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Pony Express Trail, Western Utah

2.3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Truckin'  
#1 ·
New Year's Day is a great day for a little get-away drive, and the west desert area of Utah is one of our favorites. We particularly like the Old Pony Express Trail. This is the actual route of the Pony Express riders of 1860-1861. We stopped at the Simpson Springs stop, which is probably the best example of one of the stops along the route, which ran from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA for a period of only 19 months.

This station bears the name of explorer Captain J.H. Simpson who stopped here in 1858 while searching for an overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California. It is one of the most dependable watering points in this desert region.

Later on, from 1939-1942, a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp was established in the area, and a few foundations and corner markers are still standing (see third picture).
 

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#2 ·
Very cool. I always enjoy seeing points of historic interest, and what better way than with your RL! Thanks for sharing! ;)
 
#3 ·
Very Cool! That sounds like a great use of your RL. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to take mine up to Flagstaff this weekend and play in the snow. I keep hearing about how good the RL is in snow but I don't get to see any snow here in the desert. Saturday it's my turn to play!
 
#4 ·
Agreed - I love back road out of the way finds! Of course, for the last 12 years is always been on a bike... just sold my Gold Wing for the RL - not a horrible trade off... I realllly like this truck! :D

Had to get used to driving rather than riding again... still freaks me out a little how close the other vehicles are to my baby - I'm used to multiple feet, not inches! LOL! :eek:

I keep hearing about how good the RL is in snow but I don't get to see any snow here in the desert. Saturday it's my turn to play!
My wife was just telling me about a place up by the snow bowl with little hills for kids to tube/sled/etc... for cheap. My Daughter has not seen snow since she was like 1, so she doesn't remember and wants to go play. Maybe before it all melts we will get a chance this winter.

Have fun and let us know how it does! :cool:
 
#6 ·
Utah is a fun place to live as you can pick your terrain and weather by deciding which way to drive. There are so many places to explore and beautiful scenery to see.

Kevin, I'm sorry to hear Flagstaff is dry again this year. I hope you get some snow down there before winter is over. We've been dumped on here, at least in the mountains, so the water year is off to a good start.
 
#7 ·
I lived in Layton UT for 4 years, I dont remember ever hearing about this. I thought that while there we covered just about every part of the state. Utah is a beautiful place and we really enjoyed our time there.
 
#9 ·
I lived in Layton too and graduated from High School there. You must have been here for an AF stint, eh?

This trail is in the west desert and off the beaten path. You have to be going there deliberately or perhaps stumble upon it on a trip to Topaz mountain or the Little Sahara sand dunes.

Utah is one heck of a state to try to cover. I've been working on that all my life and there are still plenty of places I've never seen.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the snow update meanmachine19. Hopefully they'll get some snow on Friday night. Regardless, it will be a nice day trip out of the valley. I still have under a thousand miles on the new RL and feel the need for a road trip. Plus I'm trying to test my warm weather cloths becuause I have a business trip to Albany NY in a couple of weeks. I bet I could find snow up there. Burrrrrrrrrr! VoicesInMyHead, I'll let you know what I find up north - and since you live in the same city, I'll keep an eye out for a green RL. I haven't seen that color yet but will wave when I do.

Thanks