Most people use their big, suspension-lifted trucks to pull their even bigger boats.
Bear Lake Valley residents are smarter than that.
They pull their boats with tractors.
While the tractors might not break the speed barrier, they can launch the boat from anywhere without worrying about getting stuck or flooded. Maybe someone should warn the guys launching at Bear Lake’s private beach party — better known as Little Tijuana — that if they forgot to bring their tractor, they should use a ramp instead.
The tourists and visitors at Bear Lake could learn another lesson from Garden City locals.
Slow down.
Life in Bear Lake’s Garden City moves about as fast as an old tractor.
It continues to maintain its small-town charm. There are no big corporate fast-food chains or Wal-Marts. The local restaurants stay packed. In fact, with everyone from the tourists to the local mailman supporting the local commerce, the big business chains can’t survive. People support the locals and the chains can’t compete with that.
Hometown Drive-In and Merlin’s Drive-Inn are the best places to go in Garden City for a burger and a famous Bear Lake raspberry shake. If keeping with tradition isn’t one of your goals, you can ditch the raspberry shake and wander off the beaten path with another of their many flavors.
Bear Lake Pizza Company (also in Garden City) is another local favorite. Order a nude beach for dessert — it tastes even better than it sounds.
While you wait for your pizza, read the tale of Old Ephraim, an 1,100-pound grizzly bear that stood 9 feet 11 inches tall.
Ephraim made life for Bear Lake farmers hard because he would kill 23 sheep in a night and traps could never catch him.
Frank Clark hunted the three-toed Old Ephraim for 10 years before he finally trapped him. The grizzly knew who had caught him and went roaring into Clark’s camp, dragging the trap and log with him.
Clark ran out of his tent in his long johns, carrying his rifle, and met Old Ephraim in the dark of the night. It took all seven of his bullets to bring Old Ephraim down, the last being shot from only six feet away.
These Bear Lake eateries are sure to fill you up after a long morning of boating. After lunch and an afternoon nap, you’ll be ready to take on a few of Bear Lake’s many activities.
Bear Lake is known for its excellent boating, sailing, water-skiing and wakeboarding. Its deep turquoise-blue waters are not only beautiful, but huge. The lake is about 20 miles long and eight miles wide, splitting its area between Idaho and Utah.
If you prefer to stay closer to land, you can swim and lie on Bear Lake’s sandy beaches.
There are trails for ATVs, mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding, and Bear Lake is also great for camping. At night, you can scare your friends with Bear Lake folklore.
Legend has it that a sea monster lives in Bear Lake. It is said to resemble a huge brown snake that is nearly 90 feet long and as big around as a grown man. The legend has been around since the Shoshone Indians lived in the area. They told stories of the creature capturing and carrying their people away.
Those who have seen the Bear Lake monster say it has a thin head, a large mouth and can slither through the water as fast as a horse can gallop. Many believe the monster is nothing more than a legend, but some scientific research supports it. Some people think the creature could be a descendent of a dinosaur-like creature from the time when Lake Bonneville covered the area. Think what you want, but I’ll keep my eyes open at sunset.
Sea monster aside, fishing is another great way to enjoy Bear Lake. The lake is a renowned trophy cutthroat trout fishery and home to four unique fish species. You can fish all year but the most rewarding fishing is in the winter and spring.
Those months are just around the corner, but U students should take advantage of the last few weeks of summer weather. Plan a weekend or Labor Day trip to Bear Lake and squeeze the last bits of summer fun out.
We’ll be complaining about snow and finals soon enough.
