A high deer-elk fence is seen in the foreground and a old ordinary fence of cedar post behind it. The cliffs and peaks in the background oversee all that is below them.

A tall deer-elk fence has been put along the side of the highway. Animals that get onto highway need a way to get thru the fence and off the road. These ramps are made so an animal can walk up the ramp and jump thru the opening and get out of the fenced highway area. Some animal underpasses are constructed also. This is the way your tax dollars are being spent. In the past the animals just walked across the highway at their own leisure and took their chances with the highway traffic.

Snow covered cliffs on the west side of the San Rafael swell

Round bales of hay represent the hard work of a summer. They now are in the deep freeze awaiting time to feed hungry cattle. The cattle will be fattened and then go to market to provide income to the farmer for his years work. We, the eaters of the beef, receive the benefit of the farmer's years long toil. My hat is off to the farmer or rancher that turns hay into T-bones.

The new vs the old...The Christmas decorations over the street are in front of trees that have seen many years of decorations and happening along the street leading into a small town.

The old vs the new...Running gear of old wooden spoked wheels against modern trucks and cars. The buggy on the left and the frame of another buddy on the right. They speak of an era in the past. The brick home has a few years on it as do the trees providing shade to all of the above.

An old log home still stands in front of the double wide mobil home that has been added in the rear. If I was to make a guess, I would beat the log cabin will still be there after the mobil home has filled his purposes

A fine brick home is being strangled by the Lomobardi populars that were planted too close to the foundation.

This is the same building as seen in early picture. In this building logs have been squared and dovetailed in the corners. The dovetailed corners made a very strong construction and is probably the reason the building is still standing even though the rock foundation was poor. A place for wood storage is on the left side of the building.

The weathered front of this building represents the many years gone by. The foundation is locally obtained rock. Squared logs have weathered as they were never painted. The sagging of logs and doors represents poor workmanship. In old building they were generally just thrown together or were very well constructed. Even though the foundation was inadequate this building has served for a long time. The chain to fasten the door was common when you wanted to keep people out. Nails driven into walls were used to hand various items that were needed or used frequently. This also served to keep item off the ground.

This is an old granary with sheds added on the right side. The construction of the board on the inside of the upright studs were used as a granary. The lean-to sheds were added later and face northward. They were probably use for equipment storage. If a shed was used for animals it generally faced away from the prevailing winds and with a southern exposure if possible so the sun would warm the animals.

This is an old church in Emery, Utah. It was built with a tower for a bell.

A log home in Emery, Utah. This shows the typical construction of homes of that era. Logs were layed one on another and notched at the corners up to where the roof would start. Rafters were then put up and 1 inch boards held them together. Shingles were then put on the roof. Sometimes tar paper would be used. This building does not have any of the original shingles left.

An older home in Clawson, Utah. This home shows how the homes were generally built. The original building was a rectangle shape with a high pitched shingle roof. As as the family grew more room was needed and an addition was built on the right side of the original building. At another time another addition was put on the front of the house. This building has stood many years and may last longer than some of the newer homes.

The small Post Office in Clawson, Utah is still in business and serves the local people. It is a pleasure to do business in a small Post Office, (PO) as you will not have to wait to be served. They sells stamps and can give you the service that all larger PO can. The people are friendly and knowable about local things. I have been in PO that were in a log cabin many miles from the next town. I will even go to the small POs on purpose as I do not have to wait in line to get what I need.
The log cabin PO brings back memories which I will relate a few. It was located in western Utah near the base of the Deep Creek mountain in Trout Creek, Utah. It was at least 50 miles from any town that had a PO. Trout Creek consisted of 2 ranches, one was owned by 1,000 Peaks and the other by the Nielsen family. The PO was on the Nielsen ranch and was ran by Post Mistress, Sara Adams, who was a Nielsen. I visited this town in the 1950s and met the Nielsen family in the early 1970s. I would often stay with them when I was in the area. In fact I boarded with them when I was working in the area. They did not have electrical power until the power line was brought Snake valley and over the mountain into Fish Springs, a bird refuge.
Sara, had problems with the PO officials as they could not understand the problems being isolated like Trout Creek was. The mail came in from Wendover, Utah 2 times a week. It was delivered along the way to people in Calleo, and up into Pleasant Valley. I have forgotten the name of the man that made the trip twice every week. POs have to file monthly and quarterly reports and they are generally sent in by the mail. But, when the end of the reporting period came the mail could not get to the office back East in time, Sara would be chewed out. She would explain it was impossible to close out the month and get the report to them as the mail only went out 2 times a week. So they said, "Phone the report in." Problem was there was no phones in the whole Snake Valley. PO official could not understand a PO, without a Phone so they said to "Put one in." They should have done what the PO officials wanted and put it it. Only problem was to get the phone, lines would have to be strung from Baker, Nevada approximately 65 miles away. The cost of the first phone would be $87,000 and the second phone would be 30,000 plus. PO officials said then to drive the report to be mailed at another PO like in Delta, Utah. This was 87 miles one way and the PO did not want to reimburse them for driving the distance. So the reports got in late via the regular mail.
Another problem was the money orders that were regularly sent to all the POs. They were way too many for their needs and use. They might sell one or two in a month but received if I remember correctly around 100 quarterly. They had to be secured in a safe place until used or destroyed. So the money order forms piled up. In order for them to be destroyed there was a certain procedure to be followed. They could be burned but there had to be 3 witnesses that were not family or related to the Sara, PO mistress. That was a big problem as most people were family or related. Whenever I showed up they were able to round 2 other witnesses and we could have a money order burning party. Other PO forms were taken care of at the same time.
Time has passed on and the Adams family have moved to town. Iona, a sister of Sara's took over the PO mistress job for a while. Iona, became sick and died. Today I believe that the Nielsen ranch and the PO is deserted. Time passes on.

An old home that is being overgrown by the trees that were planted by the early settlers. People have moved into newer homes but some of the old one still remain in Clousen, Utah.

An old manure spreader is resting from it labours of days gone by. The wooden board sides and the iron wheels date the era of this machine.

Coal is hauled from mine to power plant by trucks. Coal is moved via conveyor belts to 3 towers where it is stockpiled. Coal is fed into the power plants as it is needed to produce electricity. A major part of the electricty produced in the US is made by clean burning coal fired plants. It is a very important use of a valuable resource, coal. The USA would be much less than it is if it was not for the mining and using of our abundant resources such as coal.
As I am typing this information in to my computer I am using power produced by a coal fired power plant. My home is heated by natural gas which is produced from the gas wells drilled in this area. Our vehicles are powered by gasoline and diesel produced by local oil wells. The food I eat is grow from gardens and farms using soil and minerals from the earth. To put it simply, almost everything we, have, use or eat comes from the resources of this earth. It was put here for man to use and enjoy. I am very thankful for all of these resources.

One of the first brick homes built in this town

Birds in a tree looking for a free lunch

Sunlight and clouds over the power plant

Closer view of steam clouds over power plant south of Castle Dale. The triple stacks of the 3 production units are on the right. The cooling ponds are on the left.

Steam rising over the power plant in the mouth of Huntington canyon. This plant has 2 stacks or 2 units of production. Coal for the plant is trucked into plant by truck tractors pulling large coal trailers, gross weight of these trucks is close to 130,000 lbs. As large as is allowed on public highways in Utah. We have "Supers", as they are called in the trucking industry. Super tankers to haul the crude oil and super trailers for coal hauling.

An atomic blast over the San Rafael swell? No, it is the steam clouds rising over the Power plant south of Castle Dale. Moisture from the warm water rises and condense in the cold winter air. Water vapor can be seen above the stacks and cooling ponds.

Rock formation in Price canyon at Castle Gate, Utah. On top of the pinnacle is a flag pole. In days gone by some of the local youths kept a flag or banner on the pole. It considered by them to prove they "were tough enough" to get up there and raise the flag. I am sure in today society local authorities frown on people clibing and putting flags on top of rocks. It has been sometime since I have seen a flag on the pole. On the other hand I don't go by it very often so can not be sure. On the other hand you can be sure I am not going to even consider climbing up there. I do not climb up on something unless I have a very good reason to do it. Just to say "I did it" is not reason enough for me.

Merry Christmas to each and everyone from the cold and crisp Uinta basin. Hope the New Year brings the answers to all your righteous desires.

Dori is sitting on the 1st giant pumpkin that we grew and weighted. It weighted 321 lbs at the weight off in Bountiful, Utah. This was in summer of 2008.

Deadman lake and the meadow surrounding makes a tranquil scene

Deadman lake looking from the west. Mt Utterman, with an elevation of a little over 12000 feet is on the skyline. A pile of rocks in the foreground marks the trail that leads up the ridge to the west of Deadman lake. The approaching clouds turned into a thunderstorm with lightning and hail. I holed up and built a fire in the Spruce trees just under timberline to wait out the storm. Lightning can be rather spectacular around timberline.

A closer look at the selenite crystal in the siltsone. The GPS can be used as scale for size.

Selenite crystals in the siltstone of a crystalline gysum outcrop in central Utah

This is the opening of a vertical mine shaft in the Gold Springs/Fay mining district. The shaft collar timbers have fallen out leaving the open hole to workings below.

One last look at the Charley Ross mine head frame against the blue sky. There was an unique head frame, shaft house and mill building on the Jennie Mine a short distance to the Southeast. It was in beautiful shape in the late 1980s when I had seen it last. This was a patented mining claim meaning that the surface and underground was owner by a person and they payed taxes just like any other property. A goverment agency, probably the BLM coersted the owner into destroying this head frame. This is going on in many mining district. The government is forcing the owners to seal up the entrance to the mines on the owners property. This is being done under the claim of safety of people. Why should they be concerned of the safety of some one that is trespassing on private property. Trespassers have no right to be there any way.

The barb wire fence is around Pope mine shaft. Shaft is right beside the road. If a person was not careful they might drive right off into the shaft. The shaft collar is small enough that a pickup could not enter it but it might be interesting on a ATV. I would not like to try that. Maybe the air brakes would not work too well. Oh well, it is not the fall that hurts a person....it is the sudden stop at the bottom that does the harm.

Log cabin in the Fay mining district,Nevada. The Fay district joins the Gold Springs mining district. The Gold Springs is on the Utah side of the line and Fay is in Nevada side. There is some overlap in the two districts. This cabin is on the Pope vein near the Pope shaft. The Charley Ross mine is in Nevada so it is the Fay district. Some of the mines in the Fay district are Snowflake, Big Buck, Little Buck and Pope mines. There are other mines further to the northwest around the old town site of Fay.

The head frame made of logs at the Charley Ross mine. When I first saw this mine in the mid 1970s the head frame was still intact. The shaft was near vertical and I repelled down the shaft to check out the working. I almost got in a bit of trouble. I had a waist harness and my rope was attached there thru my carabiners and brake bar. Had a chest harness and a rope with prusik (sp)knot tied to the rope in case something happened. I was pushing off the wall and dropping down on the rope. Had the prisik knot in my left hand and it slipped thru hand and tightened up on the rope. My feet had been on a stull or cross timber in the shaft and had dropped down below it till it was at my waist. Now the problem, the prisik knot was holding me and the only way to release it was to loosen it. To loosen it I had to come back up the rope. The stull kept me from being able to touch the side of the shaft and getting a toe hold. If I let loose of the rope with my right hand to pull myself back up the rope the knot would tighten. Finally was able to pull myself back up the rope enough to loose the prisik and make it slide again. Continued on down to the bottom of the shaft. At his point I shorten the rope on my chest harness enough so I could reach it when knot was tight. Learned a good lesson that day.

Another look at the same cabin/headframe at the Charley Ross mine, Gold Springs mining district

This is a combinatinon rock-log cabin that is unique. This cabin was built around a mine headframe on the Charley Ross mine. I guess this was done to weather proof the shaft collar for winter operations.

This is a picture of my goofy feet. They were severly frostbitten in 1993. Were amputated thru the metarsals and heels had to be rebuilt using materal from the shoulder area of my back. I have special orthic inserts that go into my hiking boots so I can get around.

Each winter I let my whiskers grow out. There is a reason for this. A great deal of blood goes to your head to feed the brain. Approximately 60% of your body heat is lost thru your head. There is an old say "If your feet are cold, put on a hat." For me I could probably get my with less blood going to the head as I have little up there to take care off. In 1993 I severly frostbit my feet and hands. The result was both my feet were amputated thru the metatarsal and the heels had to be rebuilt. Now my "goofy" feet are very sensitive to the cold. My hands came out okay but are still sensitive to the cold. So I grow a beard in winter to help keep my feet and hands warm. People ask me why my beard is white and my hair is brown. I tell them that the top of my head is higher from the ground and is covered with a hat and being higher is not affected by the air polluation. Actually my hair is going grey but it still looks darker.

Being it it winter I would like to related another experience that I had in Eureka. The snow would get deep at better than 6000 feet and the wind made it difficult. But first I would like to talk about the winter of 1947-48. At that time I was would turn 8 in January. We were living in Pleasant View, which was north of Provo,Utah. We lived in a small 16 x 24, one room house. There were 4 of us, Father and Mother, my younger sister Konda and myself. The snow got real deep and Dad was afraid that the chicken coop, barn and shed adjoining the house would collapse from the weight of the snow on the roof. Dad shoveled the barn and chicken coop and I worked on the shed by the house. This was on the north side of the house and covered the area where Mom's washing machine and the cream separator sat. Next to them was the door that had to be lifted up to go down into the cellar that was under the house. To the west was area for coal and kindling storage. Beyond that next to the lilac bush was the outhouse. We had a one holer not a big 3 holer like my Grandfather Perry did. I can remember the snow on the shed was as high as my shoulders. I was able to get some of it shoveled before Dad came to help me. This winter killed deer by the hundreds as they starved to death as the deep snow covered the vegetation they need to eat.
Back to Eureka and the winter of '47-48. This had been a very bad winter all over.
Old timers in Eureka told me about the train with its steam engine getting showed in east of Eureka near Homansville canyon. It spent the winter there and all rail traffic to the mines was stopped. Burtis Jameison told me of the problems keeping the road between Eureka and Delta open. When the spring came they found that had plowed about 3/4 of a mile of road that wasn't even on the road. It had gone out thru the sagebrush but traffic had gotten thru never the less.
In the winter of 1972-73 we had bought a '73 Chev short bed 4 wheel drive pickup. It was the first 4 wheel drive we had owned. Bought it at Painter Motors in Nephi, Utah. It cost a little more than 4300 dollars including tax and license. I would take that truck and bust open the road down Eagle street which came straight up the hill from town to the Chief Con mine yard and into Fitchville. Going down I would hit the drifts and snow would come over the front and you could not see out the windshield until you got thru the snow drift. I always hoped there wasn't any cars that had gotten stuck and wind had covered them over. The grade of Eagle street was pretty steep and I could break it open going down hill. Upon getting to the main street of Eureka I would clean out the snow from the front of the radiator. Then I would be able to come back up the street. This would open the road until they could get the snow plow to do it right.
Many times I would go to the Post Office in Eureka on snowshoes. Would strap on the snowshoes and head right down over the hill cutting through the peoples property and yards. One time I was walking on snowshoes between 2 houses and a lady was doing dishes at the sink. When she looked out the window and seeing my legs she got a start. The snow was deep enough that the snow had drifted up to the bottom of the window ledge. The fences did not bother you as they were covered with snow but the clothes lines were a different story. They were generally about high enough to catch you on the shins. Guy was just a couple of years old at this time. He enjoyed riding in a kiddie backpack we had while snowshoeing. One Saturday morning I decided to go to Post office and take Guy with me in the backpack. We got to town and almost back to the house with no problems. I was in the field on the west side of Elmer Tompkins house and had to come up over the snow berm Adrian Underwood had made pushing the snow out of the road. I topped the berm and started down into the road which was filled with snowdrifts. I hooked the toe of my snowshoe in the snow an fell forward into the fresh drifted snow. This threw Guy, who was on my back over my head and into the snowbank. I rolled over and pulled the kiddie pack off and dug the snow out from around his head. He was crying but soon quit as I got all the snow off him. Put the backpack back on and went the remaining distance to our house which was just to the east of Elmer's house.
When Guy was just a baby and was learning to stand I would hold him out at arm's length and he would stand on my hand. I would hold him this way for a time, then would toss him up in the air and catch him. We did this many times and he really enjoyed it and laughed at the time. Dori and my Mother did not think too much of the idea as they were afraid I might drop him. I would also hold him so he was facing me with my hands under his arms and around his chest. I would toss him up toward the taller than regular ceiling. As he came down I would catch him. He thought this was a lot of fun. Again it was highly frowned upon by Mother and Grandmother. I did not do this with any of the younger kids as I saw it really disturbed Dori and my Mother, Yvonne.

Being that is winter and it is snowing as at this moment, I thought it would be a good time to relate an experience I had. I will call this experience:

Stranded School Teacher

We lived in Eureka from 1970 thru 1973. We were living in the area on the southern edge of Eureka, called Fitchville. This had been a private area where owners of Chief Consolidated Mine and some of the top executives lived. The Fitch mansion was a large house built in the 1920s. It had 3 stories, a basement, the main floor and an upper level.The Jeldens live on the main floor. The upper level had a room that was used to show movies when the Fitchs lived there. The kids used this upper level to play in. To give an idea of the size of this house, is the living room which had 855 square feet in it. Walter Fitch, if I remember his name right, could not stand the smell of cooking. A special building, separate from the main house, connected with a covered walk way contained the kitchen.
Charles and Jeri Jelden and their 5 girls were renting this house. The house was poorly insulated as old homes usually were, and had a lot of square feet in the 3 stories. The Jelden family lived on the main floor. where one of the rooms had been converted into a kitchen. The house was heated by a coal fired furnace. It consumed coal at an enormous rate. One winter Chuck burned 28 tons of coal. By comparison our much smaller house never took more than 7 tons and as little as 4. Chuck would shovel the stoker full of coal before going to bed. He would wake up in the morning to an empty stoker and the fire almost out in the furnace.
A school teacher from southern California was teaching at the Eureka school. She was boarded with the Jelden Family. I do not remember what grade or subjects she taught. She was straight out of college and and never lived in a cold climate. Winter in Eureka, at greater than 6000 feet, could be hard and long. The snow would drift into the roads and you could not even get around with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The roads in Fitchville would be kept open by a small cat dozer operated by Adrian Underwood. He would plow out the roads in Fitchville then we could get out and down to the main road which was Highway 6 which ran thru Eureka. When the wind blew, which it did regularly the roads would soon drift back in. One morning after a night when the wind had blown and the roads were closed, Adrian was not able to open the roads in time for school or work. The teacher was wondering how she would get thru the 4-6 foot snow drifts and to school. I told her to get ready and I would take her to school on snow shoes. I had to 2 pairs of Alaskan Trail model snow shoes. I put on a pair and went up to the Jelden home with the other pair on my shoulder. She came to the porch and I helped her get the snow shoes on. I showed her how to walk in snow shoes. This required walking with your feet a short distance apart so you wouldn't step on the other shoe. Off down the hill we went to the school which was about 1/2 mile away. We made the trip thru the blowing snow with out any problems. She now had a real story to tell to her family that still lived in southern California. By evening the roads had been plowed and she could hitch a ride back up to Fitchville.

Red, white and blue..........this must be America, Old Glory at its finest.

A large red boulder rest where it came to lie after eroiding from the ledge.

A point such as this often times will have an eagle or hawk sitting and watching for rabbits to come out into the sun. Today there were no eagles or rabbits. Only live things I saw where l.b.j.,(little brown jobies).

A large snow capped boulder rest on another boulder like a toad on a toadstool.

Several boulders have weathered and tumbled down from the sandstone ledge.

Snow covered red sandstone boulder. This should be a cottontail rabbit heaven, but is not a rabbit track to be seen in the fresh snow.

Con trail look as if the jet planes had taken off from the top of this point.

On the other side of this point is usually loaded with cottontail rabbits but not this year.