Starting mileage: 7,879
Ending mileage: 7,996
I love Park City. I’d planned to spend 2 weeks in Denver, but the Airbnb’s were expensive there, so I reduced my time in Denver and inserted Park City. I’m glad it worked out this way.
My apartment backs up to the “Rail Trail,” an abandoned railroad corridor that has two paths, one paved and one dirt through the woods. My temporary neighbor Beth and her dog Lani gave us the 411, “watch out for the snakes on the dirt path and the motorized bikes on the paved one.” I’ll take the lesser of two evils and stay on the pavement. Via the rail trail, my morning coffee stop is 3/4 a mile; the city park is about a mile, and Main Street is 1.8 miles.
I’m in the Prospector area of town, which I like better than downtown. My complex is in a neighborhood with single family homes so I feel like a resident and not a tourist. I have found some amazing restaurants. My favorite being the Salt Box where I had the best salad of my life. The Roasted Salmon & Grain entree has Italian greens, farro, summer squash, cranberry, almonds, crispy rice and chili lime vinaigrette. I was torn between ordering this or the halibut tacos, but the sophisticated lady beside me had the salmon which looked amazing. It did not disappoint. I struck up a conversation with this patron who reminded me of a young Gloria Steinem and learned she was originally from LA. Another favorite breakfast spot is Five Grains which had delicious green juice and coffee, and dog bowls made by Yeti. Park City is dog friendly city with most establishments supplying water bowls, not Yeti, but still filled with refreshing water. There are harbinger hooks outside to tie your dog while you order food. Arden’s red “Joyride” harness is frequently mistaken for a service dog, and we’re given the option to eat inside.
Social Media gets a bad rap, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Seeing my posts, a former client, Madeline, reached out to let me know she is living nearby in Utah. I arrived on Saturday, and Madeline and her husband Paul were leaving Monday for Florida and Puerto Rico so Sunday was our sweet spot. Madeline recommended we go to the Kimball Arts Festival that was in it’s last day on Main Street. The festival is a 3-day event featuring 200 artists from 28 states and 3 countries with offerings ranging from jewelry to artwork to furniture. I was hesitant about leaving Arden alone our 2nd day in Park City, but Madeline said, “bring him.” It was great seeing Madeline and meeting Paul, especially in a non-work environment which Madeline and I reflect on with gratitude. The weather was perfect, and Paul treated us to an awesome Thai lunch. Since I have no permanent home, and my 10×10 storage unit and car are packed to the rim, I have no need for art work, but there is room for a unique pair of brushed silver earrings handcrafted by a Santa Fe artist. Madeline too got a beautiful pair of earrings for an early birthday present after Paul saw her admiring them. It’s great spending time with good friends, but there’s really something special about spending time with people you hadn’t expected to.
After our time with Madeline and Paul, Arden and I were pretty much on our own to write (me, not Arden), take walks, nap and eat. The second to the last night there was a full moon, made all the brighter with a backdrop of stars. There was a thunder and lightening storm our final night in Park City, a clanging symbol and light show to signal our departure.
