Utah, Day 6...Providence Canyon

 Friday September 6, 2024

      After packing up the room, I drove north towards the city of Logan, named for Ephraim Logan, an early fur trader in the area.  I drove this far north for one reason only, the next day's hiking trail.  

     But, since I was in the area, I decided to get a few miles hiking the trails in Providence Canyon.

      There's a six mile round trip trail that seemed perfect.  Sure, it was another steady climb, but a much lower grade.  As an added bonus, this would be a mostly dirt forest floor.  So, much easier on the legs.

     

      It felt good to just walk without having to constantly step over rocks or pick my way around loose gravel.  

      Great scenery, too....

    Eventually, I did make it to the three mile turnaround point.  If you had asked this morning, I would have sworn the trail ended with a waterfall.  It actually doesn't. 

    To get to the waterfall, it's another two mile to the end of the road.  I did consider it.  In hindsight, I should have.  Instead, I just worked my way downhill to the truck.

     Plan B was to drive to the waterfall.  What the heck, I had a 4WD pickup.  After a few minutes with the owner's manual... 4WD Engaged!

     It's a five mile drive from the parking area.  On the way up, I maneuvered around three Jeeps coming down, dodged a few larger stones and washouts in the road and was thinking about the helpful people at AVIS.  I decided to turn around.

     Instead, I worked my way back into Logan for some lunch and a pint at Prodigy Brewery.  Anna was working the bar.  Since it was quiet, we got to talking.  She's Canadian and we had a great talk about hiking trails in Canadian national parks.  

   

     Downtown Logan...in bloom...

     On the way out of town, I passed Jump the Moon art studio.   Michael Bingham owns the place.  He's a professional artist and high school art teacher.  He built the studio to help people with disabilities learn and develop their own skills.

     With nothing else on tap, and an early morning ahead, I found the Motel 6 and called it a day.