by Wendy
Your sisters are always up for drinks over evening card or Scrabble games
Your parents can easily out-hike you, any day of the week
Your niece and nephew think of the funniest Would You Rather questions on a car trip
There is a great variety of snacks and everyone is willing to share
There is always quality coffee around Continue reading
by Joe
There is no place on earth, let alone the USA, that looks and feels like Southern Utah. It’s extremely hot and dry in summer and cold and snowy in the winter. But the warm breezes in the summer and cooler mornings keeps everything in balance for an enjoyable summer experience. The sky during the day ranges from turquoise to navy blue and as black as coal at night which allows the stars to pop like top grade diamonds. The green trees against the dark blue skies and red rocks paints a picture like no other place. The dryness of the warm mid-day breezes and the cool ones in the evening wrap around you and embrace you. It’s almost spiritual in nature and in this vast piece of nature you can see, smell, and feel the wonder of the west as so many have before us. But it is at times, stark. It is dry and the land in many places dies of thirst. It is rocky and at times desolate. It can be brutally hot in the summer and I wondered how did so many people, for thousands of years, come to inhabit and thrive in this land. But humans have lived in this area for over 10,000 years. Even if you look back only a couple of hundred years ago, how did they do it? Continue reading
by Cindy
On a recent family trip to Utah, we stayed at a really cool ranch resort that offered many fun activities. I knew I would enjoy the pool (even did the water slide), tennis courts, miniature golf and ping pong, but I wasn’t into the horseback riding, rock wall climbing, trampoline bungee or ATVs.
For some unknown reason though, I took an interest in the zipline. My eight year old granddaughter definitely wanted to ride, so I said I would go with her. Continue reading
by Cindy
In 2009, my husband Joe and I did a trip to Utah to visit five National Parks: Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. We also visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on that trip. We were blown away by what we saw and have talked about that trip a lot!
Well, our children were listening and decided they would like to see that part of the country for themselves. So when it was time to discuss the summer vacation, the yearly beach trip was changed to a Utah trip. The grandchildren were older now and ready for this great adventure. Nine of us visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Zion. Six of us visited Bryce.
I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit that area again, much less with my children and grandchildren. It was equally amazing seeing it again for myself and now through the eyes of my children and grandchildren. We did some wonderful hikes together. I hope their memories of these awesome places will stay in their minds and hearts as it has mine.
UTAH ROCKS!
by Wendy
During the past six months, I traveled to Utah four times. Once for skiing, twice for work, and most recently for an epic vacation with my husband Jack, parents Cindy and Joe, sister April, nephew J, sister Sunny, brother-in-law Jimmy, and niece MJ. Continue reading
by Wendy
Jack and I went skiing in Park City, Utah this past January. Just like two years ago, we missed the powder. I appreciated the warmer temperatures but residents kept apologizing for lack of snow. Jack would shake his head and say to me, “This is just like skiing on the East Coast.”
Yet we had a wonderful trip. The beautiful scenery beckons you to go outside and stay outside! Even for a hesitant skier like me, the sporty, cheerful Canyons Village lures me into believing I’m an athlete. Continue reading
by Wendy
If you read ski trip post #1, you know what I packed. This post covers the hotels, the skiing, and various notes on the area and activities. Spoiler: I fell down quite a lot but had a GREAT time in this beautiful place! Continue reading
View from Hyatt Escala Lodge at Park City, Utah
by Wendy
I went skiing for the first time in high school. My family drove to the Smoky Mountains for a couple of days during Christmas break. Half of us slid down an icy hill without ski poles and falling on our rear to stop while the others went ice skating. It wasn’t pretty, but the VHS tape sure was hilarious. Anyway, I went maybe a handful of times since then to spots a few hours away. While I gradually learned to use poles, wedge to stop, ski off the chair lift without crashing and keep my balance, I still would not describe myself as a skier. But I married a skiing enthusiast, so away to Park City, Utah we go. My first trip to Utah and first attempt at skiing west of the Mississippi! Of course one of my first questions was: could I pack for this getaway using a carry-on bag only?
Continue reading