I hate you diarrhea.

***************** Health Update:  Billie Jean still has diarrhea.  *********************

She is now on her third round of prescription medicine.

No improvement.

She's sabotaging my home.  She doesn't even care.

She's pooping all over the place - waking us in the wee morning hours to her profane messes.

If anyone finds this on the side of the road somewhere in the Southwest, please treat her well until I calm down.

Nevertheless, we're determined not to let our filthy canine ruin our fun.  

Though, she has robbed us of some joy lately.  

We're determined. 

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It’s impossible to do all the western states without zig-zagging a little, so we're again headed west.

We’re off to NEVADA!  Hoover Dam!  LAS VEGAS! 

I’ll try my best to refrain from dumb “dam” jokes, but our tour guide didn’t.  He was full of them. 

As a “pre-party” for our dam tour, CER attempted to construct her own dam.

Casserole dish dam under construction.

Our drive to Hoover Dam was well underway when my personal driver realized he’d left his sunglasses in the tow vehicle.  CBR was kind enough to offer his for daddy to borrow.  CBR, being 5 years old, prefers slightly more juvenile trends in eye wear.

This made me laugh every time I looked left.

These Batman frames were so small, that his eyelashes hit the lenses each time he blinked.

On our drive to Hoover Dam, we drove by Las Vegas.  We really contemplated taking the kids to the Vegas Strip, but we'd been advised by so many people that there is no way to avoid the adult nature of the Vegas Strip.  Whether in billboard signage, or flyers all over the ground, there's a reason Disney is a more popular family get-a-way than Vegas.  Ultimately, we decided there just isn’t much on the Strip that would be prosperous for the minds of impressionable children.  We opted to just point out big casinos from the motor home as we passed them from the interstate. 

I learned a lot on the Hoover Dam tour.  I had no idea that the dam served power for both Arizona and Nevada.  I realize that is common knowledge, but I didn't know.  There is actually an Arizona side and a Nevada side – two separate tunnels for water flow.  We were also fascinated by the construction of the dam.  It was quite an engineering feat!  We learned about the backbreaking work that went into completing the dam, and how it was extremely dangerous and even deadly for some.  I also didn't know that NONE of the hydro-power from Hoover Dam goes to the Las Vegas Strip.  Lighting Las Vegas for an evening would probably consume way more power than Hoover Dam could sustain anyways.  In my expert opinion.

LAR on the Arizona side.

Nevada water pipe.  Up to 300,000 gallons of water per day rushes through here.

Inside the powerhouse.  Lots of giant turbines.

CER clicks on items she wants powered on, and LAR has to spin the turbine fast enough to keep up with the energy output.

Colorado River - Hoover Dam, Nevada.

Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam has always been a place I've wanted to see.  As I look through our pictures I can not believe all we've done, all we've seen, and all we've learned.  I love what we've done, but there are so many tiny things that make this journey so valuable too.  Things that I can't photograph.  Like how our kids giggle together for a half an hour every night before falling asleep.  Or, the many traditions we've begun as a family on the road - they are uniquely ours. 

When I imagine the end of our trip, I have mixed feelings.  I have loved the time together as a family, and being fully insulated from the normal distractions of life.  I feel sad when I think about losing that luxury.  Without the influence of a community, we arrange our time exactly as we feel led.  We read, wear, go, do, buy, and live in a way that is more defined by who we are as a family than we ever have.  On the contrary, I miss the distractions.  I believe we're designed to be in relationship with others.  Being influenced over the popular book to read, the fashion trend must-haves, places to go, where to eat, what to eat, clubs to join, and the neighborhood in which to live is a piece of that.  It's not bad.  It's who we are, and what we do as people.  We influence each other.  I have just valued this lifestyle and our choices so much.  When our journey is done, I pray we assimilate back into our lifestyle in a same but different kind of way.  I do miss our community, and look forward to plugging back in.  However, I hope to be more intentional about the distractions.  I'd like to manage how we spend our time instead of our time managing us.