Sister Cities: Randolph, New Jersey, Meet Randolph, Utah

By Steve Sears

When Randolph, Utah Mayor Sim Bell arrived home from work one day, the temperature was –11 degrees.

That’s pretty cold, but when it comes to the folks living there, there’s warmth. “We’re a family-oriented community,” Bell says. Randolph, Utah, which was founded in 1870, is much different from its Garden State “sister.” It checks in at about one square mile in size and is home to about 500 people. Randolph, New Jersey has about 25,000 residents and is almost 22 square miles. Route 16 runs through Randolph, Utah, while Route 10 is the main roadway through our Randolph. Also, Randolph, Utah is an elevated area. “We are on the Wasatch Mountains backside; they’re to the west of us,” Bell says. “We’re a little more than 6,200 feet, and we sit in the Bear River Valley. The Bear River runs through us. It starts in the Uinta Mountains to the south of us. It’s a mountain range that runs east and west instead of north and south.”

Morris County’s Randolph may get its good share of traffic, but so does Randolph, Utah – but during the summer months. Bell says, “People come through our town, either going to Bear Lake, which is on the Utah and Idaho border - they travel through to go there, which is about 20 miles away from usor they’re going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.”

If traveling to Randolph, Utah, you’ll find a pretty good tasting double bacon cheeseburger at Crawford Trough LLC (www. crawfordtrough.com), and just a short walk up the road is dessert at R Bakery (www.rbakery.com), which opened just a few years ago. Bell recommends the convenience store and deli items, featuring a daily special, at his family’s gas station. “Everybody knows it as ‘The Station,” Bell says. “I usually go to The Station four days a week because my mom is in there and she cooks the special. That’s where the better food is, in my opinion. A lot of homestyle cooking - you’re getting all mom’s specials. She makes really good hamburgers there, and they’ve got a small bakery in there as well; they serve bread and doughnuts and stuff. She’ll also do barbecue, ribs, and she makes a mean, really good clam chowder soup, meatloaf - just your basic home cooked stuff.” As for lodging. Crawford Trough LLC also has four cabins in the back where you can, upon awakening, exit and enjoy a great view of the distant neighboring peaks.

For further rest and relaxation, you can visit Randolph City Park, as well as the Fairgrounds, which are adjacent to the park, where an occasional rodeo takes place. If you

Randolph, Utah is a welcoming place (credit: Mayor Sim are a history buff, Randolph, Utah has some of that as well. The International Daughters of Utah Pioneers has a museum (300 N. Main Street, www.dupinternational.org) “They have just your old pioneer relics, museum pieces and local stuff,” Bell says. “And then, there’s the old Nail Jail is what they call it. It’s a pretty thick structure. It used to be the county jail, with some old log buildings. They used so many nails on it, we can’t remember how many pounds of nails they put into it.”

Bell sums up the community he has lived in all his life. “We watch out for each other. People just really band together. The local church organizations, you can depend on them to help people out in times of need or tragedies. We’re a family-oriented community where everybody knows everybody.”

For more information, visit www. townofrandolph.org.

Family caregivers of people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities sometimes spend more time thinking about those they care for than themselves. It’s important to remember that self-care is essential to providing good care to others and must include eating well.

Healthy eating can be especially challenging for caregivers who often have limited time to shop and cook. Fast food, snacks and comfort meals are tempting but usually lack healthy amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

In addition to preventing low energy, muscle loss, illnesses and unplanned weight change, a healthy diet may help reduce the stress and fatigue that can come with caring for a loved one.

These tips from the Administration for Community Living can help caregivers take steps toward better nutrition without adding to already full to-do lists: Drink healthy beverages at each meal and 2-3 times between meals. Water, milk, juice (to replace missing fruits and vegetables) or non-sweetened drinks are all better-for-you options.

Get enough protein, a key nutrient that helps build and repair tissues. Consider these ideas for increasing your protein intake: (Family Features)