2 states, 6 counties, 11 hours, 400 miles and a lot of mud

 Welcome to the first real adventure of 2017. Spring and winter have been fighting over who should be visiting at this time and today winter threw a few good punches with a dusting of snow below 6000 feet and a ton of rain for everywhere else. This battle has been going on for over a month. We have had temps in the 70's and below freezing all in the same week. Welcome to Utah. I decided to hit the trail today regardless of what Mother Nature decided to and enjoy it come what may. I was joined by Kirt and we left home and headed west, right into the storm. As we motored out to the Devil's Playground, we encountered a very weak rainfall and by the time we got to Snowville, there was sun. The puddles in the road let me know it had rained and the snow level was down lower than it had been in weeks.  

 As we started off road going west into the playground, the road became somewhat of a mud festival. I hardly had any traction and there were mud holes everywhere. Some were fairly deep and they made the ride so much fun. We finally made it to the area and got out and took some fotos. I know most of you have seen my previous posts and fotos I've taken of the area, but who cares. Some might not have seen them so here they are.  

 As you can see, the little yellow Jeep got quite a bit of mud on it, but it never had a problem. Fact of the matter is that I only used 4 wheel drive on one really nasty section of the road. For the rest of the trip it was strictly 2 wheel drive and a lot throttle. It was a blast. I am almost sad that I didn't take the GOPRO out with me this time, but, we would have had to clean it every 20 feet. Oh well, not a big deal. You all will just have to take my word on it that is was a blast, and only the beginning. 

 We crossed over the mountain using the same pass that the early pioneers used on their way to California. Emigrant pass is part of the old trail that persons heading to California used on their long trek across the desert. We followed it till it hit the main road then went west to the Lucin area. 

 Now, before I go on, I must explain that we have had a ton of moisture this year. So much so that there has been a lot of flooding going on. At Lucin, a flood of water came down through the area and wiped out an important section of track. The "water" ran through a culvert 7 feet in diameter and until this year, it worked perfect. As you can see, there is no culvert to be seen. All of the snow and rain made for a hell of a flood and wiped it out. The interesting thing is that there is still water running from mountains down through this area. I have never seen water running through this area yet there is now a 25 yard "riverbed" complete with a tiny river. 

 Another oddity is the fact that the pond at Lucin is damn near bone dry. There is a tiny puddle but that's about it. The government sign says that the pond receives the water from a pipeline to the north. With all the water we have had, I can't quite figure out why its dry. Who knows, maybe the feeder pipeline has broken or been destroyed by the major flood. Again, no idea. 

 Next stop on the tour was the Sun Tunnels. They sit in the middle of nowhere on a very fine layer of sand. The road to them was freakin' slippery and being alone I chose not to get close to them. If you get stuck out there it would be a long wait for someone to come pull you out. After leaving the Sun Tunnels, we headed south on the road to Wendover Utah. I have never been down this road so it was all new to me. 

As it was like the roads before, this road too was a fun, mud bogging adventure. Some parts were dry while other parts were a mud bogger's dream. The little yellow Jeep had no problems going through all this mud and before we knew it, we were at Interstate 80 and Wendover, Utah. The sign above tells how the emigrant trail system went through the area we were driving through. The road we followed damn near matches the route they had taken. This area of Utah and the west desert is full of history form days gone passed. I can't imagine how it would have been to be driving a covered wagon on my way to California. I will say that, today, was a great day to be out there exploring. We did see some roads that need to be explored in the future so we will be back. We did a late lunch in Wendover before heading back home. On our way home though, Mother Nature let loose with the rain and hail. From Samantha's house to back home here in Tremonton, the skies opened up and rain came down by the buckets. So much so that it washed the Jeep, which sucks because a dirty Jeep is a great Jeep!
Jeep on my friends!