Thompson Springs & Heber City, UT

FRI., MAY 31st thru WED, JUN 5th, 2024

We traveled 163 gorgeous miles from Mancos, Colorado northwest to Ballard RV Park in Thompson Springs, UT. We’re here for 3 nights. It’s a quirky park in a desert landscape, so not a blade of grass, but we’re surrounded by beautiful cliffs. The population was 39 in a 2010 census which explains all the nearby boarded up buildings. We could see (and hear!) trains going by at the base of the cliff. Luckily we all like trains!

Gary and I chilled for a few days getting caught up on laundry, calls to family, and some admin stuff while the rest of the pod did some exploring of the nearby petroglyphs and ghost towns. Gary and I hosted dinner for the pod on Saturday night, and we all watched “The World’s Fastest Indian” in preparation for our trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats in a few days. Sunday night I went for a walk with the rest of the pod and saw Pronghorn Antelope and the many boarded up buildings in this mini ghost town that surrounds the campground. Very cool.

Next we move on to Heber City, Utah.

Mancos, CO to Thompson Springs, UT
Our views along the drive
Still seeing snow-capped mountains.
Not a blade of grass but spacious sites.
Our view from our site with a train passing by at the base.
Dinner Saturday night with the pod.
Some of the nearby abandoned buildings.
Thompson Motel – lots of work to be done on the inside.
Cute sign
Girls having fun.
The pod minus one on a Sunday night walk.
Book Cliffs
Pronghorn Antelope
Parked at the campground.
A labyrinth at the campground.

A beautiful ride once again! This time from Thompson Springs, UT traveling 192 miles north on 181 & 6 to Heber City, UT. We traveled up and down mountains… some were snow capped. The Price River flowed next to us on the highway for miles, and we saw every color of sage imaginable! We drove through rainy Provo, and as we passed Deer Creek State Park, we could see the Provo River (reservoir). The Wasatch Mountains surround Heber City and our campground, Mountain Valley RV Resort. Just beautiful!

Thompson Springs to Heber City UT
Traveling by Moab UT
Loved all the different shades of green.
More snow-capped mountains.
Open Range, but thankfully no wildlife on our path.
Wasatch Mountains… they surround Heber City.
One of the buildings in Provo.
Waterfalls along the way.
Provo River at Deer Creek SP.
C&J on left, and we’re on right. Mary is a little further away.
We’re in the “adult section” of the park! lol
Wasatch Mountains surround the park.
A walk in the park!

We enjoyed 3 nights in Heber City and would definitely come back to this area. It’s not too far from Provo and Park City, and very picturesque being surrounded by the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains.

We celebrated C&J’s 41st anniversary with dinner out at a funky local restaurant called Vintage Bar & Grill, which was set in a “strip mall” of historic repurposed buildings. Somewhat bizarre but cool, and ‘linner’ was delish.

We also enjoyed the pool, hot tub and communal fire pit at the campground for several days. Finally we visited the nearby town of Midway to explore a local cheese shop but more importantly to visit Memorial Hill with outstanding views of the area. But it’s main purpose is a war memorial dedicated to veterans from Wasatch County who served in all wars beginning with the War of 1812 thru the War Against Terrorism in 2001. Impressive and moving to see the names of so many young men and women. It was an interesting narrow spiral dirt road to get to the top. Cheryl was our masterful driver and did great!

Next we move on to Wendover, Nevada for a few days and the site of the Bonneville Salt Flats.