Starting mileage: 7,680
Ending mileage: 7,879
Gas purchased in Santaquin, UT: $4.49 per gallon
Before I left L.A, I visited the local AAA office to request a TripTik Travel Planner, which is a service they offer that provides physical maps for your requested journey. If you’re old enough, perhaps you remember what these are — the perfectly folded pamphlet measuring 3-1/2 x 9 inches that once unfolded and laid on the kitchen table can never be perfectly folded again. Of course, I use Google Maps but sometimes I just want to see the whole picture, which is where I saw a little town halfway between Las Vegas and Park City named Marysvale, “where adventure meets small town charm.” A town with the name “Mary” in it…sounded serendipitous. Not so much.
I checked into the Paiute Trails Inn & Diner around 6:00. The diner is only open from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. so it was more of an Inn than a Diner. Dion had called me earlier to tell me I was in room 5. The door would be unlocked, and the key on the dresser. On either side of me, parked in front of doors 4 and 6 were ATV’s, which I knew nothing about other than it was the acronym for all-terrain vehicle. Unbeknownst to me, I arrived in Marysvale in the middle of the 5-day Paiute Trails Jamboree. On Saturday morning I got to the park just in time to see the riders take off. Many of the vehicles were decorated and adorned with flags. Some had only the driver and others had a two people, who I assumed where husbands and wives. While Marysvale was not the quaint little town I envisioned, it was a slice of life I’ve not seen before.
On the way to Park City, I drive through Provo, the Brigham Young University campus and stop for ice cream at The Penguin Brothers, happy to support a local business. The drive from Provo to Park City is gorgeous. There are stunning rock formations as far as the eye can see. I stop at a pullover to take a video of Bridal Veils Falls, towering gray rocks with a crystal while waterfall gushing down the center. From my early travels, Utah is gorgeous. I remind myself to google, “What is the prettiest state?” the next time I stop.
It’s a short 30 minute drive to Park City, and my luck continues regarding traffic. In many places, the speed limit is 80 mph, and I’ve been able to drive that fast. Even the two and four-lane roads’ speed limit is 65.
I follow the directions from the Airbnb hostess to check in at the complex’s lobby, get the key cards to my room, park and make several trips to my second floor studio. The apartment looks as pictured. Earlier in the day, I received a message that dogs are not allowed on the furniture. There’s not a sofa, and it will be easy to keep Arden off of the side chair, but the bed is a different story. I’ve brought a set up sheets and coverlet to use while we are there. Instead of remaking the bed with my sheets, I put the fitted sheet over the existing bedding, along with the top sheet and cover.
I keep the promise to myself to see where Utah rates in America’s beauty contest. Based on TheGetAway.com, Utah is the 3rd prettiest state in the country. Below is a brief description of their top 10.
- California: the golden state shines
- Alaska: the last, most stunning frontier
- Utah: a seasonal masterpiece
- Hawaii: the exotic wonderland
- Colorado: picture-perfect scenery
- Washington: the evergreen paradise
- Montana: the bluest skies
- Wyoming: a cowboys idea of heaven
- Michigan: a winter wonderland
- North Carolina: the east coast beauty
An interesting and surprising fact I read is that Salt Lake City has the second highest number of plastic surgeons per capital than any other city in the US….keeping the people as pretty as the state.
