In 1969, Frank Van Zant began building beside a Nevada highway; 20 years later, his desert compound had more than 200 concrete sculptures

Drive along Interstate 80 in northern Nevada, and the road feels endless. Then a colorful, oddly shaped structure pops out of the desert. A Nevada Magazine feature says tens of thousands of cars pass Thunder Mountain Monument in Imlay each day, but few stop to look. World War II veteran and artist Frank Van Zant built the monument, beginning construction in 1969 when he moved to Imlay.

A highway stop that became a life's work