Last Saturday, 28 May, a partial group of intrepid Tourers gathered in Salt Lake to head east to Vernal, UT. On the way, in Heber, we met up with the rest of the group, making the total, 17 cars and 32 members. The forecast of scattered showers would not deter us from heading out for a weekend of driving and fun. As it turned out, the rain would only occasionally come down and for the most part, the roads were dry and the skies, partly cloudy.
The Tourers made a brief stop in Duchesne to fill up gas tanks and stomachs before escaping the US 40 traffic by heading north towards Altamont. The smooth, rural backroads through rarely visited towns of Bluebell, Cedarview, Neola, LaPoint, and Maeser, soon led us to Vernal and the hotel. The quick check in by a prepared staff allowed plenty of time for a short drive to the McConkie Ranch to view a wonderful display of petroglyphs. After a short, 15 minute rain storm, the hike to the display was a chance to get out of our cars and get some exercise.
Saturday evening’s dinner had the group exercising our brains as the restaurant where we had planned to eat was short on help and couldn’t accommodate our numbers. Being resourceful, and running out of time, many of us ended up at JB’s restaurant where they gave us our own private dining room! It was the perfect deal; they were happy to see us and we were happy to have them serve us. Check out the previously posted photos of the smiling group.
Sunday was “wear your 25th Anniversary t-shirt” that came in the swag bags. Sporting our shirts, most of the Tourers headed for Harper’s Corner in the Dinosaur National Monument. Mike had scouted the route and taken pics of what we would see. It was a good thing, since often the clouds would obscure the views. At the end of the wonderful, winding road, we began the one mile hike out to Harper’s overlook. The hike was through a beautiful forest that teased us with glimpses of the Yampa and Green Rivers. Once reaching the overlook, the only word that begins to describe what we saw is: SPECTACULAR!!! On one side, the clouds would be obscuring the view while the other side would be clear and truly breathtaking. Then, the clouds would flow over the ridge and the previously unseen vista would be revealed. It was like opening packages on Christmas! On the way back, the viewpoints that had been clouded-in were clear, so we did not miss any of the views.
Everyone always looks forward to Sunday night and the live music provided by Mike and Drew. These two guys can really put on a show and are incredible musicians. The hotel graciously opened their dining room for us to use. The results of the Poker Run were announced by Michele and Sharon, with Mike & Laura in their MGB-GT coming out as the winners. Congrats!!!
The only bad news on the Tour was Monday morning. Overnight rains had made the road to the put in for our rafting to be declared impassable by the Forest Service. Needless to say, both the rafting group and the rafting company were greatly disappointed.
The Touring Group, however, never lets a problem keep us from having fun. Almost immediately, the decision was made to drive to the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery. The road was a bit bumpy, some rain, sleet and snow, and signs telling us the animals we would encounter were called, COWS, along with a beautiful drive, turned our frowns to smiles. After the hatchery and a quick lunch, a trip to the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry was our next visit. From there, we headed down the Josie Morris Cabin road to check out more petroglyphs and Josie’s Cabin. It was another beautiful drive and interesting stop at the Cabin. She was a tough woman!
Monday’s dinner, when the temperature dropped too low for a patio meal, Kent arranged for exclusive use of a dining room. After lots of laughter and stories it was time for dessert. All I can say is, ask one of the Extra Day folks about the humongous, seven-layer, chocolate cake and ice cream.
Tuesday, we retraced our route back toward SLC. In Duchesne, we made a last-minute decision to take the Hanna cut-off and go over Wolf Creek Pass. It seemed like a good decision, since most of us were stopping in Oakley for lunch. Our outside lunch, under the sun, at the Oakley Polar King, was the perfect conclusion to another BMCU Memorial Day Tour.
Thanks to everyone who was on The Tour for making this one of the best. Seems like we say that each year, but each Tour has its own life.
Be sure to check the BMCU website, Facebook page, and group site emails for lots of pictures of The Tour.
Preparations have already begun for the 2023 BMCU Memorial Day Tour, when we will be using Monticello, UT, as our base camp.
