HYRUM – People observe Memorial Day weekend by visiting the graves of loved ones and paying tribute to those who served in the armed forces.
Even as Americans enjoy the coming of summer, they also can be found in somber moods honoring veterans’ price for freedoms.
Cemeteries will have droves of people placing flowers and give color to the resting place of loved ones.
This year, AAA Travel and S&P Global estimated 42 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over the weekend including on the road, rail or sky, up 2.7 million more than a year ago.
While many people are tripping to other locations, Cache Valley will be the destination for some of the state’s traveling public.
The three-day weekend is also thought of as the beginning of the summer vacation season and Hyrum State Park is one of the valley’s busiest places to go.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 23 the beach had a small number of people taking in the warmth and the sunrays getting ready for what lies ahead for the season.
This weekend, people with cabin fever are trying to get on the road and find a place to play, grill burgers and hotdogs and just relax for a good time.
Chris Bradshaw, the Hyrum State Park manager, was gearing up for the weekend by cleaning up the parking lot and was not committed on how the weekend would shape up to be.
“It’s going to be warm and we have water so we might have a crowd,” he said. “We are currently open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.”
The spillway at the reservoir has been a concern, but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is prepared if a problem should arise. The government agency has stockpiled gravel and sand to fill in the cracks if they become more severe and have a man watching to monitor the spillway 24-7. They also have heavy equipment ready to go if needed.
The Division of Wildlife Resources stocked the reservoir with 13,935 Rainbow trout on April 2, 2023 then on May 2nd they added another 3,264. On May 3rd they stocked another 2,000 rainbow trout from the Logan DWR Fisheries Experiment Station.
After a long, cold winter with all that snow, gathering with family or getting out of town in the warmth at the end of May should be a pleasant respite.