After hitting Sill's Cafe in Layton for lunch (How about a plate-sized, fried-dough treat Utahans call a scone?), head further north on I-15 to Ogden. It's one of the few towns in these parts that owes its history more to the steam locomotive than to Mormons. Today the streets are quiet, but restored storefronts and Union Station's museums – including the Browning Firearms Museum and the Wattis-Dumke Model Railroad Exhibit in the Utah State Railroad Museum &;150; give a hint of the town's heady reputation.

Nearby Huntsville is noteworthy for Snowbasin Ski Resort, host of the 2002 Olympic Downhill races, and the Star Burger. The Shooting Star Saloon, a working pub since 1895, is home to this heartburn-inducing concoction. Part of the experience is getting the keep-to-himself owner to tell you why there happens to be a huge St. Bernard's head mounted to the wall.

On the road again, follow scenic route 89. The so-called "fruit way," a stretch of 89 named for the fresh produce stands that flank its sides every summer, takes you past the beautiful old tabernacle in Brigham City. Summer explorers should be sure to stop along the way for a sample of the fresh berries that make these parts famous. If your Star Burger has worn off, Maddox Ranch House offers bison burgers (less fatty than beef with a slightly sweeter taste).

The road follows a mountain stream through the Cache Valley, where shrubby forests melt into a great open expanse that can only be the Wild West. To get an expert dose of the area's history, pull into the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville. This living history site focuses on 19th-century pioneers and early 20th-century farmers. You may also learn about the history of the native Shoshone tribe. The Shoshones are some of the few Native Americans that don't live in a reservation system, so this is one of the only places where the history of their people is preserved and shared.

Like many small northern Utah towns, the railroad left Logan long ago, so the residents have had to find other ways to make ends meet. Logan's new claim to fame is its food factories; several offer free samples: Pepperidge Farm, the Bluebird Candy Company, and the best cheese curds west of Wisconsin at Gossner Foods. Cox Honeyland & Gifts has more than just the regular yellow variety. Sample locally harvested treats in flavors such as raspberry, peanut butter, apricot, blueberry, and lemon.

So many people gush about Bear Lake, that you might be a little skeptical. Could the water really be more brilliantly blue than the South Pacific? Could the people really be nicer than your own grandmother? Could the famous Bear Lake raspberry shakes really be the best?

As 89 twists down the mountain and Bear Lake opens up before you, you'll finally understand why this place brings to mind so many grandiose cliches. Hints of azure water reflect the surrounding Rocky Mountains skyline. In summer, this place is vacation Mecca, but the locals' secret is September, when the crowds clear out and the weather is the best of the season.

The best thing about Bear Lake, though, may indeed be the raspberry shakes at Hometown Drive-In. They take six scoops of vanilla ice cream and locally grown berries, and dump the whole mess into a 16 oz. cup that almost tips over from the weight of the extra three inches of shake standing past the rim. People stand in line for concoctions such as Snickers-caramel-raspberry.