It is easy to imagine back to a time when this little area was a
small rest stop on the main highway between Southern Utah and Salt
Lake City, 26 miles to the North. You can just see a family pulling
in so dad can buy a little gas and have that worrisome tire
checked. Meanwhile, mom heads inside hoping it's a bit cooler in
the building while junior pleads for a grape Nehi. Finished with
their business, they take a moment to read the nearby sign that
tells about a distant quarry to the East that was worked by men
long ago. Ready to hit the road again, they pull out onto the
highway, continuing Northward on their journey. In Just a few
miles, the little rest stop is a vague memory, mixing in their
minds with all the other places they have ever stopped on the many
roads they have traveled.
Amazingly, this little rest stop is still there. The tourists no
longer pass by but travel the high speed Interstate to the West.
They have been replaced by many more people rushing past on their
way to local destinations like the high school to the South, the
Expo Center to the North, and the malls and stores and restaurants
and movie theaters and everything else. But right in the middle of
it all, the gas station and historic sign remain (Or did until Aug,
2006 when the sign was removed). Still serviceable but their best
years are far behind them. And though the years have taken their
toll, both of them seem to defy time and gravity. Yet somehow, the
essence of the original location is vaguely present, frozen in time
for a just a little while longer. One can sense that their days are
numbered. Someday, possibly soon, it will all be gone.
I have passed this spot many many times and never noticed it. It
took a traffic jam and boredom to make me finally see it. For me,
it was like going back in time. I couldn't believe that it was
still here among all the development that has and is going on in
the area. Stop by when you have a little time to take it all in.
Look at the old gas station closely. Much can be read in what
remains of it. Read the sign while it can still be read. The
letters will continue to weather and the bushes in front will grow
and leaf out blocking much of it from view. And eventually, one day
you will drive by and notice that it's all gone. In its place will
be a shiny new building with plenty of parking in the back.
Even though the old gas station appears abandoned, it is being
used as a place of business. To validate your visit, email me the
name of that business. You will notice that, strangely, the name
does not appear on the front of the building. For some reason it is
tucked out of the way just like everything else about this
site.
I hope you enjoy this little spot as much as I did.
NOTE: Please do not include the name of the business in your log
entry even if encrypted.
UPDATE: Five years to the day that this cache was created, the
business, Hyde Garage, was torn down. Having been warned by a
finder the previous day, I took the pictures posted here. I talked
to one of the demolition workers who said that it was being
replaced by a strip mall, just as I had envisioned. It turns out
the owner of the garage, Clarke Hyde, lived in the house just to
the North. When I got there on March 17, 2008, the house had
already been torn down and the garage was next in line. "Probably
be gone by the end of the day" is what the man said. Along the back
of property, Clarke and his family were sitting in chairs taking
pictures as their home and business of many years was destroyed.
All in all, it was a sad ending to the Old HighwaY 89 Rest Stop.