Missoula, Montana

Missoula very quickly cast its spell on us. Downtown ran roughly west to east along the north bank of the wide Clark Fork River. Interstate 90 lay to the north just below a ridge of hills, and between the interstate and downtown was the railroad with a marshalling yard kept busy at most times of the day. Most of the city’s residential areas spread south and west of the river and looked overwhelmingly attractive. Beyond the residential districts were the Bitterroot Mountains dominated by Lolo Peak, which was 9,139 feet high. The airport was to the west of downtown and the University of Montana occupied a substantial plot of land south-east of the river. Although downtown had a majority of Missoula’s important buildings and most interesting streets, immediately across the river from the Wilma Building was a second area of historic merit. Another must-see was Fort Missoula not far from Big Sky Park.

Downtown Missoula, Montana

Downtown Missoula, Montana

The best of downtown lay between the railroad to the north and the river to the south with North Orange Street marking its western extremity and Madison Street its eastern one. As in most US cities that struggled to sustain their economic well-being, there were some vacant lots in the downtown area, but Missoula had fewer than most cities of comparable size (Missoula had an official population of about 70,000). There were no skyscrapers, but some large structures confirmed that Missoula was an important urban centre, especially by the standards of Montana and its neighbouring states. Front Street, Main Street and Broadway ran roughly west to east and were overlooked by dozens of landmark structures, but north to south streets that should be seen included Higgins Avenue and Ryman Street. In fact, for anyone with the time, every block in the downtown area should be examined for the dozens of notable brick and stone buildings; the unusual shops; the old banks, hotels and churches; the interesting bars, cafes and restaurants; the old garages; the motels at the east end of Broadway; the bulky industrial and commercial buildings; the ghost signs and painted adverts; the metal signs with their 1950s’ flourishes overhanging the sidewalks; and the city’s indisputably important buildings such as the two elegant railroad stations (sadly, neither of the stations were served by passenger trains), Missoula County Courthouse and the Wilma Building. The historic area south of the river was worth examining from South 3rd Street West in the north to South 6th Street West in the south and from Chestnut in the west to Higgins in the east (there was lots of attractive houses, some of which were very large, a brewery, an ice cream parlour, a popular bakery in an old brick building and some unusual dining options other than the bakery). Between the river and South 3rd Street West was one of Missoula’s old railroad stations (the other station was beside the railroad to the north of downtown). Sadly, no tracks survived, but the building with its very tall tower had been lovingly preserved.

Roman Catholic church, Missoula, Montana

Downtown Missoula, Montana

Downtown Missoula, Montana

Downtown Missoula, Montana

The railroad station south of the river, Missoula, Montana

There was another area worth visiting. I walked north along Orange Street as if heading toward the railroad. The road dipped into what was in effect a tunnel beneath the many tracks. Once through the tunnel, a flight of steps led to North 1st Street, which was probably a part of the city that few people would have gone to in the old days. Why? Because it was the street closest to the railroad engine depot (sadly, the depot no longer existed) and was overlooked by an odd assortment of warehouses, sheds, workshops and rundown housing. Many of the original buildings had survived and most had been restored. All of them seemed to be used for residential, commercial or artistic purposes. Moreover, some delightful new buildings including apartment blocks had filled the vacant lots. With a nearby bar and restaurant serving excellent beers and good food in an old railroad building, and a theatre in one of the landmark structures along North 1st Street, this was definitely an area to visit. It was up and coming and had a great atmosphere. But there were also some interesting buildings just south of the railroad along Railroad Street. What was now the Montana Antique Mall occupied what had been an enormous hotel.

To Railroad Street, Missoula, Montana

In the old days, the Wilma Building was a theatre, a cinema and a hotel. The hotel used to occupy the floors above the theatre and cinema, both of which survived (the hotel now comprised of two floors of commercial office space and five floors of condominiums).

The eight-storey Wilma Building was completed in 1921. The cinema had space for just over 100 people, but the theatre, conceived in Louis XIV style, accommodated over 1,000. The audience in the theatre could see films or watch live shows on the stage.

Nearby was the Florence Building. We were able to enter its unusual lobby because a wedding reception was in full swing in a large room on the floor above. Art moderne flourishes abounded internally and a perfectly formed art moderne passageway led from one side of the lobby. Along the passageway were small business premises in what was in effect a short shopping arcade.

Florence Building, Missoula, Montana

Florence Building, Missoula, Montana

It soon became apparent that Missoula had enjoyed a building boom during the 1920s because a lot of downtown structures had art moderne characteristics.

Big Sky over Fort Missoula, Montana

Near Fort Missoula, Montana

City Cemetery, Missoula, Montana

Idaho Settlements: Idaho Falls, Idaho City, Boise, Riggins

We arrived in Idaho Falls, another settlement with a railroad presence, but in this case, a presence more substantial than in Blackfoot but less so than in Pocatello. Downtown was located between the interstate and the railroad to the east and the Snake River to the west. Although having more blocks than downtown in Pocatello and Blackfoot, downtown in Idaho Falls did not have buildings that were more interesting or unusual. However, Bonneville Hotel and Federal Building were impressive landmarks, and the Kress, Shane and Hasbrouk buildings had some unusual external ornamentation. Nonetheless, Idaho Falls provided more eating, drinking and shopping opportunities than Pocatello and Blackfoot, and it had the delightful waterfall that gave the town half its name. The waterfall was notable for dropping about only 5 or 6 yards (however, a weir immediately behind the natural cascade made it look taller), but it was about 100 yards wide, thereby making it highly distinctive. One of the best views was when we aligned the waterfall so that the town’s stunning white Latter-day Saints Temple with its tapering tower was in the background. An ugly cylindrical-shaped hotel overlooked the waterfall along the Snake River’s west bank, but the rooms facing east had lovely views.

On our way to Albertson’s Supermarket, we stopped to take photos of a large tent beside Highway 20 from where a man was selling fireworks in the run-up to Independence Day. The man was a retired Idaho police officer who sold fireworks from the tent a few times every year “so I can afford the vacations”. He had not sold many fireworks that day, but expected to do better the next three days because Independence Day was on Friday.

Downtown, Idaho Falls, Idaho

The Falls, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Fireworks for Independence Day, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Idaho City had an official population of 458, so, compared to some places we had seen on the road so far, it was quite large. The town was founded in 1862 (during the civil war) as Bannock at the height of the Boise Basin gold rush, said by some people to be the largest gold rush since the Californian one about 13 years earlier. A plentiful supply of water meant that Bannock thrived while nearby mining camps contracted and, as its population increased, the new Idaho territorial legislature changed the town’s name to Idaho City. In the mid-1860s, there were more than 200 businesses in the settlement including many saloons and almost as many law offices. In 1864, its population of 7,000 made it the largest city in the north-west, bigger even than Portland. Because it was so plentiful, wood was the most popular material for construction and fuel, which explains why the town had burned down four times by 1871.

St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church was built in 1864, thereby becoming the first Roman Catholic parish in Idaho Territory. Idaho City is also important in Masonic history because the Grand Lodge of Idaho was founded in the town in 1867. Almost from its foundation as Bannock, many Chinese came to work in the mines, open laundries or engage in cooking. The 1870 census reported that 1,751 Chinese lived in Idaho City.

As soon as it became obvious that most valuable minerals had been extracted from the Boise Basin, decline set in rapidly. By 1920, Idaho City’s population had dropped to just over 100. The modern economy relied on hunting, fishing and visitors. Visitors stopped to see a remote settlement in which a remarkable number of interesting old buildings survived (18 buildings were listed because of their historical importance).  Some of the buildings still had boardwalks in front of them. There was also a cemetery of historic note and a high school.

Idaho City, Idaho

Idaho City, Idaho

Idaho City, Idaho

Because the Cabana Inn was on Boise’s Main Street, all I had to do to get to downtown was to walk south-east along the road it overlooked. It soon became apparent that Boise had some impressive architecture. Buildings of note included old hotels, houses and shops. One of the latter was Hannifans Cigars. One of my favourite buildings was the Owyhee, a large structure in the art moderne style that resembled a one-time department store. Restoration of the Owyhee was nearly complete and it looked as if it would have multiple uses as somewhere to work, live and provide entertainment in bars and restaurants. I also liked the Egyptian Theatre with its kitschy ancient Egyptian decorative flourishes externally and internally, and the elegant Capitol. As so often in states across the US, the Capitol was built in the neo-classical style. Between Main and West Bannock streets were many notable structures on blocks both sides of North Capitol Boulevard, and more interesting buildings, including the Basque Museum and Cultural Centre, lay along West Grove Street. Near the Cabana Inn was a furniture store in another notable art moderne structure, this one more obviously industrial in character; a large and very interesting thrift store (by the end of the trip, we must have seen at least one thrift store in almost every town we drove through, stayed in overnight or walked around for a short break); A Tavola, an up-market cafe, food store and gift shop serving food indoors or to take away from breakfast to dinner; a wine bar; an art gallery in a delightful building dating from 1910 that used to be owned by the American Linen Company; and, beneath the flyovers of Highways 20 and 26, brightly painted murals largely ignored by the young males who came to refine their skateboarding skills in a large skateboard park.

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Riggins was an important base in Idaho for fishing, hunting, rafting and trekking, so it was inevitable that a lot of the cafes, bars, restaurants, motels and RV parks met the needs of tourists and visitors. However, there were just enough people living in it permanently to ensure that Riggins possessed some of the characteristics of a small town not wholly dependent on tourism. As a result, Riggins was a very good base for two nights. Moreover, local people seemed very friendly. Our first evening in the town, I chatted with a Texan who had moved to Riggins 40 years before and had loved every minute of his life since. A man delivering bags of ice to a small supermarket on Main Street confirmed that it was quite rare for Riggins to suffer from snow. “If it does get snow,” he said, “it is cleared very quickly because Highway 95 is so important for the flow of traffic from one end of Idaho to the other.” I also had a chat with five middle-aged and elderly men and women sinking a few beers outside a bar in early celebration of Independence Day. As for the following day, a woman who had just opened a shop in a small one-time house in a tiny unpaved cul-de-sac between Main Street and the river encouraged me to look around. She explained that many of the toys, dolls, miniature figures, small household items and other bric-a-brac had been given to her by an elderly friend who had died unexpectedly a few months earlier. Unable to utilise what she called “a kind woman’s treasure which no one else seemed to appreciate”, she had decided to sell everything she had inherited along with more conventional gift shop items bought wholesale from the suppliers of scented candles, gift-wrapped candies and pots of jam and marmalade.

I walked the whole length of Main Street and crossed the bridge leading to Forest Service Road 1614 because there were two things I had noticed earlier in the day that looked very interesting, the site of Riggins rodeo and, just above where the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers converged, a row of old wood and corrugated iron buildings, which, although abandoned, had somehow survived more or less intact.

The shabby and neglected rodeo stood on flat ground just below a steep valley wall. There were seating, a ticket office, a trailer, corrals for livestock and a raised wooden box from where judges or officials could overlook the arena (although “arena” was far too grand a word to describe where the events of the rodeo unfolded). Patches of fading red, white and blue paint sought to invest the scene with some patriotic fervour, but this was a place that had seen far better days, despite still being occasionally used.

I walked a little further along the road, then noticed some “No trespassing” signs warning me not to approach the patch of ground on which the terrace of old wood and corrugated buildings stood (“No trespassing” signs were everywhere in Idaho and were encountered almost as frequently in Utah. Private property was very private in the US and the public’s right of access to it was far more restricted than in the UK or Europe). I looked around. No one was in sight and the nearby road was devoid of traffic. I clambered down a gravel bank and saw an old sign with a painted arrow indicating that a trail led beside the river so that fishing could be undertaken. I walked to the riverbank and stayed with the trail until I was about 50 yards from the old buildings. I then broke cover to look around.

The terrace of old buildings was interesting enough, but I also came across a few other old buildings, machinery used for sorting rock and the remains of concrete structures that reminded me of some of the ones we had encountered in the coal mining camps to the west of Helper in Utah. I did not for one moment think I had come across an old coal mine, but was almost certain I stood in front of the remains of some sort of mine.

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Riggins, Idaho

Galena Summit and Stanley, Idaho

The distance from Ketchum to Stanley was about 60 miles. Between the two settlements was only one other, a dot on the map called Obsidian about 12 miles from Stanley. We were in a remote area, but the road was excellent. The views of the mountains and forests were sublime and the late afternoon visibility was perfect. We ascended the valley of the Salmon River. The valley was sometimes very narrow, but on other occasions it widened to create meadows full of wild flowers not dissimilar to yaylas in Turkey. At 8,701 feet above sea level, Galena Summit was the highest we got. A descent began thereafter and we thought the views would be less engaging. However, for 10 miles beyond the summit, they were even more spectacular. To the west were the Sawtooth Mountains, a ridge of snow-smudged peaks almost as beautiful as the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Far below was a wide valley with a fork of the Salmon River. The river ensured that agriculture was possible even at this elevated spot.

The descent from Galena Summit, Idaho

A succession of small lakes lay on the valley floor, and coniferous forest, wild flowers and lots of wildlife added to the area’s delights. We arrived in Obsidian, a small but dispersed community in idyllic surroundings. About 15 minutes later we were in Stanley, where, after checking the price for a room in three places, we agreed to stay the night in Mountain Village Resort. The room cost $100 and came without breakfast (however, there were vouchers for a free drink each in the resort’s bar and a 10% discount on one bill for two in the restaurant), but we could already tell that our night in Stanley would be one of the trip’s highlights. Moreover, tea and coffee were provided in the room and freshly baked cookies were available free of charge in reception.

Stanley nestled in one of the most beautiful natural amphitheatres I have ever seen. It was over 6,200 feet above sea level and surrounded on all sides by mountains. Officially, Stanley’s population was about only 70, but a lot of visitors and owners of second homes increased it during the summer. If the roads remained open, its population also increased in winter. In winter, visitors and the owners of second homes liked to engage in all sorts of activities involving snow and ice. There were second homes, small apartment blocks and various lodging options, an RV park included. At any one time, the town could be sheltering up to 1,000 people. Although we saw two African Americans employed, perhaps just for the summer season, in one of the town’s lodging options, in this case, log cabins arranged around the perimeter of a large patch of grass, the most recent census suggested that every permanent resident in Stanley was white. A significant number of Stanley’s permanent residents seemed to be artists, hippies or fiercely independent individuals who wanted to get away from it all so they could be as self-sufficient as modern life allowed. It was possible that the only thing uniting the artists, hippies and people seeking self-sufficiency was that they wanted nothing to do with the government, whether the government operated at the state or federal level.

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

The amphitheatre in which Stanley stood was, as I have already said, surrounded by mountains, the ones to the south-west being the mighty and very beautiful Sawtooth Mountains. The Salmon River ran more or less north to south and parallel with Highway 75. Highway 75 was the road from Hailey and Ketchum that crossed Galena Summit. Most of Stanley lay along or just off Highway 21, which led by way of many twists, turns and changes in direction from Highway 75 all the way to Boise, Idaho’s capital. North of Highway 21 was remarkably pretty Valley Creek, which meandered among meadows and small marshes. Small creeks joined Valley Creek from the west and south.

Stanley comprised of about two paved and ten gravel roads, none of which were very long. Because the amphitheatre was wide and Stanley’s population so small, buildings were dispersed quite widely with a dense concentration existing only along or close to Wall Street. The section of Highway 21 dividing the town unevenly into half (most of the town lay to the south of the highway) was the closest thing to Main Street because it was there that most businesses were found, a gas station included. The town had a small airport parallel with Highway 75, but how often it was used I cannot say. However, I am confident that it was used only by people with their own aircraft.

Two roads were well worth walking along, Valley Creek Road and Niece Avenue. Valley Creek Road led across Valley Creek and along the pretty valley in a north-easterly direction. I passed beside an interesting collection of wooden structures. Some were homes and others fulfilled industrial or commercial purposes (briefly, Stanley had attracted the attention of fur trappers and prospectors, but an insufficient number of beavers and only small amounts of valuable ore were found). Niece Avenue led in a southerly direction from what passed as the centre of the town. The road provided stunning views of the meadows in the south-west section of the amphitheatre and the Sawtooth Mountains beyond. By the time I got to the end of the road, which was gravel for most of the way, I had passed four or five large but beautiful modern houses constructed with logs. The houses appeared to be second homes belonging to wealthy families who probably came to Stanley for only a few weeks every year. Needless to say, each house was a considerable distance from its neighbour and they commanded exceptional views of the meadows and mountains.

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

When it was late afternoon and early morning, I found Stanley a very picturesque place. It nestled in beautiful surroundings, but the local people had created a settlement with many interesting and eccentric buildings. Wood, stone, corrugated iron and metal sheeting had been used to good effect. Many old metal signs advertising goods and services decorated the cabin walls and flags flew above a few houses. Very few gardens or back yards were kept tidy, but the clutter added to the attraction of the place. We felt privileged to spend the night in such an unusual place.

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Capitol Reef National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

Although Highway 24 crosses it from east to west, Capitol Reef National Park is a very long and narrow park oriented along a north to south axis. From Highway 24, a scenic drive leads a few miles toward its destination at Capitol Gorge, but, in common with a majority of national parks in the US, most of Capitol Reef can be accessed only on foot or with 4WD vehicles negotiating gravel roads that are often very long. The park’s most remarkable feature is Waterpocket Fold, but the best part of this can be seen only along a paved road originating in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and a long drive thereafter on gravel, or on a similar combination of roads from Boulder.

We had to confine our look around the park to the scenic road, but still enjoyed every moment we were there. However, even before accessing the scenic road, we saw Capitol Dome, Hickman Bridge (which required a delightful hike of about a mile each way) and historic Fruita School (which nestled beside the highway in a very fertile spot overlooked by cliffs and canyon walls).

Just beyond the park’s visitor centre, the scenic road began for real. It led first to a picnic site where we saw deer grazing on very healthy grass. We next arrived at the Gifford Homestead, which lay at the heart of the fertile Fruita Valley. The homestead, owned by the Gifford family from 1928 until 1969, was part of Fruita Rural Historic District, a district that provided an excellent insight into early Mormon settlement of the valley, and where cherries, apples and peaches used to be harvested every year until Mormon settlement terminated when the Gifford family left to live elsewhere. Near the farmhouse were a barn, a smokehouse, a garden, pasture, rock walls and a carport dating from 1954. In the farmhouse, where a shop sold souvenirs both edible and durable, rooms set aside as a museum contained quilts, a spinning wheel, the Gifford family chair, a Hoosier cupboard, a bookcase, a Monarch stove and a Singer rigid-arm sewing machine. This delightful spot among sublimely beautiful cliffs, domes and spires conveyed something of the simple but challenging life settlers in these parts were confronted with less than a century ago.

In all, the scenic road was only 8 miles long, but it provided views that existed only because of the Waterpocket Fold.

We stopped to examine the entrance to Grand Wash and, while Hilary rested at a spot where the paved road had given way to gravel, I walked to where the road ended to look at Capitol Gorge. The combination of canyons, cliffs, domes, spires, mountains and strata of many bright colours was reward enough, but the human imprint in the fertile Fruita Valley, made possible only because of the life-giving Fremont River, brought some sense of intimacy to what were otherwise awesome landscapes. In summary, Capitol Reef National Park proved an unexpected gem.

As we drove west but still within the national park, we enjoyed seeing The Castle, Chimney Rock, Panorama Point (from Panorama Point, we followed a short trail to Goosenecks Overlook) and Twin Rocks. We then left the park to drive to Torrey, a small but pretty settlement in verdant surroundings almost 7,000 feet above sea level.

Fruita Rural Historic District, Capitol Reef, Utah

Gifford Homestead, Capitol Reef, Utah

Capitol Reef, Utah

Capitol Reef, Utah

Goosenecks Overlook, Capitol Reef, Utah

Cedar Breaks National Monument was relatively small, but it had geological formations and coloured strata not dissimilar to the formations and strata in Bryce Canyon, so we had a delightful time looking around. Moreover, because better-known Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks were not, by American standards, very far away, the number of visitors was small.

The main attraction at Cedar Breaks was its stunning amphitheatre, which could be admired from above at Chessman Ridge Overlook and three other overlooks easily accessed by paved road (two other overlooks existed at the end of hiking trails). The amphitheatre had spires, columns, arches and canyons benefitting from intensely bold colours. It was the product of many of the same forces that had created other iconic landscapes in the region such as Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon and the Bryce Amphitheatre. Shaped like a huge coliseum, the amphitheatre was over 2,000 feet deep and over 3 miles in diameter. Millions of years of deposition, uplift and erosion had created this large bowl in the steep, west-facing side of the Markagunt Plateau, which was 10,000 feet above sea level (most of our time in Cedar Breaks was spent above 10,000 feet. The highest point was 10,467 feet at Chessman Ridge Overlook). The intricate formations within the amphitheatre were the result of almost constant erosion by rain, ice and wind. Various combinations of iron and manganese gave the rocks their different shades of red, yellow and purple.

We undertook two very different hikes, both about two miles in length. The first hike was a loop trail from Chessman Ridge Overlook that led past pretty Alpine Pond. We walked through forest and beside meadow covered with wild flowers such as Indian paintbrush, blue columbine, cinquefoil, fleabane and wild rose. There were occasional views of the amphitheatre through the trees, but the trail was primarily designed to help people connect with the monument at an intimate level. Our second hike was an out-and-back trail to Spectra Point from where there were stunning views of the amphitheatre far below. At Spectra Point, there was a gnarled and weather-beaten bristlecone pine about 1,600 years old.

Bristlecone pines are found on harsh, wind-swept cliffs with thin soil, but it is precisely such environments that allow the trees to live for so long. Competition from other trees is greatly reduced and the poor conditions encourage centuries of slow but steady growth.

Cedar Breaks, Utah

Cedar Breaks, Utah

Cedar Breaks, Utah

Cedar Breaks, Utah

Cedar Breaks, Utah

With only three paved roads in the national park, two of which were not popular with visitors because they were quite remote from the best-known attractions, most of the thousands of visitors who entered Zion every day during summer ended up on the scenic road through Zion Canyon, the one leading to the Temple of Sinawava. Because of the volume of motorised traffic that used the road, a decision was reached a few years ago to run frequent shuttle buses up and down the canyon from spring to autumn. The buses stopped at every scenically rewarding spot along the road and also provided access to the many trails leading to more remote spots. We parked the car at the Zion Canyon Visitor Centre (the car park was enormous) and took a shuttle bus to the Temple of Sinawava. We were glad we did so and got this aspect of the canyon out of the way first because, once everyone was off the buses and confined to what was now a path beside the North Fork Virgin River in a canyon that had been narrowing since its mouth, the sheer number of people felt oppressive and we therefore found it difficult to fully appreciate the spectacular scenery around us. However, once we were making our way back to the visitor centre with many stops along the road to examine the views properly, the number of people declined significantly.

In terms of its attractions, Zion National Park was the most conventional national park we had encountered on the trip so far. Our overall impression was one of mighty mountain peaks, almost perpendicular rock cliffs and pretty rivers and creeks. The water sources supported grass, wild flowers and trees, which in turn provided shelter and food for many small birds and mammals. This said, we also encountered forested highlands and lowland deserts. Following heavy downpours, waterfalls suddenly appeared on cliff walls. Sadly, we did not encounter such downpours.

Millions of years ago, streams, inland seas, deserts and volcanoes deposited thousands of feet of mud, lime, sand and ash. The immense pressure and heat of the accumulating sediments turned lower layers into stone. Later, underground forces lifted the plateau to over 10,000 feet and rain began eroding the minute cracks, depressions and gulleys that appeared in the ground. After millions of years, the cracks, depressions and gulleys became the canyons for which Zion was so famous today.

It was a delight to see the narrow canyon above the Temple of Sinawava, Weeping Rock, the Grotto, Emerald Pools, Great White Throne, Court of the Patriarchs, Sentinel and Towers of the Virgin, and to drive into the park along the stunningly beautiful Zion to Mount Carmel Highway. However, we liked the delightful Virgin River the most, not least for the superb mountain and canyon scenery that overlooked it. Before leaving the park, we got off a shuttle bus at Canyon Junction and had a very quiet but scenically rewarding walk back to our car.

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah

Breakfast sorted, we drove from the visitor centre along Kolob Canyons Road to Kolob Canyons Viewpoint. From there, we undertook a short hike for views a little different to the ones at the viewpoint, then returned to the car and stopped a number of times as we descended the paved road. As in Zion Canyon the day before, we were confronted with fairly conventional mountain scenery shaped by creeks that had sufficient water to sustain quite dense vegetation along their banks, but the summits, canyons, rock faces and patches of forest made for a delightful start to the day. However, even better was when we walked some way along Taylor Creek Trail. Taylor Creek had water in it and we had to cross it about a dozen times as we made our way upstream. Looming overhead were patches of woodland, rock walls and mountain summits. We spent time at the Larson Cabin located in a grove of pine and juniper trees. The cabin had been built in 1930 and Gustav Larson lived in it until 1933. Larson built his cabin near where two forks of the Taylor Creek converged. Towering overhead were some massive peaks (to the north was Horse Ranch Mountain. At 8,726 feet, it was the highest point in Zion National Park).

We enjoyed our visit to Kolob Canyons, if only because we saw no more than two dozen people the whole time we were there. We also saw wild turkey, many small mammals and medium-sized birds of prey too distant to identify with certainty. Especially on the Taylor Creek Trail, we admired the rich variety of trees and flowers, and the opportunity to engage intimately with a very attractive part of a national park that we appreciated the more we saw of it.

Larson Cabin, Kolob Canyons, Zion, Utah

We drove to Cannonville where we topped up the tank with gas, then negotiated the few delightfully fertile miles to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We arrived so early in the day that the light was still striking the wonderful geological formations from low in the sky, and the only people we saw were a few rangers and four families that had parked their RVs for overnight stays. We followed a trail that was largely a loop for about 1.5 miles. Because everything in the park was on a modest scale, the trail allowed us to engage intimately with a landscape that was constantly changing. Even quite small ascents ensured that remarkable views open up in front of us. As for the rich colours of the rocks, the park’s name was fully justified.

Kodachrome Basin was a spectacle of towering sandstone chimneys that changed in colour and shadow as the sun made its way across the sky. We caught the park when the red-tinged spires stood out magnificently against a deep blue sky enriched by the occasional puff of cloud or jet stream left by a passing plane. Nearly 70 monolithic spires ranging from 6 to 170 feet in height rose from the valley floor or protruded from the sandstone. Once a vast inland sea, the seabed rose millions of years ago. The water drained from the land and desert conditions began to assert themselves. The landscape that now confronted us had been primarily shaped by wind and water erosion, but it had been in the making for about 180 million years. The spires and cliff walls manifested extremely pretty but unusual shapes because rocks and minerals of different colour and character, including sandstone, gypsum, shale, quartz and clay, were deposited when the area was once a sea.

Because a lot of the park stood at just below 6,000 feet above sea level, we saw pinyon pine, Utah juniper, sagebrush, ephedra (Mormon tea), Indian paintbrush, yellow flax, yucca and different varieties of grass. We also saw jack and cottontail rabbits, chipmunks, white-tailed antelope squirrels, ravens, jays, wrens and sparrows.

Before leaving the park, we drove along an unpaved road to Chimney Rock, a road that took us into an area not so startling in terms of its scenery, but one representative of parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which enclosed Kodachrome Basin on all sides.

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Chimney Rock, Kodachrome Basin, Utah

Pocatello and Blackfoot, Idaho

Pocatello is an important railroad junction with a marshalling yard, a locomotive depot and an old station. Railroad employees now use parts of the old station as offices and storage facilities (sadly, Pocatello is no longer served by passenger trains). Lots of landmark buildings survive. Some of them are along Center Street to the east of the railroad (Center Street has a tunnel under the railroad to connect the east and west sides of Pocatello), but the majority are along or very close to Main Street, which runs parallel to the railroad. A small Greyhound bus station is near the old railroad station. More old buildings in the centre of Pocatello are occupied than in many settlements of similar size in the US, suggesting that the local economy is quite buoyant. In fact, Pocatello must be quite prosperous because, near the leafy residential district south of Center Street and to the east of the railroad, Idaho State University has a significant presence. The presence of the university helps to explain why some of the downtown businesses aspire to attract middle class customers.

Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

Railroad station, Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

We liked Pocatello because it had more to offer than many Utah settlements, and because it reminded us of settlements that grew along the railroads in states as distant from one another as Montana and Texas. We pushed on to Blackfoot confident it would also be of interest.

Blackfoot is smaller than Pocatello and cannot hide the scars of economic decline. However, it is on a railroad with a junction and the one-time station is now the Idaho Potato Museum (yes, I kid you not. No wonder most Idaho numberplates have “Famous potatoes” written on them). The town’s most interesting buildings are on Main Street, which faces the old railroad station and its single track, and Broadway one block to the west of Main. There are a lot more empty business premises in Blackfoot than in Pocatello, and the businesses that remain seem to be struggling to make some money. As so often in settlements the size of Blackfoot, most human activity manifests itself around a thrift shop and premises to help people combat domestic or substance abuse. But Blackfoot has a small theatre still used to stage the occasional play and, in common with dozens of settlements we had already visited, there is somewhere for girls and young women to refine their dancing skills.

But let me return briefly to the very interesting and informative Idaho Potato Museum where we learned the following. Idaho’s potato industry originates with Mormon pioneers who:

“laid the foundations for modern-day production. A century ago, when the pioneers constructed the first system of irrigation canals, they made the desert bloom. With gradual mechanisation, spud farming graduated from ‘small potatoes’ to a major portion of the economy. During world war two, J. R. Simplot used the first mechanical sorter, invented in Shelley, Idaho, for efficient packaging of potatoes destined for the military. The advent of sprinkler irrigation over the past two decades allowed 250,000 more acres of potatoes to be planted in Bingham County alone. However, quality is not the whole story. Idaho producers constantly strive for better potatoes by improvements in genetics, cultivation, storage methods, processing and transportation.”

We also learned that scientists consider the region around Blackfoot to be:

“an optimum growing region for potatoes due to consistent warm days and cool nights, rich volcanic soil and plentiful irrigation supplied by the mountain snows and Snake River aquifer. Although Russet Burbank potatoes are grown in other states, the ones produced in Idaho (the Russet Burbank is the variety most commonly grown in Idaho) are of the best quality, thereby setting the standard for other places to emulate. Idaho produces more potatoes than any other state and accounts for about 30% of the nation’s total production.”

Blackfoot, Idaho

Potato Museum, Blackfoot, Idaho

Marilyn Monroe, Potato Museum, Blackfoot, Idaho

Blackfoot, Idaho

Blackfoot, Idaho

Blackfoot, Idaho

Blackfoot, Idaho

Salt Lake City, Utah

Because of its importance to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City is bound to have an appearance and character that mark it out as somewhat different from other US cities of comparable size (some of Salt Lake City’s distinctiveness is predicated on the widespread influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it is also shaped by its situation beside a vast saline lake, the mountains that enclose it to the north and east, and its overwhelmingly white Anglo-Saxon population). Although Salt Lake City, in common with all contemporary US cities, spreads somewhat untidily for miles, especially to the north and south, it has a surprisingly small population of about 200,000. It is an urban destination well worth spending some time in because of its distinctive appearance and character; the dramatic scenery that encloses it; the unusually good visibility that prevails for most of the year; the ease with which it can be negotiated, partly because of an excellent light rail system that is the envy of many European cities; and the lack of danger no matter where you walk (there were only a few short streets in downtown where, for the briefest of moments, I felt that some caution might be required, but then in all likelihood only after dark).

I found Salt Lake City a very attractive destination from the visual point of view (it is also good for food and drink). Although this post contains a ridiculous number of photos, it was hard to limit the selection to the 20 or so that follow. Moreover, the photos concentrate on only a few parts of the city (other parts of the city reveal attractions just as good as the ones below).

The first group of photos examines South Salt Lake City, a predominantly secure (from the economic point of view) working class area that is probably the city’s most ethnically diverse. We stayed in an airbnb in the area and loved every minute, not least because of the time spent in a Mexican supermarket, a Mexican panaderia and a Bosnian-run cafe and restaurant.

South Salt Lake City, Utah

South Salt Lake City, Utah

South Salt Lake City, Utah

South Salt Lake City, Utah

South Salt Lake City, Utah

South Salt Lake City, Utah

Motel sign, South Salt Lake City, Utah

Old Bridge Cafe, South Salt Lake City, Utah

Millcreek Station, South Salt Lake City, Utah

Mural near the ball park of the Salt Lake City Bees baseball team, Salt Lake City, Utah

The next two photos are on the way to and in Sugarhouse, an area popular with young people and families with disposable incomes. Leafy, prosperous and cared for in an enviable manner, Sugarhouse is a good destination for eating and drinking.

Beside the light rail line to Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah

Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah

The next group of photos examines aspects of downtown, but excludes shots about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more about the Church later).

Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah

Union Pacific Railroad Station/entrance to the Gateway, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Gateway, Salt Lake City, Utah

Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah

Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah

Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah

Shilo Inn, Salt Lake City, Utah

The McCune Mansion, Salt Lake City, Utah

Mural and graffiti, Salt Lake City, Utah

Mural, Salt Lake City, Utah

Painted advert, Salt Lake City, Utah

Painted advert, Salt Lake City, Utah

Mural, Salt Lake City, Utah

Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah

The last few photos record the presence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown.

The Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

Lion House, Salt Lake City, Utah

Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City, Utah

Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City, Utah

Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City, Utah

Conference Centre, Salt Lake City, Utah

Adam and Eve, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Christus Statue, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Bluff and Hanksville, Utah

We were hoping to stay two nights in the town of Bluff, about 30 miles from Mexican Hat. When we arrived to find cliffs enclosing the flat valley floor, we were very glad we had chosen the town as our destination. The first motel we tried, the Mokee, had a vacancy, and the price for a well-equipped, very clean and recently up-graded room was so competitive that we agreed to stay without checking nearby options. Research undertaken later confirmed that we had secured a very good deal.

Bluff had a population of about 300. With Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park and Hovenweep National Monument all within easy reach with your own transport, the town existed largely to meet the needs of tourists, but it was just large enough (yes, I kid you not) to have facilities such as gas stations, small shops, diners and a post office to meet the everyday needs of a permanent local population that did not depend on tourism. Amazingly, the oldest part of the settlement had a historic “city” loop, which was no more than the road enclosing two or three blocks, one block of which had Bluff’s meticulously reconstructed fort. However, we both liked Bluff, and not only because the fort had many artefacts and displays reflecting first people and pioneer lifestyle and culture dating back about 250 years.

We went for a walk as far as Twin Rocks. We looked around the grounds of Desert Rose Inn and Cabins, perhaps the town’s best lodgings; admired the eroded cliffs that squeezed against the linear town; saw three of Bluff’s more substantial but still quite modest Victorian-era houses; found some fencing and other facilities that constituted the land set aside for rodeos; noted that quite a lot of old motor vehicles had been left to rot outside; took photos of some of the roadside signs evoking the recent past; and encountered a slim desert fox and half a dozen rabbits. I warmed to Bluff, just as some artists and craftspeople had. Artists and craftspeople had settled in the town in recent years, the region’s remarkable visibility being an attraction almost as great as the nearby natural wonders.

The Fort, Bluff, Utah

The Fort, Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

Bluff, Utah

We eventually arrived in Hanksville and took a room in the Hanksville Inn. We were charged $77 a night without breakfast. The room was expensive, but we were grateful for somewhere to stay (the only other functioning motel seemed to be full). We had chats with the owner who had been running the motel with his mother for a few years, but neither were very concerned about its appearance except for the clean and comfortable rooms. The owner provided a room free of charge to a man who did small jobs around the place to keep it ticking over. The motel had some shabby and dysfunctional aspects, which more or less reflected the reality of Hanksville as a whole. However, the town had its eccentricities and I soon grew to like the place more than first impressions suggested I would.

The relatively few people who lived permanently in the town or during what passed as the summer tourist season seemed to be loners content with their own company and determined to subsist as independently as they could (no doubt a majority voted Republican in the belief that small government was better than big government). There were two gas stations, but one was rarely staffed. The other much busier gas station had a store (Hollow Mountain) occupying a small cave in a vast eruption of rock, a cave which had been enlarged as the owners met the needs of people with more sophisticated requirements in terms of food, drink, maps, guidebooks and souvenirs. Near the gas station was Blondie’s Eatery and Gift Store, which served a limited range of items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It pulled in the customers because the local competition was almost non-existent. Across the road was the town’s best lodging option, but the night we wanted to stay, it had filled with a large number of bikers, all of whom were middle-aged or elderly. Next to the best lodging option was a derelict gas station and, on the bone-dry, flat and scrub-clad ground nearby, six houseboats in various stages of decay. Some of the houseboats had been left by their owners for safekeeping (however, there was no fence worthy of its name enclosing the land). The others had been acquired by a local man who intended to restore them to their former glory, perhaps with a view to selling them to make a profit. It is worth pointing out that the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was the nearest sheet of water on which the houseboats could sail or be moored. It was about 40 miles away.

Toward the west end of the town and not far from the small post office (we were amazed how many small settlements still had post offices in the US. What a contrast with the UK where post offices in small towns and villages were closing at an alarming rate) was an abandoned motel with about a dozen small rooms. Someone, perhaps the last owner of the motel, had collected hundreds of spare parts for motor vehicles and agricultural machinery and welded them together to make figures of prehistoric and contemporary animals, and people engaged in activities such as playing musical instruments. There was also some wooden fencing. It was part of a small rodeo or large corral. Nearby were lots of bales of hay to feed livestock. Landmark buildings did not exist in Hanksville, perhaps because the settlement amounted to no more than the intersection of Highways 24 and 95 and about six nearby streets, but some old wooden buildings lurked in shadowy spots. Officially, the population was about 200. It had declined from almost 400 in 2000.

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah

The Monument Valley Region, Colorado, Arizona, Utah

We drove south-west from Cortez along Highway 160 toward highly commercialised Four Corners, the only spot in the US where four states, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, meet. A person with some agility can plant a limb in one of all four states at the same time. Before arriving at Four Corners, we crossed Ute Mountain Indian Reservation where a large casino and hotel complex probably generated the most income for a marginalised and dispossessed people.

Between Cortez and Four Corners, Colorado

As soon as we entered Arizona, we were in the vast Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, which extended across the borders into New Mexico and Utah. Teec Nos Pos, 6 miles from Four Corners (the Navajo had a tribal park at Four Corners), was the first settlement we came to (the name “Teec Nos Pos” means “cottonwoods in a circle”). Teec Nos Pos had an official population of about 700, most of whom were Navajo, a trading post, a post office and lots of modest homes for families with modest incomes. Red Mesa, a few miles west, had more going for it including a school, a very large health centre and a considerable number of substantial modern houses in impeccable condition. I was surprised to see that the high school football team was called the Redskins, given the criticism levelled at Washington’s NFL franchise for its refusal to dispense with the same name. Surrounding us were bluffs, mesas, cliffs and a very arid valley floor (it always seemed to be the case that first people in the US were given reservations comprising the least productive land), but to our eyes, the scenery was compelling and a fitting introduction to the even more remarkable Monument Valley.

Mexican Water, the next settlement west, had a gas station, a diner, a laundry and a few shacks and trailers dispersed widely over the surrounding sand and rock. Tes Nez Iah was next, a hamlet beside a creek that filled with water very infrequently, in most instances only after the highly intermittent heavy downpours that could result in flash flooding. Inevitably, such creeks dried up almost as quickly as they filled with water. On closer inspection, it looked as if Tes Nez Iah was abandoned. Another few miles west and we arrived in Dennehotso where two water towers overlooked what were mainly one-storey buildings scattered across the red sandy soil. Some parched grass, bushes and trees survived among the gently undulating desolation.

Between Four Corners and Kayenta, Arizona

It was not until arriving in Kayenta that we came across a settlement with many facilities, but most of them seemed to exist merely to service people on their way to or from Monument Valley. We turned north onto Highway 163 and, all the way to Mexican Hat in Utah, had a wonderful time taking in some of the most iconic scenery anywhere in the US. We loved every minute, whether looking at the mesas, buttes and pinnacles; lining up some of the natural wonders in relation to the road, barbed wire fences or ruined wooden buildings; coming across small herds of goats or a few horses; or buying chilled drinks at Goulding’s Trading Post where we chatted briefly with a few obese Navajo men whose diet was far too mainstream contemporary American to be much good for their health. We also drove a few miles along Rock Door Canyon Road just beyond tiny Monument Valley Airport so we could see where and how contemporary Navajo lived some way from the prying eyes of day trippers such as ourselves. We found a small post office, trailer homes and little wooden houses set among untidy gardens and corrals with a few horses. Most families seemed to have at least two motor vehicles, albeit quite old and heavily used ones, and a selection of trailers for transporting livestock and household items.

Goulding’s Trading Post, Monument Valley

Goulding’s Trading Post, Monument Valley

Rock Door Canyon Road, Monument Valley

Rock Door Canyon Road, Monument Valley

Rock Door Canyon Road, Monument Valley

Airport, Monument Valley

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monument Valley

By the time we were at Goulding’s Trading Post, we were back in Utah. After about another six stops along the road leading through the north end of Monument Valley, we arrived in Mexican Hat (the town was so named because of a nearby rock formation that resembled a Mexican hat).

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

P.S. Monument Valley possesses some of the most iconic and best-known landscapes anywhere on the planet. Although hundreds of Monument Valley posts already exist on the internet, I wanted to do one that was a little different.

When I got home, I found that almost every photo I had taken in Monument Valley included evidence of the impact of humankind. It is the impact of humankind on the valley that I have sought to examine. However, I do not feel that such an impact has been altogether detrimental. In fact, some of the photos have been enhanced by humankind’s occasionally eccentric interventions.

Green River, Utah

We drove to Robbers Roost Motel where we were told that just one room was available. The room cost $55 a night without breakfast. Keen to avoid the expensive tourist trap that was Moab, we agreed immediately to stay two nights because we knew there was lots to see and do in the area. The walls of our large bedroom were covered with wood panels, the bathroom had an attractive retro character and the TV, fridge and microwave were almost new. The owner (or was she the manageress?) was very friendly and staff kept the rooms extremely clean. We soon found that Green River, in common with so many other towns of similar size in these parts, had only a few thriving businesses, but, with some landmark buildings, the railroad, access to outstanding scenery and a good town centre supermarket, we knew we had plenty to occupy us for a day and a half.

Robbers Roost Motel, Green River, Utah

Bathroom, Robbers Roost Motel, Green River, Utah

I went for a walk as the last light of day drained from the sky in the west and a wind tugged at the grass and scrub colonising the vacant lots in Green River, a rundown town in Utah just off Interstate 70. I was out for about half an hour, but only four vehicles pulled away from a gas station, a bar and a restaurant. Although a small Mexican restaurant remained open, no customers demanded the attention of the two women still working inside. Ray’s Tavern, which served evening meals of burgers or steaks, was the liveliest place of all, but staff still intended to close by 10.00pm.

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

Green River, Uah

Green River, Utah

I walked along Main Street until arriving at a small park containing one of Green River’s more eccentric sights. In the park was a full-scale model of an Athena missile. The very first Athena missile was launched from Green River on 10th February 1964.

Athena Missile, Green River, Utah

Helper, Utah

Although challenged in many ways from the economic point of view, Helper was everything that Utah settlements had so far not been. We instantly warmed to the place because of its many landmark buildings, the railroad (there was an Amtrak station, that rarest of phenomena other than in the states along the eastern seaboard), the Mining and Railroad Museum (more later), an art deco library, a 1937 New Deal post office with a 1941 mural entitled “Western Town” and its overwhelmingly blue collar character.

Helper reminded of Butte in Montana and Leadville in Colorado. But how did it get its name? We found out the following day at the museum, which provided an insight into almost all aspects of Helper’s history, the mining and railroad included. The town acquired its name because of the steam locomotives once housed in a depot so they could help trains overcome the steep gradients immediately to the north-west.

Helper, Utah

Helper, Utah

Helper Club, Helper, Utah

After looking at the landmark buildings along Main Street, we went to the Amtrak station to find that Helper was on the passenger service running once a day each way between Chicago and San Francisco. As was always the case on railroads beyond the eastern seaboard, most traffic was freight and the freight trains were usually very long. Even today, trains needed assistance as they tackled the gradients in the region. Seven diesel locomotives stood idle in the town’s marshalling yard.

Carbon Hotel, Helper, Utah

Cinema, Helper, Utah

Because we had only a short distance to drive to Green River, our destination for two nights, we returned to Helper and followed Canyon Road into Spring Canyon so we could examine the remains of two coal camps along the pretty valley. To our delight, we found evidence of a railroad that once connected Helper with the coal camps. Deer and many much smaller mammals such as ground squirrels, marmots, rabbits and chipmunks enlivened our visit.

Spring Canyon coal camp, Helper, Utah

Spring Canyon coal camp, Helper, Utah

We returned to Helper where Hilary had tea in a cafe while I took photos around the downtown area, then we spent over an hour in the Mining and Railroad Museum, which provided an excellent insight into most aspects of Helper’s history such as its migrant communities, shops, hotels, bars, bordellos, healthcare, educational provision, most notable families and everyday life in the home. Mining and the railroad may have dominated the displays, but there was a lot more to admire. A room and a corridor set aside as a gallery contained paintings and photographs evoking the appeal of the area.

Earlier, a chat with a post office employee led me to the delightful post office where I admired the 1930s’ interior and the 1941 mural. I also noted that Helper had at least one good motel (a motel in the town centre near the Amtrak station had closed and looked beyond redemption) and a restaurant called Balance Rock Eatery and Pub. The restaurant appeared to occupy an old furniture store. Balance Rock Eatery and Pub was the sort of place that people in Price drove to for a meal, despite Price having lots of restaurants and cafes of its own, some of which were good.

“Western Town” mural, Helper Post Office, Utah

Mining and Railroad Museum, Helper, Utah

Library, Helper, Utah

Helper, Utah

Helper, Utah