RonnieAdventure #0593 - Utah Bridal Veil Falls, Spanish Fork, and more

Bridal Veil Falls is a 607-foot double cataract waterfall in Provo Canyon, Utah. 

I have visited Bridal Veil Falls a number of times with the intent of hiking to Eagle's Nest at the mountaintop, but I have never made it. This time was no exception. After a heavy rain in 2023, a rockslide covered the trail and it had not yet been repaired. We did, however, hike up to the base of the falls from a parking lot located a short distance away.

The Legend of Bridal Veil Falls tells of an Indian maiden named Norita and a brave from a rival tribe named Grey Eagle that met and fell in love. They had planned to meet on the mountain top and then move to a land far away from both tribes. However, when Norita arrived at the meeting spot, she only found braves from her own tribe. Assuming the braves had killed Grey Eagle, she leaped to her death from a ledge above the falls. 

Mother Nature was so touched by the tragedy that she made Norita's streaming tresses into a Bridal Veil of falling water. Then her spirit was sent out as a mist causing a green carpet to spread over the mountainside. Unfortunately, the water and mist turn to ice in the winter, and now 1 or 2 hikers fall to their deaths here every year. 

Located in a Spanish Fork Park are several monuments and statues honoring the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition and early pioneers that settled in this area. On one of the monuments it states: "Though the pathfinders die, the paths remain open" [for RonnieAdventures].

On September 23, 1776, members of the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition were the first Europeans to enter the Valley of the Timpanogotzis, while trying to find an overland route from Santa Fee, New Mexico, to Monterey, California. As the Expedition emerged from Spanish Fork Canyon, they noticed that the Timpanogotzis were sending up smoke signals to alert the tribe of their arrival. The Franciscan Fathers went forward and met with the Timpanogotzis, and they were invited into the valley peacefully. 

In addition to finding an overland route from Sant Fe to Monterey, part of the mission was to spread the Catholic faith along the way. The Franciscan Fathers were invited to stay with the Timpanogotzis, but they elected to continue on with the Expedition.  

In about 1000 AD, Leif Eiriksson discovered America. Then, eight centuries later, between 1855 and 1860, sixteen pioneers from Iceland established the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States in Spanish Fork, Utah. On August 2, 1938,  a lighthouse monument was constructed on the East bench of the Spanish Fork to honor the early settlers. The lighthouse reflects the seafaring background of the Icelanders. 

A rock from Vestmannievjap, Iceland, was brought to Spanish Fork and stands "as a symbol of the commitment, courage, and sacrifice of those who left to their posterity a legacy of faith, perseverance, and endurance." Spanish fork still has an annual Iceland Days Celebration. 

Since Kolohe was not with us, we stopped at Sweet's for lunch and sent her a picture.

One evening we had the opportunity to enjoy a stage production of Murder on the Oriental Express at the UofU Babcock theatre. Just goes to show that not all RonnieAdventures involve an outdoor activity!