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Beaver, UT → Los Angeles, CA 491.0 mi (790.2 km) |
 More 2020 Adventures |
All good things come to an end, everyone!
While I’ve enjoyed spending time with my brothers in Utah these last two months, at some point, I needed to return home and tend to my garden. While I’m not too excited about returning from a state with 6,749 COVID-19 cases loosening restrictions to a county with 35,392 and a full shutdown, I plan to make an adventure of it nonetheless!
After breakfast, I said farewell to Woodchuck and headed toward the Utah state line. I stopped off to see a few historical sites before leaving Utah, like the St. George Temple! Dedicated in April 1877, this temple, not the one in Salt Lake City, is Utah’s first and longest operating LDS Temple! It was also the only one completed while Brigham Young was president of the LDS church! Like the one in Salt Lake, which shed a golden trumpet in an earthquake, this temple is undergoing renovations that should be completed in two years!
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Next, I stopped off at the Washington Cotton Factory (now a plant nursery) to see what brought Brigham Young down here in the first place. Turns out, he figured the Civil War would disrupt cotton production, and he saw the St. George area as perfect for filling in that gap! That’s how St. George became known as Utah’s Dixie! From 1866 until 1904, this factory was a major processor of Utah cotton, though the end of the Civil War made it harder to sustain Utah’s cotton industry.
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From here, I left Utah for the foreseeable future. A sign over the freeway reminded me that travel was discouraged, but it also reminded me that I was doing the right thing by going home.
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I paused to enjoy the morning light in the Virgin River Gorge, a place I’d traveled through many times before, but never stopped to enjoy. Was I just reluctant to be done adventuring? Probably…
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I continued through Mesquite to Las Vegas, which was in the process of reopening, and stopped to stretch my legs at the Nationally Registered Little Church of the West!
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Built by William J. Moore Jr. in 1941, this was the first free-standing wedding chapel (not part of a church) in Las Vegas! It began that long-running, tongue-in-cheek tale of discovering love in Las Vegas, after waking up with the rings on. That’s because Las Vegas didn’t require any waiting periods or blood tests before issuing marriage licenses! This little chapel was so treasured that it actually survived several Vegas facelifts, moving three times in 1954, 1978, and finally 1996!
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I also had to get moving, though. The day was carrying on, and I’m not a huge fan of the last stretch between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I focused on the road and, apart from a single traffic snarl where the 210 meets the 605, I made it back to Hollywood pretty quickly! Boy, was I in for a surprise!
For the first time in 98 years, the Hollywood Bowl had canceled its summer concert season, which left this iconic venue quiet at what is normally a very loud and bustling time!
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The movie signs also hadn’t changed from when I left! They were still advertising upcoming releases in March and April! It was like time had stood still these last few months!
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The crosswalks all had new signs discouraging anyone from touching them, which was probably a good idea to begin with. I’ll be taking a hot bath when I get home.
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The biggest surprise of all, though, was that gas prices had dropped below $3/gallon for the first time since I could remember! With travel being so cheap, what a time to be stuck at home with nowhere to go!
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At least, by the time I got home, I was happy to see that my garden wasn’t totally dead (thanks to my neighbor). I’ve got pumpkins and kale and boy choy sprouting right now, so I guess my new project will be to watch them grow.
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I’m one of the lucky ones, though, with a whole yard and garden to keep me busy, but we’ll see how I fare without planning trips. I don’t know how long that will last…
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Well, that wraps up a long adventure. Now, I’ve got to come up with some other projects to do and Helpers to help during what is going to be a bumpy road ahead. Until the next adventure…
Stay safe and healthy, friends!
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Total Ground Covered: 2,703.2 mi (4,350.5 km) |
More 2020 Adventures |