Well according to these lists, in my adventure with Amy, I saw two wonders from two different lists: The Hoover Dam - which is on the seven wonders of the industrial world list - and the Grand Canyon - which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
To be completely honest, I had no idea I would see both. We stopped in Vegas to visit Marie and then started driving to Arizona to see the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and along the way, suddenly I saw signs for the Hoover Dam - and I said, well dam, we should probably stop. (I know, I'm punny. Pun + funny = punny, it's not as great if I have to explain it, but since you are an audience that is reading this and I can't gauge your reaction, I thought it best to break it down).
So we did stop at the Hoover Dam- we hopped out for a few photo opps.
Unfortunately, there wasn't actually any water coming out. Amy had visited before and she said that the noise was deafening. It was a sight to see either way - hard to believe it was constructed during the Great Depression - but I would have been even more in awe with thundering water.
The Hoover Dam rests on the border of Arizona and Nevada. Below, Amy and I are in different states as we stand on either side of the state line.
We didn't take an official tour, but I did try to overhear what the guide was saying about the winged sculpture. Since that mostly failed, I decided to just google it when I got home. The Bureau of Reclamation website explains:
"The building of Hoover Dam belongs to the sagas of the daring. The winged bronzes which guard the flag, therefore, wear the look of eagles. To them also was given the vital upward thrust of an aspirational gesture - to symbolize the readiness for defense of our institutions and keeping of our spiritual eagles ever ready to be on the wing."
The building of the Hoover Dam was the sagas of the daring. According to Wikipedia, there were 112 construction deaths - and I'm not even sure that counts the death of the Hoover Dam dog.
It is a beautiful morning, we're pumped for our trip to the Grand Canyon, and since we didn't purchase an official tour, we are making sure to read all of the plaques that are posted. We spot one over in this grove of trees and upon reading it, surely regret it...
It tells the story of the Hoover Dam dog, how he was a loyal friend to the construction workers and he was the mascot during the building of the dam. And ends by casually mentioning that he died when a worker backed a truck over him while he was sleeping.
I think I would have been satisfied with a "he rests here" placque so I could think he died a peaceful death of old age or a noble death attempting to rescue a construction worker, but this careless death seems too cruel to post on a plaque.
On that happy note, we start the adventure to the Grand Canyon - driving over the new Hoover Dam bypass (in the background of the photo below)- which I had no idea had only been opened since Oct. 19 of this year. Not even a month old and we are driving over it. My sister hates bridges - we probably could have never gotten her onto it.
It was a drive through nothingness. Literally. They think Ohio's cornfields are bad, at least we have exits with McDonald's and gas stations. Wanting breakfast, we passed a Ruby's diner and thought - we'll see what else there is up ahead. Big mistake. We drove through miles and miles of desert - vast desert, empty desert. Luckily, Amy had cheese pretzel snacks to tie us over until we eventually found civilization and a Wendy's.
I suppose had we gotten desperate we could have gone hunting for some desert wildlife. I'm not sure Amy's car Rosie could have won in a competition with a wild animal, but we did see a lot of "mooselope crossing" signs on our drive there.
So I shall explain the name.
We saw these signs and couldn't figure out what kind of animal it could be. Too big of antlers for an antelope, too small of a body for a moose, obviously a mooselope. We stopped at a gas station along the way and learned from a post card that it is actually a bull elk. They even had a statue of one in the gas station parking lot.
I did a google search for mooselopes when I got home, assuming it would turn up nothing. Ironically, if you play the National Park Service's Antlers vs. Horns game (http://www.nps.gov/yell/forkids/antlerhorngame.htm), you can create a mooselope. :)
We ended up seeing lots of mooselopes - and eventually a live one (not a statue) in a gas station parking lot! Just munching on some grass as we filled up the car for the haul home. And we saw a whole herd of them as we entered the park.
On our drive in, we saw a sign that said "We rescue 250 people from the Grand Canyon every year. People who look just like this." (It has an image of a 20-year-old guy).
We later understood why. First, with the mooselopes. We are driving in and see lots of cars pulling over and see a herd of probably 40 - 50 mooselopes. Amy and I and other 20-somethings scramble out of our cars for a first-hand look and photographs of the mooselopes.
All of the 40 plus-ers have stayed comfortable and safe within their cars - where no mooselope can gore them with their antlers. Probably a wise move, but I doubt they got as good of pictures.
I was willing to take my chances with the wild animals - but not the edges of the canyon. We later learned how ignorant 20-somethings truly can be. They were crawling over and around the barricades to get pictures on the rock at the very rim of the canyon. If that rock is loose and tumbles or they lose their balance and fall, it is only a mile long drop. No sweat, right? People are crazy. Actually, I'm pretty sure they were all male. Men are crazy.
The most wild shots we took were jumping ones - but on the safe side of the barricade.
We had great views - and the pictures simply cannot do justice to the Canyon. It is Beautiful. Magnificent. Impressive.
It seems simply unconceivable how massive the Grand Canyon is. The eye cannot fully take in that it is a mile deep and the brain cannot fully understand that the Canyon stretches for 277 miles.
Can you imagine being a pioneer coming across the desert in a covered wagon and running into this impassable Canyon?
We made sure to stay at the Canyon until sunset. Definitely worth the wait to see the blues and reds and yellows of the sunset reflect off the rocks.
We had such a fun trip. Two more world wonders down.
That makes 9 total wonders I've seen as listed on the Wikipedia site. Well, sort of 10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_World
3 from the Medeival world - StoneHenge, the Colesseum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa
3 from the Modern world - Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and the CN Tower
2 from the Natural world - Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef
and 1 - well I guess technically 2 - from the Industrial - the Hoover Dam and the London Sewerage System? While I suppose I have never seen the London Sewerage system, I have used it...
I find it hard to believe the London Sewerage system is on the list, but I can't make this stuff up. Fact is in fact stranger than fiction. :)
Apparently, there is also a "Seven Wonders of Poland" list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_Poland
I've seen three of those - the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wawel Castle, and Krawkow Market Square.
Working my way around the world. Where will my next new adventure be?
Eh HEM. I believe they were peanut butter pretzels. Just saying. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd men are crazy. :)
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