The Springville KOA is right next to I-15 but is still quiet and shady, and we take a walk around in the cool evening. I don't think I mentioned that the temperature in Junction yesterday night dropped to 29 degrees F, so tonight's low if 40 is relatively balmy. The KOA park boasts 3 covered wagons, which look just like the prairie schooners that brought settlers west in the 19th century.
We chat to a family who are staying in one, and they let us take a peek inside. These covered wagons are air conditioned and boast a queen bed, two bunk beds and a table and chairs. No bathroom, but there are communal showers etc. in the park. We think they're cool! After a peaceful night in the park, we cross the road to refresh to propane in the RV (29 degree nights require using the heating!) and then head up I015 to Bear River.
This is a relatively short journey, entirely on I-15 through the center of Salt Lake City and its metro area. I drive all day and generally find it easy. Today is Memorial Day which is a Holiday, so the traffic is not too heavy. Although it's a multi-lane highway I stay mostly in the extreme right hand lane - with the RV being so wide I don't like having traffic on both sides, most of which is usually passing us. The only stressful part for me is several miles of construction - no work going on today but there's a wall right next to our lane, which I have to avoid while still keeping clear of passing traffic on the other side. Apart from one scary moment where a pickup truck was parked on the narrow shoulder sticking into our lane, it's not a problem. Vicky later confides she found it stressful - probably because of my driving.
By mid afternoon we're at Brigham City, "Gateway to the World's Greatest Migratory Bird Sanctuary" according to the neon sign in its main street. We don't go into town at this point since the Visitor Center where we'll be volunteering is right by the highway, We pull into the large but mostly empty parking lot and unhitch the car. The Visitor Center is closed sine die due to the pandemic, but they've still welcomed us to come up.
Just a quarter mile up the road we find the "bunkhouse", actually a house where visiting firefighters stay, and next to it is our RV pad. There's a car parked next to the house, but nobody there. The RV space is a concrete pad, rather overgrown with nettles 4 feet high in places to the side. WE can see the electric and water hookup posts but no sign of the sewer. We search around for a while with no success, and decide to come back with the RV and use our garden tools to clear some of the bush and hopefully find the sewer. We also discover the beginnings of a wasp nest right inside the electrical junction box!
We bring the RV out. We have to pack it into the yard and onto the pad, but with her driving skills and my directions, Vicky's able to do that. We get out the clippers and the rake and after a while find the sewer hole. It's surprisingly far forward and we have to move the RV to be able to reach it, but we're still on the concrete pad so no problem. We also hook up the water.
At this point we meet Stephen, the young firefighter who's staying in the bunkhouse, and his girlfriend. Stephen finds us some wasp killer and after a liberal spraying and knocking off what's left of the nest, I'm able to hook out 50 amp connection and flip the switch. No power! It's Vicky who spots a junction box on the wall of the nearby garage and I find that turning on the circuit breaker labelled "RV Pad" is the key to getting us power.
So we're hooked up and ready to set out the grill, table and chairs, level the RV and extend the slideouts. We feed Quill (she'll get her own post soon!) and Vicky goes to light the grill, only to discover there's no gas getting through to it! I had the cylinder willed in Springville at the same time as the RV, so I know it's full. But it soon becomes clear that no gas is coming out of the cylinder.
At this pojnt since we're both tired, Vicky suggests we go into Brigham City and find a place to eat, and I'm totally in agreement. But I do remember watching the guy fill the cylinder. I noticed him playing around with a screwdriver on the neck, and soon find the screw. I start to unscrew it and propane starts leaking out. I tighten the screw until I can no linger hear leaking gas, and find that I've solved the whole problem. I guess the guy tightened the screw too much!
But we do go into Brigham City, discovering the aforementioned sign across Main Street, as well as the mature sycamore trees on both sidewalks. It's quite magical! There's not much in the way of restaurants that are open, but at the far end of Main we find Firehouse Pizzeria. We don't know how it is, but we do know that Stephen lives it because there's an empty box in the garbage back at the bunkhouse.
They're open for dine in as well as take out, and they find us a quiet booth. Our waitress, Abby, rings us a large pizza with delightfully light but tasty crust and our choice - a combination of meat and veggies. We could probably have finished the whole thing but we settle for half since I've seen the dessert menu. They do cookies, cooked in a skillet and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled with various sauces. My lemon cookie comes topped with raspberry sauce and the only problem I have with it is making sure I get every last bite. A great find, and like Arnold Schwartznegger, we'll be back!
We're considerably north of Arizona here, and Utah, unlike AZ, observes daylight savings time, so we're able to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the refuge when we return home. Tomorrow we have a phone call with our new boss, but from first impressions this was a good choice!
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