Basically a Ghost Town and a Lighthouse

 Beaver, UT  - Still hot in the 90s. Better than Apache Junction's 110 and above.

Panaca Chapel

The oldest building in Lincoln County, constructed in 1867-1868 of adobe from the swamps west of town. Built as a Mormon chapel, used also as a school and recreation hall.

Modena, UT

In 1899, the town of Modena became a major supplier of water for the railroad steam engines because it was on the route between Salt Lake City and Southern California.  But like other water-stop towns, their fate was sealed and people moved away.

Two technology developments caused their demise. First, was the invention of the diesel locomotive engine which did not require water. And then the growth of automobiles and trucks for hauling freight along with paved highways made trains obsolete to a great extent.

 

This two room school house now serves as a small library for the few people who live there. 

So is it a ghost town or not since a few people still live there? In fact I actually waved to two of them who were out and about.

Cedar City, Utah Temple

Dedicated in 2017, the temple sits high on Leigh Hill.

 

So why does Cedar City have a landlocked lighthouse?

 

There are a few claims about why the 88 feet tall lighthouse was built 450 miles away from the nearest ocean.

One story says that it was originally a lighthouse in Europe that was disassembled and transported to Utah.

Another claim is that it was a church.  And a third claim is that it was built in preparation for the big earthquake when California drops off into the ocean leaving the lighthouse in Cedar City the only lighthouse on the "new" Pacific Coast.

The lighthouse is located at a very busy intersection and not easy to take a picture of. In fact, I got in the wrong lane trying to get closer to it and ended up going south on the interstate. Beaver (my destination) was north. Glad I wasn't in a hurry.

 

On to Pioche and Panaca

Panaca, NV - same-o, same-o, hot and more hot

Welcome to Pioche, NV.  Jim and I spent time exploring in this area in 2012. So I just made a quick visit to reminisce.

Pioche was founded in 1869 when silver was found in them thar' hills. Pioche was one tough town. during the early 1870s nearly 60% of murders reported in the entire state occurred in Pioche. 72 people were murdered and buried in Boot Hill before any natural deaths occurred.

Boot Hill

 

 

You can see the aerial tram which was used to transport buckets of silver and nickel ore from the mines to the Godbe Mill.

Taken from the Pioche Chamber of Commerce Website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Town Hall

 

 Lincoln County Court House

There are so many other places to see in Pioche but it was time for me to check in for another new experience.

 

I headed back to Panaca to check into the Pine Tree Inn. 

 

 

I did not realize until I checked in that it is a Bed & Breakfast. (I know I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes.) I have never stayed at one before and I found it very interesting.

 

The house is old but it was spotless. My room and bathroom.

 

 

There is a bedroom upstairs and one on the main level and one downstairs. I had the main level which is a good thing. They also have a cabin out back that is available to rent. We had a full house and cabin.

 

 

 

I had a very very good friend who grew up in Panaca. He died a few years ago and I miss him. In the family room there is a book of the families from Panaca through the years. And I found him in this book. His name was Phares Quincy Woods. I took a picture of the page with his name on it. 

 

 

 

Breakfast was really incredible. The host was busy so didn't get a chance to visit but I had company at the table. And one of them definitely kept the conversation going. 

 

 

Daisy and I are headed to Beaver, UT for our next stop with a couple of side trips. 

I am so far behind on blogging. I am currently in Helena, MT so I'm trying to get caught up.

 

Caliente and Cathedral Gorge

Panaca, NV  High 101  Low 76

After not having any luck tracking down Aliens, I headed further north on Highway 93.

I reached Pahranagat National Wildlife Area. Jim and I camped here a few times so I took a small drive down by the water. It's a beautiful area and when the weather cooperates the place is packed with campers. With the heat I truly did not expect to see anybody else and yet I met three different cars coming and going. But no RVs. The camping is free but there are no hookups and no generators allowed. 

 

 

After Pahranagat I reached Calinete. My main reason for stopping here was to see the Train Depot and visit the museum. Well, that was a bust. They are doing a massive reconstruction project on it and the museum was closed.

This is what it looked like before.

 

 And this is what I saw this time.

 

So I took some pictures of the main street in town. 

Does Radio Shack still exist?

 

Next stop - Cathedral Gorge State Park

Between Caliente and Panaca is Cathedral Gorge which began with explosive volcanic activity that deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick. This park covers 1800 acres and was originally home to the Fremont, Anasazi and Southern Palutes. In 1924 it became a state park.

I did not do any hiking - remember it's really hot outside and I don't do much uneven ground walking because my ankle does not work properly. But Miller's Viewpoint gave me some great pictures.

When the weather cools down, it's a great place to take a hike.

 

Searching for Aliens

 Middle of Nevada and it's just plain HOT!!

Driving up Highway 93 I stopped in Alamo to get fuel and also picked up some Church's Fried Chicken. It smelled so good I could not say no. Got to a junction in the road and turned left to go on the Extraterrestrial Highway (Nevada 375). 

I'm sure most of you are well aware of Area 51, a secret government operation, that is supposedly where aliens found in the desert were taken for further analysis. Not sure what really does go on there and it is well guarded. Years ago Jim and I pulled up to a gate at Groom Lake and saw several soldiers with large guns. We didn't stay long.

I stopped at the ET road sign and pulled into some shade. Sat in the car to enjoy my chicken and it was some of the best I've ever had. But it got hot really quickly even in the shade.

I do not understand why people have to destroy things with graffiti. There has got to be a better way to say "I've Been Here". 

 Now the quest is on. I head down the highway and shortly reached the Alien Research Center. I am really excited to see what kind of research they are doing. The parking lot is empty which didn't surprise me, since there was very little traffic on the highway.

Pulled up to the door and was met with a sign stating they were closed due to the heat. Oh no. Bummer.  I took a couple of pictures and headed on down the road.

 

9-20-19 - Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All Of Us! Started out as a joke on FB and then took off. Thousands of people said they would be attending but only about 150 people actually showed up. And no, they did  not storm Area 51.

Traveled about 25 miles looking for the Black Mail Box.  But I gave up mostly because of the heat and turned around. My next stop will be in Caliente.

 

Camp Bouse

 Panaca, NV   High 1-5  Low 70 (wonderful)

Left home at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday with Las Vegas as my destination. I was very happy that there wasn't an accident on I-10 this year. Last year I spent three hours slowly inching along. 

The old Mercantile in Bouse, AZ.

I wanted to stop at Camp Bouse last year but because of the delay I just kept going. This year I had time to check it out. Camp Bouse was established in August of 1942 as a top secret post for developing and testing "Gizmo". 

Gizmo is a tank with modified turrets, carrying a 13 million-candlepower searchlight, that passed through a narrow slot using shutters that opened and closed six times per second. The tanks were designed to light up the battlefields at night and confuse the enemy with the flashing lights. The tanks were never deployed to the war.

 The actual camp itself is quite far out in the desert and I just stopped at the monument in Bouse. About 10,000 troops served under the command of General George Patton. This camp was so secret that it was not listed on the army's record of training camps. 

 Sandy is a M60 Patton Tank. She is named Sandy because the people who donated her to the memorial are George and Sandra Nault. 

After leaving Bouse, I stopped for fuel in Parker and headed for Las Vegas. It was too early for me to check into my hotel, so I decided to just wander. Well, I wandered right onto The Strip. Had no idea where I was so I just kept driving til I figured out I was going south and away from the airport where my hotel was. I finally got a chance to turn around (traffic was horrible) and I finally got my GPS to work and it took me where I needed to be. My air conditioner in Daisy doesn't work well or at all in stop and go traffic. She likes the open road. It's 117 degrees with no air and I am feeling every degree of that heat. I was so grateful to be able to check in early and get into air conditioning. This is the only picture I took of the city. 

I was absolutely exhausted from the heat and the drive. Did not even go out to get any dinner. I finally gave in and went to bed at 8:00 p.m. Of course, that meant I was up at 4:00 a.m. 

Had breakfast at the hotel and then got brave enough to try and get through traffic and on the Interstate. Almost made it, but I ended up in the wrong lane and had to take an exit that took me right in the middle of downtown. GPS to the rescue and got me out of there. Heading north on Highway 93 in Nevada. More tomorrow.