Another journey…
On the way up to Belmont, Nevada to visit my dad, mom, sis, nephew El and I passed a military base (area 51), about one hour or so from Las Vegas. While officially there’s no primary purpose, it appears it’s a site used for experimental aircraft and weapons development and is also famous for various conspiracy theories and UFO sightings. Separate from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, it’s within the United States Air Force vast Nevada Test and Training Range. The name area 51 is officially used by the CIA as well as other names such as Dreamland, Paradise Ranch and others. This isn’t a normal base since it’s used for highly classified military-defense programs which all are unacknowledged by the government. Everything that happens here is classified as TOP SECRET. This area isn’t even shown on government maps.
About an hour drive later there was snow on the ground. I took a photo of this alien cow looking thing and thought to myself, “Who in their right mind stops in the middle of nowhere in frigid conditions to take a photo of a cow? LOL
Anyway, when we arrived in the old Ghost town of Belmont a couple hours later, I just knew there was a story here and plenty of opportunity to take some fantastic photos! In Colorado Springs, we haven’t had a cold winter and no substantial amount of snowfall to speak of for years. It was so beautiful!
There’s only a dozen or so residents living in Belmont year round and Dads one of them.
My parents and I are similar in some ways, driven by challenge and thriving on adventure, givers of the heart. But, … I’m the black sheep, not one for the weak and timid and get bored easily. So… I keep on moving… Intrigued by the human condition and happy to be able to document life’s experiences…
Mom likes living in the big city and dad seems to like the hermit lifestyle devoid of electricity, gas stations, Mc-E-Dees, Snack-a-Bell or for that matter grocery stores. The people in Belmont get their power from the sun and propane, so there’s definitely a challenge living there. But, dad loves it and I’m happy for him.
There’s a nice B & B and a couple of bars for the wandering few during summer time but, that’s about it. It’s a barren place to be during the winter but, when you open your eyes, there’s so much to see…
And, I like my dads friend Mr. Stanley. He’s a character. After-all, there’s only a few other people living in Belmont during the winter and sometimes, it’s a tough place to be alone.
But, it’s a peaceful place in the mountains and, it’s easy to see why dad likes it so much.
My sister lives in the metropolis of Chicago where the elevations slightly above sea level but, Belmont’s located in the high country at over 7400 feet and takes a while to acclimate to the change.
And, boy did the elevation change affect my sister and El! They got a case of altitude sickness and were a little cranky being cooped up in the cabin in the frozen tundra for those few days!
None-the-less, you can see we were all having a great time!
We even built “Snowwoman & Alien Babies”! LOL
The next day, El took me on an adventure in the Polaris to see cool places I’d never been before. Like, Dirty Dicks Saloon!
I know he’s only 13 but, what a cool kid! After-all, we weren’t drinking in Dirty Dicks, we were only taking photos!
When sis and El use to live in Vegas, they’d hang out with mom and dad in Belmont.
El knows where all the cool places are!
Here’s a photo of dad and El making another run up the hill in the Polaris. El was super excited to go sledding!
And, there he goes down Mr. Stanley’s driveway
Even Mr. Stanley got in on the action!
The time in Belmont was an unforgettable experience of quality time with family and Mr. Stanley. And, spending it in a place that hasn’t been jaded by modern technology, something that most of us truly believe we can’t live without, is what made the trip even more memorable.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BELMONT, NEVADA, CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE BELOW…
http://www.westernmininghistory.com/towns/nevada/belmont/
- The Belmont Courthouse
Stay tune for more of Tony’s World…
