17 September 2012 - Week with a Friend Part 2

Continuing with my adventures with Amy... on Friday I decided that we needed a dose of the mountains. We started the day by driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon--a spectacular drive with towering rocky peaks on both sides of the road with the occasional sheer drop down to the river. We stopped at Brighton and took a walk around Silver Lake. It was a gorgeous day, and the walk was lovely.

The lake was clear and cold. We followed the board walk around and then into the woods behind the lake. The smell of the woods was incredible--heavy pine scent mixed with aspen. 

The pine trees are old growth and for our dry climate, are huge. Our walk was punctuated by the antics of some preschoolers equipped with small plastic magnifying glasses and who were also looking for cards with letters and numbers that had been tied to trees and bushes along the path. The kids were funny, very cute and of course, noisy. We left them behind and continued on the trail around the lake. We passed a few people fishing for trout and two men running radio controlled cars. 

Suddenly Amy grabbed my arm and said, "I think I see a moose!"

We stared for a minute then started trotting along the path to get back where the moose was before the next group of kids went by.  Fortunately the kids took the other path, so Amy and I were able to get up close and personal with the moose. 

After moose watching for while, we continued back around the lake. We passed a sign we hadn't seen earlier. It was warning of moose in the area and said a moose can stomp a person to death in minutes. Signs of trouble include ears laid back and neck fur standing up. Oops! See photo above.  Our lady was not happy. But Amy and I sure were. 

We left Brighton and headed up higher in the mountains, crossing over Guardsman Pass then traveling down the other side into Park City. It was a gorgeous day for a drive.

The aspens were still green, just starting to get a hint of yellow.
Here's Amy at the top of Guardsman Pass where we can look into three different canyons and see Park City, Heber City and Midway. 

We wandered up and down Main Street looking in the windows of boutiques, jewelry stores, art galleries and restaurants. We had a late but really good lunch at the 412 Bistro. It was fun being ladies who lunch on a weekday, and eavesdropping on other groups of ladies who lunch. And it was a good thing we did, because in all the excitement of the day, I had forgotten one of the most important reasons we went to Park City... the alpine slide and alpine coaster!

After lunch we drove over to Park City Mountain Resort and checked out the slide, coaster and zip line. Amy demurred on riding the coaster and zip line, but I got her on the slide. It was a ball!

It took us 15 minutes on a chairlift to get to the top of the slide. We had great views of the mountains as well as of kids screaming down the slide below us. 

I think Amy was afraid she was going to be one of the screaming kids, but I never heard a peep out of her all the way down. I screamed, but only for effect when people in the chair lift could hear. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from Amy's visit. She looks determined, but there is a little smile that tells me she may be enjoying this. 

It was a fabulous day and we were both exhausted when we finally made it home. 

Saturday morning we took Amy out to breakfast at my favorite food truck, Saturday's Waffles. 

 Nothing but waffles. Really 
good waffles. The two guys that run this place are happy and really make it fun. 

Since the waffles created a sugar high, I decided it would be a good day to go downtown and give Amy a dose of weird Salt Lake. We started in the Gilgal Sculpture Gardens, all created by one guy in his backyard.  It is an odd little monument to his religious beliefs. Quotes from the Book of Mormon are engraved into huge rocks. A sphinx statue has the head of Joseph Smith. 


After a much needed lunch, we toured the roof garden on top of the LDS Conference Center.  This fountain is just a small part of the roof garden. Hard to imagine all the water and gardens over the top of a center that holds 20,000 people. 

Next we walked over to the temple grounds and through the gardens.  We saw at least eight brides exit the temple for the requisite garden photos. Amy was amazed at the assembly line marriages. I was able to get Amy posed in front of the reflecting pool-- a staple in the wedding party photo stops. 

 



I liked how the fountain echoes the shape of the temple. 

The gardens were the best I have ever seen them-- absolutely perfect riots of color. 

This is another favorite spot for wedding photos. 

           

 
 Behind Amy is a columnar oak. These have been growing here since I was tiny. I hope to have one in my own yard some day soon. 

From here we walked up the next block to tour the Lion House (Brigham Young's house).  

I was surprised to find no mention of his 27 wives, only his first wife Eliza was mentioned.  Cleaning up history, I suppose.  The tour and stories about the use of the rooms were quite different than I remembered.  

A passer-by was kind enough to take our picture in front of the Lion House.  

The rooms were ornate and filled with furnishings that you would hardly expect in a home completed in the first five years after the Mormons arrived in the Salt Lake valley.  This family gathering room had two pianos and a harp, two crystal chandeliers, gilt trim, just for starters.
 
After this, we came home and collapsed. 





Sunday morning we drove up Emigration Canyon, past the This Is The Place Monument and Park on our way to Ruth's Diner for breakfast. Ruth was an independent woman long before  women's lib. Breakfast was wonderful--I had trout with eggs. It was superb!

The grounds around the diner have been refurbished since my last visit and were full of sculptural accents made with old oxygen tanks. I was disappointed that none of them had clappers, but the noise might have been a problem.

 After breakfast we continued up Emigration Canyon and crossed over to Parley's Canyon and on home.  The hills were dry and bare, but the rabbit brush was in full bloom. 

This view is from the pass looking toward Parley's, with Little Dell reservoir in the background. 

We decided an at home day was in order. Jack drove us up the street to the trail head of Neff's Canyon.  The three of us took the trail around the old reservoir. It was a beautiful fall day. After completing the circle around the dry lake, Jack drove back home while Amy and I walked back taking a circuitous route that was about two and a half miles.  Once back home we spent a quiet evening going through quilting books and magazines looking for ideas for quilting patterns that Amy could use the circle quilt she is working on. 

 Monday, we decided to have another at home day, so I dragged Amy out to my print shop and she helped me print, cut paper, interleave, stack and sort 200 cards for a letterpress project. Yep, a restful day. I was really grateful for the help. Without it, I would not have finished the project on time. 

Tuesday she left for Michigan. I think she was glad to get home and into her normal routine that included more sleep and definitely more down time. Even so, I know I had a great time!