While there are roughly 45* native tree species in Utah (an exact consensus cannot be found), this list highlights just seven, selected for their prevalence and curiosity and arranged according to elevation. Enhance your next outing by stopping to commune with them. Listen for a moment. Take the leaves and limbs in your fingers, inspect them, ponder their design. You don’t h … [Read more...]
For a Good Road Trip, Build a Bike and Ride It
One of the most efficient ways to travel is by bike. And one of the best ways to amplify a bike journey is to build your own bicycle. Designing and fabricating a bike is a creative journey sure to extend and enhance any road trip. It’s a way to whet the wanderlust. And if you can’t build a bike yourself, collaborate with someone who can. In Salt Lake City, that someone is Mat … [Read more...]
Bikepacking: Two “Mature” Cyclists Bikepack Bears Ears
The body wilts before the spirit does, so it didn’t occur to two 41-year-old men that they might not be able to pedal 155 miles in three days through southeastern Utah on bikes loaded with the essentials: water, food, bedroll … tobacco, coffee, beer. The plan was simple. Pedal from Nizhoni Campground to Elk Ridge, down between Bears Ears, across Cedar Mesa, through Val … [Read more...]
RoHa Brewing Project: Well-Balanced, Solid Beers
Brewmaster Chris Haas for years has wanted his own brewery, but it wasn’t until two years ago that everything clicked. He and pal Rob Phillips, a fellow beer enthusiast, met Josh Stern, and the trio went to work. A year later, RoHa Brewing Project was born, “RoHa” being a blend of “Rob” and “Haas.” “Everybody brings something different to the table,” says Chris. Rob is the plann … [Read more...]
Museum Display Documents Life on Utah’s Rails
When you think of miners and railroaders, you don’t typically think of artists or historians. But a trip to the Western Mining and Railroad Museum in Helper, Utah, will change that. Last year, the museum added a large gallery of photos that document life on Utah’s rails from the late 1800s to the 1940s. The photos were made by miners and rail workers. As such, they offer an ins … [Read more...]
Hobble Creek Coffee: Utah County’s First Coffee Roaster
Most people like the smell of coffee, whether they drink it or not. This is fortunate for Mitchell Cline, who roasts coffee in his garage in a suburb of Springville, Utah. Cline’s neighbors, most of whom are Mormon and don’t drink coffee, thank Cline for the nutty and chocolaty scent that wafts through their neighborhood almost daily. Cline has converted his garage into a sem … [Read more...]
How A Dirtbag Does Business
Moab Classic Bike sits on Center Street in Moab, Utah. A dusty alley runs along the east side of the shop, a small tree grows out front. Inside, a dreadlocked man with leathered knuckles and blue eyes turns wrenches and talks with customers about everything from the Misfits to rock climbing technique to ride characteristics of titanium frames. His name is Chris Hill. A … [Read more...]
Misfits Diversify Provo With Fine Art Studios and Community Events
A gang of artists, armed with heart and gall and tools from Harbor Freight, threatens to diversify Provo, Utah, with fine art, coffee, haircuts, tattoos, and community events. They’ve taken over the tired midcentury building located at 156 West 500 South and have turned it into a parlor of sorts, a source of golden light and galas and monthly drawing sessions with nude models. T … [Read more...]
Inside Heroin Addiction and Homelessness in Salt Lake City
If a lighthouse were planted on Lookout Peak above Salt Lake City, you could trace the lambency of its beacon in a southwestern direction down the mountainside, across the polished spires of the Mormon temple, through the glass façade of Vivint Arena, and finally into the Block, where the light would disperse and settle like falling snow. The Block is the gathering place for … [Read more...]
A Chance Encounter With One of Utah’s Quiet Heroes
I met Willy while riding my bike on a rural road in central Utah. A thorn had flattened my tire, and after making a couple calls with unpromising results, I set out walking. Willy was 200 feet from me, so I encountered him soon enough. He was clipping a tree with an extended pruner that resembled long but awkward scissors. “Hey, how’s it going?” I yelled. “Huh?” Willy lowe … [Read more...]