Laughlin in the rearview mirror

We've been on the road a couple of days and are now settled in Brigham City, Utah for two nights. Before I take you along our road trip, I have a quiz for you. This is a close up of something. Do you know what it is?



Does this help?



It is a close up of the "unshaved" part of a palm tree. This is the trunk of the tree, showing the bottom half that is shaved, and the top half that is not shaved. I like the unshaved look, myself. And, no, my own legs don't look like that!




We passed Vegas in a heartbeat; Jim barely batted an eye. Me? My palms were itching but I didn't say a word. We donated enough money in Laughlin.



We drove through and around a lot of rock formations and gorgeous scenery out of Nevada.



This is the Virgin River winding its way around the mountains.



A beautiful ribboned mountain showing off its different layers.



Mother Nature's own cairn.



This is what I call an "uh-oh" sign. This is when Jim puts the truck in lower gear and we still go flying down the mountain. It's like being on a roller coaster ride. Did I tell you that I don't much like going on carnival rides anymore?



You make think I'm holding the camera crooked, but no. It's the ROAD that is slanted. I.Kid.You.Not.



Hold on!



Did you ever wonder where they make Hidden Valley Ranch dressing? Could it be at Exit 88 off of Highway 15 in Nevada?



Who would name a town "Browse?" Do you think people actually stay there long enough to live? Or do they just pass by?



We were still in Nevada when I saw this billboard. Now, I don't know much about guns, but isn't this an AK-47? Why don't y'all come on in and try one on for size! Are they kidding?



I could spot Utah in the distance by the snow covered mountains.





What's that white stuff? Eek! Snow!



I knew we crossed over into Utah. This was the first Mormon temple I spotted in the distance.



I noticed on this farmer's land that he trashed all these cars. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Now, I ask you, what possesses someone to say, "You know, I want to junk this car. I think I'll park it way out there at the edge of my land near the ditch." And then he continues to do that. And other people take note. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's public land. I don't think it's a landfill because I didn't see anything else but cars. It's an automobile graveyard.



This is called Seven Peaks Mountain. The clouds were so low that they covered some of the peaks.



This billboard caught my eye.



And this one.



If I were still in town I'd be tempted to go to the expo. Maybe I'd learn more about my husband. What makes him tick. I wonder if I'd have to go incognito? Hmmm.....

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs

We are bombarded by signs in our everyday life. No left turn. No turn on red. One Way. STOP. Merging Traffic. You get the idea. These signs are straightforward. But some signs are downright puzzling. For instance, while driving in Minnesota, I saw a tall billboard with huge multi-colored letters that read, "WEDOCOWS.COM". First I read that as "wedo" like "little" with a lisp, "little cows" and I thought aww.. Then I realized it said WE (space) DO (space) Cows! Huh? I don't think they should advertise bestiality right there for all the world to see for gosh sakes! Luckily we passed another WEDOCOWS.COM sign and I was able to read more of the smaller print. It's a veterinary company that takes care of cows. Okay, thanks for clearing THAT up.

One time my sister and I, along with her in-laws, went to a casino. I had her mother in law's handicap parking pass, but opted to drop them off at the front door, then hunt for a parking space.

I thought it would be a piece of cake to find a handicap parking space but you wouldn't believe the number of handicapped people who gamble. Did you know that there is discrimination even amongst the handicap? I KNOW! I zoomed up and down several aisles looking for a "regular" handicap parking spot.




There were specially marked spots, NOT ONE, but SEVERAL, mind you for:
HANDICAP
TRIBAL
BINGO

That's right. You had to have all THREE qualifications to park there. Apparently there are that many handicapped bingo-playing Native Americans in the area to warrant ten parking spaces. Who knew? What I want to know is, what happens to the handicapped Native American that only plays the slot machines? Is he/she banned to the "regular" old handicap spaces (which, by the way, were way the hell over towards the middle of the parking lot.)

On a road I once traveled quite frequently was a sign that read, "Turtle Crossing." Now, I'm not quite sure how to handle this. When I see a sign for "deer crossing", I am on the alert for a large animal to come darting across the road. But turtle crossing? Should I be looking for a huge, slow-moving tortoise? Or a teeny, tiny turtle like the ones I used to have as a kid in the stinky turtle bowl? Or is it a turtle the size somewhere in-between the two? So what am I supposed to do if I see one crossing the road? I admit, I love turtles just as much as the next person, but I'm not going to swerve out of the way of hitting one if it's going to cause an accident. I think these turtles might be some kind of an endangered species (which is ironic living so close to the road, don't you think?) Suppose I do smoosh one of these little guys? How would the police catch me, unless they witnessed the murder? Get CSI involved? Cast tire tracks off of the turtle's back?

Here's another puzzler. I passed a local car wash that had a sign out front that read, "A clean car gets better gas mileage." You mean to tell me that a gleaming car with sparkling windows versus the same make and model car with the words, "Wash Me" written on the side of it and bird crap on the windshield would get better gas mileage? What was I, born yesterday?

Here are some crazy signs you might enjoy.