Utah – Day 2 – Driving and Hiking
I really tried to video the drive through the canyon, but the sun was shining right on the car windshield, and I couldn’t position the cellphone holder to eliminate that problem. I really wish I could have videoed the drive, because my focus was on keeping the car in my lane with all the twists and turns. I even missed the stop to get the waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, that is viewable right from UT – 189. I was thinking of stopping on the return, but some emergency was happening, 3 fire trucks and 4 ambulances.
UPDATE 6-26
While watching the local morning news this morning I learned 2 teenagers fell from a hiking trail and had to be rescued. One was seriously injured. See the complete story here.
My drive through the canyon took me to Wasatch Mountain State Park. The trails I picked were not difficulty because I didn’t want to strain my back anymore. Enjoy the views, a bird, a dragon fly and flowers.
After a good hike, you are hungry. I headed into Midway, UT which was 2 miles from the state park. I picked a restaurant via my GPS in the rental car; however, when I reached my destination, the place was not in business anymore. I did pass a place, called Lola’s Street Kitchen. There was a line which means the place is good or they are slow. I took the chance, found a place to park and joined the line. I decided to go with the daily special, a Baja tuna melt.
After lunch, I walked down the street to a year round Christmas store, Kringles.
I just can’t pass up one of those shops. I bought and ornament and two pair of Christmas socks.
While returning to my vehicle, the clock above the town hall began to play a song.
I then drove back to the hotel. Upon arrival I realized that I am slightly sunburned. I really should have put on the long sleeve shirt. I will for tomorrow.
I’m now resting for my return to Evermore this evening. I’m going with a plan. Watch the shows and pick one quest line to work towards. I’m trying to decide if I help the lich I met last night, search for more information about the vampires or look for the fairies.
Utah – Day 1 – First Full Day
It’s June 23, 2023 and I’m starting my first full day of adventuring in Utah. Like any start to a day, your first quest is for breakfast. Luckly the hotel has breakfast included with your stay and it isn’t a continental breakfast of cereal, toast or muffins. The Hyatt House had scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and French toast along with cereal, toast, muffins… Sadly their coffee was terrible. This led me to try out Dutch Bros coffee. They are a competitor of Starbucks so I went with a caramel mocha. Man, it was hot. I left it in the car as I preped for my drive to Red Butte Gardens and the Natural History Museum.
I tried to capture the drive to Salt Lake City, but my phone was bouncing a lot in the holder I use to attach it to the windshield so I’m not going to share the video. I thought my truck road rough on the highway, but this Nissan transfers every bump and crack. My mustang was only slightly better. I think its just the nature of the beast.
Red Butte Garden
This is one of the coolest botanical gardens I’ve ever seen. There are two parts to it, the portion that is man made and the other portion is just managed natural trails that allow you to go up the face of the hill above the garden.
Here is a quick preview of the garden.
Here are some views along the more natural trails. Can you find the squirrel?
Utah Natural History Museum
So, I went to just see the dinosaurs, but there is more to the history museum. You learn about geology, types of rocks and the first people to inhabit the Americas.
Evermore
A couple things you need to know about Evermore if you choose to visit. It is very family friendly. There is a portion of the park that is undead themed so if you scare easily, just stay away from that section. Now for my tips…
First, it is cool. Second, you need to have a plan because there are shows to see, vendors to shop at and then the quests. Third, when you enter make sure you go to the left and find the bulletin board with the map and the person that will introduce you to the system of the park. Fourth, plan on a double visit. There are multiple quests and layers of quests. It would be very difficult to do everything in the 5 hours the park is open. Final tip before I share some pictures, Ride the train after checking out the bulletin board, it will give you a nice overview of the park. Oh, bring a notebook, you can stumble upon elements of quests just walking around. With that said here are some pictures to tease you.
Ok, I should have been asleep 2 hours ago. I’m not sure what the plan is tomorrow. I over did it today, walking a total of about 10 miles. Guess you will have to just check back. π
Utah 2023 – Getting There
My day started very early so that I could make the first leg of my trip to Utah. I am very glad that I did 95% of my packing the previous night. But like most trips there are plenty of last-minute things that need to be done to secure your house before you leave. Like applying liquid toilet bowl cleaner and triple checking that the sink faucet is not dripping. Things went smoothly at the airport check in, but I was a bit annoyed that my bag was tagged “late check in” I was there 45 minutes before my flight was scheduled to take off and my local airport isn’t that large. Whatever?!? Check out the sunrise in the pic below. We are at cruising altitude, don’t ask how high, I’ve no clue and not sure how I could find out.
Now I’ve arrived at Houston Hobby and what is the first thing I do once exiting the plane? Yep if you’ve followed me before I think I’ve hinted at my Pokemon Go addiction. Got to catch ’em all. !!
The flight from Houston to Salt Lake City was completely full. So, I was not as lucky as my earlier flight and didn’t have an open seat next to me. I just zoned out to my tunes and the book I brought along. Yes, that’s right I brought a real book with pages and a book cover. And I’m glad I did because I thought the flight was only 2 hours. It was 3 hours. There is this thing called TIME ZONES and I crossed one. So, airline tickets reflect your departure time for the time zone you are in and the arrival’s time zone. Ok, leave me alone, I don’t travel much out of my CST. I should have known better from Canadian Train trip back in 2018. Check that out here if you enjoy my rambling ( Montreal 2018 ). Enough of that back to the trip…
I always try to get a window seat so I can get pictures from the plane and I’m glad I was able get a window seat on this trip. Check out these mountains and rivers. They maybe out of order. Sorry not sorry.
I made it to Utah!!! I was disappointed that there wasn’t an easy to spot, welcome to Utah in the airport. I did see a welcome to Utah sign as I was driving away from the airport. One of the down sides of traveling alone, there isn’t a copilot to take pictures as you drive past cool things. Oh, I forgot to mention the 1.5 hours I waited in line at Thrift Car Rental. My personal time at the counter was very quick and efficient, but the 25+ people ahead of me must not have pre-scheduled and had to take extra time picking a vehicle or whatever… The car I was given was full size Nissan with driving assistance which is cool and all, but I really just needed cruise control. Still haven’t found that setting, but I do like the warnings when cars are in your blind spot.
Oh, did you notice I’ve not mentioned breakfast or any food other than the snack pack from Southwest? Once I finally got on the road, I was starving. It was noon in Utah, but my stomach said it was 1 PM. I went in search of a place to eat, and a quick google search of restaurants, Archibaldβs Restaurant at Gardner Village popped out. I think it was just the name Archibald’s that made it “cool” in my mind. Off I went to the location. Now here is where it got very interesting. This was not just a normal mercado with restaurants and shops. Oh no, this place was themed. A fantasy theme. A fairy theme, with a fairy scavenger hunt. If you didn’t see my teaser for this trip, it’s my hand holding a larping sword. The hotel I picked was because it was next door to Evermore, a fantasy theme park. More about that tomorrow. Back to the Garden Village.
As I was driving in the parking lot trying to find a spot to park, I noticed lots of children with wings on their backs and plenty of moms chasing them as they ran around like cats chasing a laser pointer. There was a sign that said something like, “we believe in fairies” Ok, let me put the brakes on this line of thought, just for me. Sorry, not sorry. We will get back to the fairies, I promise. I spent too much money at this shopping center to ignore it. Back to the reason I was here…
Archibaldβs Restaurant … my closest example would be a Cracker Barrel without the “BUY OUR CRAP” as you walk to the hostess. Oh, speaking of the hostess, she was taller than me. I’m 6 foot tall, she was taller than that. I just had to mention something that is very, very rare in my life. That’s all I’m saying. Now on to the food, quickly…
Don’t get me wrong, the breaded chicken with the garlic butter was very good, but getting cooked, crisp carrots as a side… just wonderful. Two things they could have done to improve IMHO, less salt and more broccoli. Yes, more broccoli. I like broccoli. You don’t? well Sorry, not sorry.
Enough with my lunch. I know you want to know about the fairies.
Oh, my god… the fudge store… they even had a taffy pulling machine…
The last shop I visited was a bakery and deli. I was in need of a cookie. Sorry, not sorry I didn’t take a picture of the cookie, but it was good.
It is now time for me to get out of that village before I spent any more money. Down the road to the hotel. I found it hard to focus on driving and not looking at the mountains to the left, still covered in snow. Check out the view from the parking lot of a local grocery store.
Lunch was so filling that I’m not really hungry, so I’m just enjoying a lite snack. I saw a fried chicken place that looked interesting, but it is still under construction. Sorry, very sorry. I’ve got plenty of eateries to pick for tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I’m going to check out the Natual History Museum, art museum and distillery before Evermore. Not sure there will be a post tomorrow. It will be Saturday morning or I might do a Friday/Saturday post.
Thanks for reading and following my journey. I hope you are enjoying it.
Summer 2023
For anyone following me I’m packing my bags for my next summer adventure. I’ve updated my WordPress account, bought some new clothes, purchased airline tickets and booked a hotel. Stay tuned to see where I’m headed this year.
NYC 2022 – Reflections
Well, I woke up this morning still on NYC time. (4:45 AM local time) I was sort of sad that I didn’t have new neighborhoods to explore, but my feet were happy that they would have a day to rest. Here are some conclusions I have about NYC:
- NYC subways are not as dirty has portrayed on TV (I still felt the need to wash my hands after getting off them.) (I did see a NYC rat)
- NYC streets are too narrow for cars to be parked on both sides of the streets.
- Cars should not be allowed near Time Square.
- I thought the prices in Dallas were bad, but NYC wow. I couldn’t have a lunch that didn’t cost me at least $20, and I didn’t even buy any drinks.
- I don’t know of another city where you can walk down the street and hear a dozen different languages before you clear a block.
- Yes, there is a Starbuck everywhere, but there is also an independently owned coffee shop nearby.
- Every city needs a “Central Park”. I saw a large variety of humanity doing a variety of human things, drinking wine with friends, playing sports, playing with their dogs, chasing their children and lots of people just reading a book.
- Final thought… should I get a tattoo? 75% of the people I say in YC had tatoos.
So, next time I go to NYC I need a partner in crime to go with me or someone that lives there to give me the courage to try NYC night life. I missed all the jazz and comedy clubs because I didn’t feel safe being out past dark.
NYC 2022 time to head home
Wow, time sure flies. The rain on Monday, day 4 of my trip changed my afternoon plans. I wanted to got to the Bronx Zoo. That will have to be for the next time. I think on future trips to NYC I’ll stay someplace other than Time Square. Someplace closer to Central Park so I can walk around in the evenings. Well, that is for next time but most likely no time soon.
Took my last subway ride this morning heading to the airport.
Checking at LaGuardia was pretty smooth. The security line moved quickly. I’m still annoyed at having to take out all my electronics, even though I purchased a TSA approved backpack that zips completely open. I swear the rules change every time I travel. Oh well enough complaining… Oh wait one more thing …
If you didn’t notice, LaGuardia takes the exit via the gift shop to a new level. You have to walk past all these shops before you even get to your boarding gates. They almost got me with the Lego Optimus Prime, but I was strong. Really I just didn’t want to have carry it with me during my layover in Houston this afternoon. π€ͺ The duty free shop almost got me too, but paying NYC prices wouldn’t have really saved that much by avoiding sales tax.
Check out this cool water feature. I didn’t film it but they had it show something in writing with the falling water.
With that I’m going to call it the end. My plane should be boarding soon and I must return to the Texas heat. Going to miss the cooler weather here in NYC, but they are getting ready to heat up. The city officially opened most of the public pools today. (There is a nation wide lifeguard shortage)
Signing off for this NYC 2022 fun. I still need to edit day 2 and 3 with pictures from my camera so if you’ve been here for the trip updates daily, go back and check out the previous post. Until the next adventure. π€ππ₯°
NYC 2022 Full Day 4
Found another coffee shop that is open before 8 AM and it has some strange mixed coffee drinks.
I had their egg sandwich and the Blackbird. See below to learn what type of coffee drink I had.
Next stop was The Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral. This is not the one on 5th Ave. This is the oldest cathedral in the United States. This cathedral has two cemeteries and a catacomb crypt. Learned that graveyards are next to churches and cemeteries are out away from buildings. So what’s the deal with this cathedral? It was built in the middle of a cemetery. The last in ground burial was in 1855. Have enough money and your ashes can be laid to rest in above ground structures. Have more money, then your ashes can be placed under the cathedral in the catacombs. This happens to be the director Martin Scorsese’s church when he is in NYC and it is in The Godfather movie. Very interesting tour and history lesson.
It was noon when the tour finished so why not a pizza style meal from Lombardi’s the oldest pizza restaurant in the United States. I had a calzone. Remember to bring cash, they don’t accept credit.
I’m getting good at wandering this time I found desert.
Since I visited the first Saint Patrick’s, why not visit the new one on 5th Avenue?
While inside the cathedral it got dark like someone turned off the lights. I looked up and noticed all the lights were still on; however, the stained glass windows were all dark. So I made good use of my umbrella.
More wandering around and there wasn’t really any more rain.
Before calling it a day I stopped into Maggie’s for a relaxing drink.
So my trip to NYC is drawing to a close. The sun did come out just before setting but I’ve got a blister on a blister so once I got to my hotel, I was done for the day. Enjoyed the movie Jumanji 2. I’ll probably wander again tomorrow morning before packing up and heading home. I was just starting to understand the subways. I guess I will have to come back again to finish my lesson.
NYC 2022 Full Day 3
I’m starting today planning how it will end. Well maybe not end but I want to capture the Sunset tonight at 8:31 PM. Maybe I’ll get up early to get the sunrise tomorrow. π
I channeled my inner hobbit and had first breakfast at 7:30 AM (yes found a coffee shop that opens early)
And second breakfast at 10 AM π
Enjoyed some good jazz vocals and guitar. Was able to chat with Stella afterwards. She is as nice in person as she is on TikTok.
Tour of Manhattan Island via a boat at 1:30 PM. Pictures to be uploaded later. (It’s Later.. seems they are organized as last taken to first taken order)
Who was supposed to remind me to apply sunscreen? Please admit your mistake. It’s 3:20 PM. I’m on the 2.5 hour tour and my arms are on fire. Plus we seem to be stuck on the river. The ship keeps going forward and backward making very small angle adjustments. Glad the inside cab is air-conditioned.
Debating what to do once we get docked. Well, I ended up walking the length of Central Park with a few twists.
I’m very tried after a full day. Enjoyed some frozen yogurt before returning to my hotel for lots of water, a shower and then sleep. Final day of events are tomorrow.
NYC 2022 Full Day 2
I guess since the city stays up so late, it does like getting up in the morning. Had to wait until 8 AM for the Westway Diner to open.
Walked around the block and saw this vine growing on a building. Thought it looked good.
Off to Brooklyn to visit the botanical gardens. I took my dlsr camera for this trip; however, I left the transfer cable at home. If I decide to fight with the wifi transfer option I will post more pictures, but if not here are a few from my phone.
Now that I’m home and have access to my cameras cable I was able to download and do some minor twiks to the photos I took with my DLSR. Enjoy.
Now the plan was to go to the Brooklyn Museum too, but my back was hurting again so I headed back to the hotel, grabbed a Subway sandwich and cookies for lunch and watched the Astros vs the Yankees on TV. I could have actually gone to the game in person, but I would have needed to buy tickets weeks ago.
Had fun, I say that tongue in cheek, navigating my way to a more residential neighborhood in Brooklyn for dinner and music. I had to transfer subway trains and the people traffic on the street made me miss the first train, which made me wait for another, forcing Google to recalculate the route. I did make it, finally and as a reward lobster followed by cheesecake. π₯°
Also enjoyed some jazz music. I need to edit the video, but can’t do that until I get home on my wifi; here are some stills. Found out the couple sitting next to me traveled from California to see the singer too.
The evening ended with me reversing my route with a twist. There are not as many evening trains on the weekend and I missed the first one by moments and had to wait 15 more minutes. After that there weren’t any issues. It was a bit scary being almost the only person at the station, but as the train approached Manhattan it started to fill up. So that was my day. Untill tomorrow.
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