The coach was our home as we were always on the travel. Every minute on the road was always a treat. If the coach is a home, the following are the wallpaper that covered the home:

Finally, Hoover Dam came into sight.


Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1935, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station.^[3]

This dam, located 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as the Secretary of Commerce and then later as the President of the United States. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule. The dam and the power plant are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.^[2][4]

Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.

Location Fees for Filming at Hoover Dam*

Location Fees for Still Photography at Hoover Dam*

When i read travel books, the 1st section that i always turn to is the 'History' section. From there, i decide what i shall see, what i want to register in my mind and what i am going to do / eat. Hence, i'm gonna reorganise the way i am writing from this blog post onwards, to tell you more abt the place and how it relates to the real life. The experts do better at explaining so on and off, i'll adapt some on-hand info about the place for ya.]

Las Vegas, Nevada
 

Adapted from wikipedia:
Las Vegas (Spanish: The Meadows) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and entertainment. Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of casino resorts and associated entertainment. A growing retirement and family city, it is the 28th most populous city in the United States with an estimated population by the U.S. Census Bureau of 603,093 http://www.lvrj.com/news/12144671.html as of 2008.^[1] The estimated population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area as of 2007, was 1,986,146.^[2]

Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. With the growth that followed, at the close of the century Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in the 20th century (a distinction held by Chicago in the 19th century). The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the Las Vegas Strip and are seen elsewhere in the city as well. As seen from space, the Las Vegas metropolitan area is the brightest on Earth.^[3]

The name Las Vegas is often applied to unincorporated areas that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This 4 mile (6.5-km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is partly in the Las Vegas city limits, but mainly in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, and continues partly into unincorporated Enterprise.

 

The city is in an arid basin surrounded by dry mountains. City elevation is around 2030 feet (620 m) above sea level. The Spring Mountains lie to the west. As befits a desert, much of the landscape is rocky and dusty. Within the city, however, there are a great deal of lawns, trees, and other greenery. Due to water resource issues, there is now a movement to encourage xeriscapes instead of lawns. Another part of the water conservation efforts include scheduled watering groups for watering residential landscaping. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 131.3 square miles (340.0 km²), of which 131.2 square miles (339.8 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.04%) is water.

The county is famous for its tourism, the home of such attractions as Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, as well as several beaches along more than forty miles of coastline. It is also recognized for its nationally known centers of religious worship, such as Crystal Cathedral, Saddleback Church and Calvary Chapel. It is often portrayed in the media as an affluent and politically dynamic region.

Whereas most population centers in the United States tend to be identified by a major city, there is no defined urban center to Orange County. It is mostly suburban, except for some traditional downtown areas such as that of Santa Ana, Huntington Beach and Fullerton. While Santa Ana serves as the governmental center of the county, Anaheim is the main tourist destination and Irvine is the major business hub. Four Orange County cities have populations exceeding 200,000: Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, and Huntington Beach.

Thirty-four incorporated cities are located in Orange County; the newest is Aliso Viejo, which was incorporated in 2001. Anaheim is the oldest, incorporated in 1870 when the region was still part of neighboring Los Angeles County.