To see the full Travel Log, Information and Links go to
http://www.scattergenius.com
For my 50th birthday we stole away for a night to Wendover, Nevada.
We drove out from Salt Lake City to Wendover. On the way out about 95 miles west of Salt Lake City on the north side of of I-80 we passed a large tree sculpture created by artist Karl Momen, a Swedish-American Artist and Sculpture. It is called by several names but the two most popular are Metaphor, The Tree of Life and Metaphor, The Tree of Utah. The artist drove though that area and saw that the landscape was barren and boring and he decided to build something with color. He bought land and financed the project himself. The tree is 87 feet tall and has 6 balls on branches and several pieces on the ground and the base of the tree. It is cement covered with ceramic tiles, rocks and minerals. It was finished in 1987 and donated to the State of Utah. I love the tree. The plaque says ”A hymn to our universe whose glory and dimension is beyond all myth and imagination.” It gives you something to look at and wakes you up on a long trip of nothing but sand. I think they should allow different artist to create other artwork there or along the way and have it be an outdoor roadside art show. It feels like the sand goes on for a very long way.
A biography of Karl Momen can be found at:
http://www.endangeredplanet.net/media/MOMEN_Bio.pdfhttp://www.utah.com/amusement/metaphor_tree.htmhttp://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2230Just before Wendover is where the Bonneville raceway and the salt flats are located. This is where the land speed records have been set. During trials people bring their campers and RV’s or stayed in Wendover and go out and watch the races and time trails. There are races there every Memorial Day Weekend with speeds of over 200 miles per hour reached.
http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/bonneville_salt.htmhttp://www.roadsters.com/bonneville/#Bonneville
We stayed at the Montego Bay in a Mini Suite. The rooms were great! Our room was decorated in Royal Purple. The room was extra large and had a Jacuzzi in the corner of the bedroom. There were themed decorations of palm trees and even the lamps had a Caribbean theme. The room had a large flat screen TV, a modern looking refrigerator, and the shower was also a steam room.
www.wendoverresorts.comThe casino was hopin’. There were a lot of people there for a Sunday night. The next day we went sightseeing. My brother in law is a history buff and has a memory for facts that is phenomenal.. He took us to the Historic Wendover Air Force Base Museum.
It is a small museum that is big on facts. I learned more there in our ½ hour visit than I learned in all of High School about the atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan.
There are replicas of the Air Force Base, memorabilia, weapons, uniforms, planes, pictures, maps as well as information on the Enola Gay and the Little Boy Atomic Bomb.
Also at the Air Force Base on the other side of the parking lot from the museum is a plane used in several scenes in the 1977 movie “Con Air.”
It is a gutted plane that they used in the movie. I could see in my mind all the seats and then there was the cargo bay that I remembered from the movie. It was just open and we could walk around in it.
Here is a photo that I took of the plane.
I did enjoy watching the clouds on the drive back. They were very fascinating and deep in color and contrast.
I took a couple pictures of the Morton Salt Plant. I called to see if they had public tours but was told they didn’t. They would have been interesting.
http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake.htm
Full Travel Log and info at
http://www.scattergenius.comTours:
http://www.intermountianguidenevada.comWendover research sites:
http://www.elkorose.com/wendover.htmlhttp://www.westwendovercity.com/visguide/visitingwestwendover.phphttp://www.nevadaweb.com/cnt/cc/wendover.htmlhttp://westwendover.travelnevada.comhttp://www.nevadaweb.com/cnt/cc/texts/wendover.tx
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