Saturday, January 10, 2009

2009 Adventure #1 - Breaking in the New Vehicle

This past week, Cheryl managed to persuade me into purchasing her a new vehicle. So a few calls to Joey, and a couple of trips to Heber and we came home on Wednesday with a new Ford Explorer.

As you can see our new vehicle is well equipped to take us to places never explored or seen by us.

Have new vehicle will break it in is my motto.



So this morning, after packing a few, a very few, staples we thought that we would take a leisurely roadside trip. Yea right! More like a safari if you ask Cheryl.

Now everyone knows that I insist that we see all of Utah before venturing to far out of the state. Well today, we will test everyones knowledge of places in Utah. Our route included places such as Santaquin, Eureka, and Vernon. Have I stumped anybody yet? How about Lookout Pass, Lookout Pass Station, Simpson Springs, Fish Springs, Overland Canyon Station, Gold Hill and Ibapah. Ah-ha, now I've got you thinking!

The adventure really begins at Lookout Pass where we have connected onto the Pony Express Route. Covered in snow but well traveled we venture forth.
Just below Lookout Pass, we stopped for a few moments and noted the location of the Pony Express Station and then test drove our vehicle through a snow field to the Pet Cemetery. We were able to drive through the snow and get back onto the road a successful demonstration of our pony's footing.


It was now time to put our pony into drive and giddy up down the road. We have a long ways to go and a short time to get there. Of course we slowed down long enough to take a few pictures of the wild horses.

Our pony, spent now, deserved a much needed rest at Simpson Springs Station. We had traveled over paved roads, graveled roads, snow packed roads, mud and rock now to arrive in the middle of no-where. About the only thing that we hadn't see that a Pony Express rider might have was a Indian or two.


Now this country that we are exploring is full of fantastic geological features. Jagged mountains that would thrust up off the desert floor in the middle of no-where such as Table Mountain here.


We even tried our hand at mining for Geodes. A side road took us down into an area full of Geode beds. Over and through drainage we discovered where the rock hounds come to mine for geodes.
Scattered excavated holes by "rock hounds" had been dug all over and we spent a moment or two studying the rocks and as you can see trying to break them to see if we could strike gold or Geode in this case.

Back on the road we carefully maneuvered our vehicle through the twisting, winding roads. Over one hill, across the plains, into the stream bed, and up the hill into a another canyon.

At Fish Springs we observed the marshlands in this desolate desert...marshlands? Yup, marshlands a wildlife refuge for water fowls. Finally, we discovered a paved road and found ourselves in Ibapah. Now only a skip and hop and we have crossed over into Nevada.

Hello.., Mom and Dad decided to go on a ride to Sanataquin this morning and well we are now in Wendover via the Pony Express Route. We'd love to have anyone joins us next time we go out for a safari. Our little pony performed well and is a bit tired and dirty but is well broken in now and ready for another adventure. I think that it is a keeper.

6 comments:

Richard said...

Did you see any cougars at Lookout Pass, I have?

The company took scrapers from Brush Beryilium, up the back country through Ibapah to Wendover.

Rachel said...

Doesn't look new anymore! I can't believe you would get your new car so dirty! Oh ya, I forget that's what boys do! Sounds like you guys had a fun day! You sure you were in Utah the entire time? Some of those places sounded foreign to me . . .

The Boyacks said...

When you called and said that you were in Wendover, I assumed that you drove the freeway there. Little did I think that this is Dad who drove there and of course he would have taken the back country way there. Looks like you had a good trip. The Explorer looks nicer when it is clean - You need to have a wash me written in the dirt to finish off your last picture. Looks like you had a nice Saturday together! Glad that the vehicle is broken in.

Jclyde said...

Hmm, No cougars at Lookout Pass but we can see them right here in Highland usually.

I did show Cheryl the I-15 road work and the big cut at Wendover that the company did and I can recall the stories of roading the scrapers from Brush. I even thought about go out to Brush that day.

Unknown said...

Sounds to me like you were in Russell territory. Out Skull Valley way and the Pony Express route. Did you have a scone at Santaquin?

Cheryl said...

We got close to Russell country, but Jeff wouldn't let me go there! Nah...just too far off the Pony Express Trail. Besides that, the cemetary would have been covered in snow, so we will make that trip another day. Where do you get the scones in Santaquin?