Hoover Dam, Pat Tillman Bridge

Although we only had a half day at the Hoover Dam, it was well worth the visit, even in the 113 degree heat from hell. My gratitude to the men who. during the Great Depression, worked and died to tame this mighty river to the benefit of generations of Americans.

O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge

Not that the government can ever make up for what it did to the Tillman family, but at least they are naming a bridge, and not just any bridge, after him. The Hoover Dam Bypass US 93 reflects his character in its generosity, span, talent, and indomitable spirit. For a variety of excellent reasons, it is going up right above Hoover Dam.
It is stunning to see up close what is required to build this bypass, as stunning as a multimillionaire professional football player giving up the money and fame to go to Afghanistan to make the ultimate sacrifice. Were that there were more professional athletes like Pat Tillman, but sadly he is the rare and one in a million. Here are some photos of the O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge as it is being built.

Visit Zion National Park

We just back from a family vacation at Zion National Park  with side trips to Bryce Canyon National Park and (God help us...) Las Vegas. I can't say enough good things about Zion and Bryce...or enough bad things about Vegas.

My wife, who is a corporate travel agent, did a first-rate job of planning the trip. A visit to a national park of the size and scale of Zion requires very detailed planning. Here are some of the things that helped us.

Lodging: Flanigan's Inn in Springdale, Utah. It has a spectacular view of Zion Canyon, a health spa and exercise, a pool, five-star dining, Internet access and more...but the best part for me was the peace and quiet and privacy.

Other UseZion National Park Links:
Zion Natural History Association
National Park Service
Wikipedia Zion National Park Page

(An aside...when we got to Flanigan's, we had just come from one night at Circus Circus in Vegas, which was loud and crowded. My wife wanted to visit one night there because they have a five-acre amusement park. Problem is, the "parents" all dump their little angels at the amusement park and go gamble, so these abandoned kids wander about like pack animals.

What was funny is that the Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a large poster at the entrance of the Circus Circus amusement park. What they should have is an office at the center of the Circus Circus amusement park because they could find hundreds of missing and exploited kids each hour in that hell hole.)