9-1-2021 Provo, Utah

 The rocky start to this expedition continues.  Rob lost a crown in Pioche.  Dentists are an endangered species there so Rob toughed it out and a good doctor in Provo reinstalled the crown first thing this morning.  Check.  Another small detail:  we had lost a set of Jeep keys before the trip.  They were left on the bumper when we drove away.  Someone in Pahrump found them and called us and the plan was to drop them in our neighbor’s mailbox and George would send them to us.  But alas, the finder dropped the ball and not the keys.  So we are off to replace our Jeep keys today.  Soon, the dust will settle and we will notice the scenery and the sunset.  For now, it’s Home Depot and a locksmith.

 

 Pole signs adjacent to our park

Old pumps-Note the dial on the 
one on the left

Lakeside RV Park is really old and woodsy, full of tall broadleaf trees and lots of grass, just a wonderful setting.  Adjacent to the park, I spotted a huge number of old gas station signs in an rv storage area.  We were puzzled by this and so decided to investigate.  Lavorne “Sparky” Sparks is an old guy who started collecting pole signs and old gas pumps when he was 20-something.  He has the largest collection of pole signs in the world, he claims.  We have never seen anything like this;  simply named AAA Lakeside Storage.  Sparky called me from Hawaii where he is vacationing now with his wife.  He is extremely proud of his priceless collection and to answer my question, “No, nothing is for sale.”

Reading the dial on the rusty Texaco pump

Me and a bunch of pumps
I could probably remember!

Provo is big and beautiful, sitting right at the base of the mountains that must loom large and lovely when dusted with snow.  The population is 116,000, 82% Mormons.  I don’t know about the rest of the main campus of Brigham Young U here but the football stadium is a colossus!  BYU is touted as the best university in the nation at which to obtain a degree for the money, $6,000/semester/student and $3,000 for Mormons.  I could probably convert to Mormon for that kind of money!  Hell, I can believe anything for a 50% discount!  A total of 34,000 Cougs are enrolled at BYU (80% Mormons), where 36 different doctorates are offered.  Impressive.

 

We tried with all our hearts to find out more about Provo and its beginnings.  The Chamber was a few pristine cubicles with not a single brochure.  Just a little blonde poking at computer keys who kept saying, “Like, I really don’t, like, know.”  The Pioneer Bookstore had a whole shelf of dusty history books.  The fellow there told us to try City Hall.  The young lady there handed us four inch-thick books but no map of the town, no brochures, no time tables for the walking tour that they advertise.  In fact, there is no walking tour at all.  A light bulb went on in her head and she said, “I know!  The Health Services Department will probably have information!  Oh wait, never mind, they are closed due to (wait for it) Covid.”  She told us about a museum.  We tried to find it and the GPS took us to that address (and another museum, as well) but they weren’t there.  They simply weren’t there!

 

The ever-present Mormon temple, this one
in Provo.  I walked up and
opened the door.  A fellow came to the
door all decked out in white
(The Angel of the Lord?)
and told me I couldn't go in.  Maybe my shorts
and sandals entered into this equation.

Provo is closed for biz.  No rustic saloons with sawdust on the floors.  No maps.  No history.  No stories.  Nothing that you can’t read for yourself on Wikipedia.  Fine.

 

Provo sits on the shores of Lake Utah 
where nothing happens except fishing.
The lake is happily their source of bass,
trout and walleye!

As for good news:  the rv park next on the schedule in Meeker, CO, emailed to confirm our reservation and notified me that the restrooms, showers and other facilities are closed due to, you guessed it, the Wuhan virus.  Back when I booked it, all other rv parks in the vicinity were completely full because a holiday week end is upon us.  No facilities?  And I am paying for what again?  A parking place?  Just for fun, I decided to re-check some other places.  The KOA in Craig, CO came up with one site available, just the right one for us!  I couldn’t believe it!  I snapped it up and then canceled our reservation in Meeker.  It happens that Craig was where I wanted to go in the first place;  I just picked out-of-the-way Meeker because it was the last site available in all of CO (on my intended route).  So Lady Luck has finally blown on my dice!  Onward!