Running on Eddie: Logan Utah

Monday, June 10, 2013

Logan Utah

This past weekend, I decided to make a trip up to Logan Utah. I had rented a room at the Days Inn up there in order to run the Bear Lake Marathon, up in Bear Lake.

Logan is probably the last major town in Utah before reaching Idaho and it is off the beaten track a bit (meaning it is about 30 minutes from the interstate). I was expected a sleepy idyllic little town, but instead found a thriving community.

It is primarily noted for its cheese, as they do have a unique cheese dealership up there (I didn't visit however, there was no way I could buy cheese and bring it home). It is also home to the Utah State University.

I had taken the day off from work and left around 1pm and arrived at about 2:45. I couldn't check in to my hotel quite yet and definitely wanted to do something before calling it a night. The drive, upon getting off the freeway and driving through Brigham City, is absolutely stunning. About a 15 mile ride through a meadow filled canyon... It was certainly less brown and more lush feeling. Too bad there wasn't any place to pull over and take pictures, but I found this to be really pretty -- also it was up hill... as Logan seems to be a bit higher up in elevation.

I drove down the main drag and decided to visit the Pepperidge Farm Cookie Factory located in Richmond, Utah (just about 14 miles north of Logan. It is an outlet store where they sell discounted and factory second cookies. Upon arriving, I was greeted with shelf and shelf of cookies. I quick bought $20 worth, and upon getting to my car, decided that wasn't enough and went back in and bought another $10 worth. Money well-spent in my opinion as they make great gifts and I can share them.

Logan is a full-featured city -- they have all the name-brand stores, Kohls, Sports Authority, Golden Corral, Olive Garden, and a mall. Again, I was under the impression this was a sleepy little town.

I headed back into town and checked into my hotel... I must say the Logan Days Inn is very clean. Usually Days Inns are questionable but this one had its act together (Thanks TripAdvisor.com!).

Upon unpacking and making sure I hadn't forgotten anything, I decided to go for a walk. There were a lot of old buildings, ma and pa shops, and restaurants along the main drag -- so I decided to take a stroll. Also, I had spotted an Italian restaurant that I thought about trying -- but I was also tempted with Chuck-A-Rama's all you can eat shrimp night.

I decided to go with Italian - despite having spaghetti for lunch. I chose Gia's Restaurant on account it had gotten good reviews on yelp. It was pretty empty when I arrived but the service was good. I got a large shrimp spaghetti. The shrimp was generous and of the good quality, although I think they killed the spaghetti with too much garlic and onions. There really wasn't a hint of basil in it and the tomato sauce seemed a little bland (maybe the garlic over powered it). Either way, I was amply fed, but it still hasn't measured up to my all time favorite Galati's in Cary, Illinois.

After dinner, I walked around and took pictures of the Mormon Tabernacle and their new church. The town itself reminded me a lot of Lake Geneva Wisconsin as the streets were tree lined and it had that cozy, neighborhood feel to it. Also there were some older houses that obviously had been built a long time ago.

After a 2 mile walk, I decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel. I didn't want to be on my feet much more on account I had to run a marathon in the morning. I wound up watching I Dream of Jeanne, Bewitched, and other reruns on the Classic TV channel, before turning in at 9:15. I had an early morning to be ready for (my alarms were set for 3:45AM).