July 25…. BIG rocks this time.

I’ve never been to England or anywhere in the UK for that matter. France and Belgium are the closest I’ve been. And now the state of Washington. At least it was kinda like England today.

Near the town of Maryhill Washington, a man named Samuel Hill, a hundred years ago, built a full scale replica of Stonehenge (before it all got pushed around) on a hill overlooking the Columbia River.

Very cool. I guess he adjusted for the change in latitude and longitude, because this one tracks the solstices, equinoxes, and a bunch of other sun and moon related events, just like the original.

Sam served in the army in WWI and saw the original while he was Over There. So when he came home, he decided to build the replica as a way to honor the WWI servicemen from his area that lost their lives in that fight. He set bronze plaques in the central circle with names and dates on them. And there’s a big plate on the alter stone explaining the work, so a few thousand years from now, people will know WHY this was built, unlike the original which is still just a big mystery.

Oh, and that’s Mount Hood on the horizon, visible from the monument. It’s an active volcano, and at a bit over 11,200 feet tall, it’s the tallest mountain in Oregon. In case you care. 😁