Saturday, June 29, 2013

Bandits' and A Hike

Park City, UT
June 25 - 26, 2013

 Last Monday, June 24, Jan and Martin rolled in at Park City RV Resort. We met them in Moab a few weeks ago. After hugs and hellos, we made plans to get together on Tuesday for lunch in historic Park City.  

 After parking on Main St., we realized we had way too many choices for places to eat. Since we were all rather hungry, we settled on the third restaurant we passed!




The first Bandits' opened in 1990 in Thousand Oaks, CA. It wasn't long before it was proclaimed "Best Barbeque in Los Angeles".




Since that time, two more Bandits' have opened...one in Camarillo (a city in Ventura County, CA) and the other in Park City. Bandits' advertises that they purchase from local farmers as often as they can and that everything is made in-house.


Jan and Martin enjoyed BBQ chicken sandwiches with gouda cheese and homemade BBQ sauce...Joe had steak tacos with guacamole and I had grilled fish tacos with slaw, both served with dirty rice and beans.
 


 A stroll up and down Main Street was definitely in order after lunch! There are several statues on Main Street. This picture does not depict the detail on this large bronze sculpture of a Native American chief...quite intricate. And Jan met Franz the Bear. Franz, a bronze statue, sits on a bench just waiting for photo opportunities.





These along with other statues are strategically placed in what the city refers to as pocket parks.







 What better way to end the afternoon than a visit to Java Cow Creamery.  




There are lots of moose in Park City which can be somewhat of a bother. One neighborhood decided to take action...they used paint ball guns to scare the moose away. What a comical sight...lots and lots of painted moose wandering the streets!

The next morning, a hike was in order...exercise after a day of lots of eating! There are numerous hiking trails right out of the Park City Resort/Campground  so we had no excuses.




A quick dip in the East Canyon Creek and we were on our way!
We all enjoyed a beautiful walk up the mountain.









Dover, Jan, and Martin enjoying the cool breeze and the view/






East Canyon Creek










Utah Olympic Park

Dover doing what Dover loves...exploring!

Wrecks doing what Wrecks loves...looking for shade!



Heading home...

 The pups headed straight for the creek!
Dover goes for a swim.
Wrecks gets a drink of cool water.








We had yummy pizza and avocado salad for dinner at Jan and Martin's.
We have had a great week...visiting with friends (Sue and Paul and Jan and Martin), Pearl had a trip to Teraflex for some modifications, I got a haircut at Oh La La!, and Sally had a spa day at White Pine Grooming Salon with Joan Rollins and she looks absolutely beautiful!
 
 
 
Hope you are having a great week-end. We will be in the road tomorrow...first stopping for an overnighter in Dillon MT, then on to Polson, MT on Monday.
We have certainly enjoyed our time in Utah. The name Utah comes from the Ute tribe and means people of the mountains.
The sky last night was full of color.
Y'all come back!


 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Old Town, A Nice Surprise, and Temple Square

Park City, UT
June 27, 2013


 Historic Park City, or Old Town as the locals say, is located 32 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The discovery of silver sparked the first mines in the 1860s. Silver was thriving in Utah while in other parts of the world, silver mines were depleted. The town flourished with crowds of miners and wealth.




By the 1950s, with a drop in the price of silver, Park City  nearly became a ghost town.




The first ski resort opened in 1963 on 10,000 acres of land the miners owned with mineral rights.
                                              





To this day, there are over 1,000 miles of old silver mine workings and tunnels beneath the slopes at Park City Mt. Resort and Deer Valley.





Today, Park City draws in an average of 3,006,071 visitors annually.
Even though Park City has less snow and a shorter ski season than other nearby resort areas, they are much easier to access. Hiking, biking, and golf are popular summer activities that also bring in the crowds.





Additionally, the city is home to the Sundance Film Festival, the Utah Olympic Park, and my favorite...the original home of the Mrs. Fields Cookies chain.





In 2008, Park City was named by Forbes Traveler Magazine among one of the 20 "prettiest towns" in the US.




Main Street is colorful. Among the restaurants, galleries, bars and shops...there are 64 Victorian buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places.











We had a nice surprise last Sunday. Sue and Paul (youngerday.blogspot.com) came by to check out Park City. They were staying in a park on the north side of Salt Lake City...about 32 miles from us. We met Sue and Paul in Moab. We picked up right where we left off...talking and laughing about RV adventures. Plans were made to meet at Temple Square for the organ rehearsal and to have lunch later in the week.




Joe and I arrived early to explore...oh my, the gardens are beautiful!



Flowers and flowers in all directions...



... colors and more colors everywhere we looked!
 Attracting about 3 to 5 million visitors a year, Temple Square is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah.


The Tabernacle was built between 1864 and 1867.


The original organ was made in 1867 and contained 700 pipes. It has been rebuilt several times and today the total pipe count is 11,623.



The building has an international reputation as a nearly acoustically perfect building.

The organist demonstrated the acoustic properties by tearing a newspaper and by dropping a pin on the pulpit followed by a nail...all were plainly heard throughout the building.


Outside looking in the Tabernacle...

...inside looking out.



Assembly Hall is beautiful. It was built from 1877-1882 using the granite that had been left over from the Temple.




Historically, it has been used for musical performances and religious meetings.







Today, the Assembly Hall is primarily used for free weekend concerts.


Sue and Paul
Joe and Paul
                                                         



 Sue and Paul suggested the Blue Lemon for lunch. It was just a short walk across the street. They advertise " pure clean food with a twist".

We enjoyed our lunch outside in the courtyard... I had a roasted turkey, provolone cheese, lemon herb smashed avocado, lemon pesto aioli, lettuce and tomato sandwich on sourdough... 
 Sue had pear and gorgonzola spinach salad with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, red grapes, candied pecans and balsamic vinaigrette...sorry, no food pictures.


It was a nice day... visiting with friends and the organ concert was wonderful. Thanks to Sue and Paul for inviting us along!
 Can't believe tomorrow is Friday...already!
 We have had another surprise too...Jan and Martin, who we also met in Moab, spent 3 nights here at Park City RV Resort. We went on a hike, and had dinner...more on that next time. 

 Hope you're having a fun week too!
 
Y'all come back!