We are huge Percy Jackson fans, and ever since reading The Titan’s Curse (where Percy & Annabeth end up in the bowels of the dam being chased by monsters) the kids have been anxious to visit Hoover Dam. After returning to our Airstream in Las Vegas from Christmas break, we planned a solid two weeks…
As we were waiting for our tour to start in the Lehman Caves, Sam and I started discussing how many caves we had actually been to in the last year. We started counting and realized this was our fourth is just the last year! Not only that, the locations of these caves ranged from Virginia…
We had plans to stay at a lake between Bryce Canyon & Cedar Breaks that fell through due to lack of Verizon signal, so with a couple of extra days before we needed to be back to Salt Lake for a photography workshop we decided to detour to Great Basin National Park. This had been…
Last week we spent 2 nights at Angel Lake high in the Ruby Mountains. It was beautiful and surprising given that generally our excursions across Nevada on I-80 are done as quickly as possible due to the lack of scenery. The Ruby Mountains, however, are definitely not lacking in scenery. Located south of Wells, foraging…
So in the Oquirrh mountains there is one even worse I would say. It is going up to Butterfield Canyon (I think). It is just as steep as a drop off and no guard rails – BUT a dirt road and only one lane – so if a car comes the other way one has to try and scoot up against the mountain and the other goes as close to the edge as they can. We tried it once and only made it half way before I insisted that we turn around because I was sure we were going to die. I heard the views are worth it – but some things are definitely not worth it. If you like adventure you should try it next time you are in Utah. 🙂ReplyCancel
Oh my goodness- that security guard was insane! He needs to go work for border patrol or something, nothing would get past him!
The experience with the guard sounds terrible for the kids to witness but you have to remember it’s the Hoover Dam- if something were to happen it would affect literally millions of people. I agree with you about the difficultie posed to bikers or families in general. How hard would it be to have a locker for inspected bags? Maybe a letter to the management is in order.
You saw a sign that said “no food”… that meant no food. Not “no food, but sealed is cool.” Not “no food but, if you came in on a bike we’ll let it slide.” No. It means no food. I used to work in the gift shop under the parking garage that you came down into and I can tell you those rules are not just to irritate you. The Dam is a POWER PLANT. They need to keep it in the condition that allows it to operate as a power plant. That means if you are lucky enough to be allowed to walk through a power plant you should be respectful enough to follow their rules without a fuss. Those people have families too. Their paychecks rely on enforcing the rules that the federal government have laid out in their contract. They deal with people like you trying to be the exception all day long. Read signs. Follow the rules at a government power plant. And remember that the world does not revolve around you
Thanks for your note Tammy. You focus on the “No Food” requirement of a dam visit in your comment, but there were actually three issues at play here. For clarity, I’ll address them all.
First, on the clarity of “No Food” signs: We visit all sorts of places, and many with No Food signs. We are not rule breakers, and often ask for clarification due to the logistics of traveling with kids. At no time have we ever been blocked from entering anyplace with sealed food. The concern has never been the passage of food through someplace, but the mess that can be created while eating it. We abide these rules (with clarification as mentioned), and understand their purpose. Given our previous experience, there is clearly precedent for being able to pass through with food that remains sealed and put away.
Second, any facility that does carry such strict requirements should have a reasonable way for visitors to comply. Two possible options would be lockers or a bag check, either one of which we would have been more than happy to use during our visit, even if there was an extra cost involved. If these are not possible, the absolute requirement should be made much more clearly in both signage and online materials, complete with suggestions for completing a visit under such restrictions. During our visit none of these options were available. Our exasperation was not at a silly rule, but at the complete lack of options for compliance. At no time did we express that this particular security guard was at fault. The failings were ones of inadequate facilities, not the fault of any single security officer.
Third, the security was both belligerent and disrespectful as we tried to find a way to comply with the rules. He demanded to know information that he did not have the right to know, and insisted that there was no way we could comply with the rules. The claims he made were clearly false, as when I returned he had been relieved of his post, and his supervisor admitted us into a tour. In our post you’ll se a picture with a “No Bikes Beyond this point” sign. On the SAME fence was a sign notifying us that we were leaving one federally maintained piece of land, and officially entering the area of of the Hoover Dam. When I left with all of our contraband food, I walked back up the hill past the property boundary and left it locked to our bikes. The security guards threats that ‘abandoned’ bags would not be tolerated on the property was made in vain, as we complied with not only the no food requirements but also did not leave any abandoned bags on the Dam property.
At no time did we ask for an exception to any rule. We sought clarification on our options, and then fully complied with all rules.
In all likelihood, that particular guard was just having a rough day and made a mistake in the execution of his duties. If his actions were not the result of a momentary lapse in judgement, I’m confident that his supervisor (who observed our exchange) long ago provided supplemental training. I hope the cause of his inappropriate aggression has been relieved.
Would we take the tour again? Absolutely. We’d just be better prepared next time!