The Kozy Cafe, in Echo Utah
Seems like I’ve been working a lot lately. Things hit a break, just in time for my wifes annual family reunion. We’ve been since before we were married, and now that I live closer I figured it a good time to see if I could find some back roads to the annual event.
I was the guy in st george who knew every single road for 500 miles. The guy who planned poker runs, weekend trips and went nuts to see where that road jutted out from a backroad, and where it went. Man, I’m not up here. It kind of drives me nuts. Up here, I ask a lot of questions, Mostly to the old timers, who are glad to tell you their stories and tell you some background that’s interesting to me. I’ts nice to learn a whole new set of roads, do some exploring and hopefully share it with someone else down the road. Summers are short here, so you gotta make hay while the sun shines.
Been riding with some of the locals lately, so was able to stay off the interstate and mozy toward my goal. I found a lot of historical markers I passed, some railway markers, and even hit a short spurt of the old Lincoln Highway. Things I’ll explore later, because they’ll fill in the blanks and make the ride more exciting later. Right now, I was going macro. We’ll go micro later.
Riding alone, for me is relaxing. I set my own pace, worry about my own shit and stop at random curiosities when I want. The weather is nice now. It’s time to step it up.
Kamas utah is an old utah farming town and is just a great ride. Oakley, Peoa, all great riding. Coalville needs to be explored, but I just rubbernecked through it and see its alive and kicking, much like an old route 66 town. I rounded rockport lake, at what what was clearly the old road (Spotting old, per interstate highways has become old hat), crossed under the freeway that goes to Evanston Wyoming and soon I was in Echo Utah.
Echo was a significant place during the heyday of the railroad. It held coal, and helper trains up the Wasatch. It was at the mouth of the main artery from Wyoming, and Salt Lake. Echo still holds rail cars at its junction, but not much else. As you ride by, you can smell the unique grease and metal that only railroads produce. It told me that something interesting was coming up, and escorted me out of town. It was US Route 30, and It’s high point was world war II. As of now, its just a trailer park. it has ghosts. Man, I felt like I was on route 66. this cafe was just full of questions for me. . I figured my inlaws who were born in this area would have some stories.
I hit the reunion with my phone pictures, and I did get a few stories. Mostly they were surprised I thought so much of the place. To them, it was just a place growing up. it’s 200 yards from the interstate, and a mile of backroads to get to it for no reason. The fact that the Kozy survived so many years later is a testament to itself. Former employees claim its haunted. The last thing I found was that it was open as late as 2009. I wished I’d have ate there. I’d have swung wide to help keep a place like this open. Kinda sad.
After the reunion I doubled back with my oldest daughter on the back of the bike, and my wife and other kids following. We found a new road, and I noticed some junctions I need to chase down, with some local advice on where they go and how beautiful they are. These are my next road goals. I’m going to find em, take some pictures and post em on the blog. I got no doubt I’ll come back with something good.
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