Picto Diary - 19 July 2018 - 2nd Day in Sanpete County
Above: Me and My Shadow. Snow College. Ephraim, UT. 19 July 2018.
Morning walk. I was able to get four miles walking in each day I was in Ephraim. Three days. I'd walk Bud from the Willow Creek Inn to his studio - one mile. Walk back - one mile. Then, in the evening, I'd follow the same routine to pick Bud up and bring him back to the hotel. In the interim, I'd be out and about exploring on the Duc.
Above: Maverick coffee selection. Ephraim, UT. 19 July 2018.
What's not to like?
Great coffee selection
No "no gun" policy - safer.
Straws - less plastic waste than Starbucks.
Homeless not allowed to camp. Cleaner.
Non ambiguous bathrooms. Reality bites.
If only they had cushy chairs.... — at Maverik Adventure's First Stop.
Above: Palisade State Park. Near Sterling, off US 89. 19 July 2019.
You know those fifth wheel RV's you see being towed everywhere in Utah?
Half of them are here.
A nice lake with all kinds of water sports activities and a golf course. Obscure, but pretty good recreation spot. Living the dream for not so much dough.
Above: City bell. Mayfield, UT. 19 July 2018.
Out and about on the Duc.
Above: LDS Temple. Manti, UT. 19 July 2018.
Each Sanpete County town has its own unique attraction:
Manti. LDS Temple
Ephraim. Snow College
Mt. Pleasant. Wasatch Academy
Mayfield. Bell
Wales. Maple Canyon
Gunnison. Casino Star Theater
Fountain Green. Wendell Jacobson
Sterling. Palisade State Park
Moroni. Moroni Feed Company — at Manti Utah Temple.
Above: Steak tacos. El Mexicano. Salina, UT. 19 July 2018.
Will El Mexicano's (Salina, UT) steak tacos measure up to Don Pedro's "equivalent," Evanston, WY?
No. Not up to Don Pedro's standard. Don Pedro's steak tacos come sizzling in metal platter...greasy... spicier taste. El Mexicano's steak tacos were luke warm, dry, and bland...ok..., but not as good as Don Pedro's. — eating lunch at El Mexicano restaurant.
Above: Capitol Reef National Park. 19 July 2018.
Out and about on the Duc
Today, 240 mile loop from Ephraim. US 89, UT SR 24, Capital Reef National Park, UT SR 72, I-70, US 89. — at Capitol Reef National Park.
Above: Boulder Mountain. As seen from Torrey, UT.
UT SR 12 heads that direction as seen in the image.
Up on that mountain is The Hell's Backbone Grille. One night 15 or so years ago, while eating there, a bunch of us complained about poor service and bad food. The owner apologized and said it was because she was on the phone with, Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama. They don't call Boulder Mountain "The Aquarius Plateau" for nothing. — at Boulder Mountain.
Above: Casino Star Theater. Gunnison, UT. 19 July 2018.
Out and about on the Duc.
Restored theater a successful project of Diana Spencer, Mayfield resident and retired English Professor at Snow College.
Above: UT SR 72.
Image looks south into pygmy forest.
UT SR 72. 40 miles. I-70 to Loa, Wayne County. Utah's best pure motorcycle road. Full of medium, high visibility, high speed sweepers, little traffic, but watch out for the cows.
35 of 40 miles was recently chip sealed, eliminating the manacing tar snakes shown in the image.
Circa 1998, riding my BMW R1200 RS around a corner near this spot, saw Randy Montgomery and his girlfriend unloading his Honda VFR motorcycle from his pick up. They had driven down from SLC so Randy could ride UT SR 72.
We had dinner together that night in Torrey.
Above: Lookout. 9K foot summit UT SR 72. 19 July 2018.
In the distance, Henry Mountains (left), Water Pocket Fold (right).
Circa 2002 met Grand Junction motorcyclist at this spot. He said that the night before his girlfriend had told him if he went out to ride today, she would be gone when he got back.
Above: Snow College Jazz Workshop Faculty Concert . 19 July 2018.
The best live music in Utah, tonight, was in Ephraim.
Carl Allen, drums
Philip Kuehn, bass
Rodney Jones, guitar
Christie Dashiell, voice
Xavier Davis, piano — at Eccles Center For Performing Arts.
Addendum:
Thanks Steve for a great run down on Snow College as well as Central Utah. Snow College would be an even better place had you been selected as president. Had we known how to play the game you would have been a slam dunk for president. May I add one correction to the narrative—you got your nipples wrong. It is Mollie's Nipple not Mary’s Nipple. This Mollie must have been quite a gal in the late 1800s as there mountains in Idaho and Wyoming as well with Mollie’s Nipple peaks!
Safe riding!
The Monk,
Gooseberry, UT
I remember when the card trick was played with sleight of hand that turned the governing board of the Traditional Building Skills program into an advisory board. It wasn’t long after that SDT tendered his resignation as Chairman and board member. I can still see the slack jawed looks of other board members in my minds eye. About a year later the President cancelled the program. I wonder where the forging equipment I donated ended up?
Peterbilt
Bountiful UT