[Bmcu] Around the Oquirrhs

Thu Aug 2 09:07:33 MDT 2012

Sounds like a fun tour.  I've been on many of the roads listed and there is something for everyone on this tour; fast, long, straights out in the desert; twisty mountain roads; a touch of freeway;  small towns; deserted highways; city driving; scenic vistas; and I could go on.  
I do have a couple of questions:

      1.  What is the date of the tour?

      2.  Are the directions correct?  I tried following on a map and got completely lost.  Looked like some of the rights should be lefts and visa versa.

Roger D

Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 12:38:26 +0000
From: richornot at comcast.net
To: bmcu at autox.team.net
Subject: [Bmcu] Around the Oquirrhs

Wish I could go!!!

Duff

I have been challenged that this trip is not technically twice “over” the Oquirrh’s, and that really is true. It is actually once “around” the Oquirrh’s, once “over” the Onaqui’s and once “over” the East Tintic’s. But, since we’re going to Grantsville and back on two different roads and neither of them are I-80, it’s easier to say twice over the Oquirrh’s!

So, let’s talk about the trip. We will meet at 9:30 AM for a 10:00 AM departure from Heritage Park, which is at approximately 108th south on the West side of Redwood Road. It is between the South Jordan Senior Center and the Jordan Fitness and Aquatic Center, so you have two large landmarks to look for. 

You will probably see some parts of Utah on this trip that you have never seen before, and some of you may feel that you never need to see it again! The club has never done this trip before and that may be the reason why. Well, lets break tradition and do something new!

I would encourage people to bring a sack or picnic lunch for this trip and plenty of water! There are some fast food restaurants in Grantsville on Main Street but you will have to do some backtracking to get to them. Also, if you are planning to make this trip, please print a copy of this email and bring it with you, just incase you happen to get separated from the group and need to find your way back to civilization.

When I drove this route there was no construction and more importantly, no wild fires! There was however, a section that was being repaved. (Oh well, it’s not a significant delay.) 

Make sure your gas tank is topped up for this trip because gas stations are few a far between. Vernon does have a gas station, but they don’t always have any gas! For those who have odometers that actually work, I will give mileage and for those who don’t, I will give approximate times. The total trip today will be about 226 miles and about 5 hours plus lunch.

We will start the trip by going south on Redwood Road/SR 68 past Camp Williams to SR 73. The turn is marked with signs for Cedar Fort/Eagle Mountain. This should be about 12 miles and because of traffic lights, it will take about 20 minutes. This is a right turn and there is enough space to pull to the side of the road and wait for everyone to get caught up, because of all of the mentioned traffic lights!

This road makes a loop to the south “around” the Oquirrh Mountains and up to a “T’s” into SR 36, which is called Penny’s Junction. This section is about 35 miles and will take about 40 minutes because of the mentioned repaving! (Oh well.)

Make a left turn onto SR 36 and it’s less than 3 miles and 3 minutes to a right turn onto Meadow Lane. This is also only about 3 miles and 3 minutes to a right turn onto Mormon Trail, also called Willow Road.

The Mormon Trail runs north and “T’s” into Main Street Grantsville, also called SR 138. This distance is about 15 miles or 15 minutes. This is the point at which if you brought no lunch, you need to make a right turn and go into Grantsville and find a burger or a taco. 

For everyone else, make a left turn and go about 4 miles or 4 minutes to the “Bonneville Seabase” for lunch and a look at the neat tropical fish! This is quite a place, and many people have never heard of it. Check out http://www.seabase.net/. Be careful this is a gravel parking lot and the turn is not clearly marked, so watch closely! Just a note back in the day this was a great skinny dippin place  today its still a refreshing place to swim with the fish  (Bring your suit)

After lunch it’s a right turn back onto SR 138 for about 6 miles or minutes out to I-80. I know, it’s a bummer but we have to go about 7 miles or minutes on the freeway to Exit 77, the Old Lincoln Highway. 

This road goes south through the Skull Valley Indian Reservation and basically ends at the main gate of the Dugway Proving Grounds. The distance is about 34 miles or 30 minutes (maybe less). (What the heck, push the pedal to the metal.) They were not interested in giving us a tour or having an impromptu British Car Show so, make a very, VERY hard left on to SR 199 “over” the Onaqui Mountains. 

This is a “sports car road”!! Through the Devil’s Gate Narrows and Rush Valley down to SR 36 again. This portion of the trip is about 22 miles or 30 minutes. (OK, maybe 25 minutes but please don’t splat into a rock cliff just to prove me wrong!) 

Make a right onto SR 36 for Vernon and the Tintic Junction beyond. This is about 35 miles or minutes and another tight left turn onto US 6. If you really need gas, Eureka is the best choice, in fact it might be time to stop and stretch the legs anyway.

It is only about 16 miles from the Tintic Junction to the Elberta Junction of SR 68 again. This is where you turn right and go north on the west side of Utah Lake and back to the intersection of SR 73, which is the official end of our trip today. This last section of road is about 32 miles and 30 minutes, but be careful because unfortunately, for no apparent reason, they put in a couple of 45 mph and one 30 mph corners!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the trip. From here you can go back north on Redwood Road or turn right and go to Lehi and the freeway.
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