It was a family affair. My brother Joey was taking his family to Palm Desert – 30 minutes southeast of Palm Springs- in the Coachella Valley, Calif., to sit in on some timeshare chat at the Westin Desert Willows. For $350, he’d get four nights’ lodging and Starwood points. My mom already has Starwood timeshare weeks so she booked herself and Dad into a neighboring two-bedroom unit at the Willows and invited us to join in the fun. The temps in Utah were hovering around 40; it was 90 in Palm Springs so we grabbed the swimsuits with pleasure.

Off to the California desert we trucked. We pitstopped about six hours into the drive, sleeping at the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite, Nev. For $27, we bedded down in a clean, pet-friendly double-queen, QUIET room, slept soundly and got back on the road at 10 a.m. after recording a quick audition. There’s a web series casting in Utah and even on vacation I still want the work.

We stopped for an over-priced but satisfying breakfast at Webster’s Sports Bar that cost us an extra hour of drivetime because of the slow -yet warm, friendly service- but it beats eating eggs in a smoky casino.

 

We rolled into the Westin at 4 p.m., dropped off the luggage, said hello to my parents and dove in the pool. A total of 10 hours spent in the Cherokee.

By 6 p.m., we were dressing to visit my Mom’s long-time friend Sandy who had purchased a gorgeous golf-estate so she could transition out of Beverly Hills.

Dinner was at Ruth Chris. I’m not particularly psyched on dining at chains when on vacation but it was one of the few places happy to accommodate a party of 11.

Night came and although I was exhausted, the Harley like rumble of the AC was ridiculously annoying.

DAY 1

Our first official day in Palm Desert started with audition taping. Both Sage and I had clips dues before noon and boy was Sage angry. All she wanted to do was play in the pool with Cousin Tess and here she was working. Tough. I cut her loose at 10 a.m. finished my own project with Ryan’s help and met my brother and his family at the pool for lunch and cocktails.

The $10 margaritas dropped to $5 at 4 p.m. so we stayed till then, had a drink and went back to the room to shower and change for take and bake pizza and salad from Wal-Mart. I love staying at places with kitchens. Dining out is fun and tasty but it’s such a production. Much better to hang back with everyone and cook a few nights.

After dinner Ryan and I snuck away to check out the weekly Villagefest in downtown Palm Springs. Every Thursday night vendors, artists, entertainers, and produce growers set up booths along Palm Canyon Drive. It’s like Park City’s Sunday Silly Market except it’s only open from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. We finished the night with blueberry mojitos on the patio of the Hyatt Palm Springs while listening to a couple of talented performers sing and dance to current covers.

Day 2

Aunt Stacey took the girls (Sarah, Tess and Sage) to get manicures and a movie (Jungle Book), Mom shopped for Passover dinner and Joey, Ryan and I checked out the Palm Springs Tramway. Built in 1963 the two-car scenic adventure charges $25 to whisk locals and tourists 8500 feet out of the desert heat for an afternoon in the mountains with 500 miles of hiking around Mt San Jacinto State Park. It took helicopters some 23,000 missions over two years to create the five towers and the 35,000 sq. ft. Mountain Station. Engineers labeled it the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

 

Gotta say the rotating floor made this way cooler than the Snowbird Tram.

 

 

We hiked a leisurely 4-mile loop, passing snowy swatches at the upper- most tiers, exchanging nods with several international foreigners with walking sticks. The 60-degree temperature was a cool relief to the 90-degree valley below.

We stopped at Great Shakes in Palm Springs on the way home because of a craving and Yelp reviews. Thanks, my Peeps, you didn’t steer my wrong. Thick mint Oreo shake with a mini donut circling the straw. As Vincent Vega said, “I don’t know if it’s worth $5 but it’s pretty fucking good.”

We were back in time to shower before the family Passover dinner courtesy of Gelson’s deli counter. We chilled, drank wine, dined on matzoh ball soup and brisket and bonded over James Lipton’s ten questions. It’s weird for me to travel long distances only to chill. I guess I’m not a good vacationer. I like to get out and do as much as possible and see as much as I can in whatever time I’ve got. This crowd is a poolside, lounge chair, sipping-adult-beverages crew. Working office jobs puts you in that mindset I guess.

Day 3

Still not sleeping well. Damn air conditioner. The mattress, linens and pillows facilitate the dreamstate but that god-awful sound takes a machete to all that. Ear plugs on my next trip. I scrounged up the energy for a power shower and we all met at the tiny El Paseo Grill. The breakfast menu isn’t extensive at the counter-service café but the scramble with cheese, tomatoes, broccoli, and grilled breakfast potatoes did the trick.

We said our good-byes to Uncle Joey, Aunt Stacey, Cousin Tessa and Sarah and drove to the Desert Hills Outlet Mall for one of the most intense shopping experiences I’ve ever seen. Nothing beats a sale on the sale stuff and there are 180 stores to choose from! Not to mention the selection in California beats the fashion sense in Utah.

Six hours later, we headed to Las Consuelas Terraza in Palm Springs for beef fajitas with my parents. The place has an authentic feel with the delicate sounds of live Mariachi music floating through the large, enclosed courtyard but we moved inside to the darkly lit, tiled dining hall to avoid the evening heat. The fresh chips and salsa and margs were a satisfying start after a long day without lunch but I was a bit disappointed with the rest- a handful of squash nuggets, one broccoli bit and palm-sized pile of beef strips.

We drove the 20 minutes back to the Westin, fat and tired. A late night challenge match on the tennis court – Sage and me against Ryan took us up to 10 p.m. and lights out- literally, the court went black.

Time for another night I knew would be rough. And that was that. We were leaving in the morning. Sad to leave the sun and warmth of family but soon I would be back in my own bed. Back to the cold temps, the fresh snow and pines instead of palms, and a good night’s sleep.

I gave up the Slip and Slide when I was 15. It was all the rage on a hot summer day; roll out that yellow sheet of plastic on the lawn, hope you didn’t lay it over a sprinkler, spray a bunch of water with the hose (leave it running) then go to town for a good two to three hours of tummy diving. But alas it was yet another thing we outgrew as adults. Think of the funny looks you’d get from neighbors.

Well, the folks at Slide The City have turned up their noses at convention and tapped into – pardon the pun- that nostalgia and childlike fun by turning a backyard pastime into an annual event for all ages. Last weekend wasn’t Slide The City but Slide Lake City in my book when the organization unfurled a giant, four-lane, inflatable piece of vinyl in downtown Salt Lake City.

Last year’s inaugural event drew crowds of curious onlookers and this year nearly 3000 men, women and kids in bathing suits and smiles got down and wet. Some citizenry were concerned about safety issues but the Health Department gave the green light to allow thrillseekers their moment(s) in the sun. All it took was a wristband and some sort off blowup tube and you were on your way.

Although the slide opened at 11 a.m. we waited for the heat of the day at 4 p.m. We hiked north up to the top of the three block stretch from North Temple. Sage couldn’t quit grinning with glee as she bounced her official STC tube on waist. Her red wristband gave her five tries and she planned to use every one of them. For a lazy kid, she didn’t even mind hiking back to the top after each slide. I could see how a golf cart shuttling people would come in handy next time. We expected a Lagoon-length crowd but there was no line. We quickly slopped on the sunscreen, then flopped on our tubes. The volunteers gave us a shove and sped quickly down the track only to slow up exponentially as the street flattened. No need to fear a crash at the bottom. We actually had to use flailing hands to push our way through the last 50 feet. By the fifth round, however, I knew what I had to do for optimal speed. Disengage from Sage. We had been connected thinking the weight would propel us but in the end, going solo was the ticket. Shoot for the lane that has the most water coming off of it, lay on your stomach and you keep your knees and feet up. Aside from the few knee scrapes, the fun meter was off the charts. I couldn’t stop smiling and whooping. I wasn’t the only one either. Last year’s event did so well, the company has been moving that slide around to more than 50 U.S. cities like a regular carny ride.

By the 5^th run, however, we were done. That’s a lot of hiking that sneaks up on you. Despite her enthusiasm, Sage was done too- but already begging to return next year. I promised. What’s a mom to do?

If you want to do Slide the City, make sure you sign up on the mailing list so know when the loyalty pricing opens and can get the cheapest tickets. Day-off registration was $30 for a single ride!!  Oh and if you can’t wait until next year to try, there’s a Slide The City event in Orem on Sept. 5. Save $10 by registering online.

Photos by Ryan Freitas

We had no idea the Falls were right there. But as we headed east up Mirror Lake Highway to climb away from the scorching Salt Lake Valley, we saw the lineup of parked cars. We guessed the Provo River Falls pullout (23 miles from Kamas) would be popular but not like this.

We hopped out of the car and there it was. No wonder everyone is here, I thought. The access is unbeatable. Seniors with canes, babies in diapers, even the large and out-of-shape RV contingent could take a dip with little effort.

The water cascading from above was delirium inducing. It’s just so damn hot in Utah right now. You can stay inside with the AC cranked, wade with thousands of screaming kids at Lagoon or Seven Peaks water parks (and pay for the pleasure) or find nature’s own cooling pools. The latter was our plan.

Pack the dog, a picnic, the bug spray and fishing rod (for trout) to make a day of it or stay just long enough to cool off. Either way you’ll be psyched you made the drive.

There is no specific trail but from the parking area (N40° 39′ 27″, W110° 56′ 44″) you can walk up or down stream- which runs parallel to Highway 150- crossing over logs, gravel and shallow water for as long as you like.

We choose to follow the dry riverbed to the south of the Falls for a mile and escape the throngs of waders but you can also climb to deep pools above the pullout for swimming and exploring. Depending on the time of year you might find a natural water slide to entertain the kids.

The Falls themselves are part of the Upper Provo River which runs down to the Jordanelle Reservoir near Deer Valley Resort. It consists of four distinct tiers carved into stratified bedrock which is easy to scramble around. The total drop is about 100 feet but each tier is only about 35 feet high.

Don’t be shy about taking a shower in the refreshing veils of mountain runoff; it’ll be the highlight of your trip.