Meandering Mostollers: More central Utah

Because of the cold temperatures and snow north of us, we've been hanging out in the central part of Utah. The daytime temperatures have been in the mid 60's and nighttime in the low 40's. This area is the "get away place" for residents of Salt Lake City. There are summer cabins/homes all through the valley and into the mountains. ATV / Snowmobile and horseback riding are the primary activities of summer residents while farming and ranching occupy the time of the permanent residents. This area is called the Sanpete Valley and has a history of Mormon pioneer settlers and Indian wars.
Spring on the range means birth. Every day we drive past pastures full of sheep and everyday there are more new lambs wobbling on their spindly legs. Here is a foul enjoying the sun with mom.

We were able to go on one of the scenic drives through the mountains. We found 5 to 6 feet of snow up on top. Here are some of the views.

We found these guys para-skiing. We watched them for a while as they soared over the snow and sometimes through the air. Keep in mind this is the end of May!!!

Two of the communities in this valley celebrated heritage days while we were here. Ephraim had a Scandinavian Festival. Craft and food vendors along the street but the best part was the storytellers and pioneer encampment. In a large tent, local residents dressed in period costumes and told stories about the settlers and early years of the town. Here is a picture of our favorite storyteller.

The pioneer encampment had many artisans showing the way the pioneers made the implements of their everyday living. Here is a picture of the weaver making a rug.

The town of Spring City has a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The town was founded in the 1800's by Mormon settlers, abandoned during the Indian Wars and resettled again. In the early 1900's it fell into hard times and many of the old pioneer buildings were abandoned. Something that we have observed about this area is the culture of not destroying / throwing anything away. Yards are full of old vehicles and machinery. Residents say it goes back to the settlers making use of everything they can and the mindset of frugality. Anyway.... the old pioneer homes were never torn down and in the 1950's and 60's artisans discovered the beauty of the area and began rehabbing the old stone and log homes instead of building new ones. As part of their heritage days they open up the pioneer private homes and studios that have been rejuvenated to the public for tours. We spent the whole day touring some of these homes. It was very enjoyable. We saw some modern enhancements as well as some strict adherence to the period in the decor and everything in between. Here are some pictures of the the outside of some of these homes.