Where am I? -- Volume I

[AZBuck]

Not Stonehenge or even Stonehenge adjacent.

AZBuck

[Rick Quinn]

Buck:

Could it be--the Maryhill Stonehenge Replica in Washington State?

Rick

[Utahtea]

Not Stonehenge or even Stonehenge adjacent.

AZBuck

I had never heard of this place so I used google and it was VERY easy to find. I'll let someone who's been answer.

Utahtea

[Mark Sedenquist]

Mark, I think you are close enough. It is in fact on the Pine Ridge Rez in South Dakota. No paved roads for many miles.

GPS data:

43 36 28 N
101 42 55 W

George, how did you happen to be there to take the photo?

Mark

[Rick Quinn]

George, how did you happen to be there to take the photo?

Mark

I'll second the question. C'mon, George--we need more than latitude and longitude. That just gives us the "where." We still need "Who, What, When, and Why!"

Rick

[glc]

Okay - I just tried to find it on Google Maps with the lat/long data from the pic, and it isn't even close. It's somewhere between Interior SD and SD-73, between SD-44 and I-90, south of the White River.

Last summer, I was in Philip SD, delivering a computer I built to a long time friend of mine. He asked me if I wanted to go sightseeing into the Badlands, and a friend of his came over with an old GMC 3500 crew cab dualie flatbed 2 wheel drive ranch truck. This guy was 84 years old and had lived there his whole life. We headed south on SD-73 to SD-44, then headed west. Just outside of Wamblee we turned right onto an old unpaved rez road which deteriorated into a bunch of two tracks. The pic was taken somewhere in there. This guy really knew how to drive, it's a miracle we didn't get stuck. He claimed the "road" went through all the way to rejoin SD-44, but we got to a point where it was completely washed out. We had to turn around and retrace our steps.

[Rick Quinn]

We were just talking about vandals on the "Name the Rock Art" thread. Here on the "Where am I" thread, we've got Gremlins!

I was driving along, somewhere in the great southwest. I can remember stopping at this cafe. Matter of fact, I almost drove through the wall!


Right about then, I entered a time warp


Before climbing up and over a high pass with amazing views


The road down the other side was great good fun; somebody said they road test fancy sports cars on this curvy stretch of highway


And then I came upon this dreadful scene: the ornery little son-of-a-gun ate a hole in the road sign! I can see that it's a Scenic Byway, but which one?


The road beyond the sign was seductively pretty.


It was like driving through a flower garden that goes on for miles! But where was it taking me?


There was something funny going on at the end of that road!


I turned around and got out, only to be faced with another incredible view. Is that a river I see down below? Which one? (Pssst: could it be the Gila? Naah, no way....)


Where, oh where can I be?

Name that scenic byway!

Rick

[DonnaR57]

Were you headed for Montezuma's Castle in AZ? But you were going by way of Sedona? Oak Creek Canyon??? AZ 89A?

[Rick Quinn]

Were you headed for Montezuma's Castle in AZ?

Nope. Not Montezuma's Castle. It IS a National Monument, but it's among the least visited in the lower 48 states--largely because of the road, the National Scenic Byway, the name of which has been mysteriously removed from the road sign:


Here's a closer view of the Mystery Monument:

But you were going by way of Sedona? Oak Creek Canyon??? AZ 89A?

Nope. This wasn't in Arizona.


Here's your silver platter:


The river in this picture really is the Gila, and the overlook from which the picture was taken is about 2,000 feet above it. I can't think of more than maybe, oh, ONE place in the entire world that would allow you to gaze down on the Gila (with water in it!) from such a lofty perch.


Okay, all you Road Warriors out there: Name that Scenic Byway!

[landmariner]

It can surely be the highway on the way to Bandelier NM.