I left at 4:18 on the morning on Wednesday, May 8, to go to northern Utah for the sesquicentennial celebration of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
I lived in northern Utah—Hyrum, Wellsville, Logan, and Brigham City—from mid-1961 (unsure of the actual date) to December 18, 1965.
I visited the historic railroad depot in downtown Ogden, Utah, to see two historic steam locomotives re-enact the meeting 150 years ago at….
Promontory Summit, Utah, the place where the eastern railroad, Union Pacific, met with the western railroad, Central Pacific;
Antelope Island, a huge island in the Great Salt Lake, where there is a very large herd of buffalo;
Red Butte Gardens on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City;
Lagoon Amusement Park, one of the few places that I have positive memories of my years ages 6-10 in northern Utah;
visited my oldest aunt and uncle in Provo, Utah. Mom was the oldest child, and this uncle was the second oldest. Aunt & uncle were the two who drove me from Brigham City, Utah, to Kingsville, Texas, in December 1965 when I was to be adopted by my wise old (paternal) grandmother.
and I chased the two steam locomotives from Ogden to Morgan to Echo to Evanston, Wyoming, on May 12.
I will have lots of pictures and videos to share in the coming days, weeks, and months.
I got home at 7:50 on the morning of Monday, May 13.
I’m not sure whether I got a “Welcome home!” or a different message from the little queen, Zoey the Cool Cat.
What do y’all think?
Russel Ray Photos 