Finishing Hoover Dad

After viewing the Stairway to Heaven our tour was pretty much over. We got in the elevator one last time and exited in a very small ornate marble room. Then we exited the room onto the top of the dam through some brass doors. Dad and I walked along the sidewalk of the dam, dodged some cars and walked back the other way. We took some photos and then headed to the gift shop so dad could buy a mini hoover dam - just kidding. I thought I might want a snack, but the overwhelming small of burnt grease turned me off from even an ice cream cone.

Dad and I headed home and it took a long time. Dad's commentary on the beautifulness of rocks and scrub brush and cacti is very entertaining. Arizona is a striking place - but I am certain I could not live in this part. We stopped in Kingman at the buffet to get our fill of vegetables, MEAT, and people watching.

On the way home we were overtaken by Monsoon. Monsoon is what Arizonians call thunderstorms. It is monsoon season now in Arizona which means that there will be thunderstorms and rain just about everyday and could happen at any time of the day, but from what I have seen mostly in the afternoon. Sometimes it is sprinkles, and sometimes it really pours! Because the sky is so open - the land is flat, the trees are short of non-existent, and there are big mountains but sort of poking here and there - you can see the thunderstorms and rain wherever it is. On the way home, Dad and I saw it in every direction so we knew it was inevitable.

Another funny thing in Arizona is a wash. A wash is basically a ditch or a dry stream bed filled with dust and gravel. Dad told me one of his goals was to see one with running water in it. After a monsoon that is pretty easy. We eventually made it to Prescott, went to the grocery store to buy five times the amount of food we thought we would need (Kelley decreed that was the amount of food we should plan for) for our hike into the Grand Canyon.