Memorial Day Gardening

Home Depot was really crowded today!  I think everyone had my same intentions--get some flowers to spruce up the yard for summer.  And boy did they have the blooms out in full array.  There was most any kind of flower you could imagine blooming and ready to be re-potted or planted in your own personal space.  I could have really done it up right, I tell you.  But I kept my self control and got out of there only spending about $25!  From that I was able to pot 2 large planters and 2 hanging baskets.  I have them out on my deck and it brightens up the surroundings considerably!  Along with the hummingbird feeder and the modest garden down below, I think that my summer planting urge has been quelled for awhile unless I see a really great sale later on this summer!

Out Tooling Around Ophir

Greg and I took a little 2 hour motorcycle ride today out to a little place called Ophir, UT.  It is this tiny little mining town that has a very small population and retains all of the charm and quaintness of somewhere right out of time.

The weather was gorgeous and the traffic was down so we had lots of room on the freeways and highways to just go!  We rode through Lehi, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain and Cedar Fort.  The further we got out on Highway 73, the more wide open it became, until we were riding with miles of vast space on either side of us, with the mountains looming far away in the distance.  There was not a tree for miles and yet in the distance I could see the one outline of a lone tree in a distant field, its stark outline providing a memorable backdrop to the nothingness in front of us!

Finally we turned off onto a little road, which led us into the very tiny town of Ophir, with a population of 23 last Census count in 2000.  To me, it seemed a little larger now than that.  There were some really nice, even ornate homes lining the street on either side and a city hall.  As we drove slowly down the street, we passed an old mining shaft where miners once combed through the mountain looking for silver deposits. It is said that once upon a time there was so much silver there that the Indians around the area used silver bullets!  In this town, unlike on the road we had just turned off,  there were many trees and they made a quiet whisper through the hills, as if to tell us that there was a story that needed to be told.  We passed a few very old buildings and then we found a large recreation area with a swimming pool and a camping area!  What a fun recreational activity you could have there.  We had parked to walk around and stretch and people driving by all waved to us really friendly! (Except for the couple on the Harley-Davidson!)

First Post Office turned Tavern turned Drug Store!

 The old Mining shaft
We turned homeward after stretching our legs and trying to work the kinks out of the rear ends.  Frankly, that was about all we wanted to go today.  It's been awhile since we have taken a real motorcycle trip. But that was certainly a fun outing and goes to show that here in Utah we have a lot of great places to visit within a short distance.  A motorcycle is really the way to do it too!