Beautiful Day at Park City Mt. Resort

We woke up early (still on Florida time) and brought a picnic to Park City Mt. Resort. Kyle rode a chair lift and hiked through the mountains for the first time with us. Jackson enjoyed playing Paul Bunyan and picking up the biggest walking sticks he could carry (large logs). Chris and I kept wondering aloud how fast these young men are growing up and savored the moment. I feel like I have this tiny window of opportunity left when my son still wants to go on vacation with me, so I'm enjoying it as much as I can.

After 3 hours of hiking, we let the boys ride the Alpine Slide (luge) and the Alpine Coaster while we sat with our dusty feet up and tasted a local beer. Beautiful weather--sunny and 75.

Park City Mt. Resort plaza

After taking the Crescent chair lift up (the same one used by skiiers in the winter), we started walking down Tommy's Two-Step trail.  We smelled the pine and identified wildflowers along the way.

This building is the Silver King shaft house.  It housed the hoist, machine shop, pumps, and offices.  A lot of old mining structures still exist along the ski/hiking trails.  We hiked along the same runs you ski on in the winter.

This is the Silver King company mill.  The first building was destroyed by fire; this second one was built in 1921. Before Park City was a ski resort town, they made their money off of silver mining.  Ore from the mines was processed in this mill before shipping it out to be sold.
Most of the silver was mixed with other metals, and by the 1950s it was becoming harder and more expensive to extract the silver out.  So the town needed a new way to maintain the economy, and a ski resort was born.

Kyle and Jackson at the top of the lift, before we hiked down.

view from the lift

 

The Alpine (roller) Coaster

Hiking is dusty and hot today.  Need to rest.

Saturday: Travel Day

Uncle Danny picked us up at 6:30 am and we made our way to the airport. Anticipating a long wait to get Kyle a boarding pass (he's still a minor and Delta wouldn't let Becky print from home without us present), we asked an employee where we should stand, and were thrilled to be brought to the front of the first class line.  It took about three minutes.
The TSA line was a breeze (when does anyone ever say that?) and we hung out at the gate for an hour. Jackson complained about our "bobo" breakfast...in other words, cheap and low-class. Since I hate wasting food, I cleared out the fridge and brought some english muffins, ham, shredded cheese, and a half empty container of yogurt. I reminded him that his parents' frugality was the very reason why his family could afford to go on vacations throughout the year.  He agreed and we enjoyed our meal.
The flights were uneventful and smooth and we landed into Salt Lake City around 2:45--4:45 Florida time. After waiting 90 minutes for a rental car (!), we were on our way to our favorite hole-in-the-wall.

The Wasatch Mountains on the 30 minute drive from SLC to Park City

This morning on our porch at the condo. We do not have air conditioning, only heat. It's 65 degrees.

Sunrise over Park City. The crane blocking the view is from the construction of a Whole Foods going up...or as Chris dubs it, "Whole Paycheck."

View of Olympic Park from our kitchen. The area hosted the winter games in 2002.

Can't wait for tomorrow

Volunteered at Stranahan House today.  Set up my first museum exhibit--with help from Marcus, John, Melanie, and Deb.  It celebrates Women's Equality Day (August 25th) and Ivy Stranahan's role in gaining women's suffrage in Florida.

I haven't seen my guys smile so much all summer.  Vacation, here we come!

Kissing Stormy goodbye.

Our 2016 Summer Groove: 48 Hours Until Departure

48 hours before we embark on our next great adventure--2 glorious weeks in Utah and Arizona with our son, Jackson and nephew, Kyle.

Here's some eye candy to pass the time:

12 Stunning Landscapes You'll Only See in Utah

We are also looking forward to a new twist--discovering the power of mother nature:

Grand Canyon North Rim Forest Fire Started by Lightning in June

The National Park Service opened the main roads 3 days ago. 

Off to get haircuts and start packing!