! I have only been to vegas once and the definite highlight of the trip was flying over the Hoover dam and grand canyon in a helicopter :-)
ReplyDeleteHow amazing to get to walk across the new bridge! Thanks for showing us all the pictures. We hope you get some respite at work soon>
ReplyDeleteThat's purrty cool that you got to walk across the new bridge! We saw it on the news the other day and it's very impressive. It was fun seeing your photos. We hope you get some time off soon!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's all very exciting, and yes, those are very impressive photos, and yes, that's quite a bridge. But, c'mon, TWO WHOLE HOURS?? They could totally have done all that in, like, 20 minutes!
ReplyDeleteDid they at least bring you some treats or something? I'll bet you were all just STARVING and WEAK after that abandonment!
What a fascinating trip. Of course cats are better and I can't believe she would leave you for that but still--it was fascinating!
ReplyDeleteOMC! Your mom controls water? How cool is that?
ReplyDeleteNow, from my mom: Very cool photos! I had no idea this was being built, although I haven't been to the Hoover Dam since the late '80s. (I've just seen that scary post-9/11 sign on I40 en route to California.) I got stuck on the old road during a thunder storm!
Me again: I agree with Spitty--two hours is about an hour and a half too long!
Dudes! That was totally fascinating! Your Mom has the coolest job! Water is like gold (which we know from living in drought-ridden California) so your Mom is like the most powerful person in Nevada! (well, after Wayne Newton) Our Moms say that having been to Laughlin, they can completely understand why you would build a bridge so that people can avoid it. (No offense to anyone who likes Laughlin...)Thanks for sharing these awesome photos. ps-your Dad should have a hat on to prevent sunburn. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteYour mom is nonstop cool. and now I just know your mom operate of the water treatment plants for Las Vegas ! that's super cool !!!!
ReplyDeleteThe photos is fantastic...show all...Huge ! Massive ! Impressive !
Äiti loved your post. And we didn't. We did not want to have a lecture on hydroelectricity and turbines on a Sunday morning. She was so busy reading it she didn't notice just how starving we were. She told us all about a video of that damn Dam she uses to help her students understand something tedious sounding like electromagnetism. We were so bored and even yawns and full-on stinky breath did not stop her. So we would like to thank you for this post from the bottom of our rumbling bellies (which had deeper cavities in them than the Hoover Dam).
ReplyDeleteOur mum and dad were very interested because last year they stayed in Las Vegas for a week and used it as a base for touring. They took a tour to the Hoover Dam and saw the bridge. They also went down into the dam and had the tour inside. They really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteOur mum was one of the rare people who came away from Las Vegas with more money than she went with...and she got the T shirt!!
Pity dad didn't do the same. He's the poker player not mum, but on the few occassions she plays she beats him.
Wow that's really cool!
ReplyDeleteThat's cool! If your mom controls the water, can she send some our way? Our plants are going droopy and our creek is low. But seriously....when we go to the V.E.T. we drive across a bridge and it doesn't take 2 hours. That must be one LONG bridge!! Oh yeah, we give you all headbutts for being nice enough to share your blog with your mom.
ReplyDeleteMario's M here - sinced I have never seen the Hoover Dam, I thoroughly enjoyed your pictures. I'm so happy you did this post because I learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteWe're over visiting relatives in April, so will definitely make our usual visit to the Dam to check on progress. Faz and family
ReplyDeleteHow cool are you? This is such a neat post, Trish, and I love the pics. I've only been to Las Vegas once and have never seen the dam. It really is quite awesome. Have a great Sunday!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! Wow!!! Me and Charlie's most favourite pic out of all these amazing pics is of mum and dad looking AMAZING!! AWwwwwww!!! What a happy couple!!
ReplyDeleteWe've never seen the state flags of Nevada or Arizona - amazing - they are both so different!!!
That is one big dam. Your mum has a very responsible and awesome job - 8 days a week!!! Me and Charlie hope she gets lots of rest cos it sounds ever so mega pressurised!
We also cannot believe how sunny it is over there too. We hope the draught doesn't last too long - water is so important. Thank you so much for this fab look at the Hoover Dam - so glad it is open to everyone to have a visit. Fantastic!!!
We are so glad you had tuna to keep you company kitties at katnip lounge!!! Yay! Take care
x
WOW thanks for this great post. There was a nice article about it in our paper today.
ReplyDeleteMom is glad to say she 'knows' someone who has been on the new section!!! Gorgeous pictures.
Madi and Mom
This was exciting to hear about. And it is fun to see your humans!
ReplyDeleteM6y mom enjoyed this post bunches. She wondered what you did and now she knows.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mommy:
I thoroughly enjoyed every word and I read it hoping (I didn't peek) that there would be pictures. There are and I could not be happier. It would have been awful to have read about it and not seen it. I am fascinated with this type of thing and having been in our own local water Plant, I can half way imagine your surrounding at your Plant.
I wish you had a blog of your own apart from helping type when the cats do theirs. (hint hint hint)
xox Me and Mom
Wow! What an interesting post and what great pictures!
ReplyDeleteYour mom has a very cool and important job!
ReplyDeleteThat was way cool, thanks for letting your Mom share those pics with us! Hey, they should have let your Dad build it, that way there would have been plenty of cat ramps and lounging spaces!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I think your mom is WAY more powerful than Wayne Newton...I mean, controlling water and all that? I sure hope you kitties get over being hissed off at the abandonment because we think the pictures are way cool and my mom is quite exicted to see the pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhat a totally cool and interesting tour....thank you MomKat Trish!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday to the Baker's Dozen and MomKat and DadKat.
That was so interesting and we loved all the pictures that were taken. The dam is so large - mum was going look at this picture and that picture and we were going and look at our empty bowls!! She took no notice or course.
ReplyDeleteYou must have such an interesting job looking after the water treatment plants. Hope you get some days off soon.
Our mom has that thing where she gets dizzy & nauseous with heights and she is having some serious issues just looking at these pictures!!
ReplyDeleteOur mom went to Vegas in April and met her mom and her brother there - it was their Christmas because snow kept them all from getting together in December. Our mom wants you to know that your mom does a VERY good job with the water. See, she drinks a lot of water, but she is kind of picky. If the water smells even a little bad, she won't drink it. But she said the water was great! Her mom and brother didn't want to take the time to see the dam as they only had a couple of days. Our mom was bummed out.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday!
Wow! Amazing photos! And a "dam sight" more impressive than the kitties would have had us believe!
ReplyDeleteAnd we are most impressed that you have the health of all of Las Vegas in your hands!
Yoor mommy haf a super cool neeto job! Mommy sez she toured dat big dam once, back in 1976! Yeah, she's, like, really old. We is not sure about crossing dat bridge, it sounds kinda scary!
ReplyDeleteThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde says, "Meowser!! Mom is afraid of heights but we love it!!"
ReplyDeletepantist - what dogs do in the heat
Those are such neat pictures and it so nice to see something like that. We had heard about it being built but the dam is really something. Thanks for showing us the pictures.
ReplyDeleteYou poor kitties must have been starved by the time they got home. We hope you got tons of treats.Take care.
Oh Bast, yoo all didnt starve did yoo? We know that 2 squillion hours is like furever when yoo has no bean to rub, scritch, or feed yoo!
ReplyDeleteMolly
Shadow
Trooder
Mooch
That was waaaay cool!!! Our mom and dad have been to LV but not to the Hoover Dam....that was really interesting to see!!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Your mommy has a seriously impawtant job! We really enjoyed seeing the pics of the Hoover Dam. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow guys what a cool job your Mom has! Mom really enjoyed all the pictures and information about Hoover Dam. We did not realize that they were building a bridge. It makes sense (sad we have to be like this since 9/11). Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletepurrin
xoxox
Abby
Hello handsome Sylvester!
~Gracie Grace
Very cool! Mum walked on of our local bridges eons ago just before the opened it. It went over the harbor into Lake Michigan.
ReplyDeleteHumans...why would you look at dat when you could look at a cat!?!?!
ReplyDeleteWorking eight days in a row ~ my goodness ~ I think mom deserved a bit of a break. And it looks like a wonderful time was had. Good stuff!
ReplyDeletexo Catherine
That is so interesting..and great to have photos so we can see on screen what you have had the pleasure of seeing in person!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh Rupert..♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteWould you...could you..maybe..be my Consort if I am elected?
I know I am a squillion years old but so is mommy..she's even more squillions of years old, and she does OK. So, I will too. Especially if I get elected.
xoxoxox
Your Lady Cat
Great pictures! I've been to Hoover dam once looong time ago. These pictures make me want to visit there again.
ReplyDeleteHot Dam! Great pics. And sorry about the costumes!
ReplyDeleteHello Buddies,
ReplyDeleteYou mean they took 2-hrs off and did not apply at least 6 mths in advance??????!!!??? Humans!
Inexcusable!!
Love, Lucky & Co.
Trish, those are amazing engineering works!!
Does look likes loads of water behind the concrete wall at the Hoover Dam!!!!
I am glad you went out to have some good time with hubby. ... Very loving, the photo of you two. :)
When do the cats get a day to see the bridge?
ReplyDeleteMilo and Alfie xx
Thanks for sharing the pics ~ what a treat to see.
Jan (Milo and Alfie's mom)
Amazing. Still can't decide if I'm for or against dams. I think I'm really against big families - except for cat families....
ReplyDeleteFascinating pics! and what an interesting job your Mom has...without her, lil ol' Las Vegas would shrivel up and return to desert!
ReplyDelete