Hubby had Coulee Dam on his mind so we trekked two hours to make the 1:30 tour. We arrived at 1:15 and guide Kathy let us join in for the 1:30 tour because they only had room for three more. Whew! Guide Randy was great! Engaging, dry humored and personable. It's pretty rigorous to take the tour due to heightened security. Check the rules: no bags, only water in a clear bottle, etc. You have to put all your items into a tray for inspection and then go through a metal detector. Two vans transported us to one of the power stations where Ralph gave us an insightful yet brief overview. We were in the second van with Guide Kathy who was bland, lacking energy, lacking excitement in her voice and seemed annoyed because she kept looking at her watch during the tour. The next stop was across the top of the dam which was cool. Before 9/11 you could park and walk across the dam but no more. Regardless, it was a good experience having done this at Hoover Dam years ago. And the tour was over. Too short so be sure to go to the visitors center. There are places to eat in the town approaching the park and there was plenty of parking at the visitor center on this day. Do visit this dam and take in this engineering wonder. read more

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