As if the scenery, golf, concerts and dinners with friends were not enough in Park City –  we ventured up to Sun Valley, ID for more of the same;-)  Magic stayed parked in PC as our gracious hosts for the week were Eileen and Tom in their new home.

Full disclosure was made before we ventured up and they were fully informed that we would go anywhere and do anything to see Vince Gill – who just happened to be performing at the SV Pavilion during our stay!  Not sure E & T were as enthralled as we were – but, we had a fantastic time at the concert in this fabulous venue – –

Vince Gill and Amy Grant at this wonderful amphitheater.

They even endured playing golf with us – providing the ski resort backdrop and perfect weather for the day.

Eileen and Elizabeth on the Trail Creek Golf Course.

Just to be sure we did NOT get too lazy while visiting – a 4 mile hike to Titus Lake was in order.  Titus Lake sits at the junction of four of Idaho’s wildest mountain ranges – the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Smoky and Boulder mountains – the junction called The Cross!  It is also the headwaters of the Salmon and Big Wood rivers.  The trail was mainly through the forest – until the trees opened up and there was the Lake.  A good time was had by all – including Parker and Roxy – the Raney ‘children’;-)

Plenty of photo ops and photographers on our hike to Titus Lake.

Parker and Roxy led the way, with Tom and Eileen not far behind.

Gary, Eileen and Tom with views of the Sawtooth Mountains.

Where’s the treehouse?

Finally – a view of Titus Lake.

Very calm and quiet.

A quick break before we head back to the trailhead.

Beautiful views all along the way.

All good visits must come to an end – and the best way is with a lovely dinner in a lovely garden.

 Knob Hill – GREAT views and GREAT food.

We really enjoyed our visit and are very grateful to E & T for opening their new home to us. Thank you, again;-)

Back in PC – we discovered that the Muni course has new Tee markers – –

The colors of these cranes have changed from rust to grey over the past several weeks.

Not only the cranes are changing colors.  In the three days of absence – the colors in PC changed significantly – –

Autumn is HERE!!

It is hard to believe that we have been in PC for 2 1/2 months and have only 2 weeks left before Magic is closed up and the road opens before us once again.  But – before we go – there is another round of dinners and several golf games left to be played here.

So – enjoy the cooler weather, football and colors if you are lucky enough to live where you get them.  We’ll be back in touch soon – E & G;-)

Hope you all are not getting tired of the almost weekly updates that say “more dinners with friends, more golf, more concerts and another hike or two!”  But, this is our summer in Park City – AND WE LOVE IT!!

The rounds of golf provide great 5 mile walks and almost always give us something interesting to talk about.  Two rounds highlighted here are no exception.  The first was a wonderful round in Salt Lake with friends Rheta and Tom – where E managed to tie her personal best;-)!!

An 87!!   YEAH!

We were part of ‘the Dawn Patrol’ this past week, along with friend Betsey, at Soldier Hollow in Midway.  The autumn temperatures have set in reminding us that perhaps a tee time before 8AM is no longer appropriate – we froze and the sun is no longer coming up so early;-(  But, the wildlife is out hunting for breakfast – –

One of the great things about early morning golf….

….is the wildlife you run into….

….along the way.

This was our last weekend of concerts – so we ‘soaked up’ every last song.  Especially Trace Atkins, who put on quite a show (in all aspects!!).

Trace Atkins and his band in a terrific performance at the Deer Valley Amphitheater.

Andy Garcia and the Cineson Allstars provided a wonderful evening of Cuban music – –

G especially enjoyed the percussionists.

Sundance has always been a favorite day excursion – but, it just hadn’t been put into the schedule yet this year and time was growing short.  So – a good time to kill two birds with one stone and make this week’s hike Stewart Falls near Sundance followed by lunch at The Foundry Grill.  32 KBUS was off early to spend the day with our hiking partner this week – Jane —

Stewart Falls.  Amazing there is still water!

This hike is a real favorite as it provides beautiful views of Mt. Timp, the Falls – and this time of year – Fall Colors;-)

Beautiful views!

Really!  Everywhere we go and look there is Absolute Beauty!!

Falling into Autumn – E & G

Another week – another day – another hike;-)  This week, the Brighton Lakes Trail was the ‘plan of attack’.  Early Wednesday morning E, G and hiking buddy Sally were off to Big Cottonwood Canyon to begin their weekly hike from the base of the Brighton Ski Resort.  Tucked up into the steep (1100′ vertical in 2 miles) rocky terrain sits a chain of four sparkling alpine lakes like steps on a  giant staircase – Dog, Mary, Martha and Catherine Lakes.  The trail to these lakes takes one thru the ski slopes, forest, talus fields, around a dam and under towering mountain peaks.  The scenery is magnificent – and the day’s weather cooperated perfectly;-)!!

Grizzled old tree stands watch over the Catherine Lakes Trail.

Stopping for a snack at the almost dry Lake Mary.

Rain appeared to be falling all around us but is was still dry as we climbed above Lake Martha.

Lake Catherine –  our planned destination and turnaround spot for today’s hike.

Even with all the beauty all around – the ‘promised‘ moose at Lake Martha did not show itself.  AND – E was not leaving until the obligatory moose was sighted!  So – voila – just before the trail opened up at the ski resort again – there she was – –

I’m lunching.  Don’t BUG me!

This hike will definitely go into our repertoire for the future as it is now on our short list of favorites.  It was beautiful!  (And maybe next time we will even give you a picture of Dog Lake.)

It is hard to believe that two months have passed since our arrival in Park City and there are only 4 short weeks left to our visit here.  But, there are reminders all around of the passing of time.  As is always true here – mid-August brings the beginning of fall colors and this year is no exception.

The first ‘red’ tree on the slopes of the resort above the Muni course.

August also brings to UT those same monsoons that douse AZ.  E loves them – with the thunder, lightening shows and of course the rainbows – –

Beautiful rainbows over our ‘parking spot’.

What a beautiful way to end this post – Much Love from E & G

As you were reading the last posting, Park City was getting ready for the Tour of Utah.  It was a “schizo” day as it started with a HUGE thunder and lighting storm (which we got caught in on our way to breakfast!!) and then cleared to a beautiful day for a bike ride for the competitors.

Jane, Steve and Elizabeth en route to a wet breakfast.

Often many of the Tour de France participants are here for this race – but, this year those guys were all down in Rio competing for gold medals;-(  That did NOT dampen the excitement up on Main Street, though, where the final stage begins and ends.  Just like during the Olympics – the street is closed (except for the racers) and it becomes a real party!!

Looking up Main Street Park City to the start of this day’s leg of the Tour of Utah.

Two laps through old town before the next 100+ miles and the finish line at the top of Main.

The photographer at “work” while E and Jane drink champagne!

Again the week was filled with many more dinners, rounds of golf, gym visits and bike rides as well as the more mundane tasks like a Medicare webinar;-)!!  But – what we were really looking forward to was the little ‘break’ at the end of the week where the weekend would be spent at the Balloon Festival in Eden, UT.  Why this Balloon Fest you ask???  Well, some friends here in Park City have several balloons that they fly in these events and we had never really investigated the area around Eden/Huntsville – so why not??

Friday the car was packed with everything we owned (this reminded us why we have the Bus for such events – but all the ‘parking’ spaces for Magic were full by the time the decision was made to do this – so it was a car trip) and we were off to Huntsville and the Atomic Chalet B&B.

Interesting – no information about the Balloon Fest anywhere – AND no signs of the morning events!!  It was lunch time, though, so off to check out Eden, the festival park and find lunch.  Information in Eden – WHAT, NO BALLOON FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND???  IT’S NEXT WEEKEND??  NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Well, we have our room and nothing else to do – so let’s check out the area.  First up – wander downtown Huntsville – –

The Town Hall complete with ballot box on the front porch.

Not sure how this is monitored? Ripe for Trump complaints of cheating;-(

This scene reminded Gary of his Texas farming roots.

After this lengthly walk (not) through Huntsville it was dinner time.  The Shooting Star – the oldest continuously operating saloon in the state of Utah – was the destination for the BEST burgers – at the BEST prices!!

The Shooting Star Saloon, where you can still get a great cheeseburger for $5 – –

– – and a Beer!!

And another moose sighting!

Huntsville is the ‘entry point’ for two of the more local ski areas in UT – Snow Basin (which was completely upgraded for the 2002 Olympics as it was used for the Downhill) and Powder Mountain (a more rustic, local ski area).  Since neither E nor G had ever been to Powder Mt – it needed to be checked out.  After a scary drive up several thousand feet we were rewarded with some incredible views – –

A view from the top of the Powder Mountain Ski Area above Eden, Utah.

Well, since there were no balloons to be seen – we returned to Park City to check out the Art Festival there.  As usual, Main St. was packed with artists displaying their wares and all the buyers shopping for their special ‘something’ on a crystal clear blue sky day.

The Kimball Art Festival was in full bloom on Park City Main Street.

As were the flowers and the “hotties”.

Another week packed full of fun activities (happening or not!!) in and around Park City;-)  Just more evidence of why it is loved here in the summer time.

E & G  taking a break for a morning;-)

More of the same activities during the last two weeks – 5 dinners with friends, 5 rounds of golf, 1 concert and 1 more quick trip to AZ for E.  However – these ‘routine’ activities have finally provided some exciting times and wonderful pictures.

A perfect, beautiful night was spent up at DV listening to Bela Fleck and his wife, Abigail Washburn.  If you have never heard their songs and you like banjos and ‘hillbilly’ music – look them up and enjoy.  In fact, this performance led us to a wonderful movie – “The Songcatcher” – about Appalachian music (can be purchased on Amazon).

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn – real favorites!

During a brief break, E was off to AZ for a couple of days to check on Mom.  This trip was actually looked forward to, as G had more work to do on the Bus AND the highs were only to be in the 90’s in AZ thanks to the monsoons.  The only thing is – those temps were accompanied by 90% humidity, which made it worse than the 120 degrees of a few weeks ago – –

Where am I??  Hawaii??

Ahhhhh!  But, it was those rounds of golf that finally provided the sights we look for.  The Park City Muni Course is a regular of ours – and the sandhill cranes – –

Here they are!

And – we always see moose at Mt. Dell.  But, after a month of no sightings we were beginning to wonder if they were avoiding us.  Then – last Monday morning – there was a BIG guy stopping by to say Hi!

What are you lookin’ at?

I’m here for breakfast – why are you here?

They are truly AWESOME animals!

Just for fun – we keep checking on our old house to see how much more they can tear down before it starts going the other way.  Apparently – A LOT!!!

Our old “Big House” is undergoing minor changes.

In between the above activities, G hits the gym almost every morning we don’t play golf and E rides her bike.  However, this past week E spent a lot of time investigating Med Sup insurance plans, as she signed up for Medicare on the 4th;-(!!!!

E & G – Loving the moose and ignoring the aging

The last two and one half weeks have been filled with the activities that keep us busy during our time in Park City – there have been 3 hikes, 4 concerts, 6 rounds of golf, 7 dinners with friends and 1 quick trip to AZ for E!  All have been wonderful adventures and outings – but, do not provide a lot of pictures to share (well – maybe a few a little later!).

BUT – we did receive a FUN email that we would like to share.  Many of our ‘faithful’ followers know that the coach we travel in is manufactured by Tiffin in Red Bay, AL.  Many may have also heard our stories of our stays in Red Bay while waiting for service work to be done on our Bus.  Red Bay has a population of approximately 3,000 – many of whom work for Tiffin – so, as you might guess, the town is quite small.  One ‘searches’ for things to do while waiting there for two to three weeks!  We have visited Tupelo and the Elvis home, Ole Miss, the Natchez Trace Trail and played golf in Florence on two of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail while waiting for work to be done.  One of the more interesting sights is described below (we especially LOVE the quote) – – –

Tiffin Side Roads posted the following on their blog a few days ago.

Coon Dog Cemetery – an interesting stop near Red Bay, AL by mtrroughingit Guests visit Red Bay for numerous reasons – #1 taking the Tiffin plant tour, but also to receive service work or watch their new coach travel down the assembly line. While you’re here, we encourage you to visit our surrounding area. One of the most unique and talked about attractions in the area is the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard aka Coondog Cemetery. More information can be found at http://coondogcemetery.com . This is the only cemetery of its kind in the world. Only Coon Hounds are allowed to be buried here. To qualify for burial, where over 185 coon dogs have been laid to rest, it has been said that three requirements must be met: The owner must claim their pet is an authentic coon dog. A witness must declare the deceased is a coon dog. A member of the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, Inc. must be allowed to view the coonhound and declare it as such. “We have stipulations on this thing,” said the late O’Neal Bolton, former caretaker of the Coon Dog Graveyard. “A dog can’t run no deer, possum—nothing like that. He’s got to be a straight coon dog, and he’s got to be full hound. Couldn’t be a mixed up breed dog, a house dog.”   Each Labor Day, the Friends of the Coondog Cemetery host a celebration at the cemetery. Entertainment includes music, dancing, food and a liar’s contest.   Pictures courtesy of Tiffin owner, John Mitchell.

 

Of the four concerts we attended in the last two weeks, two were our very favorite entertainers – Lyle Lovett and Chris Botte.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band put on a terrific show, as they always do.

Chris Botte wandered through the crowd, shook hands with Elizabeth…

 

…and went back to playing his horn.

Then there was a really FUN evening sponsored by Bill Ligety and Mary Leader.  After those bourbon shots at intermission a GOOD time was had by all;-)!!

Funky glasses at the David Bowie Tribute performed with the Utah Symphony.

 

Elizabeth and Marla stopped dancing long enough for a quick pic.

A couple of G’s pictures from our hikes had to be included.  We really enjoy the more difficult hike to the top of Lamb’s Canyon where, when one gets to the saddle, they are rewarded with the views into Salt Lake – –

The view gets harder to see each year as the trees continue to grow.

This little beauty stopped to say hi along the trail.

So – that is our last couple of weeks;-)  (OH – forgot to mention that my handyman/plumber also fixed/replaced the toilet and got the rear slide working!!)  The next couple of weeks will probably be more of the same – but, we’ll keep you ‘posted’.

E & G Having fun in Park City

Once back in Flagstaff we continued our ‘investigation’ of the area and continued to be amazed at the many similarities to Park City.  The Snow Bowl is THE ski area in Arizona – and just like the ski areas in Park City, provides lots of hiking and the obligatory ski lift ride.  So – we were off to the coolness of the 11,500′ summit and the views of the surrounding area –

The ‘dynamic duo’ at the top of the Snow Bowl lift…

… Flagstaff, AZ and beyond.

The days in Flagstaff were limited as there was a quick three day trip back to Phoenix to check on Mom Dorthy and the need to get our butts up to Park City to get settled in before the Shoe Crew arrived for the 4th.

It was nice to be back in ‘our site’ at the PC RV Park and to begin our usual PC activities – including the usual weekly hikes.  First up was the Deer Valley Loop –

Our first hike found views of a full Jordanelle Reservoir.

and soaring eagles.

The Egyptian Theater, which we love to support when in town, was another early stop to see Asleep At The Wheel – –

A great show from these ‘Old Geezers’ at the Egyptian Theater.

And then it happened!!!  The Shoe Crew (Daughter Heather, Son-in-law Christian, and granddaughters Haley, Kira and Olivia) arrived to celebrate the 4th with us;-)  That creek in the campground is a magnet for the kids –

What all is down there?!?!

If the girls thought this was a free ride vacation – they learned quickly Gramma had other ideas for them.  They were put to work quickly making a mellon ball fruit salad for dinner.  Of course – there was a lot of melon eating while working;-)

Haley, Kira and Olivia making melon balls.

We had two birthday celebrations while the ‘crew’ was here.  The first that we celebrated was Haley’s 8th (actually birthdate is the 15th – but, Gramps wanted her to have her birthday present to use while in Park City.)

Hope there was a really good wish there.

It didn’t take our budding photographer very long to try out her new equipment.

Enough of this sitting around.  It was time to get them out on the hiking trails.  So – we were off to one of our ‘regular’ spots – the meadow where G & E spread some of Keith’s ashes.

Gramma and Kira were the risk takers – and rulers of the world!!

Through the lush green..

…for our visit to “Keith’s Meadow”.

another in a long line of Sound of Music moments.

Hide & Seek?

The Shoe Crew (Heather, Christian, Olivia, Kira & Haley).

Gramps, gramma and granddaughters.

We’re on top of the world.

That was an awesome day – but it was only the beginning of their visit and there was lots more to do.  Since it was the 4th of July week, there were all the usual 4th activities – including the Oakley Rodeo.  Kira and Olivia had never been to a ‘real’ rodeo – everyone LOVED the evening!!

The Oakley Rodeo allowed the girls to be up close with the horses.

Buckin’ Broncs…

Hang on there pard’nr.

Bull riders ROCK!

K-POW!

And then – ALL the Park City 4th of July FUN beginning with the breakfast in the Park–

Off early for the 4th of July pancake breakfast at City Park.

The Parade on Main Street —

Gramma & Kira needed more walking…

…to enjoy the parade.

And celebrating Heather’s birthday (actually on the 4th of July – and she is really 45 but we had to tease her a little) before going to a BBQ at a friend’s and more fireworks in the evening.

Celebrating Heather’s 54th, er, 45th birthday.

We also had a great evening at a Deer Valley concert featuring the Squirrel Nut Zippers during their visit. Everyone had a rocking’ good time –

waiting for the SNZ’s to take the stage.

Remember how Gramma was going to make the girls work for their meals?  Well – besides making the melon balls, the girls also made the chicken skewers one night and our ice cream one afternoon –

Homemade chocolate chip ice cream made with the help of the Ice Cream Ball.

Whew!!  We survived.  It did take us a day or two of doing NOTHING to recover from all the activities – but it was a GREAT visit.

The days that followed including checking out our old house in Park City – which we had been told had been sold (again) and was being ‘redone’!!  A little – it is completely gutted –

A little remodeling on our old house on Estates Drive.

Gary also had a little repair work to do on the rear bedroom slide – which decided to quit working;-(

Gary in cramped quarters working on the bedroom slide mechanism.  Eventual victory!!

It has been a little while since we did our last post – but, perhaps you can see that we were quite busy during the last few weeks enjoying life and family.  Hope all of you also enjoyed your 4th and are keeping cool during this summer month.

Promise to ‘see’ you again soon – E & G

Before we left our ‘Posts on Payson’ – there had to be a few more FUN ones.

Not many days go by without us getting in a round of golf – so, the Payson golf course was bound to be our host at least one day while in the area.   We have played on courses laid down in the middle of corn fields, vineyards and cow pastures.  Not sure which one this qualifies as – but, it was quite – um – ‘interesting’!

This fairway could use a little TLC.

This little ‘intersection’ was also quite intriguing to us.  It IS a crosswalk for the elk (as the signs indicate) – BUT, it appears that the elk must press the button to get the “WALK” sign?!?!

Beware the Elk Crossing!

And, of course, there is E’s never ending search for the best dessert in town.  This one was pretty good;-)

A low cal tasty treat after dinner.

It was also discovered that there were a few more Prehistoric Community ruins in the area.  While these were not as ‘complete’ and overwhelming as some seen in the southern Utah and Flagstaff areas – they were still something to see.  This ‘Shoofly Village Ruin’ covers 4 acres and contains 80 rooms that were inhabited by as many as 250 people between 1000 and 1200 AD.  UofA archeology dept. has done excavation here to determine the information above and then recovered much of their excavated area in order to preserve the area (a common practice).

Shoofly Ruins in Payson, AZ.

Then it became time to move on to the next stop – Show Low, AZ.  G is really getting a dose of Arizona and learning about all the little corners of the state where E spent time in her early years.  One day was devoted to a sightseeing drive that included Sunrise ski area (where E skied in her VERY early ski days!), Greer, Eagar and Lyman Lake.

Not exactly Park City – but, it was something to ski in E’s 20’s

As we returned to Show Low, smoke started billowing up on the horizon and the RV park notified us that Show Low was on preliminary evacuation notice.  It seemed prudent for us to pack it up and move back north to avoid any last minute traffic jams when the actual evacuation notice was given.

Wildfire just south of Show Low – too close for comfort;-(

A couple of ‘free’ days allowed for the investigation of the Meteor Crater, Homol-ovi State Park and a little more Whimsey in Winslow.

Meteor Crater – the most significant meteorite impact site on earth created approximately 50,000 years ago when a meteor hurtling at approximately 26,000 miles per hour struck the plain with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT creating a crater nearly a mile across and more than 550 feet deep.  A BIG HOLE!

The Meteor Crater – way to commercialized for our tastes.

Far more interesting to us (as you can probably tell from all the postings so far) were the Homol-ovi ruins.  Around 1330 AD a group of people arrived from the Hopi Mesas (60 miles north) drawn by the lush flood plain of the Little Colorado River.  These people built a 1200 room village housing 750 to 1000 people!  Excavations revealed three large plazas, outdoor activity areas, living, working and storage areas and as many as 40 kivas!  This place was HUGE!  As we looked over the expanse of the development it was easy to imagine the life and work that took place here as the mass of people farmed the area to the west of the pueblo down to the river.

A few of the 1200 rooms

It was about lunch time – so, off to check out the La Posada Hotel – the finest hotel on Route 66 (back in the day)!  In 1927 the Santa Fe Railway and the Harvey family decided to build a major hotel in Winslow – the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway.  They asked Mary Colter to design the hotel (she is famous for her buildings at the Grand Canyon).  At a cost of almost $2 million, it became THE place to stay in route from LA east.  Everybody stayed here – Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Albert Einstein, etc.  AND – E & G ate lunch here!!

The La Posada Hotel in Winslow.

The fire in Show Low gave us the opportunity to spend some time in this area we would not have had otherwise.  While we are safe and sound, the fire we escaped is NOT being kind to the area south of Show Low – and at this writing that area is still on evacuation notice.

Keeping our fingers crossed for less wind and cooler weather to assist the fire fighters –

E & G safe near Flagstaff

So – our next hike was every young boys dream;-)  We had to crawl over rocks, wade through streams, climb across ledges – and hold our breath that we could make it!

“Where was this” you ask?!?  It was the hike to the Tonto Natural Bridge in the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park just north of Payson.  Tucked away in Pine Canyon this bridge has been in the making for thousands of years and is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.  (Notice that the Chamber of Commerce has word smithed this one to be “the largest natural travertine bridge” as it is NOT the largest natural bridge.)  It stands 183 feet high over a 400 foot long tunnel and was discovered by a prospector in 1877.

The Gowan Trail took us down into the canyon and to the mouth of the tunnel – –

Drip, drip, drip.

This is really big!!

Then we went through the tunnel – wading thru Pine Creek and over the rocks ledges blocking the entrance/exit on the opposite side.

OK, where’s the trail marker?

Yikes! Did we take a wrong turn? Where the hell is the next foothold.

The Pine Creek Trail greeted us on the other side of the tunnel and managed to get us out of the canyon through  the creek bed and more rock climbing.  We did live to tell/write about it – and looking back had a really fun time!

Our reward was an evening concert at the campground.  These guys were really pretty good-they just looked like they were older than dirt.  Oh yeah – they looked our age;-(

Even More Whimsey!

Another day – another hike.  Today took us about 20 miles east of Payson just below the Mogollon Rim to the Christopher Creek area.  We entered See Canyon and took the See Spring Trail – again wading (Christopher) Creek to the Spring – –

Hiking to the See Spring.

Are you sure the trail marker pointed this way?

After this short 2.5 mile hike, we were off to investigate Woods Canyon Lake high atop the Mogollon Rim.  Here at a little over 7,000 feet (and 70 degrees), the views were fabulous on this beautiful, clear day.

Phoenix – are  you out there?

And so – we had another perfect day!

What more could we ask for – perhaps the end to the violence that marked the day as we awoke (the shootings in Orlando).

Thankful, but sad – E & G

So – after the last VERY long, VERY detailed post – we decided to give everyone a break and just have some fun;-)

OMG – There he is standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ.  Such a fine sight to see!

G with Jackson Brown.

It’s a girl – my Lord – in a 40′ Bus, slowin’ down to take a look at him – –

Take it easy, take it easy.  Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.

Li’l Bit with giant geetar.

All of this was on our way to our next three days – Payson, AZ – and Magic’s new home for that time.  Ahhhhhh – –

Great site – don’t you think?

So – this was our FUN day – E & G just wanted to share