A Park City Getaway

 

Lately I've been feeling pretty run-down and have been needing a break from everyday life. Loren's been super busy with work and will only get busier leading up to his two trials in November. I saw an opportunity to run away to Park City for the weekend and was thrilled when my mom and sister wanted to join. It was the first girls weekend we've ever had and it was glorious!

Loren was able to take Friday off so we left bright and early Friday morning. We drove through the Guardsman Pass and it was so beautiful. I'm sure in a couple weeks it will be stunning with all the Aspens changing colors. I wanted to hike to Blood Lake but was worried because there wasn't a lot of parking at the trailhead so I was hoping we'd find a spot. I think we went on a good weekend because the colors were just beginning to change so I imagine it will be more crowded the next few weeks. We found a parking spot and were on our way! 

It turned out to be a longer and harder hike than I anticipated. We ended up hiking four miles with an elevation gain of 700 feet. Mom caught Em and I literally doubled over trying to catch our breath. I could not believe my mom. She was the energizer bunny and hardly needed to rest at all. She was literally running circles around us. I guess I need more spice drink and seaweed water in my life. 

We finally made it to the lake! It was so peaceful and rejuvenating. 

                                              Cute little squirrels weren't afraid at all.

                              We made it! Em and I were so sore and mom could have done it again.

   We went and checked into our hotel (thanks, dad!) and tried to recover before dinner. We weren't familiar with any restaurants so we decided to take a gamble on the Park City Grill. It didn't have the greatest reviews and I was even more concerned when we arrived and found we were the first ones there at 5:30. I kept wondering why there was no one else there and wasn't thrilled with the menu options. I almost asked if we should leave, but then our server came so I decided to have an adventure and try it out. I ordered the salmon and it was AMAZING. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! I'm glad we stuck it out because it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. 

   After dinner we went back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub. It felt soooo good. Just being able to completely relax and not worry about anyone else's needs for a day was incredible. After the hot tub we played a couple games and then watched Princess Diaries 2 on Em's phone because I forgot my HDMI adapter. It was a perfect way to end the day.

  The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was delicious! I had the egg and sausage sandwich.

We made our way to the mountain and rode the Alpine Slide and Mountain Coaster. Oh my goodness, so much fun. With the slide you have to push a lever down to go fast and pull it up to slow down. Em didn't realize you had to push it to go fast so it was a pretty tame ride for her, haha. The mountain coaster was amazing. You start at the bottom of the mountain and then you're pulled all the way up. When you get to the top you're supposed to push down the brakes and not use them or you'll get smashed by the person behind you. Holy cow, there was a couple times I thought I was going to fly off rails I was going so fast. My mom was in front of me and I caught up to her pretty quick because she used her brakes. All she heard the rest of the way was, "Moooom!! Don't braaaaaaake!" Haha, it was a screamin' fun time!

The next stop was exploring Main Street. There's the cutest shops and cafe's that line the street. We especially loved the book shops and fine art centers. We had a really good lunch, mom got a salad and Em and I got Alfredo Tortellini. We definitely ate really well!

  Sadly, after that it was time to head home. It was a quick but rejuvenating trip. I'm so glad I got to spend some time with mom and Em. Loren was super-dad at home. He took Lydia to her voice lessons, activity days, went to the Food Truck Roundup with the kids, practiced a musical number and baked cookies for the neighborhood concert. I'm so grateful for Loren for taking a day off of work so I could go. It was a wonderful time.