Category Archives: Family

Summer Escape: Bend, Oregon, Beckons Outdoorlovers

photo courtesy of Visit Bend

Talk about your last minute roadtrips! Can you say deciding to leave today, yesterday? Not only am I missing Sage’s first day of school this Monday (BAD MOMMY!) but her moment in the spotlight as she plays the role of “The Daughter” in Dr. Holiday on Sunday. But I have to go. It’s my last hurrah of the summer as well and, well, Ryan has things covered – despite his reluctance. He’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. Seriously. We’re going on 12 years in April and he’s always there for me. I’m not saying we don’t have our moments but without them I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have lasted this long.

I digress. My ‘hurrah’. I’m writing a travel piece on Bend, Oregon. I like to say that Bend is for folks who’ve never lived in Park City but my last visit was a summer-long sabbatical in 2002 while escaping from a slightly deranged boyfriend. I’m sure things have changed since then. Bend is a resort haven for Portlandians and Eugeners. With Smith Rock and Mt. Bachelor Ski Area bookending the town and a river running right through their central park, there’s no want for recreation.

Normally, I would begin prepping for a jaunt MUCH sooner than 24 hours but it didn’t come together until now. What can a girl do? SheJumps!


The non-profit org that was established to get girls outdoors is presenting a Women’s Whitewater Kayak course in partnership with Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe in Bend, Ore. They’re hosting a complete intro to the sport in just two and a half days. Cait Towse from SheJumps: “This event is going to be a great opportunity for women to get into a sport that often seems intimidating or impossible. With the support of fellow ladies we will empower and inspire each other to push pass our fears and develop skills we couldn’t imagine before. I can’t wait to teach and share this wonderful sport!”

Although I already know how to kayak, I broke my foot last August and prefer my re-entry to include a ton of handholding. The expert female instructors promise a safe, fun experience on the McKenzie or another Class II+ river. We’ll learn critical paddle skills, boat control, how to read moving water, and how to identify and safely negotiate river features like rocks, trees and rapids. I’m also making new friends that might be up for a last minute roadtrip the next time it happens.
Plus, Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews are playing to a sold out crowd this weekend so I’m hoping someone will have a spare ticket.

If you are interested in learning more about SheJumps go to their website. I think there’s still room in the class if you don’t have any plans this weekend. Give them a shout.

Find Your Fall Colors in Uinta National Forest

You can still roast in September in Salt Lake City. Temps have cooled off significantly thanks to the recent rains which leaves you with two reasons to head to the Uintas before it snows. 1) Cool exposed climbing 2) Vibrant fall colors.

The heat of a Utah summer can often linger into October. You can barricade yourself inside, chilling like a lizard in Moab with your A/C cranked or you can hightail it to the Uinta National Forest for hiking, biking, camping and rock climbing among the brilliant reds, yellows, greens of the season.

It was a little past 10 a.m. when we headed northeast through Kamas to Ruth Lake. Mirror Lake Highway had long since thawed and we watched the car’s thermometer tick off the degrees in time with the reception bars on our cellphones. Relief was near. From heat, from life, from civilization. In just about an hour from Park City, we would be hiking the wilderness and approaches to some of the best climbing routes in the Wasatch and we wouldn’t be able to Tweet about it.

Though the secret of Uinta rock climbing was outed in the early 2000s, with some of the state’s top climbers erecting routes and writing maps for the quartzite and conglomerate walls, it has never been able to eclipse the popular Cottonwood, American Fork and Maple canyons where the stuff of rockstars are formed. But that’s ok. It just means that on any given day from June to October we’re not standing in line waiting for a route or forced to go elsewhere because of crowding.

It’s a 20-minute hike to the crag from the pullout; enough to summon a sweat but it pays to wear long layers and close-toed shoes from the car to the rock as the fall weather can change from sun to storm before your gum loses flavor.

We chose Ruth Lake because it’s in the shade all day. But on cooler days the southfacing Stone Garden is a better choice for climbing from sunrise to 8 p.m. There are at least 20 developed climbing areas that both sport and traditional climbers linger over. You could spend the entire summer exploring the forest and it wouldn’t put a dent in the list of routes rated from 5.6 to 5.12.

Uinta Rock by Nathan Smith and Paul Tusting was published in 2004 and still stands as the only area-specific climbing guide for the Uintas. However, the number of routes has doubled since then. If you’re ‘connected’ in the climbing world you can probably get your hands on a homemade topo map with the new routes marked, or simply ask around for insiders’ tips. White Pine Touring and Utah Mountain Guides run regular excursions to the area so their people are a valuable resource.

Expert climbers looking for killer problems at 5.13 and above might be bored in the Uintas unless they’re making first ascents but the majority of us take immense pleasure in a 5.9-5.10 bolted sport route. Other good developments for beginners and intermediates are Fehr Lake, Notch Lake and Moosehorn.

I’ve heard the routes in the Uintas called “spicy”. In other words, they are interesting, fun and challenging. I guess you could say, then, that Ruth Lake has six separate walls of various ‘heat’. And there’s no denying the breathtaking panoramas made even more impressive surrounded by fall’s blanket. From over 10,000 feet elevation you can see a vast expanse of pristine mountain lakes, wild flowers, and snow-capped peaks. Plus, unlike climbs in Big and Little, Uinta National Forest isn’t watershed. You can bring your well-behaved dog(s).

My first thought as we hiked the path to Ruth Lake from the parking lot was how I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else on earth. I was with friends, cool, on an adventure, about to get the best upper body workout a girl could want and there was an award-winning berry shake waiting for me at Hi-Mountain when it was all over. The perfect solution to a fading summer in Utah.

 

WHAT TO WEAR

 


Park City Arts Fest This Weekend!

The Park City Arts Fest starts tonight and I won’t kid you; the downtown area becomes a zoo ten times worse than during Sundance and many of us locals run the other way. More than 200 vendors from 30 States and Canada exhibit mostly high-priced ‘art’ in booths that line Main Street. There’re all sorts of really cool items and I’ll post some photos after tonight. I like to go on the locals opening night stroll and leave the crowd scene to everyone else.

If you aren’t afraid of crowds then you will most likely dig the mingling vibe that arrives with the event. Artists from across North America are happy to hang and chat with you and share their stories. You will also undoubtedly run into those you already know.

The festival runs from Friday evening at 5:00pm through Sunday evening at 6:00pm all along Main Street. The $10 tickets go to support the Kimball Arts Center in Park City. There’re over-priced food and beer vendors at the top of the street but skip those and have a better-tasting sit-down meal at one of the several Main Street restaurants with patios.

Park City USA- City of Champions

We are now the “City of Champions” and in honor of our Olympic celebrity, Park City, Utah, is having a parade.

This weekend’s homecoming applauds the more than 20 Olympians and Paralympians who live, train and coach in our little town.

Hometown medalists Joss Christensen (2014 Freeskiing gold medalist), Steve Holcomb (2014 Bobsled 2x bronze medalist), Ted Ligety (2014 Alpine Skiing gold medalist), and Sage Kotsenburg (2014 Snowboard gold medalist) will wave to the crowd on Main Street, April 5, from 1-5 p.m.

Stein Eriksen, 1952 Alpine Olympic gold medalist and long-time Park City resident, will be the Grand Marshal for the event.

The parade leads to the Town Lift Plaza for a meet and greet, live music, food, drinks and fireworks show.

photo courtesy Park City Mountain Resort

The celebration continues Saturday, April 6, over at Park City Mountain Resort where Ted Ligety learned to race.

 

1:00 p.m. – Parade of flags down lower PayDay run
1:15 p.m. – Ted Ligety introduced on stage, participates in live Q&A with guests
1:30 p.m. – Remarks from former world champion Stein Eriksen , US Ski & Snowboard Association President Bill Marolt and Park City Mayor Dana Williams
1:45 p.m. – Remarks from Ted Ligety
2:00-3:00 p.m.  – Meet and greet with Ted Ligety at PayDay plaza
3:00 p.m. – Live music featuring Bryon Friedman on PayDay Deck at Legacy Lodge

Park City-based Olympians closed out the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games with three gold medals, two silver and three bronze medals. If Park City competed as its own country they would have finished 14th in the world medal standings between South Korea and Sweden.

For more information, please contact the Youth Sports Alliance at events@ysapc.org, 435.214.0792, or visit ysaparkcity.org.

Snowbasin’s Pots of Gold

Get thee to Snowbasin this Saturday. The resort is calling all leprechauns in celebration of Saint Patty’s Day. They’re placing three pots of gold somewhere on the mountain. They could be in the lodges, on the hill, and anywhere in between. Don’t look for the rainbows though, no one’s giving away the location of these babies easily. There are three valuable prizes up for grabs including a 2014/2015 Adult Premier Pass. The Pots O’s Gold Search begins at 9 a.m. and ends when the last one is found or 4 p.m.; whichever comes first. If none of the pots are found by noon look to Facebook and Twitter for clues every half hour.
When you’ve worked up an appetite, scoot over to Earls, Needles or John Paul Lodge for traditional corned beef and cabbage, Shepard’s Pie, and Guinness Beef Stew. Bag Pipers will also be in Earl’s Lodge during the afternoon spreading some Irish cheer. At 3:30 p.m. Earl’s goes off with ‘This Must Be the Band’- Talking Heads tribute band- on stage for a free concert.

Alta hosts recreational racing on Fridays and Saturdays at the top of Sunnyside from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., conditions permitting. The races are open to anyone who wants to try for a gold, silver or bronze Alta pin but you’ll need to register at any ticket office or at the top of the race course. A single run is $3, while Unlimited Runs is $10. Awards are based on a handicap system similar to NASTAR- by age and gender, determined by a pace setter’s time. If your time does not qualify for a medal, you still get a white Alta pin for participating.

Brighton shares the Bonanza with you every Friday night: Roast marshmallows with the kids or a romantic date at the bonfire on Fridays. The yumminess begins at 6 p.m. on the deck of the Alpine Rose.

Snowbird brings on the spring party at Creekside Day Lodge in Gad Valley. Local reggae-rockers, Uniphi, play live while the giveaways fly. $8.50 gets you a burger and brew. The bash moves over to the Tram Club where all 21+ can clink green beers and Irish car bombs.

The Canyons wants to see St. Patrick’s weekend as a spring-long event. They kick it off with the 2014 Operation Smile Celebrity Ski Challenge at noon. The annual fun race raises money for the more than 200,000 surgeries performed around the world to give children born with cleft palates and lips a brand new smile. Most of the celebs hanging out today are from TV shows like Barrett Foa (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Missy Peregrym (“Rookie Blue”), Jason Ritter (“Parenthood”), Nicole Sullivan (“Cougar Town”), Michael Trevino (“Vampire Diaries”), Alan Tudyk (“Suburgatory”), Aisha Tyler (“The Talk”), and Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”). Stick around the resort all week for concerts, magicians, jugglers, s’mores at the Umbrella Bar firepit (3-4 p.m.). Folk Hogan will perform at the Resort Village stage today from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Park City Mountain Resort is hosting a Ski Beach in the meadow at the PayDay Lift midstation from noon-3 p.m. today. Families can picnic with games, burgers and drinks for all ages. Look for the fenced in area between PayDay and Heckler Runs. The Ugly Valley Boys open the Miller Lite Après Concert Series at 3 p.m.

1 3 4 5 6 7 11