Landmarks Make Defining Moments in Learning

Instead of traveling on super highways (Interstates) during a recent family holiday, we elected to stay on slower highways taking in landmarks along less traveled routes.  Our goal: take time to visit historical monuments, state parks and anything else that looked interesting which might cause a lasting impression.  We made an effort to stop at these points of interest that normally would have been passed at 80MPH with a simple “that looks interesting should stop sometime”.  What would have been a normal long day of travel turned out to be two with planned lay overs once exhaustion hit.  What follows are a few of those stops and what made them interesting points: 

1. Hoover Dam Bypass – This truly is an impressive engineering accomplishment that distracts drivers (at least me) attempting to navigate the narrow dam crossing.  Construction on this project which spans 2,000 feet started in 2005 and is expected for completion in 2010.  A minor setback (tower collapsed a few years back) delayed the project for two years but appears to be on schedule.  The construction of the bypass is an attempt to keep traffic flowing.  It turns out the U.S. 93 is part of a designated NAFTA route which caused congestion along the switchbacks leading to the Hoover Dam.

2. Montezuma Castle – We jumped temporarily onto Interestate 17 on our way to U.S. 89A and made a point to take in this National Monument.  My niece and nephew both natives of Phoenix had never stopped so it provided to be a perfect opportunity to create a lasting impression. This 20 room high-rise apartment dating back to A.D. 1200–1450 held 35 Sinaguas in an unforgiving desert landscape.  In December of 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt deemed Montezuma Castle as one of four historic and cultural significance.  President Roosevelt identified this place “of the greatest ethnological value and scientific interest”.   

4. Church in the Rock – Completed in 1956, this unique architecture and location of a church as inspired by Marguerite Staude.  Built on a twin-pinnacled spur at 250 feet high, the construction itself was impressive and a fine example of modern architecture with powerful views of the surrounding red rocks. The seven children in our party all thought the walkway was something from Disneyland and blown away at the peace and quite that hung over this church.  This was also the first experience my daughter had with a digital camera hence the artist angle in which she snapped the picture (go to the link for extensive photos). 

3. Golden Spike – Often overlooked and literally out in the middle of nowhere made this a much worthwhile stop. Marking a sizeable point in history, May 10th, 1869 brought the Union and Central Pacific railroads together.  At Promontory Summit, Utah, 1,776 miles of rail connected the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.  The replica working steam engines appeared brand new making the Golden Spike National Historic Site come to life. 

What would have been a quick road trip turned out to be an educational experience for all of us created lasting memories and generating thoughtful discussions.  Most important it contributed to the idea of integrated concreted cultivation allowing us all to continue our education during the summer.