Park City, Utah

Not having too much time (one day) for local exploring limits how far and where we can go. Yesterday we did finally get to make a trip we had hoped to find time to get in. We drove over Guardsman Pass to Park City on Utah 190. At the summit the road turns to dirt and becomes one-way in places on the way down the mountain. Our Winnie could make it over the pass but we would have to drive that couple of miles of dirt at 10 mph.

Park City is a ski town. The ski trails have been cut out of every mountain around the city. Upscale condos are everywhere with signs announcing new ones (Starting at just $500,000 popping up along all the main roads. Shops filled with merchantise for furnishing those expensive condos line the pretty and bustling downtown area. We walked Main Street where most of the shops are and had a quick lunch in a deli under a set of 1999 pictures of then President Bill Clinton hunting snow bunnies in Park City. There are lots of flower boxes and an interesting museum that tracked Park City's change from a mining town to a first class ski resort town.

Wednesday's is farmer market day in Park City. I think that most farmer's markets are just outlets for antique/junk/produce dealers that sell cheap goods and produce from big distributors. This market had actual, real live farmers selling real tomatoes and other produce picked that morning. It also had 2 honey sellers. I buy local honey wherever we go. Honey in grocery stores is usually blended foreign honey and is garbage. Why eat that when you can support a local beekeeper who is selling great honey - real clover honey, buckwheat, orange blossom, etc. There is a big difference. I bought a big bottle of clover/thistle honey and a small bottle of buckwheat honey. Honey from different flower blossoms has different flavors. We also bought some yellow cucumbers that I initially thought were some kind of lemon. We got some fresh field corn and pecans too. A family had two ice cream makers set up and was making home made ice cream. They looked like they were selling it as fast as they were making it.

We then headed for I-80 and saw the sign for Utah Olympic Park. We thought the sign said 16 miles and talked about whether we wanted to drive 32 miles that late in the afternoon to see it. Then we looked out the window and could see the park not 16 miles away but 1.6 miles. We did a U-turn and drove to it. Great decision. The park is where the jumping and sledding events were held during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. There were zip lines set up and you could ride a bobsled down the course. These were kind of pricey. $65 for one bobsled ride. A professional driver would be in control of the sled which would hit speeds of 70-80 mph. The sleds had wheels on them. We went on a tour of the facility. We were taken up to the top of highest ski jump and the guide told us all about ski jumping. I was relieved to know that I am too heavy to participate. Totally scary. The jumpers hit 90 mph at the end of the jump and fly over 100 yards. He said young teenagers make the best jumpers because they are light and fearless. I am neither. A great place to visit.