April, 2019

These places and photographs are unrelated except that I stopped here coming and going while on a trip to Sacramento.

Utah

Construction of the organ in the tabernacle of Salt Lake City was started in 1867 and it has been expanded and reconstructed through the 1980s with a near-total rebuild done around 1945.  The thing is huge--one of the largest organs in the world.  The temple is nearby; it was completed in 1893.

 

Nevada

There are a handful of special wildlife-crossing bridges, this one crosses I-80, not far east of Wells, Nevada.  presumably, migrating deer (and pronghorn) learn where the bridges are and teach their young.  No doubt, they still--at peril--try to cross the freeway directly.

There are just three pairs of tunnels along the entire route of I-80 between New Jersey and California.  These are near Carlin, Nevada and avoid a couple of sharp bends in the Humboldt River that the old road followed.

California

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve was created in 1976 as a managed area for the California Poppy.  The reserve does not water or otherwise actively encourage blooms, but they do manage the land from grazing and non-native species and with controlled burns.

I was there about three weeks too late to see the super-blooms that would have covered these hills in bright orange, but it's still a beautiful area.

Arizona

The Picacho Peaks are visible for many miles as you drive towards Tucson from the west.  I'm sure they were a key landmark for the ancient trails through the area.

The Picacho Peak State Park visitor center is to the right.  That's I-10, just beyond.  The taller peak past the freeway is Newman Peak.

There are several trails around the peaks and others that will take you to the top.

 

 

Perhaps if I had more water than the liter-bottle I carried, I might have gone to the top.  But, even if you don't go that far, it's a remarkable place and you'll see just as much lower down.

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last edit: 5/15/2019