Fontana Dam up close

During Road Trip 2008, his 4,593-mile voyage across the American South, CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman decided not to focus on a single dam, as he'd done on road trips past, but rather to take a look at several. For two days, he drove around North and South Carolina (and a small bit of Tennessee) in search of as many of the region's great dams as he could find.

This is the monstrous face of Fontana Dam in southwestern North Carolina. It was the highest dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, at 480 feet, and was begun not long after Pearl Harbor. The electricity generated by the dam helps power the region, while water released from the dam helps keep the Tennessee River under control.

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July 11, 2008 4:00 AM PDT

Photo by: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com