Hoover Dam

Yesterday evening was lovely. We were warmly welcomed in Chloride and danced the night away. All our drinks were on the friendly gentleman at the bar, who spent his six most beautiful years of his life in Germany. It was his pleasure to invite us. I didn't even have to pay for my first Margarita of my life.

Later, I played two games of pool with Robert and we had a lot of fun overall. Even after checking the cash, thanks to Ute's charm, we got two free whiskeys. We were allowed to park for free in front of the clubhouse and had breakfast outside this morning, in the middle of nowhere, all by ourselves. The weather was fantastic, perfect for wearing shorts.

We then continued through the Golden Valley. It's an amazing landscape, almost 50 miles long and about 15 miles wide. You can see almost all of it because it's completely flat and rises to rocky formations at the ends. Since there are only scattered settlements in that part, the road goes on straight for almost 50 miles. Some might find it boring, but I find it breathtakingly beautiful.

As we left the cliffs of the rocks, a completely different landscape suddenly appeared in front of us. It's almost like the Grand Canyon, with the earth breaking open in front of us and the Colorado River winding through the rocks. Just a few miles later, we were greeted by a new sight: the largest dam in the Western Hemisphere... the Hoover Dam. Prior to that, there was a thorough security check. An officer even came into our RV and inspected various compartments, including the toilet. But we completely understand, in times of ISIS, etc., I greatly appreciate minimizing all risks.

Then the road continues towards the dam. The first view was breathtaking. A gigantic construction that was completed in just 4 years in 1935. We looked at everything, walked across it, and even went to the Visitor Center. The weather was perfect. For the construction, a cable crane system was used, which is still functional today and is considered the highest and oldest in the world.

After seeing everything, we drove back over the dam with the RV and continued towards Lake Mead, a drive of about 15 minutes. For the first time, a $20 national park fee was required, and here at the RV Park Village, we found an incredibly beautiful location for the night. Great view of the lake. And after parking the cars, we spontaneously decided to extend our stay for another night. So tomorrow will be a wonderful day at the lake - pure vacation ;-)

Oh, and at our campground, we immediately met a young neighbor who asked us for a corkscrew, and Vati lent him his Swiss Army knife. We had a brief conversation, he and his wife are from Michigan, and his dream is the dream of many Americans - to drive on the German Autobahn once! He was excited about our trip and offered us a glass of the freshly opened wine as a thank you. We didn't refuse and gladly accepted ONE glass. It was very delicious... Californian Naked Grape!!! Highly recommended for those who like fruity wines. Americans are great!