Utah

Wide-open skies. Vast plains with majestic cliffs. Blindingly-white salt flats. The Great Salt Lake. These are only a few of the many experiences the Beehive State has to share with us, as we trek through her terrain. Utah has been the home of trappers and traders, Indians and holy men, all lured west by the promise of prosperity. On arrival in Utah, this state’s natural beauty caused more than a few to set up shop and put down permanent roots. When we visit, we’ll undoubtedly understand why.
Our first stop of Garden City is lesser-known than some of the other more publicized regions in southern Utah, but is nonetheless an excellent place to start a vacation. The boardwalk at City Park is a prime sightseeing location, as it stretches over a wetlands area where many different types of birds and mammals call home.
The nearby Bear Lake recreation area is the refuge of large numbers of Canadian geese and several other species of bird life. With 17 acres of grasslands and walking trails, this is a great place to get some truly spectacular pictures of nature at work. Keep an eye out for the Bear Lake Monster, which has been reported lurking within the waters since early Indian days. The legends say it’s some kind of large sea serpent like “Nessie” in Loch Ness, Scotland. Appearances are rare, but who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky…
Moving on to our next stop, we angle southwest on Highway 89 for 40 miles until we come to the town of Logan. This quaint community was founded in the 19th century, and many of the original buildings still stand today. One such edifice is the Cache County Court House, built in 1883 and fully restored in the year 2000. The structure is now used as the Logan Visitor Center, and offers a wealth of information about Logan and the surrounding Cache County. While in Logan, a fascinating place to visit is the American West Heritage Center. The center’s goal is to showcase our past so that we can better understand our future, and offers tours and exhibits of the various cultures and ways of life of pioneer days. The Center also plays host to various events such as summer’s handcart Trek, which brings to life the trek undertaken by pioneers who traveled by handcart to early Utah. Other such events include Military Days, where re-enactors stage mock battles in the area, complete with antique weaponry of the time. In the fall, Native American Ways Week highlights Indian arts and crafts in a week-long celebration, and the Fall Harvest is a carnival-style festival filled with family fun and great food!
Back on the road, we continue in the US-89 for a little less than thirty miles until we come to the I-15/I-84, which we stay on for 18 miles until we reach our ultimate destination, the city of Ogden. There’s plenty to do here, from visiting many sites of historical importance, to getting some fresh air and enjoying the great outdoors. One of the more interesting places to see is the Golden Spike National Historic Site, which showcases the accomplishments of the entrepreneurs who joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, creating the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. The center is filled with information and artifacts, including a pair of working replicas of steam locomotives from the 1860s.
One of the more offbeat attractions is the George Eccles Dinosaur Park. The park features more than 100 exhibits of life-size and near-life size dinosaurs, who wandered the area more than 160 million years ago. In addition to the museum, there’s a play area for the kids, and a gift shop that offers all kinds of one-of-a-kind souvenirs. If we’ve come to the area in winter, we’re in for a real treat. The Beaver Mountain Ski Resort is one of the premier places to get in some skiing or snowboarding; if we’re not at home on the snow, there’s always the chance to sit in the lodge sipping a hot toddy to keep the chill off our bones.
The bottom line is that no matter when we visit, Utah is filled with such beautiful scenery along with plenty of fun-filled activities, that it will keep Utah high on our list of must-return-to spots.