Time to talk about the railroad. I've been working on preparing classes I'll be teaching online, so the blog has had to take a back seat. I promise to try to write a little every day.
We did visit the Golden Spike National Monument arriving on the first day the engines (or at least one of them) were given an outing for the summer. We got to see the coal drive Union Pacific locomotive number 119, which participated in the last spike ceremony with the Central Pacific's wood burning "Jupiter". The reason for the difference in fuels is geographical. The UP was based in the east, where coal is plentiful, which the CP had build through the foests on the Sierra Nevada mountains, where of course trees grow in abundance. Jupiter will join her neighbor later this summer, when she gets new tires!
We learned a lot from ranger Lucas, including that neither of these engines was supposed to be there. The Central Pacific President's "Special" was pulled by the "Antelope". This train closely followed a regularly scheduled train pulled by the Jupiter. Passing through a logging area, the Antelope was struck by a felled tree. The woodmen hadn't known that 2 trains were coming through. So the Jupiter took over and entered history.
No. 119 replaced an engine which was hijacked by a group of unpaid railroad employees who kidnapped UP Vice President Thomas Durant on his way to the ceremony to demand the wages they were owed. They did get paid and released him, but meanwhile a flood had washed away some of the supports on the Devils Gate bridge. The engineer refused to risk the heavy engine on the bridge, but did push the lighter passenger cars over. So they had to find a replacement, and number 119 was stationed in Ogden, Utah.
The flag flying over the Golden Spike site has 20 stars, as did the flag actually used for the famous photograph. The only problem with this is that the US Flag has not had 20 stars since Illinois became the 21st State in 1818. The railroad was completed in 1869, at which time the flag had 37 flags. (Nebraska, number 27, had been admitted 2 years previously.)
It seems nobody had thought of bringing a flag to the ceremony, but one of the people found a flag in his backpack. That flag had 20 stars, and the National Park Service has continued the tradition! By the way, the "Golden Spike" on display is merely god plated. The original golden spike was removed after the ceremony. Probably a good idea as it would otherwise have become somebody's souvenir.
It was commissioned by David Hewes, brother 9n law of Central Pacific president Leland Stanford. Mr. Hewes took it back to California and eventually donated it to Stanford University, where it still resides.
The locomotives are brightly pained and faithful to the original photograph, although of course the actual colors are not known. We got to see No. 119 steam along the track and stop at the spot where it would have faced Jupiter. We plan on returning later this summer to see both locomotives.
Definitely recommended, especially if you're a railroad buff. By the way, both original locomotives were scrapped in the early 20th Century. But the replicas do work!
Monday, June 29, 2020
Thursday, June 4, 2020
DIscovering natural beauty and water pressure issues
A week has gone by and we're getting to know the refuge and the area. There's a family of what we think are Harris hawks living in a nest in a tree right on our property. These hawks are not supposed to be prevalent here, but close up examination of a photo Vicky took confirms they sure look like Harris harks!
We've been out on the reserve again, and enjoyed spotting pelicans as well as sandhill cranes. We think there are cranes near the RV, as we hear their distinctive calls in the morning. On a trip up to Logan we actually saw some sandhill cranes in the hills, which is unusual. We also have frequent visitors in the form of a herd of cows that is moved around the reserve to help in keeping down the grass.
We finally met Mike, who dropped by with a Covid19 survival kit - masks, gloves, sanitizer and more, plus a list of the relevant federal regulations we have to follow to prevent spread of the disease. At present we're following everything without trying, since we're not working! We've also had a phone call with Alyssa, the newly appointed park ranger, with whom we'll be working when the time comes. She has previously worked here, so she'll be a great source of information.
Mike also dropped off a copy of the refugee's development plan along with brochures on the refuge and other places worth visiting in the area, which have triggered some exploratory trips as well as lots of learning about the purpose of the refuge and plans for its future. More about that anon.
We had one exciting experience. We mentioned to Mike that the water pressure in the RV was low, and he sent Rod, one of the maintenance team, to help us. Rod, who boasts a very impressive moustache, had us try disconnecting the water filter/pressure regulator we had attached to our water hose. Although this had given no problems before, he thought there might have been mud or other stuff in the water when we first turned it on, since it hasn't been used for a number of years. This might have clogged the filter.
Running the water directly into the RV hose solved the pressure problem and we resolved to go out and buy a replacement filter/regulator soon. Several hours later Vicky discovered we had no water in the RV! I went outside and discovered water gushing madly out of a 1-inch hole in the pipe - the pressure was now high enough to break thru the weak point in the hose! I turned off the water, of course, but was worried that the spray had been going onto the electrical junction box. Vicky pointed out that that box had to withstand wind and rain and must be insulated, and indeed it gave us no problems.
Since I insist on keeping our fresh water tank full we had water in the RV overnight. Rod turned up in the morning and when we explained what had happened he insisted on getting us a replacement hose, filter and regulator, so now we've as good as new! But it was an exciting experience.
We also removed the weeds from the cracks in the concrete pad (or rather Vicky removed most of them and I helped a little). I wish I'd taken a "before" picture. The "after" picture just looks like a concrete pad should. The missing "before" picture might have made you think we' were volunteering in a jungle! The place is now beginning to look like home.
As I said earlier we've been exploring the area. Beyond Logan, US89 travels through a spectacular gorge known as Logan Canyon, following the Logan river. This triggered a discussion about what makes a canyon different from a gorge (no definitive answer) as well as comments about the natural features (snow-capped mountains, raging rapids and several named "Summer homes" not managed by the National Parks Service). Of course none of these are open right now, so that's another mystery.
In the direction we took it, Route 89 travels steadily uphill for over 40 miles, so the vegetation changes - at the over 7,000ft summit there are spruce trees. Once at the top you have a quick (hopefully not too quick) descent down 8% grades to the village of Garden City, on Bear Lake. The first view of the lake is breathtaking, and as we later traveled along the shore we noted that this is a place to come back to for a couplie of days when we have the time off. We also noted NOT to take the RV thru Logan Canyon or down the 8% grade!
Garden City is a small resort village on the lake shore and was very quiet the day we visited. It has boat rentals, guest houses and restaurants. We stopped at Ephraim's place for lunch. While waiting for our (very tasty) barbecue bacon cheeseburgers and fries I learned that Ephraim was a huge grizzly bear who was responsible for the deaths of over 150 sheep in the early part of the 20th century. He successfully eluded capture for many years, often moving a trap from the mud pool he liked to visit, and putting it on the bank. I won't trouble you with the details of how Ephraim was eventually killed, but I WILL tell you his restaurant is worth a visit.
The other specialty of the area is raspberries, much to my delight. Ephraim's raspberry shakes are to die for! Faced with the spectacular my nerve0racking trip back down Logan Canyon, we opted for a longer, but less harrowing route home. The beautiful sunny day we had left in Brigham City had turned windy and rainy at these heights, and Vicky was worried that whichever way we went we might run into snow!
In the event the journey up the shore of Bear Lake took us though farm country and small towns, and into Idaho. We passed a Romanesque Mormon Tabernacle in the small town of Paris, reportedly designed by one of the sons of Brigham Young. Apparently they though they were in Utah until a survey showed it was Idaho. Between the towns of Ovid (very cultured pioneers around here, naming towns after Roman writers!) and Preston (nothing like the one in Lancashire I remember from my childhood) we ventured up and down a mountain, hitting heavy rain at one point but no snow.
Once in Preston the weather cleared, and it was a straight 30 mile drive back to Logan, Utah and home to Quill, who was still asleep when we got back but soon rose to greet us. There's lots more to see around here, including the spot where the Golden Spike was driven to complete the transcontinental railroad - only 42 miles from Brigham City, and that may be our next trip.
We feel really lucky to be in this beautiful and peaceful place, especially with time on our hands, at a time when disease and riots are erupting around the country. We are very blessed.
We've been out on the reserve again, and enjoyed spotting pelicans as well as sandhill cranes. We think there are cranes near the RV, as we hear their distinctive calls in the morning. On a trip up to Logan we actually saw some sandhill cranes in the hills, which is unusual. We also have frequent visitors in the form of a herd of cows that is moved around the reserve to help in keeping down the grass.
We finally met Mike, who dropped by with a Covid19 survival kit - masks, gloves, sanitizer and more, plus a list of the relevant federal regulations we have to follow to prevent spread of the disease. At present we're following everything without trying, since we're not working! We've also had a phone call with Alyssa, the newly appointed park ranger, with whom we'll be working when the time comes. She has previously worked here, so she'll be a great source of information.
Mike also dropped off a copy of the refugee's development plan along with brochures on the refuge and other places worth visiting in the area, which have triggered some exploratory trips as well as lots of learning about the purpose of the refuge and plans for its future. More about that anon.
We had one exciting experience. We mentioned to Mike that the water pressure in the RV was low, and he sent Rod, one of the maintenance team, to help us. Rod, who boasts a very impressive moustache, had us try disconnecting the water filter/pressure regulator we had attached to our water hose. Although this had given no problems before, he thought there might have been mud or other stuff in the water when we first turned it on, since it hasn't been used for a number of years. This might have clogged the filter.
Running the water directly into the RV hose solved the pressure problem and we resolved to go out and buy a replacement filter/regulator soon. Several hours later Vicky discovered we had no water in the RV! I went outside and discovered water gushing madly out of a 1-inch hole in the pipe - the pressure was now high enough to break thru the weak point in the hose! I turned off the water, of course, but was worried that the spray had been going onto the electrical junction box. Vicky pointed out that that box had to withstand wind and rain and must be insulated, and indeed it gave us no problems.
Since I insist on keeping our fresh water tank full we had water in the RV overnight. Rod turned up in the morning and when we explained what had happened he insisted on getting us a replacement hose, filter and regulator, so now we've as good as new! But it was an exciting experience.
We also removed the weeds from the cracks in the concrete pad (or rather Vicky removed most of them and I helped a little). I wish I'd taken a "before" picture. The "after" picture just looks like a concrete pad should. The missing "before" picture might have made you think we' were volunteering in a jungle! The place is now beginning to look like home.
As I said earlier we've been exploring the area. Beyond Logan, US89 travels through a spectacular gorge known as Logan Canyon, following the Logan river. This triggered a discussion about what makes a canyon different from a gorge (no definitive answer) as well as comments about the natural features (snow-capped mountains, raging rapids and several named "Summer homes" not managed by the National Parks Service). Of course none of these are open right now, so that's another mystery.
In the direction we took it, Route 89 travels steadily uphill for over 40 miles, so the vegetation changes - at the over 7,000ft summit there are spruce trees. Once at the top you have a quick (hopefully not too quick) descent down 8% grades to the village of Garden City, on Bear Lake. The first view of the lake is breathtaking, and as we later traveled along the shore we noted that this is a place to come back to for a couplie of days when we have the time off. We also noted NOT to take the RV thru Logan Canyon or down the 8% grade!
Garden City is a small resort village on the lake shore and was very quiet the day we visited. It has boat rentals, guest houses and restaurants. We stopped at Ephraim's place for lunch. While waiting for our (very tasty) barbecue bacon cheeseburgers and fries I learned that Ephraim was a huge grizzly bear who was responsible for the deaths of over 150 sheep in the early part of the 20th century. He successfully eluded capture for many years, often moving a trap from the mud pool he liked to visit, and putting it on the bank. I won't trouble you with the details of how Ephraim was eventually killed, but I WILL tell you his restaurant is worth a visit.
The other specialty of the area is raspberries, much to my delight. Ephraim's raspberry shakes are to die for! Faced with the spectacular my nerve0racking trip back down Logan Canyon, we opted for a longer, but less harrowing route home. The beautiful sunny day we had left in Brigham City had turned windy and rainy at these heights, and Vicky was worried that whichever way we went we might run into snow!
In the event the journey up the shore of Bear Lake took us though farm country and small towns, and into Idaho. We passed a Romanesque Mormon Tabernacle in the small town of Paris, reportedly designed by one of the sons of Brigham Young. Apparently they though they were in Utah until a survey showed it was Idaho. Between the towns of Ovid (very cultured pioneers around here, naming towns after Roman writers!) and Preston (nothing like the one in Lancashire I remember from my childhood) we ventured up and down a mountain, hitting heavy rain at one point but no snow.
Once in Preston the weather cleared, and it was a straight 30 mile drive back to Logan, Utah and home to Quill, who was still asleep when we got back but soon rose to greet us. There's lots more to see around here, including the spot where the Golden Spike was driven to complete the transcontinental railroad - only 42 miles from Brigham City, and that may be our next trip.
We feel really lucky to be in this beautiful and peaceful place, especially with time on our hands, at a time when disease and riots are erupting around the country. We are very blessed.
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