By The Time I Get to Phoenix, Day 1

Mount Powell at Sunrise

10/25/2014

Deer Lodge, Montana

The end of October found Kevin and me making a quick trip to Phoenix, Arizona.  Just a down and back, but an interesting four day drive, none-the-less.  We arose early on Saturday morning, October 25, and were on the road by 6 a.m.  It was still dark and quite foggy here at Wild Horse Plains, Montana, and I guessed we'd be in fog all the way to Butte, some three hours away.  Well, the fog lifted around Drummond, and by the time we passed Deer Lodge, there was color in the sky.  

Turning south on I-15 just west of Butte, I was reminded once again that most of Silver Bow County, like most of Montana, is rural.  Yes, Silver Bow is the smallest county in area in the state, and yes, one hundred years ago, fully one fourth of the people of Montana lived there, but still, once you get outside of Butte and the surrounding communities, there's a lot of open land.  By  the time we crossed into Madison County, the fog was returning, and when we crossed the next line into Beaverhead County, it was back full force.

Beaverhead County Line, I-15 Southbound

10/25/2014

We stopped for gas in Dillon, but held off on breakfast till we could get to Dell.  I use any excuse I can to eat at the Dell Calf-A (say it out loud if you don't get the name), and I recommend it to all traveling through southern Beaverhead County.  With our bellies more than full, we returned to I-15 and soon were crossing Monida Pass and heading south into Idaho.  We had heard that Idaho had raised the speed limit to 80 mph, but this was our first chance to experience it.  Clark County, Jefferson County, Bonneville County and Bingham County all flew by, although we did stop for gas near Blackfoot.  No more stops in Idaho, not even at the Near Eastern restaurant I so enjoyed last time I was in Pocatello, and in no time at all we crossed into Utah.

Utah, too, has raised the speed limit to 80 on I-15, and it seems we traversed the northern part of the state rather quickly.  I love photographing public buildings, but as Kevin was in no mood to get off the interstate in Salt Lake City, I had to take this picture of the Utah state capitol through the windshield of a speeding pickup truck.  Sorry 'bout that.

The Utah State Capitol

10/25/2014

I-15 Southbound, Salt Lake City, Utah

South of the metropolis, we needed fuel and stopped in Fillmore.  Much to my surprise, I was able to get shots of two government buildings in this seat of Millard County.  As we passed the sign noting that we had entered Millard County, my first thought was of our thirteenth President, and sure enough, both the county and its seat are named for the man who was President when Utah became a territory.  Although it seems to me they got the names backward.  Shouldn't the town be Millard and the county Fillmore?  

Turns out that Brigham Young selected this spot in the Pahvent Valley to serve as the capital of his proposed state.  Originally, the proposed state of Deseret included most of the land the US claimed through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and spread from the Pacific Ocean in southern California to the west slope of the Rockies in Colorado.  When California entered the union in 1850, Utah Territory was created with its boundaries significantly reduced.  It covered only present day Nevada, Utah, and the southwestern corner of Wyoming.  Fillmore was in the geographic center of that area, and Young felt it was the perfect location for his new capital.  Young laid the cornerstone and over a period of two years the first wing of a proposed four-wing building was built.  The Utah Territorial Legislature met there for three terms before the capital was moved back to Salt Lake City.  I also photographed the Millard County Court House which stands on the main street of Fillmore, just in front of the original capitol building.  

The Utah Territorial Capitol

10/25/2014

Fillmore, Utah

With the gas tank full and no further photographic side trips envisioned, we got back on I-15 and drove on to Beaver.  Kevin remembered a good Mexican restaurant in Beaver, as well as a decent priced motel.  We didn't try the restaurant, and found that the motel he remembered was now quite expensive.  We found another place to stay and I checked on Yelp for a place to eat.  While not the one that Kevin remembered, we ended up eating (at my insistence) at Maria's Cocina where I had the best restaurant-cooked chile relleno I've ever had.  Their flan, however, left a lot to be desired, in my opinion.  Definitely not worth the extra blood sugar.

After dinner we retired to our motel, and rested happily after a day on the road.  One last note about Beaver, Utah.  Beaver (the city) is the county seat of Beaver County.  The High School is, predictably, Beaver High School, and what do you suppose their mascot is?  You got it, they're the Beaver High School Bandicoots.  Nope, just kidding.  They're the Beaver High School Beavers. Really now, doesn't anyone in the area have any imagination?

Evening skies over Beaver, Utah

10/25/2014

The Third Sunday Drive, Day Two: Utah

 

Along the Spanish Fork River, Utah

Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

 --lyrics by Curly Putman

To hear Johnny Cash sing this song, which I chose only because there was no green, green grass on my drive today, click here.

Once out of bed and back in the Saab, the first order of the day was to feed my face.  Turning to Yelp, I found several nearby places offering a decent breakfast, but finding them was another matter.  While I'm sure that Salt Lake's address system using xxx North yyy East works well for those who understand it, I find it extremely confusing, and impossible to program into Nancy the Nag's navigation system.  Further complicating matters was the fact that I seemed to be in strip-mall city, where all the businesses were part of one strip mall or another and not easily seen while driving down a six lane street.  Finally, none of the buildings I could see had easily visible numbers, so it was merely by chance that I found myself at Kneader's Bakery and Café in Midvale, Utah.  Or maybe I was still in Salt Lake City.  I don't know.  I never saw any signs indicating that I had moved from one municipality to another.

Kneader's was not what I wanted, in that you stepped up to the order desk, placed your order, then waited for the staff to bring you your meal.  I much prefer sitting down and letting them bring me a menu.  As it was, I completely misunderstood the choices available to me, and ordered (I thought) a mango smoothie and a pain au chocolat.  The cashier then asked what I wanted for my main course.  Silly me, I thought that was the main course, so I ended up getting way too much food when they brought me my omelette and it's accompanying side dishes as well as the smoothie and croissant.  The coffee was surprisingly good, considering I'm in Mormon country, but I would recommend that the management rethink their idea of putting black plastic tableware in black circular bins with no overhead lighting.  Since this is more of a cafeteria than a restaurant, you are expected to get your own tableware, napkins, coffee, etc, and finding them was a challenge.  The omelette was good, however, and I took the smoothie and croissant for snacking down the road.

 What a dramatic sky above central Utah

On my way back to I-15, I filled the Saab's tank, and hit the road listening to The Focus Group on SiriusXM OutQ Gay Radio.  Due to it being Labor Day Weekend, OutQ's weekend schedule was a strange mix of repeats and odd combinations which allowed the regulars to have the weekend off.  The Focus Group had chosen to repeat a broadcast about America's number one Tupperware distributor, Your Aunt Barbara, just a typical housewife out on The Long Island, who is otherwise known as Robert Suchan.  Who knew that a drag queen would become Tupperware's Queen Bee?  The segment was hilarious, and apparently, unbeknownst to the Focus Group's hosts, Aunt Barbara showed up for the interview in full drag.  The show was hilarious, and I, for one, will be ordering my Tupperware from Aunt Barbara, and I feel you should too. 

Turning off I-15, I headed southeast on US 6, climbing from Spanish Fork up and over the mountains to descend to Green River and I-70.  This is a gorgeous drive, one that Kevin and I had taken in reverse way back when we rushed to Denver to rescue Rocky I from Denver Animal Control after Gary's untimely death.  That trip was in January, and the area looks much different in early September.

Stopping for lunch in Green River, I had a decent Chef's Salad at the West Winds truck stop and then found a geocache just across the highway near a motel parking lot.  I won't give away anything more in case you want to find this particular cache.  I was now at 176 found caches in 17 different states.  My Garmin GPS unit is not working properly, so I had to download the geocaching app to my iPhone to find the caches in Idaho and Utah.  I planned on continuing to find caches along the way, but somehow got distracted by the scenery and miles.

Red Rock along Utah 313, leading to Canyonlands National Park

I had directed my Nav system to find the northern part of Canyonlands National Park, and at Green River, the system tried to direct me down 80 miles of dirt road.  I knew from my maps, that there was a paved road that took off US 191 a few miles north of Moab, and was thus surprised to find myself driving across the desert on gravel.  Turning around, I headed back into Green River, caught I-70 for a few miles until I exited on US 191.  The big advantage of traveling on a three-day holiday weekend, is that the construction projects are usually on hold, and you can drive through construction zones without worrying about being delayed by actual construction.  Most of US 191 north of Moab was a construction zone.

Sure enough, roughly a dozen miles north of Moab, Utah 313 took off to the west, leading to the northern part of Canyonlands.  The Visitor Center was some twenty-five miles ahead, but the day was still relatively young and the scenery was spectacular.  I spent enough time in Canyonlands and later in neighboring Arches National Park that I will address each of them in separate posts.  For now suffice it to say that while driving along 313, I stopped at various places to take pictures, including at the overlook for two bright red rock mesas named for the Civil War battleships Monitor and Merrimack at the Battle of Hampton Roads.  I got to talking with some bicyclists and turned them on to WarmShowers.org, a social networking site for bicyclist tourists and their potential hosts.  I've had such fun hosting bicycle tourists through WarmShowers, that I want anyone riding a bike to know about the program.  I also got a nice shot of the Saab with the mesas in the background.

Monitor and Merrimack Mesas, near Moab, Utah

No Saab in this shot

While at the Canyonlands Visitors' Center, I purchased a National Parks Passport and entered my first stamp.  We'll see how full I'm able to get the thing--i.e. how many stamps I put in the passport, but it's fun knowing I have the option of logging all my visits in this handy guidebook.  This was also my first chance to take advantage of my new Senior Pass, which at my advanced age allows me entrance to all federal fee areas for the rest of my life--and it only costs $10.  I highly recommend you take advantage of the program, if you're old enough.

The road into Canyonlands is also the road out, and once back on US 191, I soon found myself at the entrance to Arches National Park.  My drive up and into the park took the rest of the available sun--so necessary for daylit photography, and by the time I left the park and entered the city of Moab, I was ready to find a bed and a good dinner.  Oh the joys of traveling on a holiday weekend in a resort area.  There was a sign on the door of the Super 8 saying that there was no need to proceed any further.  They were full for the night.  There was another motel just across the highway, so I pulled in and found they did have a room which I quickly rented.  Once I had carried everything from  the car to my room, I again called up Yelp and found a Thai restaurant in the center of downtown Moab. 

When eating in an ethnic restaurant, I always take it as a good sign that the customers are also of the same ethnic group.  I figure they know whether the food is good or bad.  Now as to whether this holds true in a resort community, who can say, but well over half the tables at Sing Ha were filled with Asians, predominately from the subcontinent judging by their appearance.  I found the meal delicious, and my only quibble would be the service which was extremely slow.  This I attributed to the fact that every table was full (I was the only single diner), and there were only two people serving.  No sooner did a table empty than it was refilled with new diners, and the ethnic mix never varied.  I had no idea there were so many east Indians visiting Moab, Utah.  At one point, an Asian woman appeared at my table and asked me how I liked the dish.  When I told her how good it was, she took great pride in announcing that she was the cook who had prepared my meal.  In my experience, it's not often that cooks leave the kitchen to introduce themselves to the diners, and indeed, I did not see this woman talk to anyone else in the restaurant.  What can I say, I stayed for dessert and left with a glass of Thai iced tea.  The one other item of note at Sing Ha was the young Asian woman who on occasion would come around filling glasses.  Her shorts were so short, they were completely hidden on the front by her apron.  Must be a family member, I thought, as I can't imagine a manager allowing such attire on a regular employee.

I just love twisted trees, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Back at the motel, I checked my mileage.  I had driven only 340 miles, but had taken over one hundred photos.  A beautiful day.

The Third Sunday Drive, Day One: Idaho

Yellow Composite growing alongside US 93, Lemhi County, Idaho

I'd see thousands more of these on the trip

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow, and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember and if you remember, then follow.
--Lyrics by Tom Jones

To hear Jerry Orbach sing this beautiful ballad from my favorite musical, The Fantasticks, click here.

I ask you now to remember why this blog is titled "If there were witchcraft."  I explained it all in the first post some 176 posts ago and who knows how many years, so I'll forgive you if you don't remember.  In a nutshell, the song we used to sing around the campfire names the two wishes I'd wish for, "if there were witchcraft."  Of those two, the first is a "winding road that beckons me to roam."  I've long had the feeling that in an ideal life, I'd have both the time and the money to travel the world, seeing wonderful sights, recording them with my camera(s), and sharing the experience through words and pictures with my friends (and anyone else who wants to come along).   What follows, therefore, is the story of a week-long drive circling through the Rocky Mountains and the western Great Plains.  On this trip we'll drive across Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and back where we began in Montana.  Day One is all about Idaho.

The fastest way to get from western Montana to Salt Lake City, my day one destination, is to stay on the interstate.  First I-90 heading toward Butte, then south on I-15 which is a direct line to Utah's capital city.  The fastest way, not the most scenic.  Instead I chose to drive south on US 93 through Montana's Bitterroot Valley, crossing into Idaho at Lost Trail Pass, then dropping down through Lemhi County to drive along the Salmon River with a stop at Salmon, Idaho for lunch.  From Salmon, I would continue on Idaho 28 through the Lemhi Valley until Idaho 33 would take me east to I-15 or even further east, should I so desire.  At some point I would merge onto I-15 and head South, but I may just choose to stay on what is left of US-91, the federal highwy that I-15 has largely supplanted.  Time would tell.

One-lane bridge spanning the Salmon River

Near North Fork, Idaho

I neither stopped nor took any pictures while driving through Montana's Bitterroot Valley.  This is my old home and while there's always something new, I felt no need to stop along the way, not till I reached Lost Trail Pass and stopped to take pictures of both the "Welcome to Idaho" sign and the "Entering Lemhi County" sign.  At some point I might make an Idaho portrait book, similar to my Glory of the West book of Montana counties, and if so, I want those county line signs.  I'll also want the county court house and some landscape shots, so driving south into Idaho I kept my eyes posed for scenic vistas.  While stopped at the pass, I couldn't help but notice the smokey smell to the air.  Both Idaho and Montana have been plagued with forest fires this year, and the smoke was particularly thick at the state-line.

U.S. Highway 93 drops rapidly from the pass (elevation 7,014 feet) to the town of Salmon (elevation 3,944 feet), some 46 miles to the south.  Along the way, the highway follows first the North Fork of the Salmon River then the Salmon itself.  The Salmon River is also known as The River of No Return as it crosses Idaho from east to west through the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.  There are also many natural hot springs in the area, but this was not the trip for me to sample their healing waters.

In the town of Salmon, I first sought out the Lemhi County Courthouse which, conveniently, was located right across the street from the Salmon United Methodist Church.  Followers of my photography know that two of my favorite subjects are court houses and Methodist Churches.  One stop allowed me to get both.  A visit to the Yelp application on my iPhone next led me to the Junkyard Bistro where I happily ordered the day's lunch special, The Grubber, which turned out to be a hot sandwich piled high with thinly shaved meat and lots of other goodies.  Of particular interest, although I myself did not order any, was the number of Vietnamese and other Asian dishes on the menu.  Not what I would expect in Salmon, Idaho.

The Lemhi Valley and their eastern boundary, the Bitterroot Mountains

I picked up a quick Geocache on the south side of Salmon, and drove through the Lemhi Valley at the speed limit.  On the entire trip I would see only three wild animals, and two of those were in Yellowstone Park.  Driving down Idaho 28, I passed a moose happily grazing in a swampy area.  Unfortunately, I passed him too quickly to stop and take his portrait.  It would be six days before I saw any other wildlife.

Idaho 28 took me out of Lemhi County into the eastern section of Clark County then across a very small corner of Butte County.  I had originally considered driving west through Butte County to its county seat, Arco, the world's first locale to be lit by nuclear power generated electricity.  Arco is also the town closest to the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  Much as I love the photographic possibilities in the Craters of the Moon, this trip was about heading south and east, so I forewent visiting Arco and continued on into first Jefferson then Madison counties, crossing I-25 en route. 

Idaho Highway 28 crossing Butte County

Madison County does not extend westward as far as I-25, and I had never been in the county before.  The county seat and largest city is Rexburg, home of BYU-Idaho (formerly known as Ricks College).  It is also home to a relatively new Mormon temple, dedicated on February 10, 2008.  As I am not Mormon, I felt this temple looked pretty much like every other Mormon temple I've seen, but according to Wikipedia, the Rexburg temple was designed not by church architects but by a private firm because "the church wished it to have a fresh new look."  As is usually the case, in my experience, the temple sits on a hill and is the most prominent feature on the eastern landscape as you drive into Rexburg.

Having shot the temple, as it were, I continued south, re-entering Jefferson County where I was unable to find the county court house in Rigby.  That is I found a building that certainly looked like a court house, and even had the words "Court House" inscribed in the marble above the front doors, but the grounds surrounding the building looked abandonned, and a sign in the window above the main doors read "Liberty Montessori Academy."  It was at this point that I learned the GPS Navigation system in my Saab does not necessarily consider county court houses a "Point of Interest."

The Rexburg (Idaho) Mormon Temple

Abandoning my search for a more modern (and ipso facto probably uglier) court house building, I caught I-25 and drove through Idaho Falls heading toward Pocatello and Salt Lake City.  I was running out of light, so further photographic efforts seemed foolish at best, and besides I was getting hungry and tired.  Yelp once again came to my rescue, and after filling the Saab's tummy in Pocatello, I stopped at Marhaba where I was greeted by Sanjay.  Sanjay asked my name, and thereafter always called me Bryan as he'd ask how the lamb curry was.  Delicious, by the way. 

Along the way I'd been listening to Sirius XM OutQ gay radio, and had heard an ad for a phone app called "Hotel Tonight."  I downloaded the app and sought a room in the greater Salt Lake area.  Hotel Tonight found me one on the south side of the city, and that's where I headed ending day one.  Total miles driven:  654