Day 8: Richfield to Ephraim

May 15, 2022

Today is a long but interesting day. The weather forecast calls for a high of 87F/30C, so I put ice in the insulated water bottle for the first time. It was sunny and 57F when I got on the road at 9:35. Warmer than previous mornings.

I enjoyed the view of the red cliffs northwest of Richfield. They look much better in morning sun than they did yesterday afternoon.

Morning view of the cliffs northwest of Richfield.

The day starts on UT 118 which has moderate traffic and a usable shoulder. In the village of Aurora I turned onto back roads to bypass the town of Salina. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of narrow roads surrounded by farm fields.

This house in Aurora fits all the Mormon stereotypes. The weather vane has a statue resembling the angel Moroni.

Former farm house grafted onto a tiny pioneer cabin.

It was nice to be on back roads instead of US 89.

I stopped to enjoy the views at a reservoir that is part of a wildlife refuge. Looking across the water gives me a view of multiple mountain ranges in multiple directions. One of the things I like best about the Great Basin is that you are always surrounded by mountains.

Looking south across Redmond reservoir in the Redmond wildlife refuge.

Just past Redmond I crossed the Sevier river for the last time. The river turns west towards the basin. I will go northeast to the Sanpete valley.

Final view of the Sevier river, looking upstream.

I stopped to rest at a shady park in the little village of Axell. A few minutes later a southbound cyclist saw me and pulled over to chat. We ended up talking for almost an hour. Russell is 71 years old, left his house in downtown Salt Lake City yesterday morning. He said this is his 24th time to pedal to his brother's house in St. George. His bike setup is ultra-light, but also old-school with a rack and pannier instead of frame bags. Maybe he doesn't want to scratch his gorgeous Bianchi frame.

71 year old Russell has pedaled 140 miles since he left his house in downtown Salt Lake City yesterday morning.

Russell and I were sitting on a bench in front of the town's unattended post office. A well dressed man drove up to get mail. We ended up talking to him for 20 minutes. After a few minutes, Russell correctly guessed that he was the local bishop, by his dress and demeanor. A bishop is the leader of a local congregation. Mormon congregations are mostly led by laymen. Not salaried clerics, and not women. The bishop is a software developer who works from home. Years ago the bishop biked to work in Salt Lake City. All three of us were former bike commuters.

Turning away from the Sevier river, now I have to climb a bit to get to the Sanpete valley. This view looks like a painting.

Best view I could get with a car parked in front.

Manti (pronounced with a long I) is the next town. I knew that Manti has a historic Temple, suggesting that the entire town might be historic. But it way exceeded my expectations. Manti is a fairy-tale town. A 19th century Mormon time capsule. It took me a very long time to get across town. I wanted to take pictures of everything.

Manti is a 19th century Mormon time capsule.

In the middle of Manti is an impressive stone LDS church completed in 1879. Not an ordinary LDS church. It looks more like the historic Tabernacles.

The neighborhood 1879 LDS church in Manti. Not a Tabernacle or Temple.

I spotted another Bishop's Storehouse in Manti. This one is now a gallery. It has an interpretive sign explaining the purpose of Bishop's Storehouses. After the Black Hawk war the Mormon towns were re-settled with more of a fortress design. The Bishop's Storehouse was a secure vault for storing valuables. The bishop may have controlled the supply for certain items, but the purpose of the storehouse was security, not control.

The Manti Bishop's Storehouse is a gallery now.

The 1882 historic Manti City Hall resembles the historic Council House in Salt Lake City.

Of course the highlight of Manti is the 1888 Manti temple, the second oldest existing LDS temple. It is very big and tall. It's hard to comprehend how they could build it without power tools. Restoration is ongoing, but it doesn't spoil the view very much. The grounds are closed during construction, though, so all the pictures are taken from a distance.

Manti Temple was constructed from 1877-1888. It is the second oldest existing LDS Temple.

There is a detailed Wikipedia article about this temple. Here's a summary:

The Manti Temple combines the Gothic Revival, French Renaissance Revival, Second French Empire, and Colonial architectural styles. The temple has 100,373 square feet (9,325 m2) of floor space, eight sealing rooms, four ordinance rooms, and a Celestial room. The exterior is made of fine-textured, cream-colored oolite limestone from quarries in the hill on which the temple now stands. The two towers of the temple are 179 feet (55 m) tall, and the open center spiral staircases inside the towers are marvels of pioneer ingenuity.

The temple is built on an imposing hill. You definitely look UP at the temple.

I wish I could see the Manti temple lit up at night, but Manti has no motels.

Manti Temple. This perspective makes it look like a castle.

I pedaled a few miles from Manti to the next fairy tale town, Ephraim which is also mostly historic buildings. Both towns were obviously very prosperous in the 1880's. Ephraim has more of a downtown business district.

Downtown Ephraim. The big building is the Social Hall.

Ephraim has an impressive granary building built with stone.

The Granary in Ephraim is now an artists' cooperative.

And Ephraim has the most impressive Cooperative Mercantile Association building that I saw during the tour.

Cooperative Mercantile Associations were established by Brigham Young to promote socialist community values.

A missed turn added 6 easy miles to my route. That's the downside of riding back roads with more complex navigation. Dinner added another 2 miles to the route. The day was longer than planned, but still not too difficult because of the minimal hill climbing.

Tonight's home is Willow Creek Inn in Ephraim. The $90 room has a fridge and microwave. A decent value. Dinner was at Subway. Dinner options are limited in a Mormon town on Sunday. Afterwards I realized the Chinese restaurant across from the motel really was open. Their dark tinted windows made it appear to be closed.

Today was a great day. Towns like Manti and Ephraim are the reason I'm doing this tour.

Distance: 63.2 mi. (101 km)
Average Speed: 10.3 mph (16.5 km)
Ascent/Descent: +1218/-840 ft. (+371/-256 m)
Miles 231-285 on the route map

Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 321 miles (517 km)

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Gregory GarceauAs you noted, Manti looks incredible. Hard to imagine I've never heard of the town. I have mountain biked in the Manti La Sal range though. Am I to assume that Manti is also pronounced with a long "i" and I've been mispronouncing it for the last 20 years?
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2 years ago

Kelly IniguezWill you be going back and adding maps to your journals? Today is a day I would especially like to see a map.

Adding maps here is SO, SO easy compared to . . . .
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2 years ago

Wayne EstesI would guess that the National Forest is pronounced the same way, but most people don't know it.
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2 years ago

Wayne EstesTo Kelly IniguezYou can see today's route on the main route map. Richfield to Ephraim is mile 231 to mile 285.
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2 years ago

Steve McallisterManti is(was?) famous for the annual Mormon festival where people would come from all around the word, kind of like a Mormon Mecca.
My Mormon family members would try to go every year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Miracle_Pageant

I never could figure out where all those people stayed, there isn't much in the way of lodging in the area.

Ephraim has a college. I had friends that were from Salt Lake City that went to college there.
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2 years ago

Wayne EstesI didn't know about the pageant. Thanks! I did read that Manti and SLC temples were the only two temples to do a live theatrical presentation for a certain ritual. Both temples are closed now for major renovations, and they will be like all the other temples when they reopen, showing a multimedia video instead. That allows them to do the ritual more often, and in multiple languages.
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2 years ago

Wayne EstesThe pageant in Manti must be inspired by the much longer-running pageant in Palmyra, New York.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Cumorah_Pageant
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2 years ago