Another Year OLDER.... Gads!

I cannot believe that it's THAT time again ----time for this old woman to celebrate another birthday (tomorrow, August 5)....  Doesn't seem like a year has passed since I wrote THIS post.... (Click on 'this'.) Goodness Gracious---where does time go??????  YES----tomorrow,  this old lady will turn SIXTY NINE.....  (Next year,  when I turn 70,  all of you bloggers can throw me a big party!!!! Okay???)

But this year,  I will name 15 things about me that some of you may not have known.  Out of these 15,  THREE are FALSE....  Your job is to choose which ones you think are false... I'll give you the answers on Monday!

• 1. When I was born,  there weren't any beds available in the hospital,  so they put me in a dresser drawer...
• 2.  I loved my Pre-K class (when I was four) so much that I got on a chair and moved the hands of the clock up closer to the time when we were supposed to leave for school.  
• 3.  When I was five,  my mother made me a cake that looked like a merry-go-round (carousel).
• 4.  I was in the chorus of the Nutcracker Ballet when I was young.
• 5.  I took piano lessons from the age of 7 through high school, and went to competition and won a "High School Diploma in Piano" my Senior Year in high school. 
• 6.  I played Clarinet in our band for 6-7 yrs. --and was first chair and also made All-State Band my Senior Year in high school.
• 7.  I do not play the piano nor the clarinet anymore!
• 8.  I absolutely love talking on the telephone.
• 9.  I  always wanted to learn to fly an airplane.
• 10.  I love watching soccer and seldom miss a game on TV. 
• 11.  I do not enjoy reading and never have.  
• 12.  My very favorite food in the world is peanut butter.
• 13.  I love raking and working in the yard but despise cleaning the house.
• 14.  I attended 28 different Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans one year.
• 15.  I've been known to have gotten a few speeding tickets in my life!

Hope you enjoyed reading a little bit more about me...  I truly have had a great life --and am lucky to have had so many opportunities all through the years.  I'll conclude by sharing more 'Betsy pictures' through the years....  Have a great week and weekend.  My wonderful sweetheart is planning something wonderful for me these next few days---so I'll be back on Monday!

See that Merry-Go-Round Cake my Mama made!!!!

My Senior Prom, 1960

The "Lefty" hard at work!!!!

Then she grew up!!!!  ("But I was thirsty, Honey!")

Then she tried to FLY. 

What a funny-looking hiker girl!!!!

Don't even ask.... I have no clue!!!! ha ha

 Happy Birthday to the SILLIEST girl you know!!!!!  Have a wonderful week and weekend and I'll see you on Monday, August 8.  AND---don't forget to answer my questions above... I really want to see how many of you think you know me!!!!!!  (Glad my sons and hubby don't answer this blog!!!! ha)

Hugs,

Virgin River Gorge, Arizona

Virgin River

You will seldom ever see me promoting any drive on our Interstate Highway System (unless you are in a hurry).  We enjoy seeing America on the back roads.  However,  when we left Las Vegas on June 17 headed to  Zion National Park,  the best way to get there was to drive part of the way northeast on Interstate 15,  from Nevada, through a tiny portion of Arizona (top northwest corner) and then into Utah.

Boulders All Around Us

That tiny portion of Arizona happened to be through the Virgin River Gorge area... Wow--what an incredible drive, and shocking to see an interstate highway going through this area!   I was so fascinated with this area that you just KNOW that I HAD to do some research to find out more about this stretch of highway.

Taken from inside our car

Interstate 15 was part of the 1958 Interstate Highway system plan.  The highway was completed on both ends of that 19 mile gorge... BUT--it seems that the state of Arizona wanted the road planned 2 miles north of the gorge for cost reasons (obviously), but the Federal Highway Administration insisted on the road going through the preiously road-less gorge, due to the scenic beauty of the gorge.

Can you imagine building a road here?

Then in 1966,  the Federal government cut highway funds back 17% due to the Vietnam War.  SO--that halted the building through the gorge even longer.  To make a long story short, this 'not having enough money to do it'  went on for several years, so  the project wasn't completed until December of 1973---and that was ONLY after Utah had given some of its highway money to Arizona to complete the project.  

Absolutely Breath-taking!

The 3.82 mile section of the Lower Gorge,  where the gorge narrowed to as little as 150 feet in width, cost $13.8 million dollars to build,  making this the most expensive section of Interstate Highway until the completion of the Big Dig in Boston.

Looking a little more like Zion -as we go out of the gorge

Some people who live in Arizona don't even know about I-15 in THEIR state.  It cuts through the northwest corner, separated from the rest of the state by the Grand Canyon.  But--OH--is it ever gorgeous????   I thank everyone who worked on that stretch of road for years.  IF it weren't for this road,  there's no other way to drive through this gorgeous canyon.

Map of the Gorge

The Virgin River winds through both Zion National Park and the Virgin River Gorge.  The gorge connects the southwestern rim of the Colorado Plateau and the northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. Interstate 15 runs through the canyon and crosses the Virgin River several times.  Due to the winding of the interstate,  the gorge is also noted for its tricky driving conditions.

We enjoyed it ---and if you'd like to take a virtual trip through the Virgin River Gorge,  click HERE .  There are several YouTube Videos of this drive ---and I picked this one out because he gives you a little more history also.  Take the ride---you'll enjoy it...

Have a wonderful day.
Hugs,