Bear Lake

What’s up everybody?

Here in Utah on the 24th of July we celebrate Pioneer Day.  What is Pioneer Day?, you ask.  Well its the day that the Mormon Pioneers first stepped into the Salt Lake Valley after being driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1847.   For us Utahns it kind of a big deal.  Its a state holiday and for the most part the majority of the people get it off.  In essence its another 4th of July and we celebrate it much in the same way.  Fireworks, parades, and barbecues are all on the menu.  You know, typical family fun.  

Around this time our family gathers around for a Family Reunion.  Every year we choice a different place to go and the same thing always seems to happen.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my family but they have a hard time making decisions.  Honestly it like herding cats.  I don’t know if you have ever tried to herd cats.  Don’t! Its nearly impossible.  Picking the location is not the problem but trying to plan out activities and meals is another story altogether.  It might be crazy but in the end we eventually figure it all out.

For this years trip we decided on Bear Lake and I was less than thrilled about it.  I know that I mention this in every post that I do about large bodies of water.  I’m not a water person.  Never have been but I’m really trying hard to be one.  Well, maybe not that hard.  At least I’m trying.  I am not going to lie, when I initially heard that we were going to the lake the first thing that I did was to try to research somewhere else to go while everyone else went to the lake.  Ultimately though, I knew that it was something that everyone wanted to do and that I would have to suck it up and be an adult about it

Here is a little background info for you.  Bear Lake is a freshwater lake that sits on the border of Utah and Idaho.  This 109 square mile lake is almost equally split in half by the two states.  The lake is know for its unusual turquoise-blue water, much like the waters found in the Caribbean. This coloration is due to the refraction of the calcium carbonate or limestone that is found in the water.  Because of the lakes composition many unique species of fish have evolved and can only be found here.  Unfortunately some of the species that once thrived in the lake have gone extinct.  

Many Native American Tribes knew of the Bear Lake Valley but it was mainly inhabited by the Shoshone.  It wasn’t until 1818 when French-Canadian trappers, working for the North West Company, entered the valley to become the first non-Native people to lay eyes on the lake.  The southern end of the lake became home to several Mountain Men Rendezvous.

Now a days the lake is surrounded on the south and west sides by small communities.  One of the most notable is Garden City.  Recreation is the big draw to the area.  Obviously, the lake is at the center with boating, sailing, swimming, laying on the sandy beaches, and plenty of other water activities.  If the lake is not your thing there is plenty of other things for you to do.  A hundred of miles of ATV trails will take you deep into the surrounding mountains of Utah and Idaho.  You can also travel into the mountain if you so desire.  There are several smaller cave system that are ripe for exploring.  We took the opportunity to visit Minnetonka Cave.  I’m going to get into that just yet.  Thats an adventure for another time.

We had reserved a group camp sit in the North Fork Campground.  The campground is located a few miles up St. Charles Canyon from the small town of, you guessed it, St. Charles, Idaho.  North Fork isn’t the largest campground around.  It is made up of several smaller sites and the group site which will accommodate up to 50 guests.  Each site does have camp tables and a builtin fire pit.  There is only one pit toilet for the campground to share.  Which isn’t too bad I guess, at least you get one and don’t have to poop in the woods.  The campground itself is surrounded by large trees and St. Charles Creek passes through it.  It also gives you access to North Fork Trail, which is a 55 mile path that takes you up the backbone of Wasatch Mountains.  There are plenty of option as the trail is open to motorcycle, bikes, horses and good old human legs.  We didn’t have the time to checkout the trail and quite frankly, I don’t think I would have been able walk it.  Not that I would try to walk the full 55 miles without being better prepared for it.  Another time maybe.  There is only one complaint that I had.  The dirt is very fine and had a tendency to get everywhere but even that wasn’t that big of a deal.

Here is my tip for you.  If you are planning on going to the lake go early to find a good spot.  There are several areas you can stop at but they are first come first serve and they fill up fast.  Unless you have a spot at one of the marinas that are around.  I’m not really familiar with them so I can’t tell you a lot about them.  I guess I’ll have to look into it one day.

We left camp about 9:00 am and found a nice spot that would accommodate our whole group.  We had rented some kayaks and we brought some inflatables to take out with us.  The majority of us mainly sat in our inner tubes and let the waves take us wherever they wished  us to go.  Which was mainly back to shore.  Others paddled their way around the lake in the kayaks and other boats.  For me I hung out in the shallows and played with Odin.  Odin really loves to play in the water.  We can’t even water the yard without him attacking the hose or sprinklers.  He doesn’t like to take baths though.  Goofy pup. We enjoyed the quality time together regardless.

We spent the majority of the day playing in the lake but everything fun eventually has to come to an end.  We did have one more stop to make before we went back to camp.  I forgot to mention this earlier, Bear Lake is also famous for their raspberries.  They even have Raspberry Days during the first week of August.  You can not to go Bear Lake without having one of their famous raspberry shakes.  There are several place that you can get them but I would suggest going to Quick ’N’ Tasty.  I have been here a few times and have yet to be disappointed.

I may not be a water person but it is starting to grow on me.  I really enjoyed spending some time at Bear Lake.  Getting away from the city and not have to worry about my other responsibilities was nice to do.  I will have to admit that I have been thinking about purchasing some kayaks for ourselves.  We’ll see if that happens. I could change my mind again and remain a land animal.  Its fun how your attitude can change over time.

Well thats all I have for you this time.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh

Tour of Utah: Midway

What’s up everyone?

Well, we had another break in the weather and you know what that means.  Weekend trip!  This time though we headed North, more East….possibly South East, towards the snow covered mountains.  Normally I would want to be headed South to get out of the snow.  I’m not much of a winter activity person.  Unless it involves a snowmobile then I might change my mind.  I’ve been snowboarding once before and it didn’t end to well for me.  I jacked up my shoulder and I couldn’t lift my arm above the shoulder for several weeks.  That ended my snowboarding and skiing career before it even began.  Don’t get me wrong though, I will get out and play when the need arises and the need did arise.  We felt like we needed to get out of town and found ourselves on a little adventure to Midway, Utah.

Midway is a small town, of about 4,000 to 5,000 people, in the Wasatch Mountains.  It is about 30 miles from Salt Lake City.  I don’t want to call it a ski town,  its more like a farming community that turns into a ski town after the snow falls.  Midway is home to several world class resorts.  There is a lot more to Midway than farming and skiing though.  Midway sits upon a geothermal hot spot.  There are several dozen hot springs, better known as hot pots, in the area.  The water in most of these hot pots are around 90 to 95 degrees.  The largest and best known of these hot pots is the Homestead Crater, found at the Homestead Resort.  The crater is over 200 ft in diameter, 55 ft in height, with a water depth of over 65 ft.  A trip to the crater allows you to soak, swim, and even scuba dive year round.  We were unable to reserve a time so we were not able to go see it.  A shame really.  I’m not much of a water person either, but even I think that it would have been pretty cool to rest my wary bones in the waters of this giant hot spring.  There is always next time, I guess.  Some of the other major attractions include Swiss Days,  Wasatch Mountain State Park and, the reason for our trip, the Midway Ice Castles.  I’ll get into them a little bit later though.  

We left mid afternoon, we couldn’t check in until 4 PM, to head up to Midway.  It was close to lunchtime by the time we got up there, so we decide to find a place to eat before making our way to the hotel.  I had talk with several of my coworkers and they told me about a few restaurants that were supposed to be really good.  We considered their suggestions and decided not to go with any of them.  We elected to go to the Back 40 Ranch House Grill.  You can’t miss it.  It’s an old brick house with a giant yurt attached to it just off of Highway 40.  The Back 40 is a farm to table style restaurant.  Which means all the ingredients are locally grown and the beef comes from the surrounding ranches.  By doing this they have the freshest ingredient as possible which makes the food taste a whole lot better.  We both had the Back 40 Burger and it was fabulous.  Lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, pastrami, jalapeño bacon cheddar, special sauce, all layered on top of a organically fed beef patty.  What more could you ask for?  Not much I would suspect.  To be honest, we just order off the lunch menu so I’m not sure what they all have but what they had on the lunch menu all sounded pretty tasty.  We’ll have to go back to try something else.

By the time we finished lunch it was close enough for us to check in.  We had made reservation at the Zermatt Resort.  The Zermatt is designed in a traditional Swiss-style.  I think of it this way a alpine ski chalet mixed with an old world hunting lodge.  I could be way out in left field though.  I’m really not an expert on architecture.  Once we got settled into our room we decided to see what the hotel had to offer.  We found out that the resort had just about everything that you would need.  Besides the 300 rooms it has: several conference rooms, an indoor pool that is attached to the outdoor pool, two restaurants, a pub, health and wellness center, spa, a bakery and so much more.  You could just hang out at the hotel and not have to leave but don’t do that there is lots to see and do around the area.  I will suggest this though.   You should at least hit up the bakery.  They have excellent pastries and gelato.  We had a piece of chocolate cake that was moist and delicious.

The main event, the whole reason for the trip, didn’t happen until the sun came down.  The Midway Ice Castles.  Just down the street from the Zermatt sits the Homestead Resort.  Homestead has been the home to the Ice Castles since their founding in 2011.  Since then, every winter ice artist go out and create massive ice structures out of tens of thousands of icicles.  The artists also carve out thrones, caves, tunnels, slides, and to top it off a fountain.  Midway is not the only place you can find these castles.  Midway is one of six towns that you can find throughout the United States that host the castles.  I feel like I shouldn’t have to mention this but track records prove otherwise.  The Ice Castles are a seasonal attraction.  They typically run from mid December to early March.  This can change without warning as it is based on the weather.  The warmer it get the faster the ice melts creating unsafe conditions for visitor.  Make sure to research and plan your trip accordingly.  I don’t want you to miss out if it is avoidable.

As far as us, we had a lot of fun exploring the castles.  Erin has a chance to try the slide.....twice.  We found out that you needed the right type of clothing to go down effectively.  The people that wore jeans tended to have a harder time.  They ended up having to scoot all the way to the end.  While those that had slicker clothing like yoga or ski pants ended up speeding through it.  Erin’s first attempt did not go as expected, she slid for about 3 inches and then stop, forcing he to scoot her way down to the bottom.  On her second attempt, she decided to lay on her back.  She ended up flying down the slide and fling out the bottom.  The conclusion to this tale: clothes with less friction makes you go fast on the ice.

I enjoy the simpler things in life.  My favorite thing about the castles was how they integrated the LED lighting into the ice.  It was a simple thing but it helped to create a different type of ambiance to the whole thing.  I’m sure it would have been just as impressive if they had placed flood lights in front of them but having the ice actually change color from inside made the ice feel like it was alive and gave it a more magical feel.  

From there our trip pretty well came to an end.  We ate dinner at Wildfire Steakhaus in the hotel, which was good, and we left the following morning.  It was a really fun trip even though it was short.  It goes to show you that you don’t have to plan out some extravagant adventure to have fun.  Some of the best trip are weekend trips.  I definitely think that the ice castle are worth seeing.  Unfortunately you’ll have to wait until next winter.  According to the website they have closed for the season.  I think we made it to the last good weekend.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Josh

Find more on

Facebook: Rowley’s Adventure Diaries

Instagram: @rowleysadventurediaries

YouTube: Rowley’s Adventure Diaries

Tour of Utah: Grafton

What’s up everybody?

I will have to admit, I think that cabin fever might be setting in.  Our weather has had a mind of its own.  One day it is sunny and decent and other days its been cold and snowy.  When the opportunity for for a weekend trip to Utah’s Dixie came up, we took it.  We loaded the car and was on our way to St. George.  The temperature for Southern Utah, during the winter, is usually mild and sunny.  St George becomes a hot bed for those that seek to escape Northern Utahs colder winters.  Do to this, there are plenty of option for adventure seekers.  The big one of course in Zion National Park.  

This was not going to be a site seeing trip for us though.  No, the main purpose was to visit my grandparent and Erin’s aunt.  We haven’t seen them in quite sometime.  It was good to visit with them and see that they are doing well.  Whenever someone has become more mature, you start to worry about their health.  Everything was good and thats what really matters.

You probably noticed a word in one of the paragraphs that doesn’t really seem to fit.  Dixie.  What does Utah have to do with Dixie?  Isn’t that part of the South?  I’ve often wondered this myself.  I mean it is plastered on everything down in St. George.  Come to find out, it is a direct reference to the South.  More specifically the growing of cotton and other cash crops.  With one obvious exception, which I wont get into here.  When members of the LDS Church settled the area they discovered that the temperature was ideal for growing cotton.  Unfortunately, the crops never really grew to well.  This brings us to this weeks adventure, the ghost town of Grafton.

Around the late 1859, early 1860 a group of settlers settled the town of Wheeler to aid in the production of cotton.  The town was located on the banks of the Virgin River, which would be their downfall.  In 1862 the “Great Flood” hit the town, destroying homes and farmland.  To prevent this from happening again, the townsfolk moved up the river and more inland from the river.  This new town would know as Grafton.  Grafton quickly grew and prospered but that would not last long.  The unpredictable nature of the river continued to be an issue.  Flooding and drought, along with other problems, eventually forced the townspeople to abandon Grafton.  It fell into obscurity until a movie executive purchased the land as a filming location.  Several films where shot here.  The most notable being Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman.  After sometime it would once again fall into obscurity.

Now a days this once bustling little town sits quite, with the exception of the tourist that come to visit.  Fortunately, a new life is being breathed into it.  The Grafton Heritage Partnership was put together to restore and protect the site.  The Partnerships efforts have not gone unnoticed as the restoration of the structures are bringing them back to their glory.  Several homes still stand along with a few other buildings.  Many of them you can walk through.  The School House is locked up but placards have been placed in the windows, which tells you about the many uses that the school house was used for.  

The school house is an impressive building but the home next to it was more impressive.  The Alonzo H. Russell Home.  I don’t ever remember being able to enter this house before, maybe the restore crew forgot to lock the door behind them.  This was the first time that I had a chance to really get a good look at the inside of the house.  The Russell house is the largest of the homes remaining.  It has two floors with several divided rooms.  This may seem fairly common for us now, but at the time it must have seemed like, what we would consider, a luxury home.  Especially when looking at the other houses that remain.  Mostly a single floor with two maybe three rooms total.  It did have a creepy old root cellar that the restore crew left material in that upped the creep factor.  At its prime the Russell Home, I would guess, would rival even todays modern homes.  It remained occupied until 1945 when the final resident decided to pick up and moved to St. George.  

Looking at the old buildings is cool but I think we often overlook just how hard it really was trying to build a community in those early days.  There is a place in Grafton that is a somber reminder of this.  Just up the road from the main part of town sits Grafton Cemetery.  Death came in many forms for the townspeople.  Disease, natural causes, old age, accidents, and conflicts with other people.  All these things plagued the citizens.  Death had no prejudice either, not only did it effect the old but the very young as well.  The plaque in front of the cemetery recounts the terrible year of 1866.  “Thirteen people died in rapid succession, taken by epidemics, a tragic accident and by friction caused when new folks rub up against the old.”  It also states that there is 74 to 84 people buried in the cemetery.  For the most part they are humbly marked with headstones made of stone or wood and some with just a rock.  There are a few that are missing the marker altogether.  I don’t know if it is do to the restoration project or from the families of the deceased but newer headstones are being placed in the cemetery.  A nice gesture to remind us of the people that came out here to settled the area and try to build a life for themselves out of the hardships of the West.

If you are ever on your way to Zion National Park, make sure you take a few minutes to visit the ghost town of Grafton.  It is located about five miles from the South Entrance of Zion.  I will say this, if you do decide to go make sure you really look for the signs that point you in the right direction.  They are small and easy to miss.  I even knew were to turn and ended up passing it.  I had to find a place to turn around.

All in all, Grafton is a fun little place to visit.  It is full of history and a good reminder of the people that came before us.  I know that I keep saying that but it goes to show you that life wasn’t always easy out here in the west.  It took a lot of guts and grit to make it what it is today.  Grafton may be a ghost town now but it was once a thriving community.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by!

Josh

2019 Adventure Wishlist

What’s up everybody?

Its good to be back chatting with you once again.  Cold and snow weather turned our holiday break into a two and a half month hiatus.  I will say, thankfully, that it hasn’t been as cold for us as it has for our friends out in the Midwest.  When the thermometer is showing that you are colder than Siberia, then you know its cold.  This doesn’t mean that we have been idle though.  We did get a few chances between the snow storms to go on a few adventures.  Which I will tell you about in the coming weeks.  Most of our time was spent planning one of our bigger trips for this year and the rest of the time was spent researching for possible trips.  I think that we came up with a few good ones that I hope we get to go on this year.  If not, oh well, there is always next year.  Am I right?  

To continue with a tradition that I started last year, I’ve come up with a list of place that I would like to see or things I would like to do this year.  I guess we don’t need to waste anymore time.  Lets go ahead and get into it.

1. Moab Easter Jeep Safari.

Lets get the big one out of the way.  The Moab Easter Jeep Safari is a week long event, where off-road enthusiasts come to participate in the Event.  People come from all over the globe to attend.  Yes, you read that right, all over the globe.  Most come from the US, but we have run with people from all over Europe and some people from Australia.  

Members from the Red Rock 4 Wheelers, a local off-road club, hosts the event and take participants on guided trails.  If you are unable to register for a guided trail, no worries, the trails are open year round for anyone to use.  No guides need.  There are trails for any skill level and the Red Rockers are more then welcome to answer any question that you have and to help you find a trail that you are comfortable with.

This is my most anticipated trip of the year.  If you know me or have followed us than you’d know that this is one of my family traditions that I really missed when we moved to Chicago.  Now that we are back in Salt Lake I’m extremely excited to get back in the rocks and dirt.  I’ve been working on my Jeep since we got back, getting it ready to go.  I’m happy to say that its ready.  Mostly, there are still a few things that need to get done but nothing too major.

2)  The Big Five:

The Big Five that I’m referring to is Utah five National Parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands.  I feel like I’m cheating lumping them all together like this.  I could probably create a whole list just dedicated to each of these places and I haven’t even mentioned the other National Monuments, Historic, Recreational, or Trails that can be found in Utah.

I have been to all of the before but haven’t explored the majority of them like I think I should.  Each one is different and have their own beauty to be discovered.  It seems like for the average person, that goes to the Parks, tend to hit the major attractions.  I know I’m guilty of doing this myself.  I’ve come to the conclusion that its time for me to see the hidden secrets of the Big Five and discover the wonder they hold.  I know it wont be easy.  I’m a little out of shape and some of the hikes a fairly strenuous.  Thats alright though, i’ve picked up a gym pass so I can start getting ready.  We’ll see what happens, but if you come across me passed out face first in the middle of the trail.  Turn me over, make sure I still breathing, and splash me with some water.  I’m sure I’ll be fine.

3)  Golden Spike National Historic Site.

Courtesy: nps.gov

You know those other National places I had mentioned before, well here is one of them.   Promontory Point is one of, if not thee, most historical places in Utah.  On May 10th 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed.  To celebrate this tremendous occasion a gold spike was commissioned to be ceremoniously driven as the “Last Spike”.  Most of us know the story of the railroad, but for many they have no idea where it all took place.  This year GSNHS will be celebrating it 150th year since the completion of the railroad..  There are hiking and driving trails.  Of course, there are reenactments of the spike ceremony and the meeting of the trains.

4)  Antelope Island State Park.

Courtesy: utah.com

Besides the National Parks, Utah has an abundance of State Parks.  Funny enough, I haven’t really explored many of them.  Which is a shame.  Antelope Island is, as the name suggests, an island located in the Great Salt Lake.  Sometimes its more of a peninsula depending on the level of the lake.  There are plenty of activities to do.  Camping, hiking, biking, and much more.  The thing that I’m most looking forward to is the wildlife.  The island is home to bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and many other desert dwelling animals.  Also if you’re a bird watcher, many species pass through the area year round.

5)  Four Corners Monument.

Courtesy: utah.com

This is one that Erin really wants to go see.  If you are not from the Southwest you may not have ever heard of the four corners.  The Four Corners is where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah all meet.  In essence, you can stand in four different states at the same time.  If you think about it, its kinda cool.  I will admit, that I’ve heard some negative things about it.  Mostly that you shouldn’t expect much and you don’t go there specifically for it unless your passing by.  I’m planning a bigger trip that will include the Four Corners as one of its stops and will also include the next entry as well.

6)  Mesa Verde National Park.

Courtesy: nps.gov

Most people think of Greece, Rome, Egypt and South America when talking about ancient structures or buildings.  I would wager a guess that most people are not aware that in the Southwest of the US we have some structures that are just as impressive as the places I have mentioned.  That’s a real shame too.  Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is home to some of these amazing structures.  The Pueblo people lived in this area around 700 years ago.  They built thousands of structures throughout the southwest.  Mesa Verde alone has 5000 archeological sites, which include 600 cliff dwellings.

I have been here once before when I was really young.  I don’t remember a whole lot about it but what I do remember was that it was really cool.  Now that I’m an adult, I appreciate these structures and the people who built them.  I can’t wait to explore them with different eyes and relearn their history.

I am going ahead and calling this list with these six places.  I know I could go on and on.  There were plenty of places that I want to go and see last year.  I was only able to check off a few of the off my list.  Of course, moving across the country kind of put a damper on things.  Sometimes you just have to roll with it.  Hopefully I’ll get to check them all off this year.  We’ll see though.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh