Price, Helper and Nine mile Canyon, Utah

July 13 - 16, 2022:

I arrive in Price, Utah about 1 PM and stop on Main Street to take a look around.  There are several attractive old buildings of interest such as the Crown Theater, the Price Theater, the Silver Dollar Restaurant and a couple nice murals. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page,_Arizona

Price main Street view

I love the weird figures on the facade

The Crown Theater

The Silver Dollar next door

I then continue on six miles to Helper, Utah where the Main Street shows much improvement, many new shops with an artistic element and considerable restoration of original buildings.  Helper was settled in 1881 by Teancum Pratt  and his two wives and many children.  There is a totally restored 1950’s vintage gas station equipped with all period shop equipment, near total perfection.  There is a very cool vibe about downtown Helper, something that Moab is totally missing.  I roam around taking far too many phots as normal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helper,_Utah

Big John, the statue

The history

Lots of art shops in Helper

Also theaters that are aren't currently functional 

Great signs are abundant, see more below

Helper City was loaded with mechanical treasures

The Main Street

Restored service shop

Helper lights up at night

On day 2, I’m off to the Prehistoric Museum in Price, it’s an excellent museum on area geology, paleontology and indigenous American cultures.  

Coal is everywhere here

Many dinosaur remains also

Very interesting when facial features are added

Fremont painted animal skin 

I then spend about an hour at the library and then drive back to Helper to go to the Helper Western Mining and Railroad Museum which is quite amazing with about 40 rooms of historical artifacts, but focused mostly on local area mining towns, the Railroad and Helper’s fascinating history and the multi ethnic (27 languages were spoken) mine workers.  This area is rich in coal and is surrounded by several coal mines who were the primary employer.  The job market drew people of many European countries here for a way to improve their lives.  The railroad also came for the coal business and it was necessary to couple a second engine to the coal trains to get up Soldier Hill, thus the town became known as Helper.  The railroad back in the days of the Steam Engine was a division point which also employed many workers.  The advent of the Diesel Engine after WW2 was a game changer, greatly reducing maintenace and eliminating many division points such as Helper.  The railroad still operates in Helper but at a much smaller level, as most of the mines are now closed and with todays modern engines a helper engine is no longer required.

Mormon Teancum Pratt settled Helper with his two wives in the 1880's

Immigrants were the life blood of this town

Many languages spoken

Photojournalist Dorothea Lange spent time in Helper

Nice photo platform

The boy, name unknown, has become a poster boy

Mother Jones was here for miners rights

Madam Babe took care of people in a different way, but effective

I then walk around the downtown again when the garage doors are open and a man invites me in to look around and gives me a tour.  This building in incredible inside, it’s a museum actually with an old 1940’s GMC pickup truck, a 1930’s Ford woodside wagon, two sixties Corvettes, several other cars and then a showroom area with dozens of classic motorcycles along with a basement filled with parts.  The man tells me it’s his brothers stuff, but he knows it intimately, obviously they work together.  The immaculately restored gas station previously mentioned is also theirs. His brother is also working on an even older gas station in another area of town which will be totally restored as well. 

 

At the museum, I learned that the post office has an original WPA mural inside, so that’s my next stop, I’m now starting to love this town.

Post Office

On Day 3, I do a road tour through the Nine Mile Canyon, (that’s what they call it), something to do with the John Wesley Powell expedition, but it’s actually more like 45 miles to see the all the featured Fremont rock art sites.  The ride through this canyon alone is worth the time, it is spectacular with incredible views in all directions.  The Fremont people, are quite a mystery, their name is based on their geographic proximity to the Fremont River, which was named for US explorer John Fremont, no one knows what the Fremont people actually called themselves.  What is known is that they heavily populated this canyon area, and many areas of Utah for about a thousand years before they disappeared in the 1300’s.  The most believed theory on why they left was climate change and possibly the intrusion on their home land by other aggressive tribes.  (History always repeats itself)  The Fremont remains have been looted heavily and little remains except for their impressive rock art petroglyphs which puzzle us today.  

Perhaps a thousand years from now, people from another galaxy will look at our civilizations ruins and wonder about us ?  I have become slightly addicted to this stuff, yes I’m taking far too many photos with mostly the same figures and shapes.  I know it seems a little goofy, but when I walk along these rock walls, I feel like I’m walking in a sacred place with my feet standing on the same rocks they stood on a thousand years ago.  There are several special rock art panels here that have received considerably attention such as the Great Hunt panel and the Owl Panel.  As I approached the Great Hunt panel, a Big Horn Sheep was standing nearby, he saw me, stopped and starred, almost as if he was guarding it, then slowly moved away.  It was a bit of a spiritual moment.

 

A nice grove of Aspen trees

Towering rock walls are everywhere

The panel with the Owls in very special

The Great Hunt art panel

Coyote placing the stars

On my return to Price, I have a lousy pizza at an uninspired restaurant about ready to close at 8 PM, the service pleasant but rushed, they brought my check before I even finished the meal, it seems to be the norm here.  I then went to Helper to see how the town looks at night as they have several old signs and lights strung on buildings.  It gives the town a more colorful frontier it, it like it.  I then went into the one bar in Helper, which doesn’t require a food purchase, unusual in Utah.  It appears to be an original bar, a very limited beer selection, served in a plastic cup with two pool tables and about two customers.  One of the customers took a look at me and came right over, I suppose to see if I was a kindred spirit.  He turned out to be a real character who worked for many years as a roadie for rock bands, traveled everywhere it seems and got to hang out with many notable musicians.  He had a particularly interesting story on a relationship between himself and Sheryl Crow which ended badly.  He was pleased though that he suspected one of her songs was about him.  After this crazy interesting lifestyle, I kind of wondered why he is in Helper, Utah or if any of this true ? 

On day 4, I return to Helper for a walk on the town park foot path that runs along the Price Creek.  It has a number of signs giving some history of surrounding mining towns, most of which are now ghost towns.  Afterwards I go to Marsha's Sammich Shop & Bakery for lunch, probably my best lunch on this trip, real sliced turkey on real homemade bread with cheese and a big glass of real ice tea.

Price Creek

I then drive further north on route 6 up the big hill and over Soldier Summit, I had to see this notable hill.  Near the top they have a pullout with several monuments honoring the the area mines and the miners and several mine disasters.  I turn around at the top then take an exit part way down for the Bristlecone Camp Road where I drove the winding road to the top of the mountain.  There were some good views looking down into the canyon along the road and a few picnic tables at the top, but nothing else of interest.

The train goes through a tunnels at the top

A photo taken during the steam days

A monument to the areas mining history at the summit

Next stop is Grand Junction, Colorado

Green River - Sego Canyon - Moab and Arches National Park

July 8, - 13, 2022 :

I drive about 25 miles on I-70 east from Green River then take exit 182 where I find the Twilight Zone gas station and exotic beef jerky shop.  It appears to be a big attraction.  I then take a side road to Thompson Springs where there is a tiny park area with a hand written map giving directions to the Sego Petroglyph site about 3 miles away in Sego Canyon.  There is also a nice sign across the road pleading for visitors to not deface the petroglyphs as they are important history and a beautiful artistic metal sculpture of Folsom petroglyph figures.  This particular area of Utah has many Folsom sites and the Folsom petroglyphs are unique and sort of mysterious.

https://climb-utah.com/Moab/sego.htm

But first into the twilight zone at the exit

A message to visitors

The sculpture

The drive into Sego Canyon

Riding up to the rock wall the Petroglyphs are hard to see

But up close,  they stand out clearly

Another wall around the corner

The Petroglyphs are also hard to see in this light

But up close an hour later, they stand out clearly

Another petroglyph

Across the road in a corral area are these petroglyphs

The ghost town and cemetary of Sego are located about a mile further into the canyon.  There is a remarkable large stone building, a typical massive Mormon building built to last forever with finely cut stone and masonry with 3 foot thick walls.  There was no signage on the site, but I learn later about this town.  In it’s prime about 200 people lived here and worked in a nearby coal mine. There was railroad spur line into this canyon and the remains of many wooden bridge trestles remain.  This was a pretty serious mining operation and considerable money and labor was expended here. 

Decaying train tressle over wash

Old stripped out car left behind

The walls are still square and the masonry intact

Interior is totally stripped, but the walls are sound 

This was very well built, but no clue what it was 

 

After all this excitement, I continue on to Moab, Utah where I plan to spend several  days.  At the visitors center I learn that a reservation is needed to enter the Arches National Park, but there is an alternative.  If you enter the park prior to their opening time at 6 AM, the gates are open, you can drive right in, (without paying) and get a head start on everyone else to the popular spots.  This is perfect for me, I just park on a Moab side street for the night for an easy escape. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moab,_Utah 

https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm

It is in the 100 degree range and no cool breeze, the van interior is about the same, I have a fan blowing on me, but it’s not helping that much, I can’t sleep well, it’s a miserable night.  As a result, I leave extra early and drive into the park to the delicate Arch hiking trailhead.  There are several others already there and people are starting the 3 mile round trip hike before the sun is completely up.  I have done this trail before but didn't remember that it’s a pretty hard steep uphill climb.  When I reached the end people were already lined up to get their photo in front of the iconic arch.   I then drove further into the park stoping at most of the other viewpoints and doing several short hikes to various arches. 

People are lined up, very orderly, to take photos

Delicate Arch is always impressive

Another rock formation seen from the trail

A view into the fiery furnace area, a special permit is needed to enter

Looks like a maze 

The Tunnel Arch

Pine Tree Arch

It’s now getting hot and I am melting in the heat, I’m hot blooded !  I start to drive back out of the park at about 1 PM, at the visitors center to look at the great exhibits. 

I then return to downtown Moab, find the closed library (it’s Sunday) and the Museum also closed and I don’t feel like eating or shopping.  I try to find a cool place to park the van ending up along a park, but it’s still hot.  There is a water park, I should go over and check it out, could probably just walk in like a local and use the facilities.  I see a couple of other homeless types hanging out also, they look harmless so I open the van doors in an effort to cool the interior of the van, but there is no breeze.  It does look stormy in the distance, could be a rain shower, nothing more than a couple of drops of rain materialize.  I go to a restaurant to eat mainly to get some air conditioning and then I ride around looking for a overnight spot. I spend night two on another side street, it's not good to stay in one place.

In there morning, it has cooled down nicely overnight and while it’s cool I walk Main Street looking for interesting photos,  I’m not finding a lot, it’s mostly tourist shops, (tee shirts and hats), outdoor gear, restaurants, and many places to rent Jeeps and OHV’s but there is nothing impressive with the town architecture.  They have a food truck park area, fairly new I believe, in the center of downtown, it’s kind of weird and most of the food trucks are set in place, they no longer move.   They do have a couple of interesting bakeries  that I am trying to avoid, but my willpower is slipping.

An early historic Mormon building used as an entertainment venue now

A typical shop window

A serious bicycle family

These OHV vehicles have become the hot ticket these days

Downtown mural

Lodge sign

The food Truck Park

The Ravens are everywhere here

I’ve become addicted to the $3 cup of Huckleberry ice cream at the Spoke Restaurant on Main Street.  As I’m standing on the corner eating my ice cream watching the traffic go by, that “standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona” song comes to mind and I start watching to see if anyone is slowing down to see me ?  It’s not happening, in fact the traffic here on Main Street goes very fast, everyone is going over the posted speed limit.    

I then go to the library for a while to work on this blog that bleeds way too much of my time, but I'm enjoying the very nice library.   I end up doing the same later in the day at McDonalds, but there you get to watch the confusion of people ordering food using the new computerized touch screen machines.  McDonalds is focused on getting everyone to use these and their mobile app to order food ahead of time.  The younger generation is geared for this, they think digitally, they do everything on a phone or a credit card already, but old timers struggle with it.  

I need to get out of town, see some sights, so I take a ride on route 128 and find several small beautiful campgrounds along the Colorado River that I could get into for a minimal cost, I’m surprised that there there are open sites in the afternoon.  The views along this stretch are really impressive and there are many river float trips in the river which is mostly calm but very muddy. 

A Road view

Lots of water tour action too, but not much white water

The river was muddy brown, but beautiful

My plan was to go into Arches National Park after 5 PM, when the gates are open and anyone can enter without a reservation similar to the morning arrangement.  You have about 3-4 hours of time to dash to your desired attraction, take a hike or whatever when the heat isn’t so awful, the crowds not as heavy, the parking lots not over crowded and the evening light and the sunsets are truly amazing. You can even stay in and stargaze, but according to the rules, you can’t sleep in your motor vehicle.  I stayed till after dark, then drove back out to sleep in town on a side street which is probably unlawful also, but not enforced unless you become a problem. I am not sure about the names of some of these arches, so I will leave them blank.

Park Avenue view

Balanced Rock

North Arch

View for the Garden of Eden parking area

For my final night I check into a BLM campground ($10) on route 128 with a great mountain view in front and Colorado River and mountain views in rear.  It's beautiful, but super hot again and it's sweltering inside the van overnight.I might consider getting a tent for situations like this.

At river view

Looking across the highway

I’m getting tired of this town, it’s about time to move on, but it's hard to due to the great outdoors activities here.  The only problem is the heat, it’s Arizona hot.  I have one place on my list of places to visit that is further north, Helper, UT and then I will start my return south. 

In the morning, I go back into Moab to do laundry, get fuel and then I’m back on the road on routes 101 and I-70 heading for Price and Helper, UT.  I’m hoping for some cooler air there.