UT -- Heber City, 1 March-5 April 2017

Our final five weeks in Heber City, Utah…

Why we came…

Heber City is a nice town and the surrounding area has plenty of things to do.  More than anything, we came to play in the spectacular Wasatch and Uinta Mountains.

The campground…

Mountain Valley RV Resort is outstanding!  It was recently built and was clearly designed by folks familiar with RV’ing.  Sites vary in size and most have a decent amount of space.  The cost,  proportional to the size of the site, is a bit high on a nightly basis, but quite reasonable on a monthly rate.  The laundry and private bathrooms are well laid out and immaculate.  An outdoor hot tub is also available all year long!  Satellite reception is great from all sites, but that might change in a few years as the saplings grow.  Cable TV is also available, and there are plenty of over-the-air TV channels.  The cell phone signal is reliable data and wi-fi is also reliable and usually fast.  Cache, Judy, Garrett and the rest of the resort crew do a great job of maintaining everything and keeping everyone happy.

Arleen walking laps around the campground.  We did this a lot!

   

Enjoying a soak in the hot tub  /  We packed up the RV skirt on 13 March

On 8 March it finally happened!  . Sadly, after almost 4 months without a neighbor, a small motorhome moved in for the weekend.

Nearby towns…

Heber City, elevation 5,600 feet and population ~13,000, has plenty of conveniences.  And if we can’t find something in Heber, then Park City is 15 miles north and Orem/Provo are 26 miles southwest.  The Heber Valley is paradise with dramatic 11,000+ feet high peaks, Deer Creek Reservoir, and the trout-filled Provo River.  We often gaze at Mount Timpanogos and White Baldy peak from the comfort of our toasty home, and are treated to incredible sunrises and sunsets!  Strawberry Reservoir, Utah’s best trout lake, is 24 miles southeast.  Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Ski Resort are just 15 miles north and the rugged Uinta Mountains are 35 miles to the east.  We could easily settle here!

Weather summary for our final five weeks…

Average high temp: 48F     Average low temp:  22F     Average snow:  8.6 inches

Record high temp:  70F      Record low temp:  -17F     Record snowfall:  38.5 inches

Observed high temperature:  73F on 18 March

Observed low temperature:  6F on 2 March

Measured snow:   2 inches and quite a bit of rain

NOTES:  Most of March was dry and warm.  Mountain snowpack took a hit, but there was still plenty of snow above 7,500 feet.  As of 1 April, Park City Mountain Resort reported 412 inches of total snowfall for the season.

                          

Snowpack maps for 1 March & 31 March.  Snowfall was below average for the month & the snowpack took a hit.

Adventures…

On 1 March we went skiing…

March started out great! In the previous week the Wasatch Range had received FIVE FEET of snow.

At Canyons it was a cool but pretty day with only occasional breezy winds when light snow showers moved through. We stayed on soft groomers all day. We swooshed down 18,000 vertical feet off Iron Mountain and Dreamcatcher lifts with minimal effort.

   

Ski route at Canyons…5 feet of soft Utah powder fell the previous 7 days  /  Riding up the Dreamcatcher lift

Good snow off the Dreamcatcher Lift

On 3 March we went snowshoeing…

It was a pretty day with a temperature around 50. We headed higher into the cooler hills!  We drove past Sundance Resort and Mount Timpanogos and parked at the Stewart Falls Trailhead.

The Alpine Loop Scenic Byway is closed during the winter to automobile traffic. So we were able to snowshoe up the road to Alpine Summit, at just over 8000 feet. We climbed a good steady 1,500 feet over four miles.

There was a lot of snow compared to when we hiked up the road two years ago.  We saw three snowmobilers, one cross country skier, and a hiker dragging a snowboard uphill being led by his sweet border collie. After a while he cruised by us on his board followed closely by his loyal companion. 

It was entertaining to see so many people wandering around the parking lot just taking pictures.  The view and the experience always get exponentially better the further you get from the parking lot!

       

Snowshoe route near Sundance  /  Ascending into the Timpanogos winter wonderland

   

That’s a bunch of snow at 7,000 feet elevation  /  Looking south towards Sundance and Provo Peak

Are we playing in the Alps or the Wasatch?!?

Being silly at the Alpine Loop Summit at 8,100 feet

On 6 March we went skiing and snowshoeing…

The day started out very cold. The temperature was 10 degrees with wind gusting to 35 miles per hour. The wind chill was a bitter minus 5.

But eleven inches of light Utah powder fell overnight and no winter storms were expected for the next two weeks. Though friends were arriving that afternoon, we had to take advantage of the new snow!

Word was out! The Orange bubble line was very long.  Our target, the Condor lift, was on hold due to avalanche control. It would be great to be on one of the first chairs.

So we waited at Sunpeak Lodge where we had a good view of the Condor lift.  At the first glimpse of folks riding up, we hurried out and jumped on. We did a few nice soft runs, but the frigid rides up the lift seemed to take forever. Plus, the snow was getting tracked up, so we headed to the cozy Orange Bubble lift.

We got in a few knee-deep powder turns.  It was great practice for Arleen and effortless fun for Shawn!

We left early knowing it would be the last decent snow for a while. But two of our best friends were driving up from Nevada and we would rather get out and play with them.

   

Ski route at Canyons  /  11 inches of soft powder with wind chill of –10F…brrr!

   

Making turns in the soft snow

Stefanie and Tony made good time on their drive and were in town by early afternoon. That was more than enough time for an adventure.

The four of us snowshoed a 2 mile route in the Wallsburg Wildlife Management Area near the Heber Valley Shooting Club.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a view because pesky snow showers obscured the mountains. That’s alright. We had great conversation and got good exercise!

   

Snowshoe route in the Wallsburg Wildlife Management Area  /  Fun afternoon with Tony and Stef!

Stef, Tony, and Arleen nearly a thousand above the Heber Valley

On 7 March we went skiing…

Tony has skied for years and was excited to hit the slopes. It had been a few years for Stef so she wanted to start slowly.

We knew Sundance was the perfect place to take them. It’s a smaller place with few people during the week, and has a selection of varying terrain for a reasonable price. Plus, it has epic views of Mount Timpanogos and the surrounding Wasatch Range.

It was a sunny, breezy day with great visibility to enjoy the expansive views. With the snow that had fallen the day before, conditions were flawless!

We started out on the lower Ray’s Lift runs to let Stef warm-up.  After a few laps, we moved from the front mountain to the back.  We did a lot of runs on the slightly steeper but nearly empty Bear Claw route. 

Stef had great form by the end of the day.  Even at lunchtime, we gave her and Tony the option to leave early and go snowshoeing. But they were having a great time and enjoying the views so they wanted to stay and ski! 

At one point we left Stef to herself. Arleen, Tony, and I went to tackle a few black runs.  We had a hard time keeping up with our 77-year-old friend. He skies fast.  He gave us a scare as we made our way down the steep Badlands run. 

Tony crossed tips and did a cart wheel over the edge.  Both of our hearts stopped.  But within 10 seconds, covered in snow, Tony popped back onto the trail laughing and in one piece.  Proving once again to us that he is Superman!

Some might think this blog business is easy but it is not without hazards.  I was trying to capture Arleen, Stef, and Tony skiing together. Stef cut her turn too short and plowed right into me.  We were both fine and we all had a good laugh! 

We wrapped up the day at Vito's Italian restaurant for a delicious end to a great adventure.

The next morning we had breakfast together in Orem and hesitantly said goodbye.

   

Ski route at Sundance Resort  /  Stef, Tony, and Arleen

   

Stef and Arleen at the top of Sundance  /  Tony at the top of Sundance

Stef, Arleen, and Tony shredding the good snow on an empty slope

   

Stef plowing into me!  /  “Are you ok?”  “I’m ok!”

   

It was a fun day at Sundance!  /  Tony learning about the area’s history

On 14 and 16 March we hit the slopes…

We waited till about noon to hit the slopes.  It was 60° and the snow was like mashed potatoes. 

We did ten runs off the Orange Bubble lift.  As more people went down the slopes, big slushy mounds developed on Doc’s so we had to be careful. But Lookout and the Drain were a lot of fun!

Arleen had never jumped off of Doc’s onto Outlaw before. It is short but just the sort of steep run she loves. After that, she did it four more times and we renamed it “Arleen’s Run”.

We were way overdressed.  Surprisingly, Orange Bubble still had the heated seats on. It was the first time we dreaded jumping on it.

Two days later, we started the day at Park City.  Dejectedly, the parking lot was jam packed at noon.  There had to be some event that we weren’t aware of.

So we left and went to Canyons. We were glad to see the parking lot only a third full, the emptiest we had ever seen it. 

We went up and did four runs off of Condor.  Kestrel was in good shape and a lot of fun in the slushy conditions. 

We were thrilled to see a moose. He was right where we would expect, in the middle of the willow thickets and munching on the fresh shoots.

It was a sunny day with temperatures in the fifties. The only thing that took away from the perfect day was the wind gusts of 30 to 40 knots at the top of Condor. 

   

Laps off the Orange Bubble  /  Laps off Super Condor

Beautiful spring day at Canyons

On 18 March we went snowshoeing…

We headed into the Uinta Mountains to explore one of our favorite spots.  We snowshoed up the Mine Trail two years ago and were excited to return. 

We waited for a warm, sunny day. The snow was tricky alternating between soft and firm, but the trail was still fully covered! Snow pack was still at 160%. 

The reason we like it so much is first, you get a good aerobic workout as the trail climbs 1,500 feet for two and a half miles. Then, the trees part and you get your first glimpse of the impressive Wasatch Range to the west.

We love the expansive view that extends from Provo Peak to Mount Timpanogos to the heart of the Wasatch, to Jordanielle Reservoir, to the ski slopes of Deer Valley and Park City. It is the perfect spot for a snack and to pose for pictures.

We had the trail all to ourselves. We only saw a few cross country skiers in the valley as we neared the truck. 

The snow was very soft in spots.  In fact, Arleen post-holed next to a fence and her foot splashed into icy cold running water. Thankfully, she didn’t get hurt, but in spite of the 60 degree weather, she got chilled. We were just a few hundred yards from the truck so it was no big deal!

       

Snowshoe route on the Mine Trail in the Uintas  /  Happy to be in the aspens

This is one of our favorite views!

On 21 March we went snowshoeing…

We returned to Daniels Summit. But this time we snowshoed up the east side of the road.

We did this route two years ago with Mary when the snow was sparse. That day, she and Arleen had to carry the snowshoes up while I managed without them at all.

The closed road was still fully covered with deep snow with only a few rocks peeking out.  There was an average of four feet of snow along the top consisting of a couple of inches of soft slush on top and it was firm underneath. It was great for trekking! As long we avoided tree wells, we could go anywhere. There were high thin clouds, mostly light winds, and comfortable temps…it was fantastic!

We did a fun three mile lollipop route on the ridge top that gave us good views and good exercise.

   

Snowshoe route near Daniels Summit  /  This big Douglas Fir was a nice perch

“Superstaaarrrr”

On 23 March we went skiing with Cache…

The weather had been warm and dry for two weeks, but that was about to change. We were excited and advised Cache to expect a powder day.

The next morning we texted him at 0630L to let him know there was fresh snow. He answered he could not make it. I texted back “BOOOO” and thirty seconds later, he sent a new message. He’d meet us!

Cache had responded like a true lifelong Utah powder hound. And he was so glad he joined us. All morning at Canyons, we witnessed him whooping and jumping off of ledges and tearing through trees at warp speed!

There was three inches of new snow before the resort opened and another three inches fell on top of us. We had a great time off of Tombstone, and were the first to hit a few of the runs.

   

Ski route at Canyons  /  Me, Arleen, and Cache on a powder day

   

Soft and fun turns

On 26 March we went snowshoeing…

This would be our last day to snowshoe the Lodgepole campground loop on Daniels Summit. We felt nostalgic as we tried to keep up a good pace around our go-to aerobic winter workout route.

Mother Nature knew it would be our last day and had blessed us with a glorious sunny, warm day. Snowpack was still 130% but we could see evidence of spring’s reversal work.

We could hear water running in the low areas. A few of the picnic tables had corners peeking out, but there was still a lot of snow. They’ll be lucky to open the campground by Memorial Day.

   

Snowshoe route near Daniels Summit  /  Lodgepole Campground is our start point

Nice view of the southwestern Uinta Mountains

On 27 March we skied Park City…

We were not surprised when we looked at our statistics and discovered that we had skied only 5 of 26 days at Park City.

We chose to explore the town side of Park City since we had never done it before. We did 9 runs off of the Payday lift till the rain started to move in. There was a thick cloud layer near the top, but it was cool to pop out and see historic Park City a thousand feet below.

The groomed runs were good. But we tried a few others based on the deceiving vantage point of the lift. That was a mistake.

In the words of our friend Bill, who was at 49 Degrees North, “Dust on crust to butter to mashed potatoes, all on the same run. Almost no visibility up top makes it even more interesting. No, I am not complaining…”

   

Ski route at Park City  /  Park City Resort is the largest ski area in the United States

No lift line at Park City’s base…very rare!

On 31 March I went to Canyons…

Arleen’s back was sore and I wanted to take advantage of the last storm before we left.  The ski area reported 8 inches of new snow, which due to mild temperatures, I knew was on the top third of the mountain. 

I pulled into the parking lot and was sad to see an inch of slush.  I hopped on the ski lift, and as it climbed, the heavy snow turned into 2 inches, then 3 inches, then 5 inches.  There was no wind and the snow coated everything…it was pretty.

I hesitantly dropped down an ungroomed black run, G-Force, concerned about the snow conditions.  I surfed high on the new layer of mashed potato like snow…it was smooooottttthhhhh!  I had the run to myself and let out a couple of cheerful whoops as I made some sweet turns. 

Each of my first few runs went like the initial one.  I really enjoyed myself!  Unfortunately, as more and more people cut tracks through the heavy snow, the conditions got more tricky.  Though I fell and tweaked my back, it was a fun day on the mountain and a good way to end the season!

   

Snowboard route at Canyons  /  Fun turns in 4-8 inches of new heavy wet snow

Final ski stats…

We got plenty of snow this winter and made the most out of it.  Here are some stats…

- Days on the mountain: 26 at Canyons and Park City and 1 at Sundance

- Cost per day: $23.50

- Lift rides: 225

- Cost per ride: $2.70

- Total descent: 324,000 feet!

- Total ski distance: 306 miles

That’s the most we’ve ever skied in a season!  We had fun and definitely got our money’s worth!

After skiing we often went to Cafe Zupas for yummy soup, sandwiches, salads, and chocolate dipped strawberries

Open houses with Cody and Jennifer…

Cody and Jen are local “Heberites” and we’re blessed to be their friends.  They are a bit antsy to find a new home and we are planning to build one in a few years.  Open houses in the Park City area provide a plethora of ideas.  We thoroughly explored two huge, multimillion dollar homes.  We took pictures, made some notes, and had fun.

Our bellies rumbled with hunger so Cody and Jen took us to their favorite sushi place in Park City.  We sampled 6 or 7 different kinds of sushi rolls…they were all great.  Most importantly, we had good conversation and laughed a bunch!

We finished a wonderful day with yummy ice cream concoctions from Cold Stone.  Then we gave Cody and Jen hardy hugs and made tentative plans to meet again this summer in Idaho.

This 5,200 square foot home with 5 bedrooms and 5 baths was priced at just $2,000,000

Next…

We are finally headed west!  Our next stops are Great Basin National Park NV, Elko NV, Reno NV, Lassen National Park CA, and Crater Lake National Park OR.  Then we’ll spend the summer in eastern Oregon and central Idaho.  We look forward to more great adventures!

Parting shots…

An 80 foot long rig

   

Didn’t see any bikes near Mount Timpanogos  /  IS THAT SASQUATCH?!?

(158,000)