We had just visited Canyonlands National Park Needles District after camping the night before at the base of the Abajo Mountains in Manti-La Sal National Forest above Monticello, UT when we were driving back through town and read the sign on the coffee shop: closed. This town of about 2,000 residents was celebrating Pioneer Day. Every July 24th Utah commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley which happened on this date in 1847. We walked around the festivities and sampled some fry bread from a Navajo food stall. Before heading out of town we caught this tractor pull.
Text and photo by Stephen Bugno
