April 22-24th, 2009 – I Found Billy!
April was a great time for me. For several years, I’ve made posts on here, on Facebook, and anywhere else I could think to try to find where Billy Lyon was! I consider Billy my brother since we spent almost every weekend together when I visited my dad. We’ve been through a lot of rough times, good times, and excellent times together which has created that sibling bond between us.
The way I discovered Billy was pure luck. I was doing some more internet research about Billy, his mom’s maiden name, and like usual, was getting nowhere like the many years’ past attempts. Finally, this time I thought to search for Billy’s mom’s sister, Sam Villnow. Through luck, I happened to click through a link on Google for a Sam Villnow on MySpace and it was her!
I immediately emailed her through MySpace and one thing lead to another, I was finally put into contact with Brenna Wagner, Billy’s wife. It just happened a few months later, Billy made his way to California where I was able to drive down and see him in my hometown, Barstow.
I ended up bringing him to Utah for a week to spend some time together. After a few days of talking, making up for lost time, and just messing around, we decided to head up to the Cedar Breaks area so I could show him around. The following pictures below are a result of that trip. Hope you enjoy!
April 22-23, 2009 – Panguitch Lake and Surrounding Areas
We wanted to show Billy the surrounding area that we live in, so we headed to the mountains, up to Duck Creek, Panguitch Lake, Brian Head, Cedar Breaks, “C” Overlook, etc. There was still a lot of snow up in the mountains, but it was a beautiful warm day. We had a lot of fun, and he really like the area we lived in.
The kids loved spending time with Uncle Billy, and they got along great for the first time meeting. One of the highlights of the day was trying to break the ice in Panguitch Lake, and then Billy catching a fish with his bare hands. The kids really enjoyed that.  See pictures of Billy’s visit here!
April 24, 2009 – Red Rock Canyon
Just 15 miles west of Las Vegas, lies Red Rock Canyon. We had heard of it, but had never been. On the day before Billy was going to fly back to Alaska, Billy took us out to this area because he used to go hiking in the area when he lived in Las Vegas. It was such a contrast to the bright lights and hype of the Strip, Red Rock offered desert beauty, and towering red cliffs. The cactus flowers were in bloom, and very pretty to see. More Red Rock Canyon Pictures Here!
Just seeing the area makes us want to go back. It’s a great way to spend some time in Vegas away from the casinos and all of the crowds.