Salt Lake area activities

Heber Valley Railroad tour

August 19, 2004 email from Ken Cooper (SN, 56-58): On the Heber steam train... is my blonde wife, Barbara Cooper sitting in her raincoat as she faced outboard. Others are standing. (That might be Bob Witkowski, FTG3 65-66, in the white hat standing behind her.) Shipmates and significant others were standing and walking aboard the yaw, pitch, and roll of the Heber train. It brought back our sea legs for a brief time. It was a pleasant experience to ride the train on the opening day of trout season. We did not see any of the fishermen catch anything. The day before was the first rain the area had in many months. The rain spurred the bursting of a multitude of Alpine wild flowers as far as the eye could see across the mountain meadows and hills. It was an unforgettable exposition of floral beauty as the train wobbled along the canyoned "river that runs wild". One of Robert Redford's houses was along side the riverbank. We spotted for our first time the famous Sego Lily, Utah's state flower growing in vast profusion showing its grey-white beauty. Another bonus was young rodeo competitors mingling among us while we awaited the train to start. Their high school rodeo was taking place during and after our wait for the train ride. It will be difficult but not impossible for ensuing Gearing Association reunions to equal the sheer enjoyment and conviviality of our Salt Lake City reunion. Best regards, Ken Cooper, engineering personnel, SN, 56-58