An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered. – Gilbert K. Chesterton
I arrived in Moab, Utah ninety minutes before sundown. Good timing I thought, enough time to get set up at the RV park before dark and then head uptown for a nice supper at one of the many eateries jammed with tourists. That was the plan. Pretty sure Joseph and Mary had a similar idea when they pulled into Bethlehem, and I had the same reception they did. Except in Moab, even the stable was full.
My reservation was lost and every RV park, campground and motel had the NO VACANCY sign out. After repeated fruitless attempts I realized I had become part of a caravan of campers going from one place to the next desperately searching for a space for the night. Breaking formation, I puIled over and opened the AllStays app on my phone. Assuming Moab was a lost cause at this point, I searched a wide circle around the area. At the farthest edge of habitation bordering the empty desert was a place called Ballard RV Park. I called them and the nice lady that answered said that she had two spaces left. I told her I would be there as soon as I could drive the road from Moab; she said she’s see me in half an hour.
Welcome to Thompson Springs
If you head North out of Moab thirty miles back to Interstate 70 and then go East five miles you reach the town of Thompson Springs. As of October of 2018, the population was down to 35 souls in this town that has lost just about everything but a tenacious will to survive. The mines in the Book Cliffs above the town shut down, the trains no longer stop here and the stretch of US 50 that was once the main drag was relegated to frontage road duty when I-70 went through. The DOT doesn’t even bother to keep it paved anymore.
Of the local businesses, all that remain are the Ballard RV Park, a gas station at the Interstate and the Desert Moon Hotel, whose four rooms and dusty RV parking lot are for sale, along with much of the rest of the town.
Thompson Springs isn’t quite a ghost town yet, but it’s not exactly what you’d call thriving either. Ballard’s is the cornerstone of the economy, and it’s this property that transforms the town from a two minute photo stop into a really great base camp for exploring the parks of South Central Utah. They offer full amenities for both RV owners and their cabin rentals at a fraction of the high prices in Moab, with none of the crowds and traffic. The friendly owners will also offer guidance on places to visit you would probably never had heard of otherwise. For me it turned frustration into one of my favorite stops of my 2018 tour. I will be back!
Next time: Petroglyphs, Ghost Town and John Wayne!