Sometimes it’s better not to be first and that’s what happened for the Eureka Run. Historically, the Eureka Run has been our first driving event of the season. This year, however, the weather gods decided that March 25th was not the day to hold the event. It was a good thing that the event was rescheduled for April 29th , because the March weather was terrible and the route still had feet of snow on the ground.
April 29th turned out to be a MUCH better day for this event. The route was a new one and several times I heard people ask if I knew where I was going. I responded by just saying, “follow me, you’ll like the route.” I encouraged the 32 members with 26 cars, to see Quartermaster Roger Hemmingway and purchase the newly designed and printed t-shirts. Many folks did just that and Roger ran out of one size and was beginning to run low on some others. If you have not purchased the new BMCU t-shirt yet, then I suggest doing so. It is a great looking shirt.
Off we went, taking a new route to Eureka. Curt even cautioned me about left turns. As luck would have it, the one turn I missed was a LEFT TURN! I made a quick about face so most of the members weren’t even aware that a few of us had to turn around and backtrack a hundred feet. The route took us on the west side of the Tooele valley, through Grantsville, near to Rush Valley, then south past Faust and the Pony Express Route, continuing through Vernon and then heading up hill to the 153 year old mining town of Eureka, nestled in the Tintic Mountains at 6430′ ASL.
This route had very little traffic and in some places the road was as straight as an arrow and then there were large sweeping turns and hills that revealed incredibly beautiful scenes. Seeing the members cars stretched out on the highway was a sight to see. The various colors of our cars were in stark contrast to the desert colors that were just beginning to awake to the warmer weather. Check out the photos that have been placed on the BMCU website for a small taste of the drive. It was like we had the whole highway to ourselves.
Arriving at B’s Hangout, we double and triple parked to get everyone close to the restaurant. There was even a small contingent of members who came up the eastern side of the mountain to meet us! Inside we were greeted with the smiling faces that over the years we’ve come to expect of proprietors, Crystal and Branden. They immediately went into high gear to get everyone their meals as quickly as possible. And it was just in time, too. A group of Minis also showed up, but since we had a many year’s history with B’s Hangout, the BMCU were the group that pretty much took over the restaurant.
After our stomachs were full, some folks decided to return home via the west side of Utah Lake and some backtracked the way we’d come. The backtrackers split up near Rush Valley with a few continuing north into Tooele and some of us heading east and over Five Mile Pass, through Cedar Fort and then towards home on Redwood Rd.
Here is a video and original composition from the Run, from Spencer Kellogg. Enjoy!
