Park City (Part 4)

Since Friday was our last day for activities, we set out bright and early on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, with our ultimate destination being Mirror Lake. This is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the United States and it lived up to the hype. There were lots of places to stop along the way to take in some incredible views. (Reminder: More photos are posted here.)

First we pulled over at Slate Gorge.

Next we stopped at Provo Falls. We stayed here a little while because it was fun to throw rocks in the water and explore.

Then we made it to Mirror Lake and Spencer decided he wanted to have our picnic lunch right then - I don't think it was even 11:00am yet, but we ate. Then we walked around the lake, which is about 1.5 miles but completely flat. We talked to some nice fisherman and Spencer played chase with a chipmunk, too.

When we were finished exploring at Mirror Lake, we headed back towards Park City and went to the Solider Hollow Sheepherding Classic. We watched a few dogs and their handlers herd sheep - it was really interesting, but sadly the temperature was in the 90s in the hollow and it felt like 120 degrees! We watched a splash dog competition as well, but decided we needed to get inside. So we took off and went bowling instead and then had dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

We had to say goodbye to Park City the next day (sniff-sniff), so while I was packing, the boys went outside for a little more golf.

I sat outside to have some coffee and couldn't get over how perfect the moment was: mountains, a cool breeze, hot air balloons overhead, watching my loves on the 15th hole, and College Game Day wafting through the window. Pretty epic way to end vacation!

Park City (Part 3)

After our action-packed day at the Park City Mountain Resort, we started off Thursday with a low-key visit to the Swaner EcoCenter. One of Dave's high school friends messaged him when she saw we were in Utah and said that we should stop by because her husband designed the building - and it's one of the greenest buildings in the U.S. There were some fun educational things to do inside, then we took a stroll along their preserve. We saw two giant cranes who walked in front of us for a couple of minutes, squawking up a storm, as well as some pretty red-winged blackbirds.

When we told the woman working there that we wanted to find a beautiful spot near water to hike, she told us about Bloods Lake. This was definitely the hot tip of the week! She drew us a little map, then off we went to Guardsman's Pass. We parked there and walked down to a gorgeous little spot.

Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." And I think that sums up this picture perfectly.

We finished our day at a lovely little restaurant called 501 on Main. We sat outside and Spencer discovered that he loves lobster bisque. It was a magnificent day!

Next up: Mirror Lake and more.

Park City (Part 2)

We did so many awesome things, but spending Wednesday at the Park City Mountain Resort was definitely the most fun! And boy did we pick the right time of the summer to visit - it was absolutely deserted. We practically had the run of the place.

Spencer's favorite thing of the whole trip was the Alpine Coaster. It's basically a roller coaster - you get towed up the mountain in your sled and then zoom down, twisting and turning the whole way. You have a brake, but we weren't interested in brakes! We must've ridden it 20-25 times and considering one of the operators told us that in peak season people wait 3 hours to ride it, we were supremely lucky! I bought the picture below at the resort because it's not really possible to get pictures otherwise. We were having so much fun!

We also took the ski lift up the mountain and rode the Alpine Slide. It's similar to the coaster, in that you are on a little sled with a brake, but it's more of a "chute" than a track. After our first ride, Dave was walking away from the slide and said he thought a bee stung him. Then he realized it was still inside his shirt! No idea how a bee flies into your shirt when you're coming down a mountain that fast. (Again, not really possible to get pictures of this activity...)

Sidebar: I have to say that the ski lifts terrified me for some reason. I haven't been skiing since the late 80s so I didn't remember what ski lifts were like. But having Spencer on there just about freaked me out. He was so wiggly that I thought he was going to slide ride out at any minute. I honestly felt like I was going to have a panic attack at the PCMR (the Olympic Park one didn't bother me quite as much, but it wasn't as high either).

I am faking happiness big time.

We also did mini golf, rock wall climbing, rope climbing, carousel, etc. at the base of the mountain. Daddy went all the way to the top of the rock wall; Spencer got up quite a few feet; Mommy made it like 2 feet! Maybe I have a fear of heights?

Later in the afternoon we took the ski lift up again (cringe!) but this time Spencer and Daddy did the Alpine Slide and when they got to the base they texted me so they could watch me come down on the zip line! I had never done a zip line and the idea was intriguing but also terrifying, so I really wanted to conquer my fear and do it. The 10 minutes or so that I was waiting for them to text me felt like an eternity, with me growing more nervous every second. The ride was a blast! The first couple of seconds were terrifying - almost felt like I was just falling from the sky - but then it was just fine. And the best part was having Spencer run up to greet me afterwards, exclaiming I was "Zip Line Champion!"

Spencer and I also did a mini zip line called the Flying Eagle. We got to ride together so that was awesome. We have a little daredevil on our hands, I think!

 

We stayed at the resort until 7PM - a marathon day for sure. Hope we can return one day!

 

Next up: Our favorite scenic spot of the trip...

Park City (Part 1)

What is it with me having such a hard time blogging about big, awesome vacations? I had the same problem after Cape Cod in 2011. I think it's the perfectionist bug - I'm worried I won't do it justice or something like that. With that said, here we go...

We spent an incredible week in Park City at the end of August. "Why Utah?" you might ask. Our initial idea was to drive to New Mexico to see some mountains, be in nature and escape the heat. But when our friends, the Bakers, reminded us they had a condo in Park City and offered for us to stay there, we didn't hesitate for a minute! Have you been to Utah? It is gorgeous. I think besides the Grand Tetons area, it's the prettiest part of the country I've seen.

We arrived on a Saturday night after dark. It was fun to wake up the next morning, walk out to the deck which overlooks the 15th hole of the Park City golf course, and see where we would be for the next week. Mountains, Aspens, blue skies and cooler temps - perfect!

This isn't our exact condo but you get the idea.

On Sunday, we went out for breakfast then bought a few groceries before heading to Main Street for "Park Silly," a weekly street festival that had a couple of kids' activities. Then we went to Olympic Park (where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held) and ended up staying there all afternoon. We watched an amazing aerial ski jumping show, checked out the museum, saw a bobsled fly down the track, and rode our first ski lift and Alpine slide of the trip.

Monday was a bit drizzly, but we didn't mind. We took a nice drive to the Uinta National Forest. We didn't really have a plan (or a trail map), but were looking for Beaver Creek Trail. We ended up driving up a mountain thinking there was a ranger station there. When the road became impassable, we figured the city slickers were in the wrong place so down we went. We stopped at a little store and a wonderful woman told us how to get to the trail. It was a leisurely hike and we saw lots of beaver dams, but sadly no beavers. A major highlight for me was the heavenly sound made by the light rain and breeze rustling the Aspen leaves. If only my sound machine had that option!

Tuesday was a big adventure day. We drove the Alpine Scenic Loop to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. On the way we saw Sundance and lots of gorgeous scenery. You have to get an appointment for the cave tour and there was a bit of a wait. So we had a picnic before starting the 1.5 mile hike up the mountain to the cave entrance. Now, 1.5 miles might not sound like much, but did I mention the vertical rise was 1,065 feet? The first 1/2 mile or so was fun. The next 1/2 mile was hard. Spencer was getting grumpy and I was practically pulling him up the path while trying to stay positive. The last 1/2 mile was downright brutal. I was ready to give up, but that sweet boy actually started encouraging me. "C'mon Mommy! You can do it!" The climb was worth it because it was an interesting tour and the cave looked different than what we've seen in Texas caves. And boy, 45 degrees never felt so good! Needless to say, the walk back down was WAY easier and faster.

Next up: Park City Mountain Resort. You can also check out the full photo album here.