They came to Mesquite from all around the country to participate in long distance running races on top of the Flat Top Mesa. Thirty-six runners gathered at the Virgin Valley water tank around sunrise and began their 50-km, 50-mile, 100-km and 100-mile (actually 104 miles) races by ascending the one-mile steep winding trail to the top of Flat Top Mesa.
Fast forward to late afternoon and the 50-km and 50-mile contestants who were nearing the finish line. Here are some thoughts from the finishers of those amazing accomplishments:
Following the sunset, the temperature plummeted, and the chill was further intensified by the winds kicking up from the northwest. Despite the cold, the dark and treacherous terrain, the runners continued their quest to throughout the night and the next day.
We returned the next day around sunset to cheer on the final runners along with their fans and supporters during this 35 hour+ push to the finish. The runners shared their experience with their comments:
The complete results of the 4 races and the 36 ultra-runners may be viewed on the ultrarunning website: Ultra Running Website
And so, the spring 2022 Flat Top Mesa Ultra Marathon comes to an end, and we celebrate this remarkable event and this beautiful end of the day with this:
I am a frequent visitor to the Flat Top Mesa and have explored the area for more than 12 years. The Flat Top Mesa is exemplary of the magnificent beauty the Colorado Plateau and the river valleys that carved through the sandstone formations of the plateau. The mesa provides a spiritual reprieve from all that is below and one can easily be immersed and in complete solitude in this immense expanse.
Just below the Flat Top Mesa is a recently constructed road which I have frequented traveled. The road was cut through several small hills forming sandstone walls along that road.
A local artist noted that these walls provided an ideal medium for (“sandcastles” – remember how easy it was to sculpt and build in the sand on the beach) carving two and even three-dimensional images. The sandstone carvings were completed over the last three years with the grandest of them finished the end of February 2021.
Here is the Mesquite Weekly exclusive interview with the artist Pete Karns:
Last week I stumbled upon rock arrangement forming a small circular enclosure. Another nearby larger rock arrangement formed the writing “LOVE IS FOREVER”. And indeed, from the perspective of this expanse and from the viewpoint of the Mojave Desert flatness of the mesa with majestic mountains in the background and sweeping views of the mesa cliffs and the valley below, we are easily deceived by our senses and the temporal dimensions of our influence on this eternal place. The Anasazi, Hopi and the Paiutes have also left reminders of their presence in the area. More recent artistic endeavors were also noted by painted rocks left behind on and below the mesa by other unknown local artists.
Markers on our Mesa include a giant white V painted on a southeastern flat top mesa slope overlooking I15 by our current local population. The sense of permanence fades just like the fade of the petroglyphs and the realization that the V requires upkeep for its fresh appearance.
Kurt Vonnegut’s journey through time detailed in the authors book “Slaughterhouse 5” and my journey on the top of the flattop inspired these thoughts on time and our temporal influence on this place:
An event attended by some 100 and about 40 endurance run participants was held on the Flat Top Mesa on February 20 and 21, 2021. Please join me in our next edition of the Mesquite Weekly for the MW’s coverage of an event that is inspiring and exemplifies the apparent permanence and endurance of the flat top mesa.
Solar Power, Wind power, Tidal and Wave power, Water Mills, and etc., it is the new Energy Infrastructure shaping our future and and our tomorrow and it is in play as of today. Energy Capturing technologies have been around almost as long as mankind itself. Energy storage however is only a very recent activity (aside from dams and natural resourced carbon). Electric transmission lines have been the flywheel that kept the electric power flowing and reliable. Transmission lines are very costly and power losses increase with transmission distance.
Highly promising energy storage batteries have provided an answer as to what do we have when the sun don’t shine or the wind don’t blow. Batteries have been around for quite a while, however a major enabler of the electronics world were batteries that could store and transmit(discharge) and deliver power to where needed. Small size and powerful, credentials that led the Lithium Ion battery to the undisputed leader position in the energy storage world.
On a larger scale, a battery suited for the electric grids could not be produced without financially unstainable cost, environmental instability, and exhaustion of raw material resources.
In the 1990’s MIT’s Prof. Don Sadoway progressed from a theoretical position to a practical solution which led to the development the Ambri liquid metal battery. For a quick video to help explain why this battery will dramatically impact the energy industry and literally turn it it on its head please watch this.
Technologically advanced and with its sight on a sustainable and economical power plant in Nevada is Terrascale and its partner Ambri and the Energos Reno Project. TerraScale, a clean infrastructure design and development firm committed to transforming and modernizing digital infrastructure, announced in 2021 that it has signed an agreement with Ambri, to deploy its proprietary Liquid Metal Battery technology. As part of the agreement, TerraScale and its data center development partners will integrate an Ambri energy storage system for its Energos Reno project. The project will include the development of a data center that will capitalize on the site’s renewable energy infrastructure. The reduced carbon operations are of strong interest to TerraScale’s data center future tenants including large commercial and government data users, as sustainable data center demands continue to rise.
Together with its partners, TerraScale’s Energos Reno Project intends to deploy green data center technologies that are based on proprietary, high-performance energy production and data computing processes. Energos Reno is a 3,700 acre mixed-use development near Reno, Nevada that aims to enable secure, swift storage and transmission of data between government agencies and commercial clients. TerraScale intends to develop a data center with 500MW of renewable power on-site generation within ten years to power an inside-the-fence microgrid.
“Our data center technology partners are looking forward to deploying Ambri’s technology to enable high-volume, reliable, and resilient energy storage with potentially the lowest levelized cost of storage in the industry,” said Danny Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, TerraScale. “TerraScale is very excited to deploy Ambri’s technology into our Energos Reno project.”
“The collaboration is underway and includes delivery of 250 MWh of Ambri systems to TerraScale’s first project in Reno, Nevada starting in 2021,” said Adam Briggs, Ambri’s Chief Commercial Officer. “The Ambri systems are particularly well suited for the project’s high-desert operations, for the shifting of its large amounts of renewable solar load, and for its grid-system peak shaving capability.”
Ambri’s batteries utilize a calcium – antimony based cell chemistry that began at MIT in the lab of Professor Donald Sadoway. Ambri’s investors include Bill Gates, Khosla Ventures and TOTAL SE.
Ambri’s long-duration systems, which are based on its patented chemistry, can deliver daily 100% depth of discharge cycling performance for more than 20 years with negligible degradation at a significantly lower system cost than other battery storage technologies. Systems built with Ambri’s cells can operate safely under all environmental conditions without the need for air conditioning or fire suppression equipment—increasing the system’s efficiency while reducing project cost and maintenance.
About Ambri
Ambri Inc. is developing and commercializing a new long duration battery technology that will enable widespread use of renewable energy sources, reduce electricity costs and enable power systems to operate more reliably and efficiently. The liquid metal battery project began at MIT in the lab of Professor Donald Sadoway and the company was formed in 2010, when the project achieved significant technical breakthroughs. Ambri’s investors include Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates and TOTAL SE. More information is available at:
About TerraScale
TerraScale is a clean infrastructure design and development firm that is transforming and modernizing digital infrastructures around the world. Through the company’s consortium, TerraScale takes a unique approach to future-proofing our planet by collaborating with the best in class green engineering, technology, real estate, fiber and energy construction firms globally, to ensure maximum value delivery across the lifecycle of its projects. Whether site development or build-to-suit, colocation, hyperscale or regional strategies, TerraScale’s projects and programs are designed to meet the needs of government and industry in the most responsible, secure and sustainable manner.
Secretary of the Interior Zinke, in a last minute turnabout did not want to hear what Mesquite and Moapa residents had to say about our national treasures. Zinke is currently facing a firestorm for attempting to pressure Senator Lisa Murkowski to vote for the dismantling of health care for millions of Americans. A white house in turmoil and intensifying miscommunication and misdirection and continuing policy uncertainties may also have a lot to do with not showing a public face and a team in total disarray.
On the other hand, the Nevada state assembly democrats showed up on Saturday July 29, 2017 and proudly discussed their accomplishments during the 2017 Nevada legislative session. An audience of about 100 showed up to discuss those accomplishments and expressed their gratitude and their continued support for the issues that the legislators intended to continue to pursue on their behalf. Audience comments resoundingly applauded their leadership role during the 2017 session and encouraged their continuing legislative work on the behalf of the Nevadans. Read more
A full capacity crowd attended the Mesquite City Council Meeting on June 27, 2017 to show support or opposition to two city council proposed resolutions pertaining to a “repeal and replace” of the Gold Butte National Monument declaration and an effort to enact a moratorium on the July 1, 2017 deadline for the retail sale of recreational marijuana in the City of Mesquite. Not to be outdone by the national effort to repeal and replace things, the Mesquite City Council decided to do its own “repeal and replace” in the form of a resolution to overturn the Gold Butte National Monument declaration. Mayor Litman was somewhat surprised and dismayed about the way that the resolution 927 was drafted and placed on the agenda without his knowledge. Mayor Litman also noted that he received some 100 phone calls and emails voicing opposition (99% opposed) to this resolution.
On the last day of the full moon during March 2017, a few good friends had the privilege of visiting the newly formed Gold Butte National Monument. Our experiences were memorable beyond all expectations. Enhancements by the beginnings of an anticipated spectacular desert spring bloom; rock formations bathed in moonlight; a flickering firelight and stories shared with a visiting Gold Butte legend contributed to this mythical and spiritual commune with this land.
Memorable moments beg to be shared and I would like to remind everyone that just outside of Mesquite is a place called Nevada. The area surrounding Mesquite in the springtime is enchanting when the desert blooms. The variety of color and intensity of blooms exhibited on desert daisies, roses, various bushes and of course cacti is astonishing. You simply must open your eyes and your heart to the treasures that surround you and be a part of this enchanted land.
Not only does the vegetation display itself in all its glory, the landscape also appears alive with a display of fascinating shapes and colors. This stunning rock garden covers the area and provides a portrait of its geological history, ancient sea beds and violent volcanic upheavals. Ancient sand dunes that evolved into sandstone formations show their varied layers and mineral content in multicolored displays that are constantly changing in form and color from the effects of wind and rain. Read more
Following the sunset, the temperature plummeted, and the chill was further intensified by the winds kicking up from the northwest. Despite the cold, the dark and treacherous terrain, the runners continued their quest to throughout the night and the next day.
Not to be outdone by the national effort to repeal and replace things, the Mesquite City Council decided to do its own “repeal and replace” in the form of a resolution to overturn the Gold Butte National Monument declaration. 
Mayor Litman was somewhat surprised and dismayed about the way that the resolution 927 was drafted and placed on the agenda without his knowledge. Mayor Litman also noted that he received some 100 phone calls and emails voicing opposition (99% opposed) to this resolution.
