5 Mar 2012 - posted by Dennis. JD’s Motorsickle Tours.com
At last I had delivered on a promise! Well almost, I said we would go to Paris someday.
But this was Paris UTAH.
With the vast uninhabited canyonlands behind us now it was great to see some green grass and the scattered homesteads, even the occasional cow.
Staring down a long straight highway I could just make out a town in the distance. A line of buildings each side of the street but not much behind that, just grazing land and run down, well spaced homes.
WELCOME TO PARIS, the sign invited us on but as we cruised down main street we noticed that the shops were closed, boarded up and abandoned, just a couple of lone Harleys parked outside a diner at the far end and as we got closer I recognised them, “It’s the Wellington Boys!”
Through the batswing doors they sat with large welcoming grins. Man it’s hot, so when the waitress arrived I ordered a large chocolate milkshake with ice cream ..... only to be amazed to learn that they didn’t have any ice cream, in fact they didn’t have any milk. Only creama pottles for coffee. What about those cows down the road ? No sir, no milk ! Settling for cokes all round we gazed around and discovered the walls were covered in well weathered cowboys hats, under each was the cowpokes name, his ranch and it’s brand. Fantastic.
When our waitress returned we enquired why and were told, they are the folks that lived there and the ones with roses underneath are the deceased. Amazing.
Across the road stood a huge PINK rock tabernacle with reportedly the best acoustics outside Salt Lake City. Sadly unused now but history tells us that Mormans settled Paris on their way north and mined the pink rock about 20 miles away across a lake. They loaded the rock onto sledges pulled by bullocks across the frozen lake to deliver their cargo. Old timers blow me away.
Quickly, another delightful fact. The state lottery had reached 123 million so we had to get a ticket and a few days later watched TV as the winner received his cheque. He said he purchased the ticket with his last seven dollars and that right now on the 16th floor above him, his exwife was getting remarried, “ Have a great life honey” he smiled. America the wonderful does it to me again.
Dennis. JD’s Motorsickle Tours.com
