Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 4 of What’s in that Hole?, a new series I’m writing for my blog.
In the last episode, we finally found a cuddly creature (kind of – we kind of found it and it was kind of cuddly). Today’s episode is a bit different though – it’s a man-made hole. Let’s go ahead and call this a special edition! Which I think makes this “What’s in that hole? – Episode 4 (special edition).” Yeah, let’s go with that.
The hole
And here it is! Our special edition hole:
The hole.
I know what you’re thinking. I thought so too. This hole needs some teeth. And a tongue.
A closer view.
In case you want a view from further away to help you guess what’s in that hole, here you go:
A not closer view.
The answer
Want one more hint? I’ll admit, if you’re not a civil engineer this one’s a bit tricky. Ok, one final hint:
Your hint (boat not drawn to scale).
Let’s see how close you got. First, did you guess that it has something to do with a dam? Yes? Did you figure out that it’s at Hoover Dam? Maybe?
Here’s our answer: it’s one of two spillways at Hoover Dam. If Lake Mead is full, excess water is diverted around the dam to keep it from being wiped out by over-topping. The water is returned to the river downstream.
The spillway was built in 1934, according to a helpful sign. Another helpful sign (below) tells us that despite its age, the only year the spillway was needed was 1983. There has been nothing in this hole for decades! And before 1983, the hole was also empty for decades. This is quite different from our garden-variety holes (pun most definitely intended).
A very helpful sign indeed.
Yes, friends, I’m sorry to say that in this case, “what’s in that hole?” is a trick question. There is nothing in that hole.
If you find this answer upsetting or are left feeling hollow, don’t lose all hope! Simply subscribe to my blog in order to ensure you know when I write the next episode, which I promise will feature a hole with something inside.
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