Utah Discoveries 11: Alta Ski Area

24. August 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 11: Alta Ski Area · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,
This was a shot I took in between snow showers at the top of the one of the numerous mountain peaks at Alta Ski Area.

This was a shot I took in between snow showers at the top of the one of the numerous mountain peaks at Alta Ski Area: Sugarloaf Peak (just over 11,000′). Note how much snow there was here compared to at Park City 48 hours prior, just one canyon south.

For our last day in Utah, we decided to make the trek over to Alta Ski Area, which is one canyon south of Park City. It seems so simple, but in reality, what we had to do was take a route that was a 270 degree loop that was ~40 miles to visit a resort only 10 miles away from our condo. It was about a one hour drive.

Please note that Alta Ski Area is a ski only resort. Snowboards are not allowed. I know that for many families this might be a show-stopper.

We are very happy that we elected to visit Alta during our Utah trip. It was some of the best skiing we’d ever experienced. We weren’t sure about making the trip over to the next canyon, for fear of being disappointed. More »

Utah Discoveries 10: Golden Spike National Historic Site near Promontory, Utah

23. August 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 10: Golden Spike National Historic Site near Promontory, Utah · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , , ,
This is seriously out-of-the-way place to visit, but worth it if you have time in the Salt Lake City Area.

This is seriously out-of-the-way place to visit that doesn’t look that interesting at first glance, but the trip is worth it if you have time in the Salt Lake City Area. Here, Timmy is looking at a replica of the last tie laid…into which the Golden Spike was driven.

After a disappointing day of skiing at Park City Resort without any new snow in the forecast, our family decided to do something else the following day. We drove into Salt Lake City, had lunch at In-N-Out Burger, and then continued northeastward towards Promontory Summit to visit the Golden Spike* National Historic Site. More »

Utah Discoveries 9: In-N-Out Burger near Hill AFB

07. May 2015 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , ,
Lunch for 4 for under $30? Yes please!!

Lunch for 4 for under $30? Yes please!!

For those who don’t know, Dave and I are “Eastern People”. He’s from New York, and with the exception of 3 years or so in Hawaii when I was very young, I grew up on the Eastern Seaboard. We are accustomed to humidity, high populations, and rich colonial U.S. history around us.

People from the western U.S. have their own set of traditions and nuances (calling “interstates” “freeways”, for example), and apparently In-N-Out Burger is one of them. There aren’t many of these restaurants, and they’re all concentrated in a 5-state area: California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas (why they completely leapfrogged over New Mexico is beyond me). In-N-Out has no plans to expand beyond this small market, unlike Five Guys, which now has well over 1000 outlets. We had a chance to check it out! More »

Utah Discoveries 8: Park City Resort Alpine Coaster

06. May 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 8: Park City Resort Alpine Coaster · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,
The Alpine Coaster at Park City Resort is a unique experience.

The Alpine Coaster at Park City Resort is a unique experience. Here we are getting read to push off.

On such a warm day at Park City Resort, the kids had grown weary of the icy skiing by early afternoon. Many of the trails that were open took us right past the track of the Park City Alpine Coaster, and Timmy was very interested in giving it a spin.

Timmy and I decided to get some tickets and check it out! More »

Utah Discoveries 7: Skiing at Park City Resort

05. May 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 7: Skiing at Park City Resort · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,
It was so warm, Dave could ski in shorts!

It was so warm, Dave could ski in shorts…well, sort of…

On our first full day in Park City, we decided to check out the Park City Ski Resort, which was just a couple blocks from our condo. We took advantage of a military deal for the resort, although being one of the Vail Resorts, it was still pretty costly, even for end-of-season conditions.

It was quite warm, with highs in the 60s and blue sunny skies.

As a consequence, there weren’t many trails open, and we had numerous detours. We’re grateful the boys were skilled enough to negotiate some of the detours.

Skiing at Park City at the end of March was like skiing on the East Coast. Icy. Jacob and Timmy are obviously spoiled rotten skiing in Colorado because they had a very hard time with the changed snow conditions. They didn’t have the best day. More »

Utah Discoveries 5: Canyonlands National Park

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 5: Canyonlands National Park · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,
Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.

Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.

Just a few miles up the road from Arches National Park is a turnoff that takes you about 25 miles to the northern entrance of Canyonlands National Park (the Island in the Sky District). This park offers a completely different look at Utah’s wilderness, with the Green and Colorado Rivers traversing throughout. More »

Utah Discoveries 4: More of Arches National Park

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 4: More of Arches National Park · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,
My awesome boys!

My awesome boys!

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There’s much more to see at Arches NP. This is near the “Devil’s Playground” part of the park. Another popular hiking spot.

After our morning hike to Delicate Arch, we elected to drive through the rest of the park because it got very warm in a hurry. It took us about two hours to drive through the park enjoying the additional arches and geology. More »

Utah Discoveries 3: Hiking to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park

31. December 2014 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 3: Hiking to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,
My boys got annoyed in a hurry with my attempts for the perfect Delicate Arch photo. I was doing everything in my power to keep other people out of the shot, which was quite difficult.

My boys got annoyed in a hurry with my attempts for the perfect Delicate Arch photo. I was doing everything in my power to keep other people out of the shot, which was quite difficult.

The ultimate goal in our visit to Moab was a visit to Arches National Park. The geology of the region is incredibly unique, with soft sandstone being unevenly worn away due to wind erosion. The terrain doesn’t even look like it belongs on this earth! Delicate Arch, towering over six-stories high, is the most famous of these arches (even appearing on the current Utah license plate, and getting there isn’t easy. More »