Mark Avery 12 posts 0 comments

In 330 BC, Alexander the Great minted large silver coins called tetradrachms, featuring Hercules wearing a lion-head skin helmet on the front and Zeus enthroned, holding an eagle, on the reverse. These coins and their successors replaced the Greek Athenian Owl silver stater as the primary monetary trade instrument in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for almost 200 years. Coins don’t only hold monetary value; they tell stories. They visually depict historical figures, events, and symbols, giving us a glimpse into…

The rugged Piper Pawnee tow plane taxis forward on Runway 22 at Heber Valley Airport, taking up the slack on my tow rope. I give the pilot a thumbs-up, and we roar down the asphalt, the Pawnee towing me skyward in a slow right-hand turn over the pastures west of Southfield Road and toward Deer Creek Reservoir and the mountain ridges east of Wallsburg Valley. At 9,000 feet on the altimeter, I release from the tow rope and begin my search for lift, the essential ingredient for sustained soaring flight. Except for the wind…

Juxta-positioned between Daniels Summit, Strawberry Reservoir, and Wallsburg, are some of Heber City’s favorite “get up and go” trail networks. A bit further southeast on US 40 from Daniels Summit sits Strawberry Reservoir, and east from there, the road to Hanna, Utah, leads you back up into the higher Uinta mountains for a virtual smorgasbord of additional trails. I love the autumn season in the Wasatch! Fall may be the most glorious time of all for exploring Daniels and Strawberry. Autumn leaves of red, orange, and yellow…

Nadim AbuHaidar is the owner of OK3 Air, the sole Fixed Base Operator (FBO), fuel provider, and FAA-certified aircraft maintenance provider at Heber Valley Airport. Nadim’s mother is from New York, and his father is from Lebanon — they met, got married, and raised a family in Beirut, a kaleidoscope city of diverse personalities, politics, cultures, and religions. Nadim’s father was in the aviation cargo transportation business, and his father-in-law ran operations for Pan American Airways — he even organized the first US…

Perhaps Timpanoga hunters, as their ancestors referred to themselves, were the first to discover the cave that now bears their name. Without a written language, there is no such recording. “Timpanogos” comes from the Timpanogos tribe who lived in the surrounding valleys from AD 1400. The name means “rock” (tumpi-), and “water mouth” or “canyon” (panogos). The Timpanogos are a proud tribe of Native Americans who once lived in central Utah, from Utah Lake in the east to the Uinta Mountains in the west, and south into Sanpete…

At Soldier Hollow, west of Charleston, Utah, and Deer Valley Reservoir, against the southern end of the Wasatch Mountains in the shadow of Mount Timpanogos, our nation’s top biathletes train and compete against the best from nations across the world. Speed skiing around a hilly course at Soldier Hollow is a challenge for the best of us; now add a loaded rifle strapped to your back, an Olympic-caliber shooting range, and targets. Local Wasatch County biathletes and brothers, Phillip and Daniel Radu describe the experience,…

The beautiful Wasatch Back, Heber Valley, and west Uintah Range are home to a wide and growing collection of multi-use trails; many available for use in winter by Fat Tire Mountain Bikers (FT), Cross-Country (XC) and Back-Country (BC) skiers and boarders, and snowshoers. Hikers are not allowed to use the groomed trail system as they sink deep into the snow and may ruin the trails. There are groomed roads for winter hiking in most areas. Further, your dogs are welcome to join you as long as you pick up after their mess.…

Most articles and books on geology, anthropology, and history start with the early beginnings and progress chronologically to more modern times. For this article, we’ll follow suit, and begin with taking a look at Heber Valley’s geological history, with relatively late volcanic activity, faulting of the Wasatch and Uintah Mountains, Ice-Age glaciers, formation of the Heber Valley, and channeling of the Provo and other local rivers and streams. Culturally, we’ll summarize the man-made features of our environs, including the…

The Heber Valley has caught the wave of a global sporting trend: disc golf is on the rise, with the region playing its part in this rapid expansion. For those unacquainted, this popular sport uses rules similar to golf; however, instead of hitting balls into designated holes, players throw small plastic discs (think mini-Frisbees) at a target. Disc golf is usually played on a course with 9 or 18 targets, which are wire baskets, hung with chains designed to catch the discs. Players throw a disc from a tee pad in hopes of…

From its humble beginnings in 1947 until today, Heber Valley Airport (KHCR is its national identifier) reflects pioneering aviation history, growth, change and a whole lot of flying. In its early years, KHCR was known for a diverse collection of classic general aviation and warbird aircraft and their pilots. Russ McDonald and a few partners bought the land, developed a 3,300’ runway and started a fixed base of operation (FBO) they called Heber Valley Flying Service (HVFS). HVFS began with a small (45 x 60 feet) hangar with…

A bright summer sun lights up the large red barn west of a pioneer home site off Southfield Road. Chirping birds in two tall pines are momentarily silenced by the Heber Creeper’s shrill whistle as she rolls southwest along the historic Heber — Provo railroad line. Suddenly, my Minepro metal detector beeps loudly, indicating a metal object approximately 8” below (according to the digital readout). I am detecting around a brick walkway that leads to the now boarded-up front door. I dig a circular hole in the reddish soil…

In January, 2019, while skiing down to the Sultan Express Chairlift at Deer Valley, I noticed the outlines of an old silver mine below the lift to the East, and a large mine tailing area even further down the mountain. As a trained geologist, whose first job after college was exploring for geothermal energy and related epithermal ore deposits in Utah and Nevada, my curiosity was raised! In May of 2020 I finally got the chance to hike up and visit these old mines of the Park City Mining District, Mayflower Complex. The large…