Helper, Utah

I get high with a little help from my friends

"With a Little Help from My Friends" (1967): Written by Lennon-McCartney; Recorded by The Beatles.  Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  EMI Studios.

Photo from Noe Hill 2010

“The Hub of Carbon County” is situated at the mouth of Price Canyon, alongside the Price River, on the eastern side of the Wasatch Plateau in Central Utah.

The name comes from the "helper" engines that aided westbound trains to make the steep (2.4% grade) 15-mile climb up Price Canyon to the town of Soldier Summit.

Castle Gate, Utah

Well they tell me that I'm wanted
Yeah, I'm a wanted man
I'm a colt in your stable
I'm what Cain was to Abel
Mister catch me if you can 

“Blaze of Glory” (1990): Written and recorded by Jon Bon Jovi. Album: Blaze of Glory. Mercury Records. 

The history of Castle Gate cannot be told without mentioning famed outlaw Butch Cassidy.

Soldier Summit

With an elevation of 7,477 ft (2,279 m), Soldier Summit ranks fifth in summit elevation on any U.S. transcontinental railroad main line.

The pass was discovered by two Spanish Friars - Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante - in 1776. However, the summit was named after a group of soldiers who died in a freak snowstorm in July 1861. Having previously served under Union General Philip St. George Cooke at Camp Floyd, these Southern soldiers were on their way to join the Confederate Army. The summit is their final resting place.

Thistle, Utah

This town is coming like a ghost town.

     “Ghost Town” (1981): Written by Jerry Dammers; Recorded by The Specials. Album: Ghost Town. 2 Tone Records.

Thistle is a ghost town in Utah County, about 65 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It sits at the confluence of two of the main tributaries of the Spanish Fork River: Thistle Creek and Soldier Creek.

Elvis and Me

I cannot honestly tell you how I became an Elvis Presley fan.  My parents are not fans of Elvis, or rock & roll.  My dad loves crooners like Sinatra and classic country singers like Willie Nelson.  Meanwhile, my mom listened to the soothing sounds of Johnny Mathis.  (I know, right!)  Whenever we'd have a music discussion, my dad would say, "I don't mind Elvis' music, as long as he isn't the one performing it."  (He used this same line with The Beatles.)

Night Train To Memphis?

"Night Train to Memphis" is a song written by Beasley Smith, Marvin Hughes and Owen Bradley.  It was made popular in 1943 by country legend Roy Acuff.  (The Charioters recorded it that same year.) Three years later, Roy starred in a movie with the same title.  (He played Roy Acuff, train station master.)

What It's About

In June 2016, I am making a pilgrimage to see the history of rock, country, soul and blues music.  My dad - who turns 79 this year - will be joining me.

It will be an eight-day trip that will take us over 5,000 miles through nine states.   We will travel by train, subway, bus and rental car.

We will have long talks, listen to great music, laugh and eat great food.

I can't wait!