The Bear Lake ABCs: A book about the Magic of Bear Lake, Idaho/Utah

Every summer growing up, I spent a month living with my grandparents in Montpelier, Idaho. Several cousins and I would pick raspberries in Garden City, Utah to save money for school supplies and clothes. Ah, the "upper, lower, and baby" patches. It's so sad that they're no longer there.

We spent our afternoons at north beach, exploring at the ice caves, re-reading favorite books from the small library, and hunting mushrooms in the woods with our Uncle Brian. Actually, he'd gather all kinds of amazing things in those woods: chokecherries, elderberries, skunkberries, and of course, huckleberries.

The Bear Lake valley is full of all sorts of things to do. Having once been the bottom of Lake Bonneville, there are fossils and interesting geological phenomena. Bloomington Lake and Montpelier Reservoir are perennial favorites.

Although it's no longer allowed, sledding down M-Hill in the winter was an amazing adventure - many a shin was smashed by an errant runner sled. Fortunately, Beaver Mountain is perfect for skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.

We used to joke that we'd been to Paris (idaho). The tabernacle there is absolutely beautiful.

Garden City has really grown to accommodate all of the tourists and traffic coming through Logan Canyon. We love eating at Zips and Cody's. And, of course, you have to stop and get a world famous raspberry milkshake!

My dad is a wildlife enthusiast and can tell you the name of every butterfly and bird that flutters past. Among our favorites are the Western Tanager and the Lazuli Bunting.

With so many things to do and see, Bear Lake is an extremely sentimental place for me. I'm currently working on a book that captures all of the magic and fun of the valley from A-Z. Shh, don't tell my mom. It's a surprise!