Ewes Gone Dry

We had a steep pass to climb from Vernal, but since the truckers were taking it at a snail’s pace, it made my drive following them in the motorhome less stressful as we made it to our next temporary home. It was also relieving that the washout on US-6 had been completely repaired prior to our passing through. The Sheep Creek Road camping area is less than a mile north of US-6, around 20 miles east of Spanish Fork, Utah. Sheep Creek Road is paved, but closes for the winter just beyond the camping area. Beware of a big dip off US-6, and another turning into camp. The camping area is mostly dirt and pasture grasses, as it is on open range for livestock. Cows regularly graze the area, most of them keeping outside the fence but a few wander the campsites, so beware of mostly dried-up meadow muffins. This is free dry camping, so there are no sources of water, sewer or trash disposal. There are mountain views from nearly any site, but this is a popular place for overnighters and nearly fills up nightly. We saw no sheep, and if there is a creek down there, we saw no water.

It took us a while to find a semi-level spot, finally settling in at coordinates 39.98343,-111.33413, but we may have been picky trying to make the windshield face east to keep us cooler in the Utah heat. Within an hour of getting set up, we received a knock at the door from an officer of the Spanish Fork division of the Uintas-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Among other things, she informed us of the 14-day stay limit in a 30-day period for the entire National Forest and told us about many of the things to see and do in the area. It was a pleasant conversation and we were grateful that she took the time giving us great advice. We intended on clearing the bottles and cans that seemed abundant in most fire rings, however other situations evolved that diverted our attention. We did manage to clean up the area around our campsite of mostly nails, glass, staples and tons of candy wrappers, as well as the unburnables from the fire ring. We made some headway, but not as much as we had hoped.

We were advised that the Fifth Water Hot Springs, 15 miles up Sheep Creek Rd, were a popular attraction, but they are over-visited, rather polluted and would not be worth seeing. Due to that, we didn’t explore Strawberry reservoir either, however we had seen several large trailered boats passing by the camping area. We did go a mile or two up the road, and in doing so, I would choose one of the more private sites up there rather than come back to this campsite next time.

Al explored an alcove formation about 4 miles west on US-6. The slope was rocky and steeper than I could handle that day. He said the alcove was larger than expected, but wondered what caused the holes penetrating through the ceiling. There are ropes hanging within, evident that climbers come to enjoy the challenge. He also delved into information about a landslide that occurred near Thistle in 1983 that blocked the river and flooded the now mostly-vacated town. You can see the diversion tunnel parallel to the railway tunnels along the highway, with the landslide scars clearly visible still today.

We were hoping to accomplish and resolve a few things while here but I was very distressed during most of our stay. We had been limping along my laptop with a broken hinge, and while Ryan at Tech Qualities was hopeful in fixing it, the poor thing was broken too much to be repaired. He knew how much I wanted to keep this one going and dreaded getting a new one, but gave great advice on selecting a replacement and I wouldn’t hesitate to call him at 480-330-7349 if you are near Spanish Fork and need computer repair. We bought a new laptop, but after spending several hours trying to set it up and calls to tech support, it was returned the next day, necessitating yet another 45-mile round-trip into town. We bought another at a different place, and while it works okay and all, I’m adjusting to the lack of a number pad, and really do not like the over-sensitive touch pad that moves my cursor as I type. Blogging may need extra proof-reading for a while.

We found the location a nice respite from the bustle of metro Salt Lake City as we needed the conveniences of a bigger city to replace the truck’s tires, buy a new laptop, and stock up on supplies. While there, we took the opportunity to take in a few scenic drives, such as Provo Canyon, Alpine Loop, and Nebo Loop. We were in awe of the massive Wasatch Range prominence around greater Salt Lake City. If we had additional time, I’m sure we would find many more things to see and do. The fall colors were evolving with each day we were there, so it was time to head south to see more.

Lastly, while refueling the truck at the Chevron at 1870 State St in Provo, a nice gentleman approached us. I believe his name was of Dre (?) and he runs a Texas BBQ food truck in their lot. He gave Al a sample of delicious ribs and mac & cheese while we discussed living with chronic pain. Dre’s wife had been in a bad car accident and can’t seem to find comfort or relief. I gave him tips on how I cope with my own discomfort and hope he can help his wife with her battles. I wish I remembered the name of his food truck or had a way to reach him as maybe I could offer more ongoing support for he or his wife.

If you suffer from chronic pain, know that you don’t have to go it alone. Seek others and share what you’ve tried, what’s helped, and what hasn’t. If you’ve purchased or have been given things that don’t work for you, pass them on to someone else for them to try. It’s a very expensive, exhausting, and sometimes hope-crushing quandary. Please help one another to find that secret combination to any morsel of relief as what works for one may not work at all for another.

Today, we had a very enjoyable drive with Tom & Justine. The day started out with blue skies, but that turned to mostly clouds and strong winds. We saw some peak fall colors, vast amounts of geological amazement, had a nice picnic in the truck. Even in the cloudy gloom and howling sandstorm, we had a wonderful day! You’ll have to read about that soon.

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