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June 5
Another pretty day. We decide to drive to the Alpine Loop & to Heber, a town about 35 miles north/east of here. We were warned that the Alpine Loop scenic highway is not open all the way due to snow, but we found we could get as far as Sundance Resort. Beautiful drive. Outside of Provo there is a dam whose name I failed to get. There is a big lake behind it that winds for miles through the surrounding hills & there were quite a number of boats enjoying the day. As we drove along the edge of the lake we spotted a lovely ‘beach’ with a large picnic area between the lake & the road. Lots of folks enjoying that area. There was a section being used by windsurfers. Fascinated, we stopped to watch several who were taking advantage of the stiff breezes to race across the top of the water as their ‘sails’ were billowing & swaying. With the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains as a backdrop, it was quite a sight. We saw a number of motorcycles taking advantage of the great weather and interesting roads. There was one group of about 30 riders near Heber. Heber is a very flat town, not a bump or a hill.. It has a looong main street. We cut short our time there to head to Midway, a town we had been told was cute & interesting. It was. Returning to the campground, we walked the levee surrounding the property and came upon a mixed group of ducks waddling through as they hunted their last snack of the day.
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The beginning section of the Alpine Loop. Great road for motorcycles. It is fairly narrow with lots of curves. Lovely scenery at every turn. Only able to go a few miles & then turn around as huge amounts of snow cover these mountains.
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The snow melt dancing down the mountain making its own loud music.
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Left & Below & Below That: Once again, beautiful views of the Wasatch Mountains. On the other side of them is Provo & Orem. A couple miles further the road is closed because of that pesky snow.
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Hwy 189 led us to the turnoff for Alpine Loop & the Sundance Resort and then to the route for Heber. Just after the turnoff for Sundance on 189, we spotted these two fly fishermen trying their luck on the swollen Provo River.
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Downtown Heber had a couple of buildings that caught my eye. Someone has taken extraordinary care of this recycled gas station, now obviously a muffler shop. Loved the glass block corner window & the design of the building.
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The other building that caught my eye was this church, which appears to recycled, too. The theatre group in Heber apparently uses this building to stage plays.
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We are now in the town of Midway. Ah, the wonders of exercise! Two large dogs & one small one are leashed to two metal bars permanently attached to the 3-wheeler. As they trot along, they pull the bars along and the lady, with her firm grip on her drink, doesn’t have to do much pedaling. My idea of exercise!!
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The significance of these homes (right & below) escapes us. They & one more just like them are sitting across from one another. Like dollhouses, aren’t they? I would really like to have a peek inside. The home on the right is brick & the other 2 are wood. I just know there is a story here.
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The Midway Cemetary. It is on a hillside outside of the town. Immaculately maintained, there are flowers (most are the real thing, with an occasional plastic arrangement) on almost every grave.
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Born in France in 1820-died in Utah in 1893. Someone still remembers to bring Eugene Levicneur flowers.
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A decaying barn with a new roof sits on this farm. In the foreground is the often-seen irrigation pipe on metal wheels that rolls over farmland with great regularity.
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‘I wanna fish, I wanna fish’. Gary stands on the bank of the Provo River. For the last several years, and with a long way to go, the state & feds are taking this river back to its glory days. Dammed for water and flood control, the river was no longer able to be a haven for wildlife & plants. So, it is an active project that should help all when it is done. This section has been ‘reclaimed’ & rehab work completed
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The windsurfers. What a sight! We watched them, as well as two others, as they skimmed across the water with their trusty sails full out in the steady breeze.
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Back at the campground, we are taking our nightly stroll around the levee. Out of the tall grasses pops these 5 mismatched ducks. I especially like the one on the left. The white spot on its head is actually like a large cotton ball stuck to its noggin. Ignoring us, they continued their search for a good bug or whatever even though we were just a few feet from them.
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June 6
Today the weather forecast promises temps in high 80’s and wind at 30mph with 40mph gusts. Goodness, were they spot-on. We drove to Brigham Young University to enjoy their art museum. They had an extensive collection of southwestern art. They had a special exhibition of war art, which was primarily posters created for WWII, some WWI & one poster, created in 2005, about artists protesting the war. Their 3rd collection was a small group of paper art. A little too modern for us, but interesting. The centerpiece of this room was a huge, sort-of triangle shaped, irregular stacking of books about 15’ tall. That is a poor description of an incredible work. On a quick glance it looked like an irregular stack of flagstone. I couldn’t take my eyes from it. It was probably my favorite thing. Not being allowed to take pics inside the exhibition rooms was understandable, usual & disappointing. Some of the southwestern art was gorgeous & the war posters were ones we had never seen. Good stuff! Leaving there, with the wind wildly gusting, we drove to Old Downtown Provo, took some pictures and had a delightful Mexican lunch/dinner at Los Hermanos restaurant in Old Downtown. As the wind was getting stronger, we beat feet for the campground to make sure the Roadhouse was OK. It was. During the afternoon, several coaches & trailers pulled in off the freeway due to the high winds. The wind died down about 9pm. Slept well in this quiet place.
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The Bell Tower at BYU. The trees are bending in the 30 mph winds. Temps nice & that blue sky is just scrumptious!
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BYU’s Museum of Art.
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This is a ‘tower’ made of books. I initially thought it was a design made of flagstone. See my description above. This picture had to be taken at a weird angle as we were not permitted to take pictures of the displays when inside the room.
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The view outside from the lobby of the Art Museum. Be tough to work there, eh?
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Never the homes of the rich, these charming oldies have been lovingly restored. A lot of the area has lost the oldies to newer construction.
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While taking house pics, we came across this. Apparently a little boy had been slightly injured as he rode out into the street & a car hit him, very slightly. The EMTs did their magic & the boy was carried to his home, seen behind the folks. The motor officer is giving the children a talk about bike safety as their parents look on.
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The neighborhoods in the area all have these huge trees lining them. Peaceful, as well as cool in the summer. Anyone want to rake in the fall? It must be a sight when all these leaves drop.
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With a speed limit of 15 mph in Old Downtown Provo, you have every opportunity to have a look at the old buildings. You also have ample time to stop when one of these angled parked cars begins to back out onto the narrow street. It is a pretty drive, just watch out for the backing-out cars & the gajillion pedestrians!
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