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Going Viking

Although Jason and I had dined at a yurt recently, (How many people can say that?) we ended up doing so again last month. When our friend Jeremy and his fiancé invited us to check out The Viking Yurt at Park City Mountain Resort with them, we said ja.

As it turns out, besides its round shape and mountainous setting, The Viking Yurt shares little in common with Solitude’s primitive Mongolian version. The Viking Yurt is posh, fully heated, pumping with electricity, and even has a grand piano somehow sandwiched in its innards. It may be remote but rustic it is not.

The Viking Yurt is 1,800 feet above the base of Park City Mountain Resort.
The Viking Yurt is 1,800 feet above the base of Park City Mountain Resort.

To get to The Viking Yurt, you hop on a massive sleigh pulled by a snow cat. It dashes you up 1,800 vertical feet, which takes about 25 minutes. At 8,700 feet, you find a warm mug of glogg, a spiced berry drink, awaiting you inside a surprisingly inviting shelter.

My many Viking ancestors were "peaceful traders" according to my mom.
My many Viking ancestors were “peaceful traders” according to my mom.

You are then served a six-course dinner with Scandinavian flair that begins with butternut squash soup and smoked trout salad. Next, to cleanse your palate, you’re given a scoop of sorbet stuffed in a rock from Norway. (My stone came from Goxdeglicindovajavinojaslovan.) The main dish, braised short ribs and Jarlsberg potatoes, follows. A cheese course, which features a variety of unusual fermented and pickled products, comes next, presented on aspen slabs. Then, a warm pear strudel with lingonberry ice cream crams itself into your already occupied stomach. Yummy!

The helmet, the mug, the look, the man... it all fits doesn't it?
The helmet, the mug, the look, the man… it all fits doesn’t it?

After all that eating, you jump into the sleigh again and it drags your heavy butt back down the slopes. The particular night we went the moon was full so we were expecting a spectacular return ride but clouds came between us and that lunatic dream.

The Viking Yurt seemed particularly luxurious considering its isolated location.
The Viking Yurt seemed particularly luxurious considering its isolated location.

So which of the two yurts was my favorite? Would I rather be conquered by a Viking or a Khan? That’s a hard call because Vikings have those cool hats and Khans have… those cool hats. Really, the two experiences were dramatically different but we loved both of them. The food at Solitude was a little better and it was cool to watch it being prepared. Plus, it was refreshing to completely unplug from modern disruptions. However, if you want to be pampered at 8,700 feet, then The Viking Yurt may be your kind of hut dining. You can’t go wrong either way… unless you don’t like eating amazing food in unique settings. If that’s the case, you best stick to gobbling P&J in your PJs.

Rachel May 2, 2016 No Comments

Summit Riding

Last month, some friends invited us to join them for a two-day “company retreat” at Daniels Summit. We did this very thing a couple of years ago with this very group and it was very amusing. So we kindly accepted the invitation again. We are, after all, the embodiment of kindness.

What a bunch of liars!
What a bunch of liars!

The first evening, I cooked homemade chili and cornbread for everyone’s dinner. After eating, we played games, or one game rather, until the wee hours. Avalon, which involves a lot of social manipulation (AKA lying), was that game. Some members of our group were rotten, no-good liars. Really, they couldn’t lie to save their lives… or Merlin’s.

This trick jolted Jason; he only did it once.
This trick jolted Jason; he only did it once.
Cindy dared to fly.
Cindy dared to fly.

We spent most of the next day snowmobiling. The snow was plentiful but the temperatures were a bit too toasty for winter layers and the surface oscillated from slush to ice as the day progressed. Still, all things considered, it was first rate, meaning I didn’t hit a tree this time.

Just off the trail, many tempting meadows awaited.
Just off the trail, many tempting meadows awaited.
Cam also rocked the two-legger.
Cam also rocked the two-legger.

Our snowmobiling destination was a peak that bestowed a 10,000-foot view of the Wasatch Range and its lowly valleys. We made it there despite endless sidetracking. Elevating!

What a range!
What a range!
I used to be a wild snowmobiler but a tree talked some sense into me.
I used to be a wild snowmobiler but a tree talked some sense into me.

That night, after socializing around a raclette dinner, we played Avalon again until we were too tired and slaphappy to keep our deceits straight. Of course, some of our group couldn’t do that even if they’d just been rejuvenated by a six-month coma.

I started to transform into a unicorn after snowmobiling all day thanks to my helmet confronting my vast forehead without the mediation of a skullcap, which it was too hot to wear.
I started to transform into a unicorn after snowmobiling all day thanks to my helmet confronting my vast forehead without the mediation of a skullcap, which it was too hot to wear.

Daniels Summit may not have provided ample snoozing opportunities but it did offer chances to practice good life skills like story fabricating and slush sailing. Many thanks to the knife clan for allowing us to join the fun. We were more than happy to keep you company even though we aren’t part of your company… did I mention that Jason and I are the embodiment of kindness?

Rachel April 12, 2016 2 Comments

Moab’s Soaring Island District

Our next two days in Moab, we focused on the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. We have been to Island in the Sky many times. Its sandstone cliffs, which hover 1,000 feet above the adjacent landscape, are a spectacular spot from which to appreciate the immensity of the wild sea of chasms that envelops the Colorado and Green Rivers, a sea that has been carved out by water and wind over eons.

You can't appreciate the 1000-foot plunge Jason jumped over to get to this rock but I sure can.
You can’t appreciate the 1000-foot plunge Jason jumped over to get to this rock but I sure can.
At Island in the Sky, you are almost always near one sheer drop or another.
At Island in the Sky, you are almost always near one sheer drop or another.

Speaking of water and wind, our first day in Canyonlands that disorderly duo was eager to carve what it could out of us. But we didn’t let the 20-25 MPH drafts and downpour gambles stop us from exploring and enjoying.

The magnitude of the White Rim was humbling, especially considering the thousands of years represented by each etch.
The magnitude of the White Rim was humbling, especially considering the thousands of years represented by each etch.
The scenery at the White Rim Overlook just didn't quit.
The scenery at the White Rim Overlook just didn’t quit.

We first trekked out to the White Rim Overlook, just a 1.8-mile ramble on pretty level ground. The payoff for that small bit of effort was huge. This viewpoint looked down on nearly 360 degrees of canyon splendor topped with a radiant crown of salty white, the White Rim. Salt is quite flavorsome but not usually enthralling.

Murphy Point, as you can see, offered amazing views.
Murphy Point, as you can see, offered amazing views.
With storm clouds like that overhead, we tested whether Murphy's law has greater sway at Murphy Point.
With storm clouds like that overhead, we tested whether Murphy’s law has greater sway at Murphy Point.

Next, we made the 3.6-mile journey out to Murphy Point and back. Murphy Point, which faces Candlestick Tower and sections of the Green River and White Rim Road, had a remarkable backdrop of its own but both Jason and I agree that the White Rim Overlook overlooked better scenery.

Ascending Aztec Butte required some creative climbing.
Ascending Aztec Butte required some creative climbing.

Our last hike of the day was a 2-mile jaunt to the top of Aztec Butte with a detour to an adjacent butte to see two Anasazi granaries. Aztec Butte, from its base, looks like an insurmountable wall of warped stone but we, like many before us, successfully scrambled up its sharp 200-foot slope in order to partake of the uninterrupted panorama at its flat top. The other points of interest on this route, the Anasazi granaries, have been preserved in the alcoves of a sandstone rim for almost a thousand years, tangible echoes of a voice that has been silent a millennium. Great hike!

Aztec Butte provided diversions galore in the form of vibrant colors, unusual shapes, and twisted textures.
Aztec Butte provided diversions galore in the form of vibrant colors, unusual shapes, and twisted textures.
When you catch the sky doing this, you just thank the gods of photography and start shooting.
When you catch the sky doing this, you just thank the gods of photography and start shooting.

The next day, we stopped at a new dinosaur tracks museum, Moab Giants, before heading to Canyonlands again. The area around Moab is covered with an unusual amount of dinosaur tracks so it is a very fitting place for the only tracks museum in the world. We spent a couple hours learning about tracks and wandering among 100 life-size ancient beasts on Giants’ half-mile trail. Who wouldn’t fancy running from a T. rex? (Dang it, why didn’t I remember to bring my high heels?) It was awesome.

That was some pretty delicious pretend corn.
That was some pretty delicious pretend corn.
Jason found some new friends at a meet and eat.
Jason found some new friends at a meet and eat.

The last trail we hit in Canyonlands before returning home was Neck Spring, a 5.8-mile loop that curled through ever-changing terrain and cattle ranching remnants. We didn’t see a single soul while we were on this path. Most excellent! Plus, the mix of extreme drops, decaying troughs, and meandering springs made the journey pleasantly distracting.

I too discovered a few buddies at Moab Giants.
I too discovered a few buddies at Moab Giants.
There comes a time in every man's life when he needs to run from a T. rex.
There comes a time in every man’s life when he needs to run from a T. rex.

We had a great time in Moab but we always do. If we didn’t, it would be our own dumb fault.

Rachel April 8, 2016 No Comments
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