Category Archives: travel

Same Place, Different Face

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For almost twenty years I’ve been flying to the Phoenix area in April or May to drive Mom’s car back to Michigan while she takes the quick way home by plane. I like driving and this is convenient way to retrieve her car and to spend few days sightseeing.

My wife Kris and I have quite a few grandkids. We thought it would be a treat for one of them to ride along and visit some of the “wonders of the West” on a road trip back to Michigan. This was also a great opportunity for Grandpa (me) to spend a few days together one-on-one. One of the grandkids and I would fly to Phoenix for a day or two to visit and then we’d be ready to hop in Mom’s car for the return trip.

For six different years you can see that I stopped to show them one of the most scenic places in America. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is part of the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of Arizona near the town of Kayenta. In the valley is a 17-mile drive along which you’ll gaze at dozens of jaw dropping sandstone cliffs and buttes. I tried to stop in the same general area to record each grandkid with Merrick Butte or West Mitten in the background.



Ezra 2011


Eden 2014

Ezra and Eden 2014


Logan 2015


Ezra 2015


Lyon 2018


Izora 2019


Adeline 2022

I treasure these pictures so that I have made 20″ x 30″ poster size enlargements of each of them.

They represent great memories for me and hopefully for each of these grandkids as well.

Dunphy, Nevada

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Places that you may have never heard of

I’ve been writing about places with interesting names. They’re mostly in remote areas of the country that are unfamiliar to most travelers. As I roam the roads, I keep my eyes open for these kind of places.

You can’t help by notice the large green signs along the road tell us where to find certain towns and interesting places. Once in a while I come across an interesting name and wonder what this place is all about. Dunphy is one such place.

In north central Nevada along the I-80 freeway is a sign for Dunphy. It’s located between the two better known towns of Carlin and Battle Mountain.

I found that the TS Lazy Ranch was started by an Irish immigrant named William Dunphy. Dunphy and other partners used the open ranges in this area as a large, successful ranching operation.

Barite, a mineral used in oil drilling process, was discovered in the area in the 1930s. The raw barite ore was shipped to Modesto, California to be processed. .

Not long after, a mill was constructed along side the Western Pacific railroad to crush and ship the raw materials onward

In 2014 the Halliburton Corp built a new 66,000 sq ft plant to process the barite.

The TS Lazy Ranch ranch is still in operation operation as a cattle ranch using modern management of the land, livestock and wildlife

For more info about the Halliburton Barite Plant click here.

Dunphy turns out to be another neat place with an interesting name.

These are more of my places that you may never have heard of

Aragonite, Utah
Argenta, Nevada
Beowawe, Nevada
Jackpot, Nevada
Mercury, Nevada
Rhyolite, Nevada
Vedauwoo, Wyoming
Wamsutter, Wyoming

Just Up Ahead

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I love to travel and my favorite means of travel is by car.

I’ve driven cross country dozens of times from the east coast to the west coast and from the north to the south. I never seem to tire of being on the road.

One of my driving “hobbies” is to record some of the scenery along the way.

As I travel I’m excited to see and learn about how our county operates. These pictures are examples of how the hardworking men and women keep our economy moving.

cc-by-ndlicense logo  This work by Arnie Lee is licensed under a Attribution-No Derivatives (CC BY-ND 4.0)

So when I’m behind the wheel and see all of these semis and trailers ahead of me, I know that they’re all on the way to deliver equipment, goods and supplies to all of the industries which keep out economy running strong.