How long is 9 Mile Canyon?

16th Trip- Days 74-76,  May 14-16, 2021, Castle Gate RV, Helper, UT

Friday 05/14/21 Kevin and I decided to come back to this campground. We want to explore more of the area. Last time we were here we went to the museum and learned so much in the 3 hours we were there. What did Helper Help? This trip we want to explore 9 Mile Canyon. Now, a little bit about 9 Mile Canyon…it is 74 miles long! HAHA Cracks me up every time I think about the name. I hope to discover more about the name tomorrow. Today I went shopping and to lunch with my sewing friends. When I got home, Kevin already had the trailer hooked up and ready to go. I grabbed a few things and we were out the door. We stopped at Maverick for gas where gas prices have gone up. Now (May 14, 21) it is $3.39 a gallon. On the freeway, we had a gust of wind shake us. My eyes went huge, I am sure. But Kevin handled it greatly. Nice ride up Spanish Fork Canyon. Things are nice and green. It won’t be green for long, this is desert-y and the area is in a drought. It is pretty right now.

Our friends, Larry and Marcia have joined us on this camping trip. Kevin and I already had it booked when we invited them along. As luck would have it, they were able to reserve the camping spot right next to us. On the way to the campground, I got a text from Marcia saying it is so hot at the campground. I knew it would be hot in the summer but this weekend is extra hot. As we drove in, they were sitting outside in the shade from their trailer. This is a newer campground and the trees have not grown up yet. While we were eating, we saw a train pass. It had 6 engines in front and 2 at the end. Wow. Larry and Marcia fixed dinner tonight. They grilled potatoes and thick tenderloin steaks, salad, rolls and apples. Delicious! Kevin and Larry made a fire for us and we enjoyed sitting around the campfire. Hey, I just felt a rumble at me feet…Kevin said a train is going by. I am deaf but I can feel! 🙂

Saturday 05/15/21 Speaking of feeling the train go by, I woke up this morning and was enjoying the morning in bed. I felt another rumble and told Kevin, “I felt somethings. Is it a big truck or a train?” He starts laughing his head off….”em, no, I farted.” 

We slept with some of the windows open and the cool air felt nice. But we are in a dirt/gravel campground and I noticed everything is covered in a layer of gritty dirt. OH well, I can clean. Kevin had set breakfast with Larry and Marcia for 9:00. At about 8:30, I had a “feeling” to get on the government website to check for tickets for Glacier National Park. See, there are so many people traveling the country now, and especially the national parks that several have instigated a rule that you have to purchase a ticket to get in. This is different from the entry fee. We looked it up a few weeks ago and yes, Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park requires this ticket. We got online a few days ago when it first opened. 60 days worth of tickets were sold out in minutes. I don’t think it is fair to not give the people with reservations to the campgrounds there first chance. We booked our campground last October. Well anyway, I had a feeling to get on this morning. Wouldn’t you know, the only date available and open this entire summer, 60 days out, was July 14. Well, we will be there the 18th. The ticket is good for 7 days so that will work for us to go on the end of those dates. We grabbed it and paid the $2.00. Whew! It was kind of scary. I have researched a lot of places in Montana and we could have gone to those places if Glacier didn’t work out for us. But glad it did.Grabbed the blueberry muffins I made at home, along with bananas and apples and went outside right at 9:00 for breakfast. The morning weather was calm and sunny. After breakfast, we got into Larry’s truck and drove to 9 Mile Canyon. Now just so you know, 9 Mile Canyon road is 74 miles! No one can tell me why it is named 9 instead of 74.

The road is paved and unique because it has quite a few petroglyphs along the way. I picked up a free guide at the campground and we were able to learn a lot at each stop.

Besides the petroglyphs, there was a huge “balance rock” that looked like it could tumble at any time. I would guess it was the size of a truck. There was a lot of ranching and private property along the way.

If walls could talk!

We drove as far as Daddy Canyon, got out and walked the trail looking at more petroglyphs. There is also covered spot with 2 picnic tables. We ended up eating our lunch of sandwiches, chips and fruit.

This picture above shows Kevin and Larry. They think they are interpreters…not in the American Sign Language way, but in telling us the stories that the petroglyphs are saying. They were both very animated and the stories went on and on and on. Finally, Marcia and I just sat down. HAHAHA

I love how this our friends, Larry & Marcia, love each other. We see them holding hands whenever they are side by side. A beautiful sign of their love story.

We got back to camp around 3:00. All but me took naps. Later Marcia sent me a text that they were at the picnic table by the river and they had ice cream treats. Kevin bolted out of bed! HAHA We ate ice cream and played a few games. Then it was time to get dinner ready. It was my turn to fix the meal. We had green chili smashburgers, baked beans, zucchini and carrots, and funfeti cookies. Next was a campground walk-about for Kevin and me. Larry told us there were two Aliance travel trailers here and Kevin wanted to scope them out. Once back at our site, we joined Larry and Marcia in some games. At dark, we sat around the campfire. We started s’mores but the wind kicked up in a big way and us ladies went to our trailers.

Sunday, 05/16/21 Larry and Marcia made a delicious breakfast for us on his camp chef stove: eggs, bacon, and all the trimmings. Kevin and I got packed up afterwards and headed home. Larry and Marcia planned to leave the next day. We had a great time with them.

The weekend was great. We enjoyed good friends, good food, good campground, and good exploring.