Bear Lake

We decided spur of the moment to head up to Bear Lake one weekend. We quickly loaded up the girls, swimsuits, and sunscreen and were on our way. We had hoped to go on a hike but couldn't find it, so we headed for the beach instead. Wouldn't you know, it was the Centennial Idaho Parks & Recreation Day, so we got free admission and a million other people to spend the day with! We had a great time anyway. The water was cold, of course. (It was Bear Lake!) But the girls didn't seem to mind.

On our way home, we stopped in Garden City for some pizza. The girls were amazed by the "Old Ephraim" size pizza. It was 28" and was HUGE! Old Ephraim was a giant bear that was trapped up Logan Canyon a long time ago. Of course, Courtney had to tell the story. . .again. . .and

again. . .and again! According to legend (actually it is true), Old Ephraim stood about 10 feet tall and once killed 23 sheep in one night. An annoying problem for sheep ranchers, Old Ephraim had eluded trappers for years. Finally, Frank Clark, an experienced old bear trapper (who was actually from right here in the Bear River Valley) finally hunted Old Ephraim down and succeeded in trapping him. According to Clark, Old Ephraim picked up the gigantic trap, still chained to a log, and roared into his camp. This is supposedly the first time Clark had been frightened by a bear! Wearing only his long johns, he grabbed for his gun and luckily had just enough ammunition to take Old Ephraim down once and for all. Whew! Evidently, Old Ephraim is buried up Logan Canyon, near Bear Lake, and his skull is on display at Utah State University. Maybe we'll have to "hunt" him down. Perhaps another adventure for another day. . .