A Trip to the Mine after all these years - July 18 - July 26

Before Theron and I were married, he introduced me to the family mine (Ironmask 2) on Moseby Mountain located up Paradise Road in the Uintah Mountains outside of Tridell.  We took a trip to fish at Dry Fork and then rode the rough road to Blanchett Park.  Adrian was just not quite a year old when we took our first family trip over July 24th holiday.  This trip was sleeping and living in a tent.  Soon after, we bought a used tent trailer and used it every summer until they closed the mine (1990).

 Getting water from the spring.

The rzr turned into a four-seater - safety strap and all.

Curt and Marc spent their youth holidays sliding down the dump hill, hiking to the hole in the rock, trying to find the blowhole, walking to the sink hole, riding the quaking aspen horse and running all day.  Adrian did much the same, but she was usually saddled with things Katiann liked to do.  Still, it was a fun time each year.

Theron helped Kendall and Grandpa (Neal) Schaefermeyer muck out the mine blasts and hauling tools, chains, saws, dynamite and whatever they needed.  He pushed a lot of mine cars from the inside to the outside and back to the inside to be filled.

Grandpa Neal had hauled a small 10 foot by 12 foot cabin up for he and grandma to stay in.  They had dug an outhouse hole and even piped spring water down for us to have continuous running water.  Sometimes, they would drape a canvas around three trees and we would have a shower room.  Every night was a fire and stories or songs.

Because everyone was getting older and they hadn't found the vein of gold they were after, they closed the mine by dynamiting the front entrance closed.  That was in July 1990.  This year was the first time in five years that we have been back as our entire family which now includes spouses and grandchildren.  Curious people have dug a small entrance hole that you slide down to enter the mine and then you can walk back to the end.

Theron, Adrian and I left Henefer after Janeil's memorial service on Saturday and drove to logger's park.  We were there about a week; everyone else came up July 23 and stayed to July 26.  We explored the area and scoped out all the things to do.  It was really a quiet time.  We knew after everyone came, it would be noisy and it was - but what joyful noise it was with kids running, throwing rocks in the stream, and just having fun.

We all had trailers to stay in, Curt brought a quad and we had our rzr.  We stayed at logger's park at the top of the mine road entrance.  These were three great days remembering, recreating all the kids sliding down the mine dump and all the grandchildren.  Getting water from the spring.  Cutting a large pine tree down and chopping wood.  Hearing stories from Kendall and Carol.  (Kendall stayed two days and slept in the back of Aubrianna's pickup truck which Kati and Aubie and Cash slept in a small tent.)  Carol and John stayed in a hotel in Vernal and drove up everyday.

Adrian and I found some fool's gold in Roosevelt and so all the kids panned for gold in the stream and went home with a chunk of fool's gold.

 All our "he" men with computer hands got a few callouses from chopping wood and of course Curt dozed while Kendall talked on.

It's still quite a view from up on top!

Who knows when the next time will be that we "go to the mine" as a family.  We enjoyed every minute of this trip and hope our grandchildren learned a little about how their parents spent their childhood time.  Memories!!!

 It's not a Schaefermeyer outing to Roosevelt and Vernal without going to the Dinosaur Quarry where Great-grandpa William Schaefermeyer worked with Earl Douglas to mine dinosaur bones.  Note how we all have masks this year - the Covid plaque is still alive and well.