Ephraim the Summer of 2000

One of my best friends in ninth grade was Autumn B. She was a seventh grader and we had orchestra together. I played string bass and she played cello which meant she sat in front of me. During the summer we were in Granite Youth Orchestra together. When that ended she moved with her mom and her brother down to Ephraim Utah. I was able to go down and stay with her for a few days at the beginning of August.

Autumn and her mom picked me up and we all drove down to Ephraim. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive and we had a fun time catching up. I remember that as we drove into town Autumn pointed to the Walmart and told me that it had just opened and that there had been a lot of controversy involved.

Autumn's family was staying in a little adobe house just a block away from Snow College. Although I stayed at the house for almost a week I don't remember ever walking down the street and looking at the college campus. Instead Autumn and I did the typical teenage girl thing of hanging out and talking.

We talked about everything. Mainly we laughed over all the fun we had had the last year. We talked about how I'd been the last to realize she was dating Chris L., how funny Alan R was, how Mike J was such a great target for teasing, and on and on and on.

Autumn and her brother taught me how to play monopoly. I had beginners luck and won the game for the only time in my life.

One night we went to Autumn's grandparents house for dinner. Her grandma did the cliché Grandma thing and kept feeding me food. Every time my plate was even close to being empty she would ask me if I wanted more. She asked in such a way that I felt like I would be offending her if I told her I was full. So I kept eating and eating. I've never had so much coleslaw in my life. Luckily all the food tasted really good.

Another evening Autumn's mom took us on a long drive though Fairfield canyon to Castle Valley. We stopped in Castle dale which is on the other side of the mountains from Ephraim. We went to a restaurant (probably the only one in town) and had huge sandwiches. Autumn's mom had brought her friend who was from Australia. She had little pins with Koala Bears on them. She gave each of us one. I don't know how she knew that I would be along on this little trip, but she had one for me too.

After dinner we drove up to the side of a hill near the town. We were at the site of the Castle Valley Pageant. It was an hour before the pageant started and we were allowed to walk around the set of the pageant. The set doubles as a sort of living history pioneer museum. There was a cow that you could milk and a donkey you could pet. There were lots of little recreations of cabins, teepees, and dugouts. You could look inside each one. At one place a man was demonstrating how to be a black smith. I don't remember what he was doing, but I do remember that he had bent many horse shoe nails into rings. They were called Prairie Diamonds. The blacksmith told us that those were what engaged pioneer girls would wear since they couldn't afford real rings. He was giving them out for free so I found one my size and wore it all night. I still have it.

After we were done walking around the set we went up into the bleachers and found our seats. I looked out at the scenery. The hills on either side of the stage were gray and looked like the surface of the moon. The middle of the valley was green where the town was, but beyond that it was gray and brown. I'd never seen anything so bleak looking.

The pageant started with a salute to the men and women of the military. A man announced each of the 5 branches of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. 5 girls on horse back rode onto the outdoor stage holding the flags that represented each group. As the announcer said each branch of the military the audience members that had served in that branch would stand up.

Once that was done the official part of the pageant started. The pageant is about the original Mormon settlers of Castle Valley. It illustrates their struggles and their successes. At one part the Mormons teach the gospel to the Indians. The birth of Jesus Christ is portrayed as the Mormons narrate it.

I loved the whole pageant. It was much better than the Martin Harris Pageant. In my opinion it is the best pageant in Utah. It isn't large scale like the Manti Pageant, but I think it's smaller size makes it more personal. Its well worth the drive to Castle Dale.

It was dark by the time the pageant was over. Autumn and I slept in the car while her mom and her mom's friend drove home. At one point I woke up. I could see the stars out the window, but they looked all wrong. They were either hanging the wrong way or we were not going back the way we came. Eventually I figured out that we weren't going north and then through Fairfield canyon. Instead we were driving south and then driving on I-70 to Salina. Eventually we were home and in bed.

All too soon my few days with Autumn were over. Her mom drove us back to Kearns. Before we left we bought Salt and Vinegar Pringles at the gas station. We should have also bought something to drink. The chips were so acidic that our mouths were hurting within a few minutes of starting the drive. The only way to make them feel better was to eat more chips which of course made our mouths burn again in a few minutes. It was a miserable drive home and I have never wanted to eat Salt and Vinegar Pringles again.

We drove into the Salt Lake Valley and looked at the skyline. In the distance we could see that the Murray Smoke Stacks were gone. They were demolished while I was in Ephriam.

Autumn and I have kept in contact over the years. We never were as close as we were when we were in Jr High – distance does that – but we've stayed friends. All though high school I knew that if I went to Snow College after I graduated I would be able to live near Autumn.