Trains are one of the world's most common forms of transportation. Whether it's people, goods, within a city, across a country, or intercontinental, a couple of simple rails have positively changed many nation's economies.
Enter a somewhat obscure but very important location in this country: Golden Spike National Historical Park. Located nearly 100 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, this serves as a protected area for Promontory Summit, where Leland Stanford drove the golden spike to complete the Transcontinental Railroad, allowing people and freight to be transported from one side of the country to the other. Not only did it surpass the late President Lincoln's goal of 14 days of coast-to-coast travel down to 10, but became a turning point in the mid-century native wars of the west, as the military was able to be quickly moved to reinforce the federal government's positions across the territories.
Promontory Summit has been reduced to a ceremonial location, as the original rail line was decommissioned around the time of the Great Depression and its material salvaged for World War II. Visitors today will see approximately two miles of "demonstration rail" along with two active locomotives "facing off" with each other: Union Pacific's locomotive 119 to the east, and Central Pacific's Jupiter locomotive to the west, each carrying a single car behind it. Time your trip well, and you may be able to see one running along the tracks. Several miles of the original rights-of-way are now able to be driven by visitors, in the form of two auto tours on the west and east sides of the summit. There you'll be able to get a glimpse into the construction strategies, along with an interesting wager made between the two companies. The golden spike is presently held at Stanford University, and there are several routes available to travel across the country by rail.
Although train travel has fallen out of favor in the United States when compared to airplanes and automobiles, in addition to regular intercity travel offered by Amtrak, enthusiasts are able to experience railroad adventures enjoyed in yesteryear. One possibility to try is the Granite State Railway which travels seasonally in New Hampshire between Meredith and Laconia. Another is the 1880 Train running in South Dakota between Hill City and Keystone. There are several other scenic railroad routes across the country, as well as many rail preservation societies across the country trying to maintain this important means of travel.
If your Internal Compass runs along two rails, or even if it's just one via a monorail system, you may be excited to explore the history of the American train system.
Looking for waffles? Looking for love? Do we have the place for you!
First starting in Salt Lake City, Utah, and now spreading across the country in five states as of the time this is written, is Waffle Love. The business began as a local food truck until they received a national advertising influx by appearing on Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race" in 2015. Today, they have opened several restaurant locations along with operating their food trucks, and continue to offer their signature mix of sweet and savory Belgian Liege waffles, coupled with other entrée options from their basic waffle ingredients.
Our visit took place during weekday breakfast hours inside of a shopping plaza restaurant location. The inside of the restaurant tells the story of the founder of Waffle Love, along with a wall where people can show "love" with sticky notes. Clearly the weekday breakfast isn't a very popular time to get this sort of thing, as only one person was working, but was able to hold her own. Not really wanting the savory options, the worker had recommended Red Wonder and Nutella Love, with the only difference between the two being biscoff over Nutella for the glaze. Each came with a very generous amount of fluffy cream, and the waffle was moist to where syrup was not necessary, and it's a good thing because they don't even offer it.
This was more of a novelty visit because of the Food Network appearance, and we can see why they were fairly successful during both appearances. Although the restaurant vibe seemed fun and the offerings were quite tasty, the price for the portion left a bit to be desired. Those who are concerned about blood sugar will want to be careful with this establishment, as it will cause a spike. And in case anyone who watched their appearances on Food Network were wondering: They did start opening on Sundays, albeit for limited hours at the location we visited.
So if your Internal Compass takes you to Utah and you're in the mood for celebrity cooking, give Waffle Love a try, if just for the experience.
When people think of Utah, although many RVers will think of the several national parks and monuments, the rest of the population will think of one place. Welcome to Salt Lake City, the capital and largest city of the state of Utah. Salt Lake City has spent many years servicing a number of bedroom communities that continue to surround it, but it has quickly become a destination for many to visit.
Some may have read our philosophy where, when driving in the midwest, you can Trust the Grid. Salt Lake City is most definitely a place that falls within this category. In fact, when the city was first founded along with the erection of the LDS temple, all of the roads were laid out in a grid based on distance (1000 per mile) and cardinal direction from this landmark. Whether driving or using another form of self-guided transportation, it will be easy to navigate around the city. Speaking of the prominent temple landmark among the downtown's skyline, it is said that Walt Disney used it as inspiration to draw the famous "Disney castle" seen both in many Disney works, as well as its theme parks around the world. When driving by the temple in Salt Lake City, or one of its counterparts such as in Brigham City, you are able to see the resemblance to the Disney castle.
Salt Lake City is serviced by the Jordan River, and sits to the southeast of the Great Salt Lake, which has a salinity level that is higher than the world's oceans. Ironically enough, just to the south of the city is the fresh water source of Utah Lake, which feeds the Jordan River in a controlled manner to prevent flooding of the area. Scenery wise, Salt Lake City is surrounded by many mountain peaks and canyons which provide a breathtaking background, as well as wonderful opportunities for exploring nature.
Sports enthusiasts will remember that Salt Lake City played host to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. There still remain several arenas within Salt Lake City that have hosted, or would be able to host, skating and curling events. Travel a bit east along interstate 80 towards Park City, and you will find a quaint ski-style village, along with much of the non-arena infrastructure, such as ski jumps, alpine trails, and sled tracks. Even without any snow on the ground, the city remains a popular attraction with main street shops and several parks adorning the city. With these locations able to continue to attract many visitors throughout the entire year, and especially the winter season, along with the expansion of the National Hockey League in the Utah Mammoth, this area is preparing itself to once again host the Winter Olympic Games in 2034.
South of Salt Lake City is much more than simple bedroom communities and Brigham Young University. Be sure to head east from Orem and drive through Provo Canyon. Stop to take a walk along the way towards Bridal Veil Falls, a spectacular collection of waterfalls running from Cascade Mountain down to the Provo River below. Perhaps drive up towards the caves of Mount Timpanogos, while maybe stopping at the resort destination of Sundance. Although the famous film festival of the same name was hosted at nearby Park City before its eventual move to Boulder Colorado, the institute's labs still remain there, along with one of several popular ski resorts in the area.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you through Utah, consider making a stop in Salt Lake City. Even if it's for just a day or two, you'll find plenty of wonderful things to do in this city.
If you've ever been both educated and entertained by a Minnesota computer company (MECC) when you were young, you likely will remember learning about the Oregon Trail. It's more than just a game; it's a real life adventure.
Found just outside Casper, Wyoming, there are historical markers that memorialize the Oregon Trail, along with its counterpart trails to Bozeman Montana, California, and Salt Lake City (otherwise known as the Mormon Trail). This is approximately the point where travelers on their long journey would come across the North Platte River that needed to be crossed. If you've ever played the old game, and you hadn't been delayed by taking the "wrong" Bozeman Trail beforehand, you may remember the option to pay five dollars for a ferry here. That truly did exist, along with the option to ford the river, which as the memorial explains, become a deadly choice for some during the blizzard of 1856. Today, drivers will have a much easier time crossing along modern day bridges, but it still remains a spot for water related entertainment for the locals.
This area just outside Casper wasn't just about sojourners seeking a better life in the west. While easterners were busy pillaging the southern former states in the mid-1860's, the Battle of Red Buttes was brewing, as the natives would stir up a fight against Lieutenant Caspar Collins (after which the fort and later city were named) and Sergeant Amos Custard (after which an alternate title of this battle was named, the Custard Fight) in alleged revenge over recent federal military action in Colorado. Attempts to find the exact location of the battle have been made, but without Army markers of the site or the mass graves, debate has ensued about where it actually took place, citing various artifacts left behind in the fields.
There isn't a highway today that will necessarily take you along the exact right of way of each of these old trails. However, you will be able to take something similar, especially in the high plains and the Rockies, as there are only so many ways to traverse this stretch of land. The state of Wyoming has done quite the job of preserving the history of this notable migration, including the now inactive forts that still exist outside the modern cities of the same names, along with other landmarks including Independence Rock, where another such rest area and interpretive site are available to travelers.
So if your Internal Compass takes you west, perhaps consider the ways of their forefathers and head along the trails of the old west.
I got a travel bug retching in my soul; The tourist season's over and it's beautiful; And with a little weather left, we have been restored; Ain't no fuel prices gonna steal our trips!
For the first time, Freedom Rolling is crossing the Continental Divide and heading further west! Not all the way to the ocean, mind you, but some time in Utah and other parts of the mountain west will be good. However because of the exorbitant cost of fuel, this is once again going to be a truck-only adventure, or as we like to call it, a "light" trip. There isn't really too much of a time crunch in this case, but with fuel prices at around six dollars per gallon as of the time of writing this, it's understandable why we wouldn't bring the heart if we don't have to do so.
Unfortunately, this trip is not going all the way down to the southern part of the state where you'd find all of the national parks. Perhaps another time this will be something to do, but just not now. This is being timed as part of a gap between when the local tourist season ends and when the snow really starts to fly, so there really isn't enough time for it. We do hope, however, that we are able to show off a few other places in the mountain west to our social media viewers, as well as a few more articles about what we visit out there. Be on the lookout for these.
So as we get ready to head onto the open road once again, be sure to Follow Your Internal Compass to wherever it may lead you.
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