A bit of excitement today!

September 6 – Another exciting day!  We didn’t leave Wal-mart until about 9:30.  I guess that gave everyone time to get to work as I-15 was just about a ghost highway!  Nice!  We drove again though a beautiful valley full of farms and ranches and quite a bit of commerce as well.  The smoke was still out in full force which left a haze over the mountains.

During one stretch we saw billowing smoke way ahead and a bit to the left.  Bill commented

that if it was in the “old” days that would be wagons burning.  I figured it was a smoke stack from a factory down the road.  Once we were further along I was passing a slow truck and suddenly in my rear view mirror was a sheriff’s car with lights flashing.  Then the road had straightened putting the smoke straight in front of us.  Uh-oh!  There were several vehicles along the right side of the road moved over and the sheriff’s car swerved around at an angle.  We thought they were going to stop traffic but 2 civilians were in the middle of the road waving us to the far edge.  As we passed it was an older motorhome and nothing was left but the frame in the front and smoke still pouring from the remains of the rear.  It looked like he was towing an enclosed trailer and it was several feet behind him.  There was another car stopped and way back a big truck had stopped and he was walking back carrying a fire extinguisher.  I think he was too late.  It was an older man who owned the RV from my assessment of it.  How very sad, in addition to the fact it was out in the middle of no where.  The shape of the frame reminded me of the older Winnebagos.

There was a Love’s at the exit where we got off for the campground so it was a good time to fill up for our exit on Friday.  It was also lunch time, so while Bill filled the tank with diesel and the can with DEF, I went in and paid for it and ordered lunch from Carl’s.  Never again!  My salad was sad: iceberg lettuce and 2 slices of tomato.  The chicken was good.  Only 2 kinds of dressing!  Bill’s combo was good but they didn’t put in his fries and I wasn’t walking back in for them.  Oh well!

The campground had told me there was no check in until 2 but we took a chance they’d let us in at 1:30.  Yes, they would or an additional $10.00.  Nope, nada, zilch!  So we waited in the RV until 2:00 rolled around and drove the 10 minutes to the campground.  They are refurbishing it literally from front to back.  We were in the last 2 rows that have not been re-leveled or newly graveled.  They are also putting in all new sod and it all looks really nice.  It was pull though and with the car we just fit!

Bill picked up some brochures and maps and we perused them and eventually decided to drive into town.  We checked out the campus of Southern Utah University.  What a nice campus and some new buildings going up.  We checked out the football stadium as well.  I had cut out an article about the Iron Town Ruins south of town so we headed in that direction and got side-tracked by the new LDS Temple.  It’s up on the top of a hill (which is kinda traditional).  It’s sitting smack in the middle of a neighborhood and they are putting on the finishing touches. 

After circling down the other side we got on 56 and headed on out to

Jack Rabbit

Charcoal Oven

the ruins.  It was about 18-20 miles out and back in off the road.  It was once a thriving foundry town known for making pig iron.  Not much is left standing but 1 charcoal oven.  The town itself was abandoned in 1877 when the cost of shipping brought down the town.  There are a couple of trails around the ruins and we took one where we encountered our first Jack Rabbit.  They sure do have big ears, well, they’re big rabbits to start with!

We were undecided about where to stop for dinner and Bill said I could pick so I chose “Hawaiian Grill”.  I thought it was a regular restaurant but it was more a fast food place but had seating inside so that was fine.  Ordering when you don’t know what stuff is makes it difficult.  Bill went with what he recognized, Chicken Teriyaki which was served over noodles with some veggies, like Asian food.  I was going for something a bit exotic when I saw coconut shrimp.  I LOVE coconut shrimp.  She said it comes with 2 scoops of white or brown rice and a choice of slaw or cucumber salad.  Ok, I love coconut shrimp, I love brown rice and I love cucumbers.  It was delicious!  The shrimp was not flaked with coconut like I expected but battered with coconut flour and the sauce was made with coconut.  The cukes were there best.  I’m going to try to re-create those.

The restaurant was literally next door in the plaza beside the campground so we didn’t have far to go.  Bill is bummed as there is just enough tree coverage to block the satellite and they don’t have cable but we do get the local stations.  Of course there wasn’t anything on he was interested in and I was busy typing my journal.

Now time to post it and read for a while!