Hoover Dam & Mojave National Preserve

Since we were already in Vegas, we decided to go to Hoover Dam on the way home. We got there early and signed up for the dam tour that takes you INSIDE the dam! While we waited for our tour, we walked around the outside and over the top of the dam. Living in California during a drought, we always hear about Lake Mead and how low the water levels are. Standing on the dam and seeing how low the water was compared to the water mark on the rocks was astounding and worrisome all at once. The dam tour was awesome, and we got to look out of the face of the dam which was so cool!

After we did our tour and headed out, we went and ate lunch at a marina on the other side of Lake Mead. The docks were so far from the parking area and continually adjust to the lower water levels.

For our route home, we decided to drive through the Mojave National Preserve that is right over the Nevada border in California. It was so beautiful and relaxing driving through, and just driving an hour on the main road, we crossed through several different kinds of geologic formations! I also took one of my favorite pictures of all time standing in the middle of the road in the preserve!