“Cul-de-sac of Fire”

Every year we celebrate our Independence with the company of great Neighbors and Friends! This year was no exception. We started the morning of with a Neighborhood Flag Raising Ceremony and followed that with a Children’s Bike parade and the rest of the day was filled with good conversation, food, and company. What more can a person ask for? I got lazy after the bike parade and didn’t take any pictures but I tried to get as many of the kids in the parade as I could; If i missed anyone I apolagize.

Prospecting up American Fork Canyon

Nathan, Brennan and I along with some good friends (Peterson Family, Trosper Family, and Bryan Boshell) went up the canyon to do some exploring. It was such a blast that we ended up going back up there again a couple of days later to see what we missed. There were tons of old abandon mines (Silver and Gold) along with remnants of a ghost town, mountain man/mining cabins (at nearly 10,00 feet in elevation) and even some grave stones of victims of a diphtheria outbreak in the late 1800’s. There was a mining boom town up there called Forest City that grew to several thousand in the late 1800’s in anticipation on the American Fork Rail Road servicing it. The Railroad project ended up costing more money than it was worth and the down died with the news the railroad would not be completed. As we road our “four wheel drive” four wheelers up extremely steep and technical slopes and crawled over huge boulders, crossed snow covered passes (in July), and went through ice cold snow melt rivers all at between 8000-10,000 feet in elevation; all I can say to the long passed away residents of “Forest City” (who lived up there year round might I add) is . . . “You had Vision”, Determination, or where just crazy! (maybe a little of all three). It is so beautiful up there.

At one of the abandon mines, with the help of Marque Trosper, the kids discovered a ton of “Fools” Gold. They had a great time collecting it and planning out how they were going to spend their fortune.

We also discovered an old miners Cabin that someone was obviously homesteading and did some modern improvements since the 1800’s (such as plastic utensils scattered about). It was fun to find the cabin, but the experience would have been much more enjoyable if people did not do their best to destroy remnants of this past lifestyle for everyone else (windows broken etc.) Still it was fun and there was an outhouse on the very edge of the ridge line with the front door looking straight down to the mountain valley bellow. What a view he must have had each morning as he sat on the throne!

Foil Dinners after the Ride


Looking for more "GOLD"













Abandon mine loaded with Fools Gold












Look What I Found!!!! GOLD!!!





I saw it first, No I did!




Marque and Sarah also enjoy "Long Walks at the Beach."What a cute couple :)




























The Outhouse with a "View"