SLIDESHOW: Life on U.S. Route 89
Folks used to get their kicks on Route 66, but if James and Barbara Cowlin have their way, travelers will be singing a different tune: "Life's so fine on Route 89."
The Cowlins founded the US Route 89 Appreciation Society, and are appreciating it right now.
They left Nogales, Ariz., on May 17 to follow the highway through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to the Canadian border -- and back. Including 89's two alternative routes, that's 1,963 miles each way.
The schedule is a bit fluid, but they plan to spend at least three days in Northern Utah.
The couple, who live in Oracle, Ariz., are photographing and making audio and video recordings as they go.
"We came up with the slogan, 'Life's so fine on Route 89,' and we want to ask people what, for them, makes life so fine on Route 89," said James Cowlin.
The images and interviews will be added to the website us89society.org.
"We have a very extensive website, with lots of information for travelers," he said.
Both James and Barbara are artists, and a multimedia show and fine art exhibit are also possibilities.
"Our ultimate goal is to make 89 a destination, the way 66 is," James Cowlin said.
66 versus 89
Route 66, running from Illinois to California, inspired everything from songs to T-shirts.
"It's one of those things people have nostalgia and fantasize about," said James Cowlin. "The truth of the matter, frankly, is that 66 doesn't exist -- it's a historical road."
The route was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1984. But U.S. 89, he says, is a living, breathing road.
"The east-west roads in the U.S. are the roads people tend to think of, because they were the roads of migration," he said. "It's part of our national heritage, whereas the north-south roads don't have that kind of fascinating history for people, so it really is harder to draw people's attention."
Gene Sessions, a professor of history at Weber State University, agrees that U.S. 89 was not as important as a major thoroughfare.
"But U.S. 89 has the same kind of cultural power behind it," he said.
Down south
U.S. 89 cuts through the heart of Utah.
"From Kanab into Sanpete, it's the place, really, to see the material culture of Utah," Sessions said. "There are just some amazing old Mormon towns that are colorful and unique, and display patterns of Utah history."
Those patterns include little towns laid out on big squares, with wide streets.
"I've been with architectural historians, literally, that go down there to take pictures of all the old, classic Utah architecture that you don't see anymore, unless you know where to look," he said.
U.S. 89 also highlights history by passing through the birthplace (Circleville) of outlaw Butch Cassidy, and the deathplace (Panguitch) of John D. Lee, who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Sessions also points out that much of Hollywood's version of Western history, such as in television's "Gunsmoke" and the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales," was filmed along U.S. 89, in Kanab.
Heading north
Jerry Stevenson, a former mayor of Layton, says the scenery has changed along the Davis County stretch of U.S. 89.
"It was almost fruit orchard start to finish. Now it's kind of houses start to finish, but it's still one of my favorite routes," Stevenson said, adding that he and his wife like to drive their convertible with the top down along the route. "We'll do that on 89, because it's not cluttered, and we don't have to look up to see a stream of semis."
Many of the orchards may be gone in Davis, but not farther north.
"In Box Elder County, Highway 89 serves as the famous Fruitway," said Carolyn Smith, a volunteer with the Brigham City Chamber of Commerce, explaining that fruit stands famously line the road from Willard to Perry.
And U.S. 89, from Logan to Bear Lake, has been designated as the Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway.
Scenic views
Beautiful scenery is what drew James Cowlin to U.S. 89.
"I was looking at a map ... and I noticed there is a string of national parks that seem pretty much on a straight line," he said. "What I discovered is that they're all on the same road."
U.S. 89 takes vacationers to Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton and Saguaro national parks.
"When I started traveling the road, what I discovered was a whole lot of interesting places in between the national parks and big cities," Cowlin said.
Among his favorites is Utah's Fairview Museum of History and Art.
"You get this really interesting mix of the Mormon history, but in the lobby there's a full-size casting of a mammoth skeleton that was unearthed nearby, and then in the gallery they feature work mostly by local artists," he said.
Another favorite? Gunnison's Sanpitch Dragon.
"The Sanpitch Dragon is a 218-foot-long mosaic, created under a bridge over the San-Pitch River on 89," Cowlin said. "It's sort of a community art project, and if you stand under the bridge as cars and trucks are going overhead, you hear the dragon roar."
The slow road
Freeways like Interstate 15 are faster, but travelers miss a lot.
"We're encouraging people to get off the interstate and enjoy the journey," James Cowlin said.
Slow down, the Cowlins say -- try unique shops and restaurants, and make new friends.
"We've met so many interesting people along the road," said Barbara Cowlin.
One was from Australia.
"His dad made a trip along quite a bit of 89 some years ago. His father had Alzheimer's, so the guy was re-creating the trip and taking photographs to take back to his dad so he could relive the trip," she said.
They also met a musician.
"We drove up a street in a sleepy, little town, and there's this guy standing kind of on the edge of the street with this ... 9-foot-long horn," Barbara Cowlin said.
The alpine-hornplayer was getting ready to perform with an American Indian flute-player.
"It was just this really, totally odd and unexpected sight, then it became a lovely conversation," she said. "That's the sort of thing that's so fun.
Leigh von der Esch, managing director for the Utah Office of Tourism, says her hat's off to the Cowlins.
"They've got a real love for Highway 89," she said.
And she thinks others will love it, too.
"I think 89 is perfect for what we see in today's traveler," she said. "People are looking for authentic experiences. ... With the downturn in the economy, it's not about consumerism, but learning and experiencing things with each other. That's why I think Highway 89 is perfectly positioned to get more attention -- and should get more attention."
FANS OF 89
James and Barbara Cowlin, founders of the US Route 89 Appreciation Society, aren't the only fans of the highway.
* Gene Sessions, a professor of history at Weber State University, says a group of Utah mayors several years ago wrote a grant for a lecture series along U.S. 89. Sessions was one of the presenters, speaking about interesting people, places and things along the highway.
* U.S. 89 between Logan and Bear Lake has been recognized as a National Scenic Byway by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
* President George W. Bush signed a law in 2006 establishing the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area. The designation recognized the history, architecture and culture along U.S. 89, from Fairview to Kanab. A website, www.utahheritage.com, highlights arts venues, museums and restaurants along the route.
* "People, Places & Things on US 89" is a collection of black and white photos by John Telford, a faculty member at Brigham Young University. The traveling exhibit, available through the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, was recently on display at Weber State University.
* Ann Torrence created "U.S. Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven Western National Parks" (2009). The book, with writing and photographs by the Salt Lake City woman, was published through her company, Sagebrush Press. She drove more than 15,000 miles to do the research and photography.
* "Road Trip: The Ballad of Route 89" is on National Geographic Adventure magazine's website, www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure. The article mentions the Cowlins' efforts.
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