RETIREMENT, CARVING, AND THE RV LIFESTYLE: THE GOLDEN SPIKE

When I was younger and saw movies about the Golden Spike and read the book by Zane Grey, I have been intrigued about that portion of history…We are here in Salt Lake, Utah for a few weeks and decided to drive the eighty some miles and see the spot where the spike was driven…I am sure that I will be able to find the golden spike and make me a rich man…HA HA…We left about ten in the morning and drove up I –15…Well you guessed it, Mary Ann had to stop for the inevitable pit…We saw a Flying-J and she rushed in…Out she came with two donuts…We consumed the sugar rush and continued to the spot in the middle of nowhere in the desert plains of Utah…They have made a National Park where the driving of the spike occurred…We arrived at eleven thirty and the movie was just beginning…This was some of out unscheduled luck…The movie was about thirty minutes long and as soon as the movie was over, the ranger lectured about the spike being driven…Then came the demonstration of the two trains…These were made from the actual plans of the original engines…The trains backed up about a quarter mile and switched to a side rail and made a pass where we could observe…I hope my pictures will give you the idea of the activity…I could not give you the experience of smelling the coal being burned, the vibration of the ground as the engine passed, the sound of the whistle and the excitement of the kids that were present…Here are some pictures…Hope you enjoy…Philip