Chillin' in Deer Valley, Utah and Nevada

It was a relaxing two days in Deer Valley and Park City, and my sister even made Givech, a savory Bulgarian lamb stew. On Monday we wandered and lunched in Park City, visiting galleries and shops. On Tuesday we drove north of Salt Lake City to Antelope Island State Park, which is reached by a long causeway. Linda had never been there, and since it was a cool day we thought it would be a good time to visit. The causeway access to the island was actually closed for ten years in the 1980's when several years of heavy rain caused the level of the lake to rise. There are herds of antelope on the island, and bison, an old ranch and little else. We saw quite a few bison, but no antelope. The ranch is now a preserved-as-is exhibit with everything looking pretty much as it did back in the 1950's when the ranch was abandoned. We encountered a heavy rainstorm on our way back, but Linda was able to wade into the Great Salt Lake for a photo op.

There are several bison statues on the island

Where does a bison cross the road? Wherever he wants!

Linda stands in the Great Salt Lake

Heavy weather ahead as we leave Antelope Island

This morning I left the good hospitality of Linda and Peter and was back on the road. I headed south on US 40, but cut through Midway before reaching Heber City. Midway is a small town with farms and ranches that look like they are from a village in Switzerland. There are several art galleries and restaurants, so I suspect the place is a popular destination. I was soon on US 189 South that goes through Provo Canyon to Provo. Over the years the road has been improved, so that it is almost all four-lane with a median guardrail, and a lot of the curves have been straightened out since the first time I rode through there many years ago. The road has lost some of its character, but it is surely a lot safer than it used to be, and to tell the truth it is nice to be able to enjoy the scenery without having to worry so much about going off the road. Provo keeps spreading out and growing, but the downtown area by BYU (Brigham Young University) is still impressive.

At I-15 I rode south for 35 miles (speed limit of 80 mph!) and exited at Nephi, which looks like a prosperous and growing community. SR 132 goes southwest to Lynndyl, where it ends at US 6, and in Delta 6 merges with US 50. After that it was a long ride on a familiar road into the mountains and several six to seven thousand foot passes. Although it was a warm and sunny day with some high, puffy clouds, there was a lot of standing water in the roadside ditches, indicating recent heavy rain.

A shoe tree west of Delta, Utah

Yes, US 50 is a lonely road

Threatening weather ahead as I head towards Eureka, Nevada

 Soon I crossed into Nevada, and after refueling and getting a sandwich in Ely, I continued on US 50 to Austin, Nevada where I am staying at the Pony Canyon Motel. It was 85 degrees and sunny in Ely, but half an hour later the temperature dropped 25  degrees to 60, the sky turned an ominous dark gray, and it began to sprinkle. I didn't put on rain gloves and trousers until after Eureka, thinking that I would run out of the showers, but finally I gave in, Good thing, too, because the showers became heavier, and there was a lot of standing water on the road.

Austin seems to be trying to turn itself into something, anything but what it is - a gas and food stop between the much larger towns of Fallon and Ely. There's a new visitor's center, which is quite nice, but I doubt that it is used much - it was certainly empty late this afternoon when I arrived. There's an indoor "mall" with several shops, a couple of gem and rock stores, and a decent restaurant and a cafe, as well as three or four bars, none of which seemed to have any business. Maybe it is different on a sunny weekend day. Austin expanded as a silver mining town in the late 19th century when it once had a population of over 10,000 people. Maybe the city wants to become like Philipsburg, Montana, a mining town that has become a bit of a tourist stop with a preserved downtown and galleries and shops. If that is the plan, Austin has a way to go.

The new visitors' center in downtown Austin, Nevada

The Austin Mall is inside the low building to the left of the brick one

No pictures today. The management of the motel strongly admonish guests to refrain from uploading or downloading pictures due to a bandwidth crisis. I'll add photos to this narrative tomorrow.(done - 8/7)