Touch of Gold

Out in the West one often finds a bright spot around the bends in the long dusty roads. Sometimes, after looking endlessly at the map, hoping for a place to take a break, you come across a place where history is commemorated.

While continuing through Utah, the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Point was another stop we found very interesting.

We arrived in the heavy heat of late afternoon, just in time to view part of the last showing of an informative video in the Visitor Center. Then, watching the demonstration of the Jupiter steam engine before she shunted off to her nightly rest in a round house hidden in the landscape, we sensed how this important day must have been................May 10, 1869.



Spanning a Continent...............................

By the time America's first small railroads were operating in the 1830's, people envisioned transcontinental travel by rail. The Central Pacific railroad from the West and Union Pacific from the East employed 8,000-10,000 men to build the railroad across the country. Irish, Italian, German, ex-slaves, American Indians and Chinese workers were a volatile mix in the "Hell-on-Wheels" towns thrown up near the base camps.
Congress finally declared the meeting place of the two railroad tracks to be Promontory Summit, Utah, and two locomotives - Central Pacific's Jupiter and Union Pacific's No. 119 - pulled up to the one rail gap left in the track on May 10, 1869. With much ceremony, a golden spike was symbolically tapped and the final iron spike was driven to connect the railroads.

The Central Pacific laid 690 miles of track, the Union Pacific 1,086. They had crossed 1,776 miles of desert, rivers and mountains to bind together East and West.

Jasmin and the Golden Spike.


The railroads tied the West to the eastern states. They altered the very pace of life. Politics and the economy were forever changed. Travel into the West became safe and comfortable, visitors from the eastern states and Europe toured the New America.

Have you taken a train across America? Do you prefer trains to planes?

The simple, very simple, life......

Life takes twists and turns, especially when out on the endless roads of the American West. Beauty is lush as roads run alongside rushing rivers and meandering streams. Often it becomes desolate and lonely, scrub and sagebrush undulating for miles before halting at the foot of high, often ominous, mountain ranges.

Following an interesting visit to the Snake River Canyon, Twin Falls, Idaho, after looking toward the gorge from the Perrine Bridge (you may recall daredevil Evil Knievel attempted to jump across on a rocket powered motorcycle in 1974), we headed South again.

Now and then wildflowers helped color the dry Summer landscape.
We always pull over to read 'historic marker ahead' signs, being extremely interested in any depicting the emigrant trails which opened this nation to the West. We took this road because one map stated there was a 'ghost town' along the way.......unfortunately we never found it, so kept going in the heat of the late afternoon.

Whoa! Hold your horses!

It was another of those 'hard on the brakes and make a U-turn' moments!

She sat out there alone, forlorn. Perhaps part of that ghostly town years ago. Just a portion of a little home, now crumbling, but with cedar shakes clinging, vines clambering, and an almost, "welcome, come on in" from the open front door. The sagebrush had not yet encroached on the driveway, and we loved her simplicity.

Perhaps make an offer. A fixer-upper? A little vacation retreat? A chance for a 'bolt hole' as we English call such hideaways?

Don't you wish places such as this could tell their story, whisper in your ear, share the history of the place? There was not another building in sight until many miles down the road. No stores, no farms or ranches, and we were only passed by a few vehicles.

Of course we'll never know the story. The 'Under Contract' board is unlikely to ever be displayed. Who lived there? When? How did they make a living? Did children run through the sagebrush, dodging snakes, huge grasshoppers and unknown critters - the reason I hesitated walking up to the house?Goodbye, farewell................little house that was.

Set against the mountain backdrop and that amazing sky, I hoped that time had been kind to the family who lived there, carving a simple life from the Western land.

Great Salt Lake, Utah

While in beautiful Utah, we viewed the Great Salt Lake from two venues.
In late afternoon (above) from the North, taking a quick side trip down this gravel road........................


..............then the following morning, driving in gusty winds from Salt Lake City to the Southern end where the water was a good half mile from the shoreline. With the wind, and temperature heading toward 100 degrees, we just enjoyed the view and didn't walk out. We also had to get to the airport for our flight home.

I loved all the pictures I took and couldn't just pick out a couple - so bear with me as I'm sharing them all! The effect of the muted colors of the distant island mountains, the sands, salt deposits, and pale blue water, made one think of old faded watercolor paintings.

The interesting vegetation along the shore and the mountainous islands rising from the lake were awesome. Although it has been called 'America's Dead Sea', this vast 1,700 square mile lake provides habitat for millions of native birds, brine shrimp, shorebirds and waterfowl.

The lake has no outlet besides evaporation and has very high salinity, far saltier than sea water. It is fed by three major rivers and several streams.

Because of its unusually high salt concentration, most people can easily float in the lake as a result of the higher density. I remember when our children tried it years ago and, because we couldn't find a shower to rinse off the salt, were red and sore for the remainder of the day, not fun!

How Nature continues to astound, to assault the senses, to take our breathe away.

Pink Saturday in Sausalito, CA

A great trip is crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and hanging out in the historic town of Sausalito, a quaint waterfront community. Looking across the bay to San Francisco the view is really lovely. I have enjoyed this town whenever I've visited over the years.

Many of the cottage gardens along the waterfront have pink flowers such as fuschia........................

................reddish pink geraniums

.........huge pale pink hydrangeas........

....even a garden chair with deep pink 'roses' for a pillow.

Jasmin found a shop with a candy pink door.

I'm back from the big trip to California and the West.....just in time to rush through a ton of photos to find something PINK to share with you today!

Thanks Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting as always.
Apologies for not keeping up with comments to all my blog friends while I was on the road ~ hope to catch up soon.

A French Touch in Idaho

.................and you thought my travels through the 'Wild West' made me forget about French treasures?

No way. When the sign above the door - in an old but still glamorous downtown Boise, Idaho hotel - said LA VIE EN ROSE......................

...................I was up the marble steps in a flash.

On entering the prettiest cafe, decorated with genuine French chandeliers, furniture, and mahogany and glass patisserie display cases...............

..........old French metal headboards as wall art...........

...............and the best pastries ever!!!!!

Jasmin's lemon bar, yummy.

My raspberry almond brioche..........quite honestly the best pastry I've eaten anywhere.

Vive la France!!

Off to the airport this afternoon - coming home. Had a great trip and will show you more later. Thanks for following us through the West these past two weeks.

Road Warriors

We packed too much, of course! Getting these suitcases, plus two carryons, Jasmin's back pack, and our gals' two purses into the trunk of a small mid-size automobile.............................was hell on wheels!!

But the worse part was dragging them all out of the car in 99 degrees on the side of an interstate highway...............with nothing but ranches and farmland stretching for miles to the mountains on either side of us!

Early morning, grabbed breakfast, loaded up, riding from Bozeman to Helena, Montana. Cruising along at the permitted 75 mph, the three of us looked at each other and wondered what the strange noise was. A flat, high speed, heat, way out in the middle of nowhere........HELP!

Luckily nothing happened and we were able to cruise over to the stony entrance to a ranch so were safely off the highway.

This is when you are so thankful for cell phones. AAA sent 'cowboy Carl' to the rescue on his big yellow horse...............after an hour's wait in the building heat of beautiful Montana 'Big Sky Country'. Luckily the rancher had clean restrooms at the entrance. Just kidding, it was find the highest clump of grass and wait 'til the Harleys and trucks had passed!!!

Later we exchanged this too small, too many miles on the odometer, and two completely bald front tires, for a another vehicle. I won't mention the name of the rental agency other than to say it's supposedly #1. The tire serviceman told us that he could not repair the flat as the steel belts were sticking through the rubber, and on checking the other front tire found it the same. He said we were lucky not to have been in a serious accident.

Off we went, driving through awesome scenery after wasting the most of the day dealing with the car issue, and reaching Missoula, Montana just in time to enjoy a pizza supper before falling into our beds, tired but thankful we were safe.

More stories from the mountain roads soon.

Yellowstone......................

.....................Nature's Amusement Park.

We didn't see a lot of wildlife in the national park this trip. Bison must have been in hiding, bears were nowhere in the area we covered, however this beautiful elk did stop traffic and we were able to get out of the car and take some photos as it grazed nearby. Then, despite a crowd of humans clicking cameras, it raised it's head and posed for us!

We crossed the Continental Divide several times during this western trip.

Some pictures of the fascinating hot mineral springs, pools of colors like jewels scattered across the landscape. Geysers, mud pools, and springs here in the park are the largest concentration of geothermal features in the world.

Jasmin enjoying the beauty of Yellowstone National Park......the very first national park established in 1872.

Fountains of scalding water burst high into the air from some geysers, others bubble and spit in murky depths.

........................and of course, we waited almost an hour with a front row seat, for OLD FAITHFUL, the most famous 120 foot waterspout, to erupt. This occurs every 60-80 minutes and sitting just 300 feet away, we felt the spray which was exciting.

Leaving Yellowstone we headed to breathtaking Montana.......and a road problem!