Home Sweet Home

Apache Junction, AZ   High 108  Low 85

I have been home for a few weeks now but have one more post to make for my summer adventures.

I hate driving through Las Vegas so, even though it's longer, I take the road through Valley of Fire State Park and then around Lake Mead to Boulder City. The road is longer but has very little traffic and some beautiful desert scenery. A really enjoyable drive. I made this drive last year and took hundreds of pictures so I only have a few to post this year. Well, maybe more than a few.

Valley of Fire

Saw this guy and a couple of his girls on my way into the park.

 

 

This herd was greeting everyone at the visitor's center. There was so much traffic, there was no way to get a decent photo.

 

Lake Mead - the lake is still really low. We could sure use some rain.

I spent my last night on the road in Parker, AZ.  I headed out early Tuesday morning and Daisy heaved a sigh of relief when I pulled her into the carport. 

Everything seemed to be work well especially the air conditioners for which I was truly grateful. Melva fixed dinner for me and I slid into my recliner and smiled.

The smile stuck around until I discovered my water connection was leaking at my water softener set up. I couldn't fix it, so I called Reid and he immediately came down and took about ten minutes to take care of it. And people wonder why I love living in this park. 

The smile is back and I've settled back into the routine of life. So you won't get too many posts from me for awhile.  

A sunset to welcome me home.

 

RyanHenge

Somewhere in Nevada  Highs in the 90s

 

After leaving the Egyptian Room, my next stop was the attraction I missed when I was headed north.

RyanHenge is a solar calendar and sundial built by Ryan Williams, the CEO of the Western Elite Landfill. That's right, this American Stonehenge is located inside the Landfill.

 

Ryan became fascinated by the stars so he began to chart their movement with stakes in the ground. He mapped their movements on the 21st of each month, marking the season solstices and equinoxes. His birthday just happens to be December 21.

The structure is made of concrete and reinforced with steel designed to withstand the elements for over 1,000 years.  It took 10 years to complete and was completed in 2017. In the center is a world map painted on the ground and in the center, a flagpole. At noon, light flashes through a hole in the flagpole, converting it to a sundial. At night, standing on Antarctica transforms the flagpole into a marker for the North Star.

For RyanHenge to work on a monthly schedule, it needed 57 upright megalith columns made of different widths depending on how fast the sun was moving between every month. 

There are many mysteries about RyanHenge. What is the significance of the Greek, Latin, and English phrases written on the map? Does the center pole mark Atlantis? Why isn't RyanHenge marked on the map? Why does a green space alien stand atop the northernmost lintel?  Only Ryan knows and he's not talking.

 

Also on the property is a very large sundial and a labyrinth, some old Pullman railroad cars salvaged from a Las Vegas Casino and a small group of animals including a camel and a zebra.

 

 

RyanHenge is located on private property, but respectful people are welcome to visit it for free. They have had some really obnoxious people who have actually climbed in with the animals, entered the area where people who work there have their homes, and have done damage that has to be repaired. Take Highway 93 north of Las Vegas on I-15 to exit 64. Drive north on US-93 for 43 miles. Turn left into Western Elite Landfill and check in at the booth.

Happy Heavenly Birthday Jim

 I love you and miss you every day. I am so grateful that we were sealed for eternity in the Alberta temple. 

How Did I End Up in Egypt?

 Alamo, NV   High 93  Low 69

After the easy drive through SLC, I had another decision to make. Did I want to follow the interstate or wander just a little. I decided to wander. On my way north I drove Highway 93 through Nevada until I turned east to go to Utah. I took the same route going south and I had a reason for that choice. 

I had found a roadside attraction that I really wanted to stop and see but I totally missed it on my way north. So this time I was going to make sure I found it. 

I decided to spend the night in Alamo, NV at the Sunset View Inn. This is a very unique motel which is to be expected when you are near the Extraterrestrial Highway. 

 

It's a very small motel and each room has a different theme. I spent the night in the Egyptian Room. I didn't get to see any of the other rooms, so I don't know what other themes are available.  

 I got the Egyptian Room. 

 

 

The bathroom door

The Bathroom

The light switch covers

Even though the motel is right on Highway 93,  I slept well but was ready to move on early the next morning. The closer I get to home, the faster I want to get there. But I had another unique stop to make first. See you in the next post. 

I Hate Goodbyes But Meeting With Another Good Friend Helps

Helena, Mt and heading south - back to much warmer weather

I've always said I'm not a point A to point B traveler but that's kind of what I did coming back to Arizona. However, I did make a couple of really interesting stops along the way.

I went back to Helena for a couple of days to say goodbye to Judy and Don. I also wanted to do one more temple session before getting on the road.

I love this picture of Judy and her great grandson, Carter.

I really hate these goodbyes. They are so hard because you have no idea what the next year will bring for all of us. But I've been gone almost two months and it's time for me to go home. It's hot and miserable, but it's home.

So I left Montana and family behind and headed south. I spent the first night in Rexburg, ID and I was proud of myself the next morning. Last year when I left Rexburg I ended up going north instead of south. Had to go about ten miles before I could get turned around. (I seem to have this problem more often than I like.) This year I chose the right entrance ramp. 

I got hold of my very good friend, Janet, and made arrangements to meet her in Salt Lake. I may have taken the right ramp but I booked the wrong hotel. Last year we stayed at the Crystal Inn. Really liked the place so I booked it again, or so I thought. There is more than one Crystal Inn in SLC. I booked the one that was right downtown. I wanted the one that is in the West Valley.  

Janet was willing to brave the traffic and homeless people in that area, and pick me up so we could go to lunch and do some sight seeing. Janet grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and I lived there way back in 1968 to 1971 or so. So she took me around and showed me the places that no longer exist or are now something else. 

Janet and I worked together for many years at the IRS. One of my fondest memories is when we went to St. Louis for a training class and got to the ride to the top of the Arch. 

On Saturday we ran errands and then Janet took me to the "This Is The Place" monument.The Monument marks the location where, on July 24, 1847, Brigham Young first saw the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham has a vision shortly after the Latter-day Saints were exiled from Nauvoo, IL. In the vision, he saw the land where the Saints would settle and build their State of Deseret.

Brigham was very sick with Rocky Mountain spotted fever and was riding in the back of a wagon. After coming through Emigration Canyon, he asked to look out of the wagon. Those with him opened the canvas cover and propped him up so he could see the valley below them. He then said, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on."

 In 1917 a Boy Scout troop built a wooden marker identifying this spot. In 1921 the marker was replaced by a white stone obelisk. 

 

In 1937 sculptor Mahonri M. Young, a grandson of Brigham, was commissioned to design and create a new larger monument. In 1974, on the 100th anniversary of the pioneers entry into the valley, the new monument was erected.

The Mormon Battalion Monument

The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. 

I deliberately made the decision to spend Saturday night in SLC so I could get through the city Sunday morning when traffic was light. I really hate driving through city traffic. And I sailed right on through without any problems at all.

Some Billings History Sites

Billings, MT   in the 90s but it cools down at night.

My time is running out here in Billings, but I decided to do a little bit of exploring.

Two Moon Park, named for the Northern Cheyenne chief who fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, borders the Yellowstone River near where we lived in Billings before we went to full time RVing. Lots of walking trails throughout the park. 

 

 

The Wayman Chapel - African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church

The railroad brought members of the Black community to Billings in the late 1800s. Most of them lived on the southside which was the center of the African American community. Black pioneer Walker Browning settled there and others joined him.

Church historians put the date of construction of the church somewhere around 1895 or 1896. Wayman Chapel not only served as a religious and spiritual center for the congregants but also as a social center for community events and functions.

In August of 2013, the church closed its doors. It sustained many water leaks and was declared unsafe. 

I find it interesting that even though we lived in Billings for several years, we never took the time to explore our hometown. But that seems to be the way it is for most people. Maybe next year I can find some more places of interest.