RV Squid

Feb 3, 2024

Strawberry Pinnacles

Mountain Valley RV Resort thoughtfully provided a list of scenic drives from the Heber Valley Visitor Center. We were determined to take some of those routes before any more snow fell and the roads closed. We had already missed the Alpine Loop and Timpanogos Cave, and part of Guardsman Pass. Wolf Creek Highway was still open but could close. So one Monday morning we decided to take Wolf Creek from Francis to Route 208 and circle back to Heber via US Route 40 that winds through Daniels Canyon.

It was indeed a beautiful drive. However, the best part of the day was taking a side drive to Strawberry Pinnacles, a drive that we took on a lark. We saw the brown sign shortly after turning onto US-40 near Fruitland. We pulled up a couple of images of the pinnacles before we lost cell signal. Yeah, that might be worth taking a look.

The road was potholed, and we could see where it had been washed out. It had taken some effort to clear the dirt and gravel. About the time we were wondering if we should go ahead and turn around, we entered a canyon area. We decided to drive on. Sure glad we did. The Strawberry Pinnacles area was the best spot of the day!

UT-35 near Tabiona

US-40 near Fruitland

We're liking this

Pretty

Canyon view

Pinnacles

Where Are We Going Next?

Jan 27, 2024

Uinta and Wasatch Hikes

We arrived in Heber City, UT, for our month's stay at Mountain Valley RV Resort. It's about 45 minutes from two of our nieces. The resort makes a very nice base for us. We are treated to scenic mountain views and all the amenities. When we visit our nieces, we drive through the very scenic Provo Canyon.

Our first hike this year was a repeat of one three years ago - Stewart Falls. This time we completed the trail with our niece, Andrea, and her husband, Justin. The trailhead is off the Alpine Scenic Loop that leads to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Both the loop drive and Timpanogos Cave were closed for the winter by the time we arrived. We'll have to try again another year.

On another day, we took a short walk along a small stretch of the Provo River Trail. It looked like a good paved bike trail that we may have to try.

We wanted to get a scenic drive or two in before they closed the mountain roads for winter. Our first drive was the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. The last time, three years ago, we had stopped at Mirror Lake and returned. This time we drove the full length into Evanston, WY. It's a beautiful drive, despite the seemingly large number of dead pine trees.

Giving ourselves, ok, Harold, a break in the byway driving, we took a short hike to Wall Lake. It's just over a mile each way and is relatively level. We ran across a few slick, packed snow areas. We were glad that the ground was partially frozen though. We could see where melted snow had made some areas quite muddy before they refroze. We didn't see anyone else on our hike, unlike our hike to Stewart Falls. Cooler weather and weekdays make a big difference.