Masters of RVing Adventures

Day 15 – Friday – Travel Day to Salt Lake City

While there are many reasons to visit this city in the Salt Valley and probably locals can tell you many more reasons why it is such a great city to live in, Mark and I failed to be put under its charms. I think overall it is a much bigger city than we were anticipating or were ready to spend exploring while fighting traffic, avoiding crowds of people, and waiting for spaces over the Labor Day weekend.

We had a fairly smooth, sometimes drizzly, five-hour drive from Moab to the outskirts of Salt Lake City. The last 20 miles were heavy traffic as we approached this “Gateway City,” since people were heading out for their Labor Day adventures. We arrived at the Sun Outdoors – Salt Lake City glad to be out of the traffic. Our RV resort was on the North side of town, which meant we had to drive all the way through town since we approached from the South side. Sun Outdoors is located in an industrial section, right behind Bish’s RV Sales. While the clubhouse was extremely nice, the rest of the campground was disappointing. For one, the spots were very narrow with mostly full-time residents. The small dog park was grassy and had a cute white-picket fence, but Timber’s dog park was behind the dumpster, backed up to the freeway, and filled with pea-gravel (no grass). The family across from us had three dogs that spent a lot of time tethered outside and barked constantly, which often set Timber off in attempts to communicate more loudly! Probably because we were disenchanted with the city, we were dissatisfied with the campground.

Needless to say, this is the quaint, cute ‘little dog’ dog park. The beautiful clubhouse was deceiving compared to the RV sites.

Day 16 – Saturday – Sandy & Draper Explorations

Promptly at 10am I arrived at Prodigy Hair Salon after taking a route through the city that avoided major expressways. For many ladies, finding a new stylist is about as fun as finding a new gynecologist. So, you can imagine my apprehension about having my hair colored, highlighted, cut and styled by a “temporary” new stylist. My fears were heightened when entering the salon and finding all 10 stylists with a mix of colored hues on their locks and just as colorful tattoos on their bodies. However, much to my delight, my stylist was the cutest, sweetest colorist named Mollie who had a full head of all-over blond hair (I won’t mention the sleeve of tatoos!). She took her time, worked hard to make sure I was pleased with all she was doing, and eased my fears of walking into a salon that was too edgy for my age! The salon was top notch and my hair looks fantastic!

We took to exploring two towns South of Salt Lake City for the afternoon. Sandy has a population of around 50,000 people and larger than we desire. Draper was much more appealing for us, and we liked the scenic views without being overpopulated.

Day 17 – Sunday – Ski & Lake Explorations

Mark and I decided to take Timber with us as we explored the ski towns mostly Southeast of SLC. Our first drive was to Park City. It was a zoo of people everywhere! They were having some type of Labor Day festival with the main streets blocked off. Finding a place to park was impossible, so we rolled down the windows, let Timber hang his cute big head out the window and crept along with the traffic. Plenty of people loved on Timber as we were stuck in the traffic jam.

After getting ourselves out of that cute ski town, we drove on up to Deer Valley. Basically, these two back-to-back ski areas are too swanky and overpopulated for us. A quick bit of internet sleuthing informed us that Park City is one of the top five ski destinations in the US!

We decided to check out the ski areas of Brighton, Alta, Snowbird, and Solitude – all located in Cottonwood Canyon. Unbeknownst to us, this canyon is a protected watershed that supplies drinking water for the Salt Lake Valley, and all canines are prohibited. … Persona non grata… err… Persona non doggie. So much so, we stopped at a trailhead to just give Timber water, thinking that it meant dogs were not allowed on trials, sidewalks, restaurants, etc. But no, we were immediately approached by a ranger who would not allow Timber to even get out of the Bronco. He told us if we proceeded any further up the Canyon we would be ticketed for having the dog. Needless to say, we turned around and immediately marked these ski areas off our list!

Great Salt Lake

Since it was still early afternoon, we chose to visit the Great Salt Lake and ended up at dog-friendly Great Salt Lake State Park. The Great Salt Lake about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide and is 4200 feet above sea level with an average depth of only 12 feet. It is the largest lake west of the Mississippi River and one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. The Great Salt Lake collects water from four major rivers but has no outlet. Water only escapes through evaporation and the salinity around the lake ranges between 6% – 25%. There is quite a noticeable odor along the shores caused by Oolitic sand and/or bacteria.

Oolitic Sand — Most sand is made of quartz particles, but Oolitic sand consists of dead biomass, such as dead brine shrimp and their egg casings. Over time, the dead biomass becomes “preserved” due to the salt water and collects additional sediment until forming perfectly shaped tiny spheres. Once these spheres or Oolitic sand washes ashore and becomes exposed to heat and light, the outer layers begin to erode and the decaying material decomposes and smells.

Anaerobic Bacteria — Most freshwater lakes and rivers contain aerobic bacteria, but the Great Salt Lake is so salty that it reduces the level of oxygen in the water only allowing anaerobic bacteria (anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’) to thrive. It effectively decomposes the organic matter but unfortunately leaves behind a strong rotten egg smell.

Day 18 – Monday – The Red Iguana

We spent most of the day catching up on work-related necessities. Needing a break, we chose to explore more of the downtown area, taking in the state capitol building and Temple Square. The Salt Lake temple is under renovation, so we were not able to tour it. I wanted to spend time in the FamilySearch Library, but Mark decided he was too hungry for me to be engrossed for several hours trying to find out historical family ties.

The above statue of Brigham Young can be found in the Capitol building. In 1851, U.S. President Millard Fillmore appointed Young as the first territorial governor. The development of Salt Lake Valley is credited to his leadership.

We did a quick search for a local food standout and settled on the Red Iguana ‘OG.‘ They actually have three unique locations throughout the city. From the outside, you question whether you’ve arrived at a dive; but once inside, you realize it is a well-run family business that takes pride in its food preparations. Our entrees were delicious and generous!

Day 18 – Tuesday – Moving On to Wine

We woke up Tuesday morning and decided we were going to cut our losses and move on, even though we had one additional night we’d already prepaid in this Salt City. I scanned Harvest Host and found a winery about four hours’ drive toward our next destination. We packed up and made our way to Holesinsky Vineyards + Winery We shared our spot with another set of travelers, enjoyed the winery’s philosophy of “sip back and relax” at a two-hour, five glasses wine tasting! Of course, we ended up buying a case of mixed reds and whites, and a case of their Idawater (carbonated spring water).

The winery’s tasting room had a western theme, complete with saddles!

Day 19 – Wednesday – Boise, a Family Stop

We arrived in Boise early afternoon to find a surprisingly quaint town that doesn’t feel crowded despite its growing population. Our brother-in-law treated us to local downtown sights, eating street side at Diablo & Sons Saloon. I enjoyed a grilled trout dish and Mark and Jim each had fish-n-chips. We then walked to Hotel Renegade and had a drink with a view at their roof-top bar, The Highlander.

Pondering life’s mysteries at The Highlander.

Day 20 – Thursday – Boise Outdoor Activities

Mary-Jo, our sister-in-law, was out of town on work-related business and I was head-down with a work project myself all morning, so Jim invited Mark to go for coffee at Bikes and Beans, and then on a mild mountain bike trail just outside of town (since Mark is a novice at mountain bike riding). They returned in time for a late lunch at Das Alpenhaus Deli, an authentic German deli and market. We were greeted with a harmonica serenade. Their Reuben and pastrami sandwiches were some of the best Mark and I have ever tasted! After spending another hour or two working, we met Jim at his house so Timber could play in his fenced-in yard while we went on another short bike ride along the river that weaves in and around downtown. We ended up stopping for apps at Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill. I was still full of my huge Reuben sandwich, so I had an order of kung pao edamame. Mark chose pot stickers and crab wantons with sweet chili sauce. Jim went for the signature tempura pineapple chili shrimp and the pot stickers. It was such a pleasant evening, we finished riding the river pathway and ended the night getting creamy rich huckleberry ice cream at the STIL. The STIL crafts small batch ice cream. Their flavors can be interesting, including booze infused creations (but I didn’t want to spoil my bike ride with alcohol). They also suggest pairing a scoop with a selection of their local beer or wine, which they say is an experience unlike any other. I learned that if you add fresh espresso with ice cream, it’s called an affogato. I didn’t try that either, I was afraid I’d be up all night!

Thanks, Jim for hosting us and sharing your love of Boise!

Next Stop – McCall, ID