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Show Moon Lake: Monsters, Myth Many tall tales are spun in the smoke of a campfire but few places can boast the diversity, imagination, myth and mystery of those told at and about Moon Lake. On any star splattered sum night some inquiring mind want to know, What monster, die bottomless' the subterranean river channel huge brown trout that used to may still populate the lake, the Spanish gold artifacts, die Lost Rhoades Mine, the local Indian and rancher tales, meetings with moose and bear and badger and countless other campfire topics. Of dieses legends, none is more enduring and intriguing than that of die Moon Lake Monster. Within 100 miles (barely 70 as the crow flies) of Dinosaur National Monument, speculation on the existence of a mountain Lake monster seems almost plausible. I first heard of the Moon Lake Monster from Gary Sutherland, father of one of the current owners of Moon Lake Resort at my first campfire circle there in 1994. Oddly enough, this seemingly farfetched yet detailed account of a lake monster sighting turned out to describe a phenomenon I f witnessed three weekaterjuid ' have yet to explain. With iw twinkfe in his eye nor tongue in cheek, Gary described what I might see if coriditions were right and I were darned lucky. He said the lake would be calm even mirror-glass- y with no wind or boats to create a wake. This would only occur in the morning or around dusk because, throughout the rest of the day, breezes would riffle die lakes surface, camouflaging any apparition of die monster. When it did appear, however, one would see a ripple moving slowly but steadily through the center of die lake, usually coming from the north end and zigzagging but mostly running closer to the far shore. He said it would appear like a rounded object pushing water in front of itself, moving smoothly enough to create a ripple but not a breaking wave. With a skeptical wink, I told Gary, Okay, Ill keep an eye out for that!. Yeah sure. Then, one morning around I saw it I was drinking coffee at daybreak in the Moon Lake Lodge watching a mirror glass lake come to light and there it was exactly as Gary had described. I gazed long enough to realize this warranted a better look. I grabbed my binoculars and stepped down the back stairs outside the lodge. Sure enough, no wake. ' mid-Jun- e, ilked only shorter in duration, the horMshqand volftfyball 3$imrday, I can recount what I courtsTfidstod9Won-- a IturnfiSaiyout not define what it was. In iy as1 if apprpacfied the near e. The biqocularfgave me r enough figjito know this s tla. beaver. AnaTckint know tSchocjfs in. iike fo ip , ofr&ekhat, boat, duck fig this ripple ' filing moving , toward the far shore, but rather at a wider-- t angle from file direction it traveled as it neared me. As it headed away, I observed the apex from the back and could see nothing breaking the surface; on file rounded push of water at on point, seemingly jusf below thj surface. That point looked same, coning or going. After another couple proaches and retreats toufard and away from the shor4netipffle'' gradually disappeared down-strea-m in the synbrightening reflection o back to the lodge, (WoiildertfihenjBhat I still Wjoffder today-Wn- at the beck was that!?., . The whole, show tad lasted ' less than a half hour and I met mi one that morning who was darned lucky" to see what I had seen. However, my wife and I both witnessed a reappearance a few weeks later that summer, exactly the same as file first j asons at Moon Lake, Yet, nohs frill Wrek went by when we iidid notbsqtjiiention of the Wjnster frofftlqcals, regular "returnees and ewq first time sitors who had hi something r other from a frienl whod been to tha lake before, ion I saw nations of f Cl started in (smoke of cimj sat the i Lake Re$ort d adjacent Porest Service cal ground. : this stage of wonder countiess other Mwn Lake mysteries, histories, legrods, 'i&iesC memories andipferfulative V I imaginings. These best cr times and memories do nolallgo up in smoke. They glow in the hearts ami the hearths of the forest year after year at Moo Lake, out of tips wwld... but stity in Utah." ThrjMooiyLake Resort offers full fifciijty cnstic cabins, boat feback riding and Jedid notK the monster. fapexof t ' Moon Lake, another breathlakingly beautiful stop on the list ofplaces to see in the Uintah Basin. 800280-226- 7. The Moon Lake Recreation Area is located approximately 32 miles north of Duchesne, Utah via State Road 87 and the Moon Lake road through Mountain Home and the Ute Indian Reservation into the Ashley National Forest at 8100 feet elevation an the edge of the High Uinta Wilderness. Hot Water Heaters Recreational Boilers Residential Commercial Industrial Hot Water Heat Quality Fixtures Open May through itions: (435)- - !FS cold water camp-5- 7 available sites on a !, first served basis. Call luchesne District Ranger Station (435)-7- 3 or the Roosevelt Ranger District Station for informaat tion. The Recreation Area also has two large group sites resemble by national reservation number (43S)-722-50- 18 & TKecA&iUcal P.O. Box 5 1 0068, Mountain Home, UT 840S 1 Saving Duchesne, Uintah and Wasatch Counties "Quality Service You Can Depend On." Custom Homes Rgmodels - Cabins Cisterns - Pressure Tanks Licensed - Insured DEAN E. JOHNSON (435)454-376- 0 Fax (435) 454-378:00 - 5:00 Mon. - Fri. 60 As you hike, hunt, or fish, why don't you look for your pot of gold. Get your copy of Lost Gold of the Uintah before you come. $1995 $500 Shipping & Handling Roosevelt! The Gateway to theUintas Write To: BenzoiLInc. P.O. Box 1030 Roosevelt, Utah 84066 Or Call: (435) 722-33- 44 |