Would you really want a dam named after you? I wonder how Herbert Hoover would have felt if he knew a big dam was named for him? Anyway, Hoover Dam, also known as Boulder Dam is a huge arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. It was built during the Great Depression, between 1931 and 1935. One of the most important contributions of this project, apart from the dam itself, was the formation of the precursor to the world’s largest HMO, the Kaiser Health Plan.

It was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt. The dam was created to create flood control, provide irrigation, and produce hydroelectric power. Congress authorized the project in 1928. The winning bid was a consortium of companies called Six Companies Inc. and began building in 1931. A concrete structure of this magnitude had never been built before. Some of the techniques were unproven at the time.

But despite awful summer conditions, and the lack of support facilities near the site, the Six Companies finished more than two years ahead of schedule. The dam’s generators provide power for California, Nevada, and Arizona. Nearly a million visitors make the journey to Hoover Dam each year. The Dam created the largest reservoir by volume in the U.S. It sits only thirty miles southeast of Las Vegas. It is a National Historic Landmark.

The dam is named for our 31st President, Herbert Hoover. For the dam, more importantly, he was the Secretary of Commerce in 1925 when the dam was first proposed. Hoover, himself, preferred to use the name, “Boulder Dam” rather than his own name. And despite widespread use of the term, Boulder Dam, it was never an official name of the dam.

The chief design engineer for the Bureau of Land Management was John Savage. A total of 96 workers died during the construction of the dam. There are no workers buried in the concrete dam. During the Depression, thousands of men came here to look for work. Many found it.

Here are a few statistics. The dam weighs 6,600,000 tons, with a pressure of 45,000 pounds per square foot at the base of the dam. The dam itself is 3 and one-quarter million cubic yards of concrete. I find that difficult to imagine. Placed on an ordinary city block, it would rise higher than the Empire State Building. The principal materials, all of which were purchased by the federal government, were:

•reinforcement steel, 45,000,000 pounds;
•gates and valves, 21,670,000 pounds;
•plate steel and outlet pipes, 88,000,000 pounds;
•pipe and fittings, 6,700,000 pounds or 840 miles;
•structural steel, 18,000,000 pounds;
•miscellaneous metal work 5,300,000 pounds.

The dam took 5 years to complete. A total of 21,000 men worked on the dam with an average of 3,500 and a maximum of 5,218 daily, which occurred in June 1934. The average monthly payroll was $500,000.

Curiously, this is how the river was diverted to build the dam. The river was diverted around the dam site through four 50-foot-diameter tunnels, two drilled through the canyon walls on each side of the river. The tunnels, with a total combined length of 15,946 feet, or about three miles, were excavated to 56 feet and lined with three feet (300,000 cubic yards) of concrete. They could carry over 200,000 cubic feet – more than 1.5 million gallons – of water per second! The river was first diverted through the two Arizona tunnels on November 14, 1932.

How are the tunnels used now? The inner tunnels were plugged with concrete approximately one-third their length below the canyon wall inlets, and the outer tunnels were plugged approximately halfway. The two inner tunnels now contain 30-foot-diameter steel pipes (penstocks) which connect the intake towers in the reservoir with the powerplant and canyon wall outlet works. The downstream halves of the two outer tunnels are used for spillway outlets.

The bigger question now is whether or not such a dam could be built today. The collision of the need for water and hydroelectric power versus the environmentalists. I am not sure there is just one answer or even a correct answer. Various countries around the world, like China, Chile, and Ecuador want to dam up rivers for hydroelectric power. It would change the lives of millions forever. What can we do? What should we do?

Not to be outdone by the airlines, I fully expect hotels to keep piling on the extra charges for things that were either free or “included” in the room rate. Again, I recommend picking and choosing carefully, based on your needs. Also, make sure you join their “frequent stay” club, and try to focus your stays to just a few of the more prevalent chains. As I said before, I tend to use Holiday Inn, Hilton, and Marriott as my main hotel chains, with an occasional stay at Kimpton, and the oddball locations with hotels.com.

I would hate to guess the number of stays I have had in a hotel or motel over the years. Some have been memorable, most forgettable. Memorable: Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Datai (Langkawi), The Rasa Sayang (Penang), Old Course Hotel (St. Andrews), The Presidential Suite at the Inn at Spanish Bay, Casa Palmero (Pebble Beach), and The Peninsula (Bangkok).

These are some of the rip-offs that are being used by hotels to increase their bottom line.

1. Money Exchange Rarely do I exchange money at the hotel, where fees can be as high as 20%. A few hotels offer some decent exchange rates, but always know the going rate before you exchange. Most places are happy to take your U.S. money anyway.

2. Room Service Most room service menus are marked up above the regular rate for the café or restaurant downstairs. Many then add a service fee, as high as 20%, with a waiter who still expects a tip beyond that! Some places add the service charge even if you dine in their restaurant, figuring you will not look at the bill before paying or charging it to your room. Shame, shame!

3. Laundry Again, you are probably stuck, unless you are staying in an area that has laundry or dry cleaning services nearby. We found such a place across the street from our hotel in Quito, Columbia. For about the equivalent of $5 USD, Mike and I got about 10 items laundered and pressed. But I did see the guy at the laundry wearing Mike’s jacket the day before we picked up our stuff! Remember the Seinfeld episode with the dry cleaner?

4. Parking This is one of the most irritating charges I have ever experienced. Some even offer to include it in a “package” deal, even when you do not have a car to park! If they do, always ask for something else in return if you are not driving. I usually ask for free wi-fi, or a meal or drink credit. Plus, who knows where they might park your Bentley or Ferrari?

5. Minibars How I hate these things. I usually need their refrigerator to chill my champagne or water. They have the audacity to charge me electronically, even if I do not consume their beverages. My solution is to walk across the street to the convenience store and buy drinks at reasonable prices. I heard some hotel charged a guy $10 for a 12 ounce can of Coca Cola! If you stay at a nice resort like Pebble Beach, the entire contents of the minibar (except the alcohol) are included in the room charge.

6. Wi-Fi My philosophy is that a so-called business hotel should include wi-fi for free. After all, we are staying there for business reasons, and will be out conducting business most of the day, and often into the night. So, why do I need to pay an outrageous fee for perhaps 2-3 hours on-line? The solution is to book a place where it is free. Or ask for a waiver of the fee since you will not use the spa or gym. Or bring your own, like I do.

7. Resort Fees Naturally, places like Hawaii and Vegas are famous for these. In some places, they are actually okay. A place like the Rasa Sayang in Penang includes high tea (including cocktails), English breakfast, and a butler! In most other places, it is a big rip-off. It never hurts to ask them to waive the fee if you are not using their facilities.

8. No Ice Machines This is becoming increasingly popular. Many places charge a fee (room service) and want a tip for the bellman. A possible work around is to ask for a refrigerator for your room. Worse yet, learn to drink warm beer. Or tell them you are a diabetic, and need some ice for your insulin.

9. Excessive Tipping Make sure you tip the people who help you. Forget about the others, but don’t be a cheapskate. The room tip for the housekeeper is usually the best $5 you can spend on a stay of more than one night. The dreaded doorman (another Seinfeld episode) always has his hand out. I would rather give it to the homeless guy outside the front door. Yet, the cute, little, young, uniformed ladies who open the door and bow politely in Bangkok hotels are well worth the $1 USD each time you pass through.

10. Tiny Rooms This is the trend, so get used to it. Just make sure, if you are traveling on business, that you have a desk or place to work. My room was so small once in Hong Kong, that I had to open my suitcase on my bed! Or another time, in New Zealand, where I had to sleep next to a wall, and crawl over my wife to get out! The best solution, stay in a business hotel, not a cheap tourist hotel or motel. My vote for worst motel, the Red Eagle Motel in Browning, Montana. It makes Motel 6 look like The Peninsula!!!

When in doubt, please check the reviews from TripAdvisor or Yelp.