Sorry Vegas, another time.
Instead of getting straight onto the freeway we drove on Las Vegas Blvd. to marvel at the 1959 iconic Las Vegas sign. It had to be done.
Lots of car time means lots of distractions. It is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat to stop the tears sometimes. Color Wonder markers are great for travel. They are fun, and don't make a mess, so everyone is happy.
The Virgin River Gorge will forever be one of my favorite parts of the drive to Idaho.
And, of course, I will pass on this love to my daughter.
As we drive around with our trailer, in air conditioning, we can't help but think of pioneers who traversed this territory with far less.
And as it turned out, we took a break along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail by complete accident. We pulled over because none of the rabbits were right and we needed a reset.
The Old Spanish Trail connected Santa Fe and Los Angeles in the early 1800s.
Traders did this loop on mules and horses.
That had to have been rough.
Cows are much better than rabbits.
In between our Scamp and Subaru is Butch Cassidy's childhood home.
This was also random, but a little less so because there was a sign, and enough time before the pull out for me to convince Eric it was a good idea to stop, despite already being in the car for over six hours.
Butch Cassidy is a Utahn, born in Beaver in 1866. His parents, who were Mormon settlers, moved to Circleville in 1879.
The family cabin is small. I can only assume the majority of his thirteen siblings were born after he left town.
Butch Cassidy (born as Robert Leroy Parker) was raised as a hardworking, likable farmer, who fell into the wrong crowd in his late teens.
Eight hours after leaving Vegas, we arrived at our campsite, with a view of a pasture.
Tomorrow we will be exploring Capital Reef National Park, a new park for ALL of us.
So exciting.
What a great start to your trip. We, too, stumbled onto Butch's place when we were heading to Capitol Reef. What a pleasant surprise. Such amazing history in the middle of nowhere. Fun.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and the fact that the designer, Betty Whitehead Willis (1923-2015), a talented artist who began her career drawing showgirls in newspaper ads and eventually got a job at Young Electric Sign Company, never trademarked it. Such a financial bad decision on her part.
Capitol Reef surprised and delighted us. I can't wait to see what you discover there. Way, way, fun.