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SCIPIO &8212; The owners of a gas station in Scipio want their business to be a destination for travelers. If you've got to stop for gas anyway, they say, you might as well have something to do while you stretch your legs.
The hand dryer
There's a good chance all you have to do is get off the Scipio exit on I-15 and you'll hear them.
"They're pretty loud," said Joe Palmer, a man visiting from California.
"They almost blew the skin off my hands," said Lauralee Wallace, a visitor from Montana.
"It almost blew me out of the place," said Mack Hinckley, a Utah visitor.
All of them were talking about the noise coming from inside the restrooms at the Eagle's Landing Flying J on the west side of the interstate.
Mark Yardley owns the gas station. When it was built in 2005, he decided right away he wanted hand dryers that would actually dry your hands.
"I saw them at a trade show and wanted them," laughed Yardley. "We're really happy to have them. It's been a lot of fun."
Workers here say people have come back just to use the dryers again. The force of the air makes your skin look like you're sky-diving.
"It's hilarious," said DeRay Quarnberg, the manager of the Dairy Queen inside Eagle's Landing. "You don't see anybody come out of there who doesn't have a comment about the dryers. In the wintertime, people will stay in there a little longer to get warm."
The gas station has become so well known for its hand dryers, many people come in asking if they're in the right place to see the dryers.
"Ninety-nine percent of customer feedback is compliments," Yardley said. "Some people say it's a little loud on the ears, but one thing about it, they definitely work. You don't have to come out of the bathroom drying your hands on your pants."
Petting zoo
Eagle Landing isn't just about hand dryers though. Even though you might hear the dryers first, you actually see the petting zoo first.
That's right. A petting zoo at a gas station.
Oh sure, it's a little different. But who wants to be like everybody else? That's why we did it.
–Daniel Davis, Eagle's Landing manager
#davis_q
"Oh sure, it's a little different," said Daniel Davis, the manager of Eagle's Landing, "but who wants to be like everybody else? That's why we did it."
At the petting zoo, anyone can come and pet the animals for free. There are sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, alpacas, a zebra, and several other animals.
The animals are a big hit with children. "It's something good to get bored kids out of the car for a minute," said Hillary Coombs, of Kaysville, "It's a nice little break on the way to St. George."
That nice little break is exactly why the petting zoo was put in. Yardley says he wants his station to be a sort of destination. That way, people can stop and have something to do instead of driving on the road tired.
Yardley thinks getting drowsy drivers off the interstate helps keep us all a little safer. "There's a lot of safety that comes into play, because people have a chance to stop here and get out and walk around and move," he said. "They're not going to fall asleep out there on the road."
The flag
There is also a large American flag flying in the front of the gas station that has become popular with veterans.
"It's kind of become our trademark," Quarnberg said. "We had a lot of servicemen from this little town who died in World War I, World War II, and in Vietnam. This is just our way to honor them."
Quarnberg says he's seen lots of veterans take their picture with the flag flying in the background.
Owners also plan on building a miniature golf course outside the gas station. "Our philosophy is if you're going to do something, do it right," Davis said. "All of this is just another reason to stop here."
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