Old home in Panguitch: brownies & beer; does it get any better? Bob P. after the long ride to Cedar City: Jack hard at work on luggage: the tribe at dinner at Willow Glenn: the staff dinner table.
I know I fed my tribe this week, I think I fed them well, but it has been such an emotional roller coaster. I couldn't tell you what they had for lunch today! I can not express how wonderful the tribe has been this week. So, so supportive and kind. Thank you so much, guys. I really hope that the tour was a good experience, and that you ate well.
Enough said: We left Bryce Canyon on Wednesday after spending time exploring the Canyons. The weather was great and many hikes and bike rides took place. The tribe ventured into the little town of Panguitch and most stopped at Henrie's Drive In for shakes, or a great greasy burger. I know we did!
The double chubby burger is way too good! I really needed the corn dog and the taco to top it off!
Panguitch is a jewel of a town: it has a deep history that unless you dig in and explore,you would think it was just another dot on the map. Panguitch was settled in 1864 by Mormon emigrants. Panguitch is the Paiute Indian word for "big fish". Panguitch lake is known for it's trout fishing. In 1864 the crops that the settlers put in froze before harvest, leaving the people with no supplies for the winter. A group of 7 men volunteered to go over the mountains and obtain supplies. They used quilts, made by the Mormon women, to support themselves as they trudged through the deep snow. The second weekend in June Panguitch holds their annual quilt festival to commemorate this.
If you explore the town you will see that most of the older homes are made of brick. There was a large masonry business here after the town was settled and many of the workers were compensated partially for their work by receiving bricks to build their homes.
The other part of Panguitch's history that is quite controversial is the Mountain Meadows Massacre. It is controversial because the exact direction of the orders to carry out the massacre are not clear. Many believe it was by B. Young himself, while others believe it was a group of local Mormon settlers. In 1857 a group of non Mormon settlers arrived in Salt Lake from Arkansas. They were short on provisions and were denied assistance from the Mormon settlers in the area. They moved on to the Mountain Meadow that is just North West of St. George, South West of Cedar City. While camped there a group of Mormon men dressed as local Indians converged on the camp on September 11, 1857. They battled with the Arkansas settlers for 5 days until sending in a sentry to supposedly negotiate a settlement. When the settlers agreed they were attacked again and 120 emigrants the were murdered and buried in shallow graves. The children under the age of 7 were spared and were adopted into local Mormon homes. The US government investigated the massacre, but this was interrupted by the Civil War. Only one man, John D. Lee was indicted. He was thought to be the "brains behind the massacre". His history reaches back to the early emigration of the Mormons to Utah. He was the adopted son of B. Young and a friend of Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS. After the massacre he fled to Colorado river and founded the Lee Crossing. He practiced plural marriages and had 19 wives and fathered 67 children. In 1874, when indicted for his participation in the massacre, he was executed at the sight of the massacre, supposedly sitting on the side of his coffin. His body laid in the basement of the city hall in Panguitch for a long period of time, as no one wanted to bury him. He was finally laid to rest in the cemetery just East of Panguitch.
It is really interesting to explore the history of the places that we travel!
Panguitch is also home to the best hardware store I have ever seen. As the town is pretty isolated, they carry everything. Even fabric and quilt supplies! Yeah!
So, food wise, Wednesday night's dinner was a feast of apple spinach Waldorf salad, roast pork with mushroom gravy, steamed Yukon gold potatoes, cauliflower and carrots, white bean puttinesca, and applesauce cake for dessert. We had visitors in the night, 4 little kitties that helped themselves to the cake after hours!
The tribe made down the mountain: Cedar Breaks is still closed due to snow, so they rode around by Duck Creek. The winds were pretty horrendous: many chose to sag. Not a bad idea! The alternate route that the tribe took today is a beautiful ride: aspen trees, meadows, miles of lava fields. I think it is even better than Cedar Breaks. After fighting the winds that blew every way but the way they should have, the tribe came into camp and finished their last dinner of this trip. With spicy cabbage salad, yellow curried chicken, peanut yam tofu, basmati rice, sauteed snow peas, and fresh baked brownies for dessert, they feasted well.
We had a great last map meeting, with awards for the oldest male rider (81:amazing!), the oldest female rider (76 way to go!); the heaviest luggage, the most stylish luggage, and a few more. We presented Jack P. with a luggage scale to help keep him entertained in his 20 hours of down time every day! (Sorry Jack, had to pick on you this trip.)
After a good breakfast this morning we sent the tribe on their way. We are headed to Montana, so I will keep you posted on that ride! Again, thank you Utah Tribe for helping me through this week. Happy Trails.
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