Green River, UT to Price, UT on US Route 6

Green River, UT to Price, UT

62 Miles

From the hotel strip that is Green River’s Main St, I got back onto I70 for three miles before seeing huge signs for Route 6W/191.  Utah rocks.  And, I mean that in every way possible.  I got off on Exit 157 and found myself surrounded by brown, hazy, desolate scenery in short order, and thus it remained for nearly 60 miles.  I had plenty of company, though.  Many cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and RV’s were whizzing by heading South.  This is a major route and this portion of Route 6 at least is not “the Loneliest Highway.” (That comes in a couple of days). There’s a lot of work being done on the road – it’s been widened in dangerous spots (Route 6 here used to be considered one of the deadliest roads in the nation), and looks like it will be widened and improved in others.  A friendly flagman joked that I’d have to wait “an hour” at his stop sign, then he turned it over to Slow and let me go. 

I passed a stuck-in-the-past abandoned gas station – the price of gas fixed in time at $1.89/gallon.  Those were the days.  I also passed a brown sign pointing to a Dinosaur Quarry, which struck me as funny.  Why not dinosaur Archeological Site?  Or dinosaur dig?  Were desert landowners quarrying dinosaurs for great kitchen countertops? Those certainly would start some conversations.  I want one.

Prehistoric Museum
Price, UT

Soon, I began to descend into a green oasis-like area.  This was the small town of Wellington, just a few miles East of Price, and the first sign of civilization in 60 miles.  There’s a slew of no-tell motels (one called “Pillow Talk” – wonder what goes on there?), churches, and the “Cowboy Kitchen” – home-cooking café.  “She’s Acting Single so I’m Drinking Doubles,” was playing on the radio.

Soon, the larger city (8,500) of Price was in view. There are movie theaters, restaurants, shopping centers – it kind of took me by surprise after all that remote desert driving. 

Columbian Mammoth
Prehistoric Museum
Price, UT

Native American Diorama
Prehistoric Museum
Price, UT

My first stop was the very good Prehistoric Museum; it’s where some of those quarried dinosaurs ended up (others are sent to museums all over the globe).  According to the museum’s director, the institution has undergone a name change (once the CEU – College of Eastern Utah – Prehistoric Museum, the name was shortened so as not to confuse people), and has its hands in everything from “discovery to digging to displays….we do it all!”  She went on to tell me that the area around Price is rich paleontologically, geologically and archeologically.  Scientists from around the world come here to explore.  In 1988, a Columbian Mammoth was unearthed here (less hairy than it’s wooly cousin), and people from as far away as Japan come to see the recreated skeleton as well as actual bones from the also-locally discovered Utahraptor; a little fierce creature made famous in the movie Jurassic Park.  Besides the dramatic re-creations of dinosaur skeletons, utilizing some of the unearthed bones, the museum showcases “projectile points” – defined as any pointed object attached to a spear, lots of Native American artifacts, and dioramas.  Also, there are two observation labs; one for paleontologists, one for archeologists, with sliding windows that visitors can open to ask questions of the working scientists.  Allow for at least 45 minutes in this two-story museum.

Cute Gift Shop: Wild N'Bellish
Price, UT

Price doesn’t have an artsy vibe, but there’s a sense of growth in the air.  I spoke to the owner of the incredibly fun gift shop, Wild N’Bellish (corner of Main St. and Carbon) and she mentioned that the three towns of Wellington, Price and Helper are indeed going through a growth spurt.  And Helper – just a few years ago written off as a ghost town – is now a magnet for artists.  (More on that when I get there tomorrow). 

EAT:

Main St. Grill Ice Cream Bar
Price, UT

For lunch, eat at Main St. Grill.  You can get a half-sandwich (basic, but good), and Salad Bar for under $9.  A variety of lettuce and fixin’s are super-fresh, and the salad bar includes home-made soup AND soft-serve ice cream with plenty of candy toppings.  I had to hold myself back. 

Price, UT

Anthony J's Restaurant
Price, UT

Grogg's
Price, UT

Main St. Grill Salad Bar
Price, UT

As for dinner, pickin's are slim in Price - though I'll mention two places I tried and might recommend in a pinch;  Anthony J's on Main St. is Price's answer to a "fine dining" experience.  The dining room is a dark, atmospheric cellar/speakeasy, and serves typical steakhouse/seafood/pasta dishes.  The waitress got my order wrong, then blamed me (I was presented with a cow-sized piece of steak, when I ordered the "petite"), always a no-no in the service profession.  But people seem to like this place, and the all-inclusive prices are right (under $20 for a full dinner that includes salad, soup, main entree and potato), so as I said....in a pinch.  The other very popular place is a bit out of town on Carbonville Rd; Grogg's, an outpost of the beer-maker, Pinnacle Brewing Co.  I probably should have planned to have dinner there - it was hopping, both outside on the patio and indoors where babies to senior citizens were enjoying burgers and craft been on tap.  My "Shock Top" - a Belgian Wheat - was fresh and wonderful.

STAY;  I can't really recommend the place I bunked down for the night. Shortly after I arrived a maintenance man barreled into my room without knocking.  (He apologized profusely, but it shook me up, and did not bode well).   Let's just say that the Holiday Inn in Price needs updating and staff service training in order to command its undeserved lofty rates ($130 for the night; and I'm a "preferred customer!)  The fact that breakfast does not come with the room (as it does in Holiday Inn Express brand), and powdered eggs and bland "homefries" (plain potato shreds right out of the freezer) cost good money here, I'd say skip it.