The doors are wide open to Bear Lake. It is filled with seasonal homeowners, nightly rentals and tourists passing through. The locals are headed for the hills, inundated with friends and family, or working their guts out to try and make enough money to carry them through the winter. Doreen and I spend a considerable amount of time sitting on our deck watching the lake and the traffic go by. I used to feel guilty about not doing anything or going anywhere until it dawned on me that thousands of people are vacationing, doing the same thing.
It is interesting to watch the traffic pass by coming and going. Early this summer, listening to the constant chatter of jake breaks from the trucks hauling asphalt to the SR 30 repaving project was unbearable. They came all day, seven days a week from Brigham. I have no idea how many trucks were involved but it was overwhelming. Mix that with Johnson Construction trucks hauling gravel and sand to the Garden City pit the rest of us had to fight to get a place on the highway. Thankfully that is over now but it has been replaced with vehicles towing trailers.
It is fascinating how the cargo has changed. In the past, it was boat trailers and small travel trailers. Then it was the heyday of ATV’s and Toy Haulers. Today it is fifth wheel trailers the size of busses, plastic watercraft, bicycles and UTV’s. I can’t believe how the numbers of UTV’s (side by sides), Razors, etc. have escalated. They are not cheap but everyone has them and they are taking over the roads in Garden City and the mountains. I could complain but I have one and love the freedom of driving it around.
Recreational activities around Bear Lake continue to evolve. Seems like there is always something new that everyone needs. Boats are either huge Wake setters for surfing or luxury power cruisers. The sailboat fleet has remained about the same with limited turnover. Once a sailor, always a sailor. If you don’t have the cash for one of those, you and your family can still get out on the water and have fun with a kayak or paddleboard, both easy on the pocket. The main thing is that people are being safe and enjoying each other and the Lake. The Bear Lake old timers have seen plenty of change over the last 40 years but for me the future is unimaginable.
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