Give ‘Em the Bird

Shawn, another coworker of Jason’s from India, is currently out here in Utah for the first time. We couldn’t let him leave the state without spending a while in our beautiful mountains so we took him on a little excursion to Snowbird Resort. Prafulla, Jason’s last visitor from India, we also took to Snowbird but in the middle of a snowstorm so he didn’t get to enjoy the practically perfect weather and blossoming hillsides that Shawn did.

Shawn enjoyed his first alpine slide ride
Shawn enjoyed his first alpine slide ride ever but he seemed a little disappointed that it didn't zoom him down the mountain faster.

We got all day activity passes so we could spend the day hanging on the slopes…and hang we did. We rode the alpine slides and zip rider first. Then we took the tram up to the top of Hidden Peak. Unlike the last time we were at this peak with Prafulla, there was no blizzard swirling the spectacular view into a sea of white so the grandeur of the surrounding mountains could be properly appreciated.

The view from Hidden Peak was pretty impressive.
The view from Hidden Peak was pretty impressive. With three separate valleys sprawling out below you it felt a bit like being on top of the world.
The scenery at the top
The scenery at the top of Hidden Peak was gorgeous. The far spreading green was interspersed with the bright colors of mountain flowers and the rusty texture of stone.

From Hidden Peak we went on a little hike along the ridge overlooking Mineral Basin and Gad Valley. Although Utah’s dry summers have usually scorched most of the green out of the landscape by this time in August, the hillsides were surprisingly still very lush and fresh with dainty purple, white, yellow, and red wild flowers punctuating the green strewn slopes. It was actually quite charming.

I think the men were trying to look tough
I think the men were trying to look tough and victorious here. Did they succeed?

After we rode down from the peak we decided to check out the ropes course. The ropes course looked rather pathetic from the ground but once you were up there among the tightropes and tricky obstacles the fact that you were safely strapped into a harness didn’t stop your heart from pounding away.

The ropes course was a little nerve racking until I got
The ropes course was a little nerve racking for me until I got used to the height. I definitely didn't miss my calling as a trapeze artist.
Jason is happy to pose moronically for a
Jason is happy to pose moronically for a picture below or above ground.

Shawn was excited about riding the mechanical bull like an American cowboy but he was concerned that it would make him sick so we saved this activity for last. We all had a go on the bull but we were no match for those iron innards; none of us were able to stay long on its motorized hide.

The mechanical bull proved to be a difficult
The mechanical bull proved to be a difficult adversary. None of us could keep our hind ends on it for long.

Luckily, the bull didn’t buck away Shawn’s appetite so we stopped at The Pie on the way home to give him a taste of some real American cuisine: Italian pizza. Shawn was more than happy to eat pizza as long as it was loaded with plenty of meat, which apparently isn’t plentiful enough in Indian food for his taste.

Shawn apparently thinks India is meat deprived
Shawn apparently thinks India is meat deprived and is trying to make up for a lifetime of lack while he is here in the U.S.

Shawn seemed to enjoy his time up at Snowbird and, unlike Prafulla, he didn’t have to worry about his fingers freezing off. That’s sure to increase anyone’s level of enjoyment.