Holy Moly, My Legs!!
Salt Lake City, Utah. I had no idea what to expect when I got off that plane (after 3 flights…) All I knew was that the mountains are exceptional and that it was founded by the Mormons. Well, that’s what I got. It is a very plain-Jane city, with little spots of edge here and there. There is strong coffee, weak beer and a lot of streets that look the same. The weather there is amazing, coming from Vermont’s brutal winter; blue skies, warm breeze. It is so dry, which is why the snow is unlike anywhere else, but I felt like I was in a constant battle to stay hydrated.
First day of hiking. (That's me.)
I was there for 11 days; visiting my best buddies who moved out there after college, my ski buddies. These are the boys who changed my skills and gave me the best season I have ever had last year; Stowe is not the same without them this year. Hiking, getting buried in powder like never before, more skiing, followed by screaming “ahhh my legs!” with the biggest smile on my face. That sums up my trip to Utah. All followed by some R & R in the hot tub at The Cliff Lodge. I now know why people move to Salt Lake City. Those long, fresh runs at Alta make you forget about the mundane, gridded city.
View from Alta.
There is a lot of traversing at Alta.
A plus for me was that there are so many places for vegans to eat! My favorite was Blue Plate Diner, where I had wanted to eat ever since I saw a clip about it on the Food Network. I wish I had taken photos of my food both times I went there, but I was truly too excited to eat. But I will tell you what I got so you can drool dreaming of their homemade Veggie Burgers and their mmmm Portabella and Hummus sandwich! (That’s what I got.) If you do go, don’t get the Cajun fries. They are not what you expect them to be, and you are pretty much getting two whole potatoes. Go with the Skinny fries. They also had the crunchiest, greasiest Tempura Onion rings which were so good after a long hard day of skiing.
I also had some delicious vegan pizza at Este Pizzeria. That was great too, except they made me feel really self-concious about ordering a Bud Light instead of their organic, local brew, which I thought was some what snobby of them. Sometimes you just want a cheap, cold beer, especially when your funds do not give you a choice!
Very happy vegan after dinner at the diner!
Crisp, blue sky's are very common in SLC.
I thought I would be doing some Veggie With a Vision cooking while I was out there but to be honest, I was exhausted every night! My legs could not hold me up long enough to stand in the kitchen, which was alright by me.
I had a blast in Utah and plan to return to ski at Alta. The best mountain experience in the US I have had, besides skiing with my family in CO of course!
Beautiful. I’m longing to go skiing when looking at your pictures. Alta sounds like a great place to ski!