Dry Well
This well-digging truck was sitting in a field outside of Grouse Creek, Utah.
Up near where Idaho, Utah, and Nevada come together is the small Mormon community of Grouse Creek, UT. First settled in 1875, it was named for the plentiful sage grouse that inhabited the area. Plentiful meadows in the area encouraged the support of cattle. By 1878, some of the sagebrush had been cleared off and wheat was grown but drought years made finding irrigation water difficult.
At that time, the Central Pacific Railroad still ran on the original transcontinental route; the nearest town for mail and supplies was Terrace, some 40 miles away to the south-east. A co-op store was opened in Grouse Creek but was only partially successful – several owners came and went over the years.
An LDS (Mormon) Ward was formed in 1879; meetings were held in private homes until a hall was built in the 1890s. A sandstone chapel was built in 1912 but torn down in 1983 when a new chapel was built.
A post office opened in 1890, a school opened in 1892. An irrigation pipeline was constructed in 1908; electricity came in 1952.
Even now, Grouse Creek – at an elevation of 5500 feet – is a very remote settlement of about 90 people. Mainly a ranching center, there are no paved roads leading to the town although the main street in town is paved. It’s a long way to nowhere from Grouse Creek, and when you get there, it’s still a long way to what many call civilization.
The roads leading to Grouse Creek are not recommended for low-clearance vehicles; 4 wheel drive is recommended, especially in wet conditions. The town may be inaccessible in snowy conditions. It is 20 miles to the nearest paved road (UT30), 80 miles to Wendover (on I-80) and 200 miles to Salt Lake City. Snowville is between 85 and 105 miles away, depending on the road taken; Twin Falls, ID is 100 miles away and is the closest major town.
There is very limited lodging, gas, and supplies available in town. It is not the kind of place one ups and moves to; while the people are friendly, it is the type of town where one is not a “local” unless one’s g’grandparents lived there. My guess is it would help to be Mormon if one chose to move there.
1941 Chevy
You know childhood is totally over with when your greatest joy in life is appreciation of hot black coffee…. and erosion. Personally, I refuse to become an adult… a species known for being incredibly boring.
For me, black coffee and any form of alcohol suffer from the same ailment.
I just don’t like the taste-flavor.
I’ve tried hundreds of *examples* of both and didn’t like any of them.
I’m heavily addicted to 2 things.
Coffee and a buzz.
I have customized both so as to be tolerable.
**The absolute worst coffee I have ever tasted, and I tried it twice from two different locations, was Starbucks normal coffee, or whatever they call it.
I took a sip from a plain black pour. After dealing with an instant 3rd degree burn on my lip, I noted how foul it tasted.
So I doctored it with about 4 creams and 4 sugars. Tasted it again and it was still hotter than hell and it was like the cream and sugar never happed.
So I applied both again and the same thing. Nasty, nasty, NASTY! Threw it right in the shitcan.
Went through the whole scenario again at a later date and location and the same thing happened.
Therefore I have come to the conclusion that Starbucks is successful because of what I call their “dessert drinks”. I have never had one so I don’t know if my assessment is right or not and I don’t even care.
Starbucks is not a coffee shop.
Starbucks is a dessert drink shop.
Coffee began for me at age 14. I used to do cream & sugar and my mom said, “Stop with the sugar for one week and you’ll never add it again.” She was correct. More accurate is a big shot of milk. I never buy Starbucks or boutique franchise brew anywhere. I make my own at home every morning and no need to drink more throughout the day. As for erosion I can gaze out my kitchen window or stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom.
My son recently mentioned that he’d seen a story which said that if sugar had to meet FDA standards today, that it would never get approved. Sugar is completely addictive, and I have to confess that I am one of the addicted.
I have had a couple of periods in my life when I completely minimized sugar–to include in my coffee–but those didn’t last very long.
Starbucks sucks, and always has. How they’ve become what they have become is a mystery to me. Actually, no….that’s not right. What Starbucks has done is to change the coffee experience. You used to walk up to a counter or sit down at a restaurant table and order a coffee. The girl handed you a black cup of coffee and maybe you added your own servings of milk and/or sugar. It was simple.
With Starbucks, you line up and order some fancy-pants coffee, they write your name on the cup, and you pick it up at the end of the counter. You didn’t order a small, medium or large….you used the terms “Tall”, “Venti” and “Grande”. The beans are burned nearly to death and the coffee is delivered to you just short of boiling hot, neither of which appeal to me.
One cup a day, in the morning. I buy the Kirtland medium roast bean at Costco and grind them myself. Pack my ground coffee into a stainless Keurig thingi and then clean it out for tomorrow’s cup when I’m done.
Whichever knucklehead put the bullet holes into the windscreen gets points docked off when he gets to the Pearly Gates.
If restored, that glass would have to be replaced anyway. The weak point is the plastic lamination sheet between the glass panels, it turns white over time.
I was wondering which trendy restaurant has that hood hanging on the wall with it’s “sweet patina”. As Ol’ Remus has said, them fenders can be drilled and tapped, referencing how thick the steel was back in them days. Just from what I can see in the pik that truck can indeed be restored but it’ll cost ya!
This is what the front end could look like.
Motor looks missing. Wonder what was in there.
Grandpa bought a new 46 Chevy truck, I think it cost about $1700. I put a lot of miles on it hauling totes of green beans, sweet corn, baled hay and silage. Drove that Chevy and a 51 Studebaker as soon as I got my license