Chapter 33: Hoover Dam.

After three or four days of drinking, gambling, show trooping and laying by the big, Olympic sized pool Ev was bored. She rallied me to take her to Hoover Dam. My brother said, he did not want to go. Which left me to be the companion, tour guide and driver.

We rented a large silver Chevy, four door, with a nice radio and a smooth automatic transmission, after gassing up we were off to see Hoover Damn. Two hours later we viewed some roadside signage, Damn 20 miles. Directly under this sign was a lake sign.

Ev said turn. I want to see the lake. What? was my shocked reply. It was easily another hour maybe more. I responded, we had already driven in the never ending vistas of desert. We had been driving for hours, by going to the lake it would be lengthening the trip.

I said no way.

She pulled out the I paid for the trip card and we wheeled the Chev hard left at the corner. Gravel spun off the front tires, as we shed the highway for the road to Lake Mead. Good, I thought, let the adventure continue.

The lake would be 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back, Ev leaned into the corner and smiled. I just want to see some water after all of this desert. The drive was remarkably like the other two hours it took to get here, sand and small bush, sand and small cacti.

The clear blue desert sky gave way to the lake. It was a sad, lonely, lingering kind of lake it had no friends. The lake looked like a tub of shallow water. There were few items of interest to be seen at this lake. It seemed lost in a desert of sand, humbled by the land and sky. Ev turned and smiled, see she uttered the water is beautiful. I said alright, now we can go.

Wait she continued, I want to feel the water, please Jackie take me to the shoreline.

No way.

She insisted.

I drove the Chevy onto the beach, and right into the lake. Ev said well for heaven sakes what are you doing?

I replied, open your door and feel the water. She pulled the door handle opened it and the lake water curved to greet her hand. I did not account for lake waves, one fish tailed it's way into the cabin of the car and soaked the rug. Ev lifted her feet and said I went too deep. All right now we can go.

There was only one tiny problem, we were stuck. The Chev whined and the back wheels carved deeper into the beach.

Out of no where appeared six or eight very large, smiling, crew cut young dudes. They scrambled into the water, surrounded the car and basically lifted us up and out of the water. We waved a hiddy ho and away we go. I spun the Chev up and around, pointing back the way we had come. Now we looked forward to another hour of desert landscape. At least the carpets would have a chance to dry out.

Ev smiled and said, now wasn't that nice? I wanted to say no, but it was pretty cool. Over all she had it right. The lake was fun. The drive into the lake was even more remarkable, I still wonder where those boys came from to save the day. You gotta love Americans.

Hoover Dam was a great man-made spectacle of modern engineering. We were very impressed and happy to have seen it at least once in our lives.