Rhyolite and Goldwell Open Air Museum, NV May 6, 2010

RHYOLITE GHOST TOWN, NV
Shorty Harris and Ed Cross found gold just outside of Death Valley, CA, in the early 1900s. Because of this discovery, the mining town of Rhyolite was built. In her heyday, Rhyolite had 3 water systems, 3 train lines, over 50 mines, 2 hospitals, 8 doctors, 2 dentists, 19 lodging house, 18 grocery stores, over 50 saloons, and a Catholic and a Presbyterian Church, Rhyolite is the largest ghost town in Death Valley.

The Rhyolite Mercantile. The life span of Rhyolite was about 10 years with some residents holding our for another 4 or 5 years.

Population: 1905-1911 up to 8000 people.

1912-1919 declined to 20 families

Today - 1 other than BLM Caretakers

Bill found this "fixer upper" but decided it wouldn't haul the RV.

Tom Kelly's Bottle House is one of the few still remaining houses made entirely out of bottles. Seems there were plenty of available bottles from the 50 saloons in town!

Thousands of photographers come to Rhyolite every year for the opportunity of a lifetime. This is the remains of the three-story Cook Bank Building, the most photographed ruin in the state of Nevada.

One of the few remaining buildings still in decent shape is the old train depot which later became a casino. It, too, is now deserted.

Just down the road is the Goldwell Open Air Museum which began in 1984 as an artist project of Belgian sculptor Albert Szukalski, best known for his life-size "ghostly" shrouded figures. To make the figures, Szukalski wrapped live models in fabric soaked in wet plaster, posed them, and refined the drapery. When the plaster set, the model was slipped out, leaving the rigid shroud that surrounded them. This is called "THE LAST SUPPER".

Szukalski's figures are found throughout the city in Antwerp, Belgium. This one is called "Ghost Rider". The model, a local man, donated his bicycle to complete the piece.

This eclectic couch was originally created for an artist-in-residence project at the Lied Discovery Children's s Museum in Las Vegas. It was rescued in 2007 and lovingly restored and re-envisioned at Goldwell in 2007.

Sunset from our campsite at the Longstreet RV Park in the Nevada desert was a beautiful vision. Each evening Bill and I would sit and watch the sunset.

Death Valley, CA May 5, 2010

DEATH VALLEY
Great extremes haunt this hottest, driest, lowest national park. Extremes in temperature and elevation create scenic vistas. This desert supports nearly 1,000 native plant species and harbors fish, snails, and other aquatic animals found nowhere else. To protect its extraordinary natural and cultural landscape, in 1944 Congress changed Death Valley from a national monument to a national park, enlarged the park and designated most of it as wilderness.

Our first stop was at Zabriskie Point overlook for an unforgettable view of Death Valley's wildly eroded and vibrantly colored badlands.














Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in the United States. Here is Bill standing at sea level with (guess who) Stanley! The valley is a long, narrow basin 282 feet below sea level, yet walled by high, steep mountain ranges. Summer highs are in the 120 degree range, making that time of year a poor one to visit. On May 5, it was 105 degrees!










Rusting remains of buildings, machinery, tanks, and piping at Harmony Borax Works remain of the operation that dates back more than 120 years. After borax was found in 1881, William Tell Coleman built the Harmony plant and began to process ore in late 1883 or early 1884.










When in full operation, the works employed 40 men who produced three tons of borax daily from the salt flats located behind Bill.












TWENTY MULE TEAM BORAX

Remember that?? Early miners used those famed 20-mule teams to haul borax 165 miles through the Mojave Desert to the railroad town of Mojave, CA. The teams averaged 2 miles an hour and required about 30 days to complete a round trip. The two wagons hauled 24 tons of borax. Combined with the water wagon, the load total was about 36 1/2 tons!





Even in this arid, desolate, hot environment, a brilliant yellow flower blooms.

On the way out of the Park, we took the "Twenty Mule Team Canyon Road". 'Road' is a stretch of the imagination! This narrow, winding one lane road wanders through a desolate area, which was surprisingly beautiful.

While visiting Death Valley we stayed at the Longstreet RV Park. They advertised the largest Holstein bull in the world. He stands over 6 feet tall at the shoulder. The fence was about 5 feet tall.

I don't know what their infatuation was with Holstein cows in the desert, but they also had this huge statue, must have been 12-15 feet high!

How many times did you see Stanley??

Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, NV May 4, 2010

Bill always wanted to visit Hoover Dam so we did! Construction of Hoover Dam began in 1931 and the last concrete was poured in 1935, Even with the remote location and some of the harshest working conditions, the government's contractor - Six Companies, Inc.-completed the project two years ahead of schedule and well under budget! How often does that happen???

Looking down from the dam itself you can see the power plant to the lower left. The power plant wings were completed in 1936 and the first generator began operation in October of that year. The 17th and final generator went into commercial operation in 1961. Located in Black Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada, the dam is one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. You can also see the new bridge they are building over the canyon. The dam serves several purposes: flood control, irrigation of over 1 million acres of crop lands in the US and half a million acres in Mexico, domestic water needs of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson and other southwestern cities and Indian communities, generation of low-cost hydroelectric power for use in Nevada, Arizona, and California, and of course recreation.

Hoover Dam's reservoir, Lake Mead, is America's largest man made reservoir. It can store 28.5 million acre-feet (9.2 trillion gallons) of water, or nearly two years of the river's average annual flow. An acre-foot of water would cover a football field to a depth of one foot. The dam is 726 feet high, 1244 feet long, crest width 45 feet, base width 660 feet, and volume of concrete is 3.25 million cubic yards. The water level is very low as you can see from the white to black line on the rocks. If it falls another 11 feet it will be the lowest in history.

Of course, being only 20 or so miles from Las Vegas, we just had to see the city that never sleeps. This is a view of the famous "strip".

Not being gamblers, we did enjoy seeing the various casinos and shops. This is Treasure Island. I wonder how many hotel rooms there are in Vegas???

Everyone has heard of Siegfried and Roy and their animal act. Here is the tribute to them.

One of the most popular shows in Vegas is the famous Pirate ship battle. I caught this photo as it was "blown up".

We stayed late enough to see the city at night. It is a beautiful sight with all the lights. This is the outside of the "New York, New York" casino.

Jerome, AZ May 1, 2010

Next stop with Don & Lisa was the mining town named "Jerome" established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. The town housed the workers of the United Verde Mine which produced over 1 Billion dollars in copper, gold, and silver over a span of 70 years. At one time the town had over 15,000 residents.

A Jerome icon, a handosme building on a picturesque corner, the Connor Hotel is home to the popular Spirit Room, and an adorable collection of twelve well-kept historic rooms. The hotel was built in 1898 by an Irish American named David Connor. Jerome became notorious as a "wild west town" and on Feb. 5 1903, the New York Sun proclaimed it the "wickedest town in the west." At that time the population was 2500.

The Grand Hotel sits high atop Cleopatra Hill. It was originally a hospital to treat mine workers. There have been many ghost sitings in the hotel as Don and Lisa can attest as they have stayed here. It is now a popular place for those interested in ghosts. The population of Jerome is now around 350 and is mostly a tourist destination.

View of the valley from the Grand Hotel.

The remodeled former hospital is now a unique hotel with beautiful landscaping and a view that goes for miles and miles.

One of several bed and breakfasts built on the side of the hill.

We stopped at the Road Runner Saloon on the way back to Phoenix for a late dinner. Food was great! Thanks Don & Lisa for a day we won't forget!

Sedona, AZ May 1, 2010

Don and Lisa took us for a ride up to Sedona on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was awesome! As you can see, the main attraction is the stunning array of red-orange colored sandstone formations found only in the Sedona area.

One of the main tourist attractions and one of seven man made wonders of Arizona is the Chapel of the Holy Cross built on a mesa on Coconino National Forest Land. Inspired by sculptor Marguerite Staude, student of Frank Lloyd Wright, it was built in 1956 for $300,000. In her words, "Though Catholic in faith as a work of art the chapel has universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and all regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all men and be a living reality."

Notice the beautiful red rock in the background. This scene is looking east from the chapel.

A natural rock formation on the mountain behind the Chapel resembles an eagle.

Don, Lisa, and her mother, Barbara, who joined us for the day. We had such a fun time together.

View from the Chapel hill of surrounding area. Notice the fabulous house in the foreground. Some notables that have homes here are Sharon Stone, Ted Danson, and Al Pacino. U.S. Senator John McCain has a ranch southwest of Sedona.

After lunch in Sedona, we drove north to see more beautiful scenery. At 4500 feet in elevation it is in the upper Sonoran desert with mild winters and cooler summers than either Phoenix or Tucxon.

We stopped at a huge gorge over a river north of Sedona. Bill and Don are admiring the view.

Anyone visiting the Phoenix area should take the time to drive a couple of hours north to see Sedona!

Scottsdale-Friend from Meadville, PA April 30, 2010

We met up with Don Lambert, a former co-worker at Meadville Medical Center in Pennsylvania. He's been living in Scottsdale for over 10 years now and is a maintenance supervisor at a local hospital. He and Bill had a good time "catching up".

Don and his wife Lisa and took us out for a great lunch in a neat little restaurant in Scottsdale. Later we walked around "Old Town". There were lots of shops in which to browse. Also went to a restored mission.

Who ARE these people!! Barb, Bill, Don and Lisa with new found friends!

We admired the unique and unusual art work decorating the streets. You know how I love horses!

After our visit to Old Town, we went to Don and Lisa's where Don grilled steaks and Lisa prepared a luscious dinner for us. That's their new puppy, Casper.

Ceilidh enjoyed being "free" to run around their backyard with their dogs, Rocco and Casper. They wore themselves out. When we left, Casper could hardly keep his eyes open and hold his head up! He's only 10 weeks old but played his heart out for 3 hours! They all slept good that night.

Mesa Relatives! April 29, 2010

I was fortunate to be able to visit relatives in Mesa. My mother's cousin, Dalores, and her son Rich, whom I haven't seen for at least 15+ years welcomed us into their home. We had a wonderful visit, remembering other relatives no longer with us. Dalores looks much younger than her 92 years! Rich takes such good care of her. They are among only a handful of relatives I have, other than my 3 children. I was so happy to be able to spend an afternoon with them. Rich fixed a nice supper for us before we left. Family grows more precious as we grow older....