Brick Road Photo: 100 Mile Capture Utah

Our 100 mile capture continues with a trip through Utah and a stop to see more family. I will be posting an addendum for all of the states of things that didn't fall into the 100 mile mark but really needed to have their photos taken, here are the links for Arizona Side Notes of Arizona part 1 and Side Notes of Arizona Part 2 SO much to see there!
If you aren't familiar with the 100 Mile capture go take a look at how it started here http://brickroadphoto.blogspot.com/2013/08/100-mile-capture.html

Mile 1500 The southern part of Utah has gorgeous red dirt and rocks. Such a beautiful contrast with the amazing blue Utah sky!

Mile 1600 After our detour in Arizona we decided to cut across to Cedar City, UT through Duck Creek Pass. What a beautiful mountain drive! I was surprised to see large lava beds along the road, they seemed so out of place at this elevation. We stopped at a scenic overlook for Markagunt Plateau and Navajo Lava Lake. From the Volcano Discovery website "Markagunt Plateau volcanic field, located east of Cedar Breaks National Monument in SW Utah, is a group of cinder cones and lava vents on Markagunt Plateau. The youngest cinder cones are located near Panguitch Lake in the north and Navajo Lake in the south." Like a lot of the western states, this part of Utah has seen drought and has a lot of standing dead timber. Fire would be devastating to this beautiful area.

Mile 1700 Interstate 15 somewhere near Filmore Utah. We exited off of the freeway to try to find SOMETHING to take a pic of and saw this sign about "shed hunters". Shed hunters are people looking for horns from elk and deer that have been shed in the spring. There is quite a market and competition for the sheds. Everything from chandeliers to aphrodisiac's in Chinese medicine. Trespassing for shed hunting is an issue in many states.

See that arrow??? It is pointing to our next stop and a very special little person we are about to meet.

Mile 1800 is in Payson, UT. Seems odd to show you a 7-11 sign but we hit 1800 miles just as we turned into the gas station. I went to high school in UT and when our little town got a 7-11 it was a BIG deal! During that time it seemed like there was a 7-11 in every town in Utah. 7-11 (Southland Corporation) was founded in 1927 in Dallas, TX. At one time there were more than 50,000 7--11 stores in the US (that's A LOT of Slurpees and Big Gulps!) Now there are approx. 7000. I have never seen one in Texas but they still seem to be going strong in Utah! Kind of a nostalgic picture for me

Mile 1900 is my favorite mile marker so far!! You need to know I stretched this a bit, it was taken at mile 1905 but it was SO special I just had to wait. Our beautiful niece and her brand new little one. What an honor to get to take this little ones newborn pictures. The hardest part of living so far away from family is missing those little things. What a special memory.

Mile 2000 is on Daniels Summit Elevation 8020 We stopped at a turnout to take this when this ATV pulled up. There were 3 occupants, a man and two boys. They all got out and immediately got on their phones. Cell reception in the mountains is so bad, this must have been the only hotspot. Kind of made me sad knowing they drove miles from nature and their campsite to check their emails, texts and calls.

Mile 2100 Last but not least a true blast from my past! Meet Dinah the Dinosaur. This was taken in Vernal, UT. My dad was in the oilfield, so most of my childhood was spent in Vernal, UT. Dinah has been a regular fixture for as long as I remember. Vernal is home to the Dinosaur National Monument and the Dinosaur Museum. My job in high school was at the Dinosaur Motel and Gift Shop. We sold little pink "Dinah the Dinosaurs" It always makes me smile to see Miss Dinah!