6.33 special and a long pony ride

Hi and welcome to 2014 and the first adventure of the year! We started early this year on our adventure Friday the 3rd traveling to Wendover to see one of the greatest bands in history, .38 Special. I suppose your wondering about the odd title, so I guess I need to explain it. Back in the good old days when we were all younger, there were 6 members of the original band. Well, as of last Friday, there was one left. Supposedly there were 2 left for this tour, but LJ, the bass player was no where to be seen. The remaining original did not say why or even acknowledge his absence. Hmmmmm, an odd situation. This collection of players did ok I guess, but something was missing. I think the fact that they actually played other groups songs was a reason it didn't settle well with me. They have so many hits, yet they played other groups songs, it kinda bummed me out. Still, it was a great show and an awesome way to start the adventure. 

 Saturday morning brought a sunny day and our 1st Jeep trip of the year. We headed south to Gold Hill and got on the old Pony Express trail and headed east. You need to know that the pony express didn't last long in history. It began in 1860 and ended in 1861. The Civil War pretty much ruined it and by the end of the war, the original owners sold out to Wells Fargo.  During its run, stations were set up every 5 to 20 miles, depending on the terrain. The rider would hop off one horse and jump on another and continue on. The remnants along the trail in Utah are still there for those to see. The above one is just south of Gold Hill and as you can see, not much ls left.  

 This one is a reconstruction located at Simpson Springs. The original station was torn down and a farmer used the stones to construct a home for his new bride. Sadly, she died in child birth and never got to live in the house. Just a small bit of the farmhouse remains in an enclosed area across from the monument. This site also has a campground, which no other site has. 

 The trip is around 190 miles long and they say to expect 5 hours to do it. This time does not take snow, ice and mud into consideration, so it will take longer during the winter. There are other sites to be seen along the trail too. There are numerous mines on the Gold Hill end of the trail, some with buildings and such. Also there is Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, where you can watch birds and other wild animals in their natural habitat. And, if you are feeling really adventurous, there is the Dugway geode bed dig site. You can go out there and search for geodes to your hearts content. Be advised though, you will have to dig them up by hand. We will be doing this sometime this summer.

To end the trip, we stopped by and visited Ms T and Gracie. These two little ladies are such fun to hang with! I wished we lived closer so it could  happen more often. So, we drove 540 miles in just over 33 hours. It was a long drive but well worth it. So much to see and so little time to do it. Wish I was rich!  Jeep on my friends! 
PS..... On a blog below, I talk about the machine on the porch of the old general store in Gold Hill. It appears that someone beat me to it and it is now gone. This bites!