Go West! Tour - Dam and It's Hot!

Day 18

Henderson, NV to Alpine, AZ - 458 miles

Upon arrival in Henderson, we needed to refresh our provisions. We stopped at the nearly Total Wine and More superstore and I was amazed. This was the best stocked liquor and wine store I have ever entered. I took this pic of the high end whiskeys in case anyone needs ideas on what to get me for Christmas. Just pick one and I’ll be delighted by your selection!

You know it’s good when Makers Mark is on the lower shelf!

Route for the day (Waypoints 15-17):

Well, I’ll be damned. Hoover Dam! 

We routed through Las Vegas so that we could see a sight we’ve never seen before. Very cool.

A few warnings for those who have never visited the Hoover Dam: 1) there is a security check prior to getting anywhere close to the dam; 2) they do not allow trailers beyond said security point. We had to backtrack to a hotel parking lot and off-load the trailer; 3) no firearms, knives, or other weapons allowed. Liz was carrying her late father’s 3” Old Timer pocket knife in her purse and it was detected. A kind security guard offered to hold it until our self-guided tour was completed. I’m thinking the Hoover Dam is a designated terrorist target; 4) the Hoover Dam is not a single, continuous concrete pour. Had it been so, it would have taken 127 years to cure and resulted in numerous faulty cracks. Instead, it was constructed using rectangular concrete blocks, each poured and cured individually. It is truly an engineering marvel; and 5) contrary to the folklore, no workers were encased in the concrete during construction.

Once the dam tour was complete, got back on the road with many miles ahead. The temps had already risen to 109 degrees!

We continued on US-93 down to Kingman, then across on I-40. Yes, Jimmers, we passed the old Route 66 Ramada Inn and dined at Oyster’s Mexican and Seafood Restaurant. Good groceries. While cruising down I-40, we stopped in a little town you might have heard of in an Eagles song. There I was, standing on a corner...

We pressed on to Alpine, AZ. Many are not aware, but Arizona has some serious mountain areas with beautiful pine trees. Alpine was founded by Anderson Bush who built a log home known as “Fort Bush”. He later sold the property to Mormon settlers who established the town as a Mormon community. 

There isn’t much there, but it’s a quaint little hamlet in the mountains, often frequented by hunters who get permits to hunt the public lands. It is also frequented by motorcyclists who want to ride the Devil’s Highway (old Route 666, now known as US-191 or the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway). We stayed at the Sportmans Lodge, a simple, but clean, mom and pop operation. I discovered this place while on the Great Southwest Tour last year. Frank and Phyllis own the place and Frank is an old biker. 

The property is very biker friendly...they will even bring you a basket of micro-fiber towels to clean your bike. WARNING:Arizona law does not allow smoking within 20’ of a doorway, so smoke in the designated area only. We had a lib lady a few doors down that complained, so we politely moved our Happy Hour. We were over-served that night, for sure.

I hoped to see the elk run that evening or in the morning, but missed both runs. Maybe next time.

Besides the beautiful scenery, I diverted to Alpine for another reason...a geek tour. More on that in tomorrow's post.