A Transparent Eyeball

By heidimconley

Arco, Idaho

This wasn't taken today, I admit it. It was taken 4th of July weekend in a little town called Arco. Arco has the claim to fame, if you'd call it that, of being an atomic city--nuclear-powered by the nearby Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory.

My friend C and I spent the night there in the interest of staying local (i.e. affordable), but still "getting out of town." Ever since our three-month road trip in 2009, we've been craving further adventures. For the long 4th of July holiday weekend, then, we spent some time in central Idaho, seeing Mammoth Caves and Shoshone Ice Caves, Craters of the Moon, and the area between Shoshone and Arco.

This particular shot is of the side of the mountain at one end of town. Apparently the tradition started back in the early 1900's, when each graduating class would hike up and paint their year on the rocks. (Is this just a western U.S. thing? I'd be interested in hearing--seems like so many towns in Idaho/Utah have something town/school-related painted on sides of obliging mountains, if there's one adjacent to town. Provo, Utah, for example, has a big "Y" painted on the mountain there for their college, BYU.)

Looking at the height, and the steepness of the trail that went up one side (not visible in this shot), I commented that there was no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that I'd ever go up there. Support staff--I'd have baked the cookies for the painters.

Must get better about blipping. Perhaps now that I've sidelined FB...

:o)

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