Human remains are rock shop owner’s claim to fame Lin Ottinger is famous in the small town of Moab. Since 1960, he has owned and operated Lin Ottinger’s Rock Shop. The Moab Rock Shop is a combination store and museum can at once be seen as an authentic dedication to a love of geology and paleontology, and a tourists love it. Lin has an odd sense of humor, with some of … [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 … [Read more...]
Buckle Up for a Wasatch Front Dive Bar Road Trip
Whether it’s bourbon, beer, or burgers that you crave, there’s nothing better than hitting the road in pursuit of the ideal dive bar experience. I’m talking about a place where the beer’s always cold, the company’s always colorful, and the bar tab is surprisingly affordable. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve already done a mini dive bar road trip across the Wasatch … [Read more...]
Huntsville’s Nuclear Option: At Huntsville’s Atomic Chalet, You Can Sleep, Ski, and Swim
Wes Welch, owner of Huntsville’s Atomic Chalet, jokes that he is in the business of selling sleep. The bed and breakfast, surrounded by trees on a quiet peninsula on Pineview Reservoir, is an ideal place to escape the noise and worries of your life and catch up on some much-needed rest. At the same time, the Chalet is a base camp for all sorts of recreation, including … [Read more...]
Lights….Camera….Utah!
When movie credits start to roll, you’ll see the names of the actors, best boy, key grip, makeup artists, and sometimes even a special thanks to the Utah Film Commission. Virginia Pearce is the director of the Commission, which she says is a state agency that works with the Office of Tourism and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to encourage filmmakers to choose … [Read more...]
Drive Down the Stairs: Grand Staircase-Escalante by Foot, Raft and Drive-In Movie
Utah’s national parks, known as “The Mighty 5,” are internationally-recognized destinations for hikers, climbers, campers, and roadtrippers. Until recent political attention highlighted their existence, our national monuments received less notice. If seeing all the tweets and headlines about Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument made you realize you had no idea what it … [Read more...]
Building the Van Life: Customized Vans Create Cozy Comfort
How a Utah Man is Making a Living by Building Out Sprinter Vans In 2017, Brad Woolf leapt into the entrepreneurial world by starting a woodworking business that would become Woolf Vans. Pulling from his experience as a rock climber and a Park Ranger, he began customizing van interiors for people who spend more time outside than in. While working for the National Park … [Read more...]
VanLife
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” ― Jack Kerouac, On the Road Making that vanlife work in real life It seems pretty idyllic, right? Chucking the responsibilities of the rat race and taking a year (or more) off to unplug. Drive the open roads, camp under the stars and connect with new places and people. But the reality is a little more … [Read more...]
Vast and Isolated Antelope Island: Camping with Citronella Under the Stars
Utah has 44 state parks as diverse as Utah’s natural landscapes. Visits to the state parks can include an Anasazi Village, coral pink sand dunes, lakes, rivers, canyons, and the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. There is even a state park protecting a Utah island—Antelope Island State Park. The largest island in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is … [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 … [Read more...]