Skye checking out the morning
Saturday brought the last full day of our spring vacation. We had stayed at Wahweap last night so we could take the tour of Glen Canyon Dam at 8:00 am. Visiting the dam is something I have always wanted to do. Glen Canyon Dam represents one of the marvels of human engineering. While I might with the river was still allowed to run wild and free, the dam is still an amazing feet of engineering.
Glen Canyon Dam
To visit the dam we started by going through a security check with metal detectors. We gathered at the visitor desk with a number of others that were there for the tour. We left the visitor center descending in an elevator to the level of the dam top. The dam supports a 2 lane road along the top that has been used for traffic while bridge repair were being performed.
Bridge at Geln Canyon Dam
We spent some time observing both the river and lake sides of the dam then proceeded to an elevator that descended to the generator level at the base of the dam. There is a large area between the dam and the generation facility that is a watered and mowed lawn. I guess there is no shortage of water here.
The dam face - Glen Canyon Dam
The view back up the dam face displays its great height. There are hanging gardens along the cliff wall that grow in the seeps caused by the dam. The generation facility holds 8 massive AC generators that are driven by water taken in hundreds of feet above.
Quite the place for a yard
After spending some time at the base of the dam it was time to ascend back up the elevators and back to the visitor center.
Glen Canyon generator room
To break up the trip home our objective for the day was Pagosa Springs. We wanted to take advantage of the warm spring’s waters to soak off the week’s dirt and sand.
We stayed at the Spa @ Pagosa Springs. It had hot pools available which were included in the cost of the room. I give the accommodations a 2.5/5 rating. The door to our room would only latch when the dead bolt was used and the walls were paper thin so you could hear the TV and voices from the next room. The price was 140 which was a lot for the accommodations provided.
On Sunday morning we spent another 2 hours soaking in the multitude of pools at the Springs Resort & Lodge. There are pools ranging in temperature from the mid 90s to 110. We got underway for an uneventful drive back to Colorado Springs at about 11:00am.
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