Obscure Utah trips. Big Boy, The Cowboy Cafe, Lucin and the Sun Tunnels. - 21 April 2026

The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is a restored and operational steam locomotive. It's the world's largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive, and it's currently on its 2026 Coast-to-Coast tour celebrating America's 250th birthday. Big Boy was at the Ogden, UT railway station for public view 18 and 19 April 2026. TIMDT and Mwah (sic) drove up to see the Big Boy exhibition in Ogden on 19 April 2026.

Above: The Bishop and TIMDT at the Big Boy Exhibition, Ogden, UT Union Station. 19 April 2026

I wish I had latched on to Big Boy's 2026 travel program earlier. For the intrepid Utah based adventurer who has a yen for the obscure, there would have been an even better (than going to Ogden), albeit obscure, way to see Big Boy on a day trip from the Wasatch Front. One could have seen the massive locomotive in motion the day before, 17 April 2026, as it passed through Montello, Nevada at noon.

Yet, a trip from the Wasatch Front out to Montello is worthwhile on its own... even without the Big Boy connection.

The Cowboy Cafe and Bar, Montello, NV (closed Mondays), famous for its eight-ounce burgers, is a must dining experience and worth the trip to Montello on its own. Montello is reached by a right, NE bound, turn from I-80 on to NV SR 378 halfway between Wendover, UT and Wells, NV.

After a burger at the Cowboy Cafe, a traveler can continue NE bound on NV SR 378, which converts to UT SR 130 at the Utah state line. Just beyond the state line, a Box Elder County graded road to the right (south) leads to Lucin, an old water stop on the original route of the transcontinental railway. From the 1930's to the 1970's people tried to colonize Lucin. Now, Lucin is just a ghost town. Walk through Lucin's stand of Oak Trees and pause by the spring fed pond. Try to imagine how settlers might have fared trying to make a life in this enigmatic location.

Four miles south from Lucin are landscape artist, Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels. At the summer and winter solstices, celebrants camp at the nine foot in diameter Sun Tunnels to observe the two days of the year when the sun rises and sets directly through the tunnels. It's kind of a... um... Druid like affair... Burning Man squared. Nancy Holt was the wife of Robert Smithson, creator of the land art piece, The Spiral Jetty. The Sun Tunnels are only 63 miles away from The Spiral Jetty, as the crow flies.

After the Sun Tunnels, a traveler can continue south back to Wendover on the dirt road or drive/ride northeast to Tremonton, UT, and I-15 via SR 130 NW bound. Or, back, the way you came, SW bound on UT SR 130 and NV SR 378 to I-80. It's easy to find detailed directions to all locations via internet search.

Visiting Montello, Lucin and the Sun Tunnels is one of my favorite "Obscure Utah Trips." The Montello loop ranks right up there with the Wyoming Corner Monument and the lone Sequoia tree at Browse.