Mid-September, 2009 - We left Helmville, Montana and turned south,
with the ultimate destination of Las Vegas in mind. On our way we
passed many wonderful sights. First was the surprise of finding
ourselves in the Valley of a Thousand Haystacks. All across the country
we have seen one farm field after another strewn with hay bales, and at
our friend Carl's ranch in Montana I had sat in a modern hay baler. This
amazing machine transforms growing grasses into perfectly tied hay
bales, all at the push of a button. As the driver sits in air conditioned
comfort, the electronic readout keeps him posted on the progress of
each bale as it is tied and wrapped and dropped off in the wake of the
vehicle. So I had forgotten that hay used to be stored in haystacks. Yet
here they were, for miles, huge haystacks on either side of the road.
North of Salt Lake City, Utah, we took a detour and packed a picnic
for the gorgeous scenic drive that crosses Logan Pass to Bear
Lake. This winding road passes between towering, craggy cliffs.
Near the summit we
hiked the short Limber
Pine Nature Trail.
Following a soft path of
pine needles, we came
across a very old tree.
The sign at the start of
the trail (and in the
brochures of the area)
claimed this tree was
2,560 yeras old. The
trunk was thick and gnarled and inviting, so
we climbed up. But the sign in front of the
tree said it was just 560 years old. The sign
hadn't simply lost a "2." It was actually
printed that way.
Well, whether it germinated during the rise
of ancient Greece or some 2,000 years
later during the burgeoning the
Renaissance, it was a stately tree.
This hike gave us the first glimpse of
Utah's "Caribbean," the shores of Bear
Lake. Descending on the road, the
view of the lake expanded.
The water was a pretty shade, and there were
boats of all kinds bobbing in the marina.
As we crossed the Cache Valley on our return, we saw many
farm stands selling fresh raspberries. What fun to stop and
sample different varieties. One type was softer and sweeter,
and another was lighter in color and firmer. We thought we were
being indulgent when
we bought a large box,
but the lady behind us
bought an entire flat!
Further south, we
stopped for a few days
in Nephi, Utah and
drove the scenic Mt.
Nebo Loop. This forty
mile drive took us on
another beautiful
winding road into the
mountains. Back in the
land of red rocks, we
walked out into Devil's
Kitchen, a small gathering
of bright orange hoodoos
that looks like it was lifted
out of Bryce Canyon.
It was a Sunday, and when we pulled into the large Mt. Nebo
lookout area we could barely find a place to park because it
was teeming with motorcycles. A local motorcycle club was out
on a Sunday drive and they were taking a breather at this
stunning stop. We wandered among the bikes and chatted
with the riders. Riding a bike seemed to be the best way to do
this loop. We saw a cyclist too, but getting from 6,000 feet at
one end of this drive to over 9,000 feet in the middle seemed
really challenging, and the descents were narrow and
twisting.
Continuing our trek towards Las Vegas, we stopped briefly in Cedar City
("Festival City") as well. We had fallen in love with this town the previous
year when we arrived just in time for the Western Rodeo Days (see our
experiences at What's it Like?). We missed that this year but got to see
some of the Balloon Festival instead.
We took our bikes
out on the paved
bike path and
descended down
into the expansive
farmlands where flat
roads wander
between farm fields
seemingly forever.
A pretty sunset over the strange lighthouse that marks the
southern end of Cedar City capped off a nice, though brief, jaunt
down I-15 in Utah. Las Vegas hung just over the horizon.