Street Tacos, Tortilla Soup and Pioneer Days!

In case I haven't mentioned it already, the Mexican Food here in Ogden is truly amazing.  I mean, it doesn't seem to matter whether you are buying it on the street or in one of the many restaurants. 

So, today I am inspired to make some Tortilla Soup.  I already had purchased a roasted chicken, so that became the first ingredient on the list.  Here is a quick and easy delicious recipe that you can customize to your own tastes.

2 Cups of Chicken Broth
2 Cups of Corn Kernels
3 Roma Tomatoes Chopped
2 Cups cooked chicken breasts chopped into
   small strips.
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1/2 Bunch Cilantro (chopped)
1/2 Medium Onion finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Tajin or other chili seasoning to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste.

Place all ingredients in large soup pot and cook until all ingredients are completely cooked and flavors have blended. 

You can add other add ins as you like:  I love chopped avocado, more lime juice and some toasted corn tortilla strips.  But you can add more cilantro or hot sauce as you like.

Today was Pioneer Day here in Utah, and in spite of the fact that there was a major parade down Washington (the main drag here), the Taco Vendors still had two for one Taco Day!  Two for a dollar tacos happens every Wednesday and they are completely delightful, if a bit small.  It seems that what they call "street tacos" here are only about half the size of a normal taco, but they sure do pack the punch for flavor, and who can resist two delicious chicken/beef or pork yummies for $1!?  Not me!  And, apparently not a lot of other people from the length of the lines every Wednesday!

I did a bit of reading to see if I could discover exactly what Pioneer Days here in Utah is representative of (especially because the Utahn people seem to celebrate it with even more vigor than the Fourth).

I seems that this official Utah holiday which occurs every year on July 24th, commemorates the day that Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th, 1847.  Who knew?  On Pioneer Day some members of the Latter Day Saints actually walk portions of the Mormon Trail, or as you can see here, re-enact entering Salt Lake Valley by handcart.
There were many, many children and adults today in the street in the dress of the times and pushing and pulling the handcarts like those used all those years ago!  It was beautiful and moving.  Having lived here for only a month, I can only imagine the strength it took to cross those mountains and enter this beautiful valley.  They had no idea what they were getting into, and I am sure they suffered many hard times taming the land here.

Even though the holiday has strong links to the LDS history, it is a celebration of EVERYONE, regardless of faith and nationality, who immigrated to the Salt Lake Valley during the Pioneer Era, which is generally considered to have ended with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.  The Golden Spike was driven just a short (approx. 53 miles) distance from here at Promontory Summit, Utah.

The parade today embraced the many people and belief systems of the area and was attended by thousands.  There has been a Rodeo going on for several days which will culminate in a final blowout show tonight! 

Utahns are not only proud of their religious history, but of their agrarian one!  There farms surrounding us are lush and beautiful and supply everything from honey and raspberries to delicious sweet corn, Napa cabbage, Kale, Squash and tomatoes.  There are also beautiful Dairy Farms with well cared for cows and fresh milk.  Some of the barns in the area are so beautiful they are architecturally perfect!   Today we saw modern farm equipment as well as some really well-preserved old tractors and other farm equipment.  These people honor and cherish their heritage and aren't afraid to show it!

There were also dozens of beautifully restored old cars and trucks.  It was beautiful to see.

Then, of course there were the horses and Rodeo riders.  Skilled performers demonstrated their roping prowess, horses pranced and danced and even the Shriners showed up with their usual clowns and crazy bike riders.

 There was something for everyone who attended today.  Vendors selling everything from water to Cotton Candy and toys for the kids roamed the streets and the mood was very festive.  I was taken aback earlier this week when people started putting down tarps and blankets three days before the parade was to have happened.  I realized today that some of these people have done this for so many years that it has become a family tradition to reserve their little piece of territory along the parade route.

I am looking forward to the Rodeo tonight as I have never actually attended a Rodeo in the West and I understand this is one of the biggest and best.  There will be everything from "Mutton Busting" by kids under 10 years old, to bronc riding and bull riding.  I am anxious to share this with my two young granddaughters.  I hope they have as much fun as I am anticipating they will.

More later on that....for now, LOVE-PEACE & JOY!

Linda

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

The Wild West arrived today on 25th Street in Ogden, Utah, complete with cowboys, bad guys, shootouts, stage coaches and beautiful damsels in distress!

Once again, Ogden doesn't disappoint.  Ogden Municipal Park was converted today to a HUGE Farmers Market and combination Street Sale going all the way around the park and down both sides of History rich Twenty Fifth Street!  Children were given FREE rides on the backs of beautiful, majestic Western horses.  Stage Coach rides were only a dollar, and the Root Beer came in a huge glass mug (free refills too)!  The girls were loving every minute of it.  The cowboy vs. bad guy shoot outs occurred every hour on the hour and the stagecoach was robbed as the beautiful lady passengers were hauled away by the outlaws!             

 The girls loved the beautiful gentle horses (note Liv's wearing not only her cowgirl hat, but has her bow over her shoulder and an arrow in her belt)...and Liv was prepared to be a heroine!  BRAVE!

 

The girls loved their first Stagecoach ride!  I told them to think about how rough the trip across the West would have been bouncing along in the Stage with NO air conditioning or other creature comforts.  So, what was fun for them today and exciting, I am sure, was a rough ride for those brave souls who traveled this way so many years ago.                                                                                                                                          Ogden City, also known as Junction City because of its century old role as the junction of the transcontinental railroad, is the heart of northern Utah and the Weber County seat of government and business.  It has a wild and wonderful history and the people here are so willing to share all the "good, bad and ugly" parts!  It was actually a very wild place during those Wild West days.  Al Capone is said to have visited here, and it wasn't even safe for him!  

This morning beginning just before 8 AM, the sidewalks were lined with local farmers displaying their fresh wares.  Since the growing season starts to much later here than in Georgia, we are getting treated to amazing red and black raspberries and blueberries (all organically grown).  So delightful!  I strapped on my backpack and went shopping for delightful berries, and beets, corn, kale, sweet peas and onions just pulled from the ground outside town early this morning!

 The vendors are all local and much of the produce is organically produced.  People here seem to be very conscious of the environment and eating healthy, although they do seem to consume HUGE amounts of bread!
The Farmers Market will be in the Park across from the Ben Lomond Hotel every Saturday until October, so I am looking forward to consuming a LOT of wonderful fresh vegetables.


There were also vendors selling Breads, Rolls, Burritos and other assorted food goodies as well as jewelry, clothing and anything you can possibly imagine.  It is like one HUGE sidewalk sale down the entire length of Twenty Fifth Street and around the park.


Every weekend the Market will have a different theme.  This morning there was a display of tractors...some antique and some newer with the local farmers who own them riding them into town down the streets.  There was a Children's Parade with hundreds of kids on bicycles, scooters and little battery powered cars escorted by the local Police and their Moms and Dads.  What fun for all!

The girls decided to try out some local Rootbeer and it got Two Thumbs Up!

They get to keep their souvenir mugs free refills any time they bring them back! 

The little cowgirls are really getting into this Western style of life.

Living in Ogden is a new adventure every day for all of us, and I love being able to share it with all my blog-reading friends.

Pioneer Days last until July 24th, and we have upcoming Rodeo's and special events nearly every day until then.  We are all excited about watching everything from Rodeo Clowns to "Mutton Busting" Kids and Bronco Riding Cowboys!

What about the ugly?  Well so far as we can tell there isn't an ugly thing we can say about Ogden or Utah in general.  It is an amazing and beautiful State with some of the friendliest people we have ever had the opportunity to meet!  Everyone here has welcomed us Easterners with open arms and helpful suggestions.  Life if the Wild West may have been rough in the early years, but it sure is wonderful now!

More later from the Okaloosa Girl Gone West!

LOVE-PEACE & JOY!!!
Linda

Photo Essay of Ogden, Utah Area!

Today, I just want to show you some of the beauty we have found here in Utah!  It is an amazing, beautiful and welcoming place and we are enjoying every single minute here.  Each day we try to explore something new and we have a "bucket list" of so much more!

This is a sunset taken from the top of Alleged, a newly opened restaurant in town. 
History says it used to be a brothel "back in the days" of the Wild West! 

 Historic 25th Street was the main road I saw coming into town, and now I want to live as close as possible to this little strip of fabulous boutiques (reasonably priced) and restaurants and so much more.  Lovely small town feel.  Accessible to everything.  You can walk to just about anything you need from here, and bicycles are welcome too!

 Interior Lobby of the Ben Lomond Hotel on 25th Street.  It was first built in 1890 and there is so much history here.  It has been updated, but gentle care has been taken to preserve the antiquity and charm it had all those many years ago.  Lovely.  Breakfast in the Lobby in the morning is great and they have a lovely restaurant on the 11th floor with a beautiful view for lunch and dinner.

What a lovely place to spend our first four months here.  We are actually negotiating to spend a year or more, as our townhome will not be completed until next year!

 Ogden Municipal Park is right across the street from the Hotel, and Buddy and I walk there every day.  There are beautiful huge trees, flower gardens, brick pathways and an Amphitheater where they show movies (free) every Monday night.  They also have many free concerts, etc.  Lovely.

 Firefighters Memorial in the center of the Park for all those who have lost their lives protecting the lives and property of others.  Touching place to sit and listen to the birds in the shade of the day.

 Hiking trails abound everywhere here...hike to the mountains, hike up the mountains, hike through the canyons, beside the river...you name it....HIKING is really big here!

 This beautiful Ogden River is cold and clear and the water which comes down from the mountains is clean enough to drink!  Lovely.  Buddy enjoyed it's refreshing coolness and taste!

There are all kinds of wonderful little spots to sit and refresh yourself and just plain enjoy what nature has to offer!

One of the hundreds of horses lining the streets here in Ogden for Pioneer Days!

 After talking with a lot of locals, we decided to spend the Fourth celebrating in Huntsville Town, which is just a short drive through beautiful Ogden Canyon.

Pineview Lake there and it is huge and beautiful, but the amazing thing about Huntsville Town was the beauty and incredible friendliness of the people there!
It is a town of only about 700 people, but they are all so welcoming.  We met the Sheriff and Mayor and his wife.  They were so down-to-earth and proud of their little town.  Livie gave it a "thumbs up" when she saw the size of her cotton candy!

Granpa and the Little Tigress enjoying the shade under the huge old fir trees surrounding the town square.

Cowgirl hats were the order of the day, and both girls got a brand new shiny one of their very own!

It was a "family day" in the best way with rides, games and antique cars and something for everyone!

 Everything about this day was totally amazing and reminded me of the 50's and 60's when I was growing up.  It was a real hometown kind of fourth with burgers and dogs and people cooking out in the square. 

 There was music and dancing and parade and flag raising...and at the end of the day a really moving ceremony with mounted horseman to retire the flag for the day.

 Catch anyone?

And then there was a dance and everyone danced from 8 PM until the Fireworks began at 10 PM!  An amazing display ended an absolutely perfect day for all.  We will be back in Huntsville Town for the Fourth again next year!










The next day took us back through the Ogden Canyon to Snowbasin.  Snowbasin Resort is owned/operated by the same people as Sun Valley, Idaho.  It is actually called a Sun Valley Resort.  It is incredibly beautiful!

I can only imagine what this place will look like when the snow begins to fall and there are people skiing on the slopes.
 So here is a kind of "photo essay" of our day at Snowbasin.

 Just a little taste of what is available there is presented here and when the snow comes, I will have more to share with you!

Right now the vistas are incredible.  There is Earl's Lodge at the middle of the mountain where you can board a gondola to go up the mountain to Needles Lodge.  We decided to do just that, and got 9,333 feet of beauty spread out before us!  Amazing views from this location.  You can actually hike a bit further, and see Ogden and beyond from the ridge, but I haven't gotten used to the elevation as yet, so didn't want to push it! Here are a few shots which will give you an idea of just how beautiful this place is!

I hope you enjoy my "photo essay" of Snowbasin.  We will be traveling all over the West, and I can't wait to share all of these marvelous vistas with you!

LOVE - PEACE - JOY!

Linda