Summer Vacation 2013: Day 10 ~ From Las Vegas, NV to El Paso, TX

Today we got an early start, as we wanted to get to the Hoover Dam as early as possible. We were able to get there in time for the first tour, so we were pleased. As much as the Grand Canyon is a natural wonder, the Hoover Dam is a tribute to the imagination, determination, and hard work of mankind. The scale of the undertaking alone is unimaginable. To see the size of the turbines, the massive size of the dam itself and all of the structural engineering that went into it, is just astounding. As much as we enjoyed going through the tunnels to see the workings and the pipes, we enjoyed walking along it and seeing the magnitude of the dam itself. Amazing! Of course the entire family (especially Claire) couldn’t resist the urge to use the word “dam” in every sentence. Even our guide said, “I hope you enjoyed the dam tour!” Claire insisted on going to the dam café, the dam gift shop, and the dam elevators. James just kept asking us to stop, because he said it was weird to hear his family talk like that. That made me feel great! All in all, it was a great dam tour! That being said, it was HOT!! It was 101 degrees on the dam, so we were all glad to get back into the air-conditioned car to begin the next half of our trip heading back home. That wasn’t the hottest for the day either; it was 110 degrees in Phoenix as we passed through in the afternoon.
Our next stop for the day was El Paso, about 720 miles away. The drive was beautiful, with a diverse landscape from place to place. We marveled at the first Saguaro cactus that we saw, and were pleased to see many more as we drove through the desert. Although we have seen many sides of Arizona, those desert scenes are the ones I think of when I think of Arizona. We passed through Joshua Tree National Forest, Tombstone, AZ, and Picacho Peak. We saw emu and llama farms, pecan tree farms, and several dust devils. Near Dragoon, AZ, there are rock formations and piles that look like someone just tossed them in the air and they landed in heaps. Peter’s comment was that it looked like aliens came to play with the rocks, and then just went home. It was stunning.
Near the border of Arizona and New Mexico, we could see very dark rain clouds in the distant. We seemed to be skirting the storm, as we had patches of blue sky above us. Soon, we could begin to see the forming of a rainbow. At first, it was just a short arc off to our right, then a second arc appeared next to the first. As we drove, the rainbow became more pronounced and we watched as the right side of the arc began to appear too. Soon, the entire arc appeared and it was breathtaking!! I have never seen such a perfect, full rainbow.
I have to say that these past few days have shown us sights that one cannot help but ponder how great and wondrous country and world we live in. God’s creation is truly magnificent!