Beneath the amazing Hoover Dam are two more tourist attractions.
A museum and the turbines that generate the enormous amount of power.
These are included in the admission ticket to the dam.
The Hoover Dam Exhibit Gallery is located on the ground floor of the Visitor Center.
Remember while traveling in the US that the ground floor is called the 1st floor.
The gallery has on display the original equipment and machinery used during the construction of the dam.
Lifesize manikins show how the labor operated them in real life.
The most amazing things that captivated my attention as a mechanical engineer were the huge coupling bolt and the accompanying spanner/wrench.
After visiting the gallery, I took the tour bus again that took us to an accessible elevator.
Using this we descended to the entrance of a tunnel that finally led to the underground generator room.
The 10-minutesâ walk through the tunnel is a thrilling one especially when one realizes that we are beneath one of the largest dams in the world.
Hereâs another AI generated image of the power generator area of the Hoover Dam that I could not resist sharing.
This is for entertainment and does not need any citation or accreditation.
Hereâs the real view of the power plant area as seen from the top of the dam.
Inside is a majestic view of the huge generators working relentlessly for more than 100 years requiring only regular maintenance and occasional repairs.
Since I visited there towards the end of the Wuhan virus pandemic, I luckily got to see one of the turbines opened up for important repairs.
The tour guide said that this opportunity comes only once in 35 years. Another goosebump moment on the tour.
The way youâve described the museum, with its original equipment and lifelike manikins, really brings the history of the dam to life. As a fellow enthusiast for mechanical wonders, the mention of the huge coupling bolt and spanner caught my imagination too. It must have been quite a sight!