Discover Road release new episode- ‘Road Trip’
10-29-2020
A new episode of Discovery Road called “Road Trip” travels through Sanpete Valley as it leads to simple and wonderful things that are certainly worth stopping for.
Discovery Road Show producer and creator James Nelson says this episode offers stories that will excite and inspire people to start planning their next road trip.
This documentary series, produced by The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA), takes viewers along the Heritage Highway U.S. 89 in Airstream trailers. Surprising discoveries along the road include a town named Freedom, an outdoor movie theatre and a homemade pizza truck.
“I think the car, the family and a map still work for everyone,” Nelson says. “This program is an entertaining glimpse into Airstream history and a sample of what a night at the drive-in is like. Toss in some roadside pizza and an open road discovery of real freedom and you’ve got a pretty darn good show.”
The half-hour program started out to explore what people eat on the road and where they get their food. The answer is pretty much everything and everywhere.
It also features a brief history of Airstream creator Wally Byam, who was born on July 4, 1896 in Baker City on the Oregon Trail. He knew his grandparents had traveled west in a covered wagon fully outfitted with food, water and a stove. It all inspired him to create the Airstream trailer, Nelson says. He built his first travel trailer, tested it and streamlined it. The Airstream continues today!
An intriguing segment of this episode comes forward when Discovery Road introduces viewers to professional photographer George Frey, who has taken hundreds of thousands of photographs around the world, but those images from Utah and the heritage area are among his favorites.
Frey captures images of The Basin Drive-In in Mt. Pleasant, one of the few outdoor movie theaters still open and operating in the country. The fourth generation of one family has kept the silver screen going with good service, entertainment and a snack bar that always has something good to eat. The line at the snack bar starts long before the movies. It’s because the hamburgers and cheeseburgers all have a special sauce that makes them delicious and in high demand. Sacks of burgers and hot popcorn are popular favorites.
“Most people come in and say they’ve heard about our hamburgers,” says snack bar employee Michelle Akauola. “The first thing they always ask for is, ‘Do you serve fries?’ That’s how we know they are out of towners. We always say we serve popcorn and nachos. But they’re always excited to do something different and have fun and be able to come out and enjoy the environment out here.”
The program gives viewers one more gem in this installment. It’s called Freedom Road—a small stretch of black-top that leads to a town named Freedom.
Discovery Road is an award-winning ongoing documentary series broadcast each Saturday on the Utah Education Network (channel 9) at 6 p.m. MST and on several local cable television stations in Utah and surrounding states. All episodes can also be found on the website mormonpioneerheritage.org.
The MPNHA is a federally designated area of central and southern Utah running along the beautiful and historic U.S. 89. The Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance is the local coordinating entity of the MPNHA and receives annual funding from the National Park Service. Its purpose is to preserve, tell and interpret the stories, history, and heritage of the area, and to promote its culture and value.
