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#GrandCanyonHelicopter The cost of the tour is depending on what you want to see with your flight destination. I chose the aerial views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon with a landing on a private plateau to see the Colorado River, plus meal with a roundtrip shuttle from my Hotel to the Las Vegas Airport KeyTip; I was here in the off season so reduced pricing or you can just drive out to see the Hoover Dam (48 kms or 30 miles from Vegas) or Grand Canyon (442 kms or 275 miles, so an overnight trip ) |
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Aerial Views From above in the helicopter we can see the visible examples of the rock strata created millions of years ago |
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The Hoover Dam It was built to control the flooding of the Colorado River, plus supply water as the population in the west continued to grow and of course to provide hydroelectric power to millions of nearby residents since 1936 |
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Grim Numbers During the five years of construction (1931-1936) at least 138 men died, 96 due to accidents plus 42 workers from illnesses on the site Some believe additional staff passed away from their long term exposure to carbon monoxide that was present in the tunnels which created health issues, long after the work was done here at the dam Falsehood Also finally putting rumors to rest, no one was buried alive in the 4.3 million yards of concrete that was poured Poor Pay & Harsh Conditions On average 3500 men worked daily at the dam with wages from 50 cents to $1.25 per hour under extreme conditions, especially the heat where the average temperature was over 37C or 100F Then add another 17C or 30F in the poorly ventilated tunnels, just brutal |
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Engineering Stats The dimensions of the dam is insane, 221 meters or 726 feet tall, 379 meters or 1244 feet long plus the base is 201 meters or 660 feet thick of concrete. To use a comparison you could build a standard four lane highway from San Francisco to New York with the concrete that was used during this project. Interesting Facts of the Hoover Dam A) At first the structure was called Boulder Dam (named after Boulder Canyon that was in the area) then later was named after the President at the time, Herbert Hoover B) Nevada Boulder City did not exist until it was built in 1930 to house the workers for the dam. It had no local mayor or elected officials and was managed by a US Bureau because the land was on government property. Finally after 30 years (with the construction of the town) the control of the area was given to Boulder City, which then it was officially incorporated as such C) During World War Two it was found out the Nazis plotted to blow up the dam. It would of had a disastrous effect on the Southern California airplane manufacturing industry with the loss of this electrical grid. After America entered the war (with the attack on Pearl Harbor) the dam was closed to all visitors until after 1945 D) The Hoover Dam was the tallest (726 feet) in the world until the Mauvoisin Dam was constructed in Switzerland (820 feet) E) Because concrete needs time to settle from liquid to solid ( the Hoover Dam would of taken over 125 years for this process because of the amount of concrete poured on this project) the engineers built a large refrigeration system to produce 1000 tons of ice per day Then they embedded one-inch pipes within the concrete which allowed the ice water to circulate thus allowing the cooling process to take only two months to fully set, plus an added benefit it made the concrete less susceptible to cracking |
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Landed in Grand Canyon Microclimate We were warned that the canyon can create its own weather (so dress for all conditions) As for example the temperature can change by 25 degrees depending on your location and it has many ecosystems within its rock walls Wildlife Gila Monsters, Bighorn Sheep, Rock Squirrels plus Pink Rattlesnakes (which blends into the rocks around it) Be Grateful So please remember, we are the guests here on their property so act accordingly |
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The Grand Canyon National Park How Huge; it is bigger than the State of Rhode Island (1934 kms or 1212 sq miles) and in some areas it can be 1.6km or 1 mile deep or 16kms or 10 miles wide |
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The Canyon & 1000 Caves Only three hundred and thirty-five have been recorded with only one that is open to the public Supai Village This is home to the most remote community in the continental United States, with a population of 208 |
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Tip The Scales You will get weighed before your flight for mass distribution and for no other reason I got lucky so got to sit up front 😃 |
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The Strip & History Fremont Street was paved in 1925 and it was considered the original Las Vegas Once the ban on gambling was lifted in 1931, it created a massive casino development in the downtown which was later known as The Strip |
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