Capitol Reef National Park, here we come! Jon Hermance (jhermance@earthfax.com, home 801-583-5846) is the tour master for this event. He and his family will be taking up the rear for much of the trip in their T-Series MGs. There will be a mother-ship Toyota 4-Runner with some space for extra baggage and for anyone who wishes to stay out of a windy roadster for a few miles. Said mother-ship also will be carrying a very adaptable tow-bar currently suited to most MGs and Triumphs.
Saturday, May 29th
8:00 am: Northerners will meet in the east side of the southeast parking lot of the South Towne Mall where we historically assemble for the Alpine Loop. Let’s plan to head south on I-15 at 8:30.
9:30ish am: Southerners will meet Northerners at the first major brand gas station (memory says Chevron) on the north side of Hwy 6 at the off-ramp in Spanish Fork for Hwy 6 & 89 to Price. Please let Jon know in advance if you intend to join the tour in Spanish Fork.
10:00ish am: We will head east on Hwy 6 to Hwy 89 south at Thistle and proceed on 89 to Fairview. From Fairview we will head east and south on Hwy 31 to Huntington where we will continue south on Hwy 10 to I-70 where 10 turns into Hwy 72 toward Loa. Just east of Loa we will take Hwy 24 to the Sandstone Inn (formerly the Wonderland Inn) at the junction of Highways 12 and 24 in Torrey.
Lunch will probably be in the Castle Dale area. Art shops, antique Stores and wineries along the way are fair game. If you stop, leave your cars visible so the rest of us will see you, in case we want to stop, too. McEligot Rules will apply (see attached). Some of us will have slower cars than others. The slower ones would appreciate the faster ones occasionally stopping at a location of interest and waiting for them.
In Torrey, the BMCU has a block of 10 rooms being held for us at the Sandstone Inn for the nights of May 29 and 30 (1-800-458-0216, or 1-435-425-3775, group confirmation number 183332). The motel can also be reached at sandstoneinn@yahoo.com . Please contact the motel before April 30 to reserve your room on your own credit card and receive your own confirmation number. When you call, impress upon the person at the desk that you are with the “British car tour”, BMCU etc. as the hotel is already nearly full. The room rate for one of five available standard rooms is $68.00 plus tax and $78.00 plus tax for one of five deluxe rooms. If you want to bring your dog, there may be pet rooms still available for an extra $10.00 a night.
Evening refreshments will likely to be available from coolers we bring with us, and we will decide which of a few decent restaurants to descend upon for dinner.
El Diablo boasts that it was named “Best Restaurant in Southern Utah,” and a dinner there some years ago was indeed excellent. It’s open from 5 to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Rim Rock Restaurant features 360-degree views of Capitol Reef with live music on weekends. It, too, is open from 5 to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Both restaurants serve liquor, beer and wine.
Sunday, May 30th
9:00 am or sooner if everybody is up and about: We can decide where everyone wishes to go for the day. There are very scenic 150 to 340-mile round trips that loop out and back to Torrey. The loops can involve 25 to 100 miles of secondary unpaved but maintained roads. Otherwise there are 60 to 168-mile one-way trips out and back the way you came on paved roads with access to historic districts, petroglyphs, great cliffs, domes, natural bridges, and regional folding of the sedimentary formations. Check out Capitol Reef National Park on the Internet.
If anyone would prefer a low-mileage-driving-day, there are a number of interesting shops in Torrey.
The Torrey Gallery offers paintings, sculpture and photography by Utah artists, plus antique and contemporary Navajo rugs and will open by appointment on Sunday.
Robber’s Roost Bookstore & Beverages sells books and gourmet coffee, plus pottery and other items. It has been featured in Sunset magazine and the New York Times. Its hours are 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.
Castle Rock Coffee and Candy is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Coffee and pastries are its specialty.
Refreshments again are likely to be available in the evening under some steps somewhere around the motel.
Monday, Memorial Day, May 31st
9:00 am: or sooner if everyone is up and about we will head north on Hwy 24 for home. Those in a hurry may head up Hwy 50 to Scipio and I-15 on their own. Those more prone to the view at MG T-Series speeds are welcome to find their way through Salina and Hwy 28 north to Nephi, or up Hwy 89 through Thistle to Spanish Fork, or even further to avoid the freeway.
McEligot Rules
TOUR GUIDELINES FOR FUN, SAFETY AND PEACE-OF-MIND
(no order of priority implied)
- Select a recognized tour Leader (not necessarily the first car) whoknows and coordinates what is meant to go on, passes the word, etc.
- With large groups, subdivide into smaller groups of three to five cars based on performance or attitude or such, each with its own recognized leader who understands the route, plans, etc.
- Provide sufficient route details in advance so participants understand routes, stops, etc.
- Cell phones, CBs, etc. Exchange cell phone numbers, call signs, whatever, with others before departing, particularly with the Leader. If available, first and last cars and leader would be the logical ones to have communications. There are styles of CB now that can be hand-held. Even the most complicated antenna/power supply installation won’t take more than two hours to install unless you have a positive ground car. Across long distances, the car-to-car chatter can be the best part of the trip.
- If (intentionally) leaving the group for some reason, coordinate with the tour leader or others in advance to avoid uncertainties and the waste of other’s time/miles.
- Do not exceed the speed limit — it gives our sports cars a bad name(and wears the low displacement engines).
- Keep the car behind in sight to make sure it is not having problems,particularly at turns; slow down as necessary; stop if necessary.
- On two-lane roads, leave sufficient space ahead so tractor trailers, pickups with boats, camping trailers, or RVs can pass and pull in safely.
- Look behind before pulling back on the road – and allow plenty of room to start up on a highway.
- Do not stand on the roadway during breaks; people get run over that way.
- During daylight, flashing ones headlights shall indicate an emergency or mechanical need to stop, need for restroom, pulling into gas station, etc. On two lane roads it is appropriate to have lights turned on continuously for safety with flashing them serving as anindication of a problem —-> Leader’s discretion.
- Do not trust internet route plans — that convenient road may be gravel, dirt, construction or a muddy bog (or non-existent?). If the route has not been checked by driving, use good maps. Possibly contact state highway department about uncertainties.