Fremont Indian State Park

During the construction of I-70 through the central part of Utah in the 1980's, workers uncovered the ruins of a large fremont indian village with numerous pit houses, granaries, rock tools and other artifacts dating from around A.D. 400 through 1300.  Archaeologists were allowed to go in and document the structures and artifacts before the highway construction proceeded.  The highway was eventually constructed, and the remains of the village and other collected artifacts are now preserved in the Fremont Indian State Park Museum.  There is still a lot of rock art near the museum and along Clear Creak Canyon.  The petroglyphs are pretty accessible off of a loop trail that starts right from the museum. 

This was our second time visiting Fremont Indian State Park.  We met up with the professional campers again and stayed in the Sam Stowe Group Site (which is a great little secluded canyon with excellent facilities).  We had a nice time even though the weather was a little too cold.  Our summary for the weekend was:  Freezing-Cold-Sun-Wind-Freezing-Cold.  It got down to about 15 degrees at night, which is pretty darn cold for camping.  Everyone's waterline was frozen in the morning, with luckily, only minor damage reported.

Since it was so cold, we stayed huddled up at camp most of the time...went to bed early...and waited for the next meal.  Still a better weekend than staying home and doing chores.

Fremont Indian State Park

We took the T@belot out on our first group camping adventure.  The adventure was organized by our bookclub tour hosts Jenni and Holly.  We had a pretty darn big group but managed to keep the injuries to a minimum.  A constant trickle of good humor and downright hysterics left most of us complaining merely of a minor side ache.  In total, I think we had 16 adults, 7 kids and 10 dogs.  Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

The frivolity was convened at the Fremont Indian State Park located conveniently off of Interstate-70 in central Utah. The facilities and scenery at the park were amazing. This is really a top-rate place, but don't tell anyone. The area is filled with historic pictographs and artifacts from the Fremont Indians that inhabited the area from about 1100-1400 A.D. It is amazing to think that all of this history, geology and beauty is just a few hours from home. It was nice to not only get away for the weekend and relax with some great friends, but to also step back in time and capture a glimpse of what life might have been like as a hunter and gatherer in such a beautiful yet harsh landscape.

As I wrote in an earlier posting, we bought the T@belot with high hopes of enjoying the simple pleasures of the great outdoors. So far, I have to say that the whole trailer experience has far exceeded my expectations. The treasures of a weekend away are priceless.

 

I love the pace of the camping day...and how you never really know what time it is or even what day it is.  And I like how personal interactions seem more personal.  Perhaps because we have left the clutter and distractions of life at home.  It was great to spend some quality time with old friends and to get to know some new soon to be old friends. 

I was also surprised by the familiar scent of the campfire that seemed to bring back all my childhood memories of camping and made me feel like a kid again.  I'm looking forward to getting out on the road again and finding out more of what camping has to reveal.  Thanks to everyone for a wonderful time.