Park City, Utah, and environs

Leaving Gardnerville, we went north to Rye Patch Recreation Area, one of our favorite places to stop on the way out of Nevada. We found our favorite site, right near a loop in the river was available, so settled in and spent the afternoon sipping cold drinks and watching birds on the river. Many of the sites have been re-graveled, and the park is in good shape. The staff all seemed friendlier than last year, too. New management?

Our ultimate destination on this leg of the trip is Park City, Utah, to visit family. It's a long haul from Rye Patch, so we made another quick overnight stop in the parking lot of the Rainbow Casino, in West Wendover, NV.  A unique experience I must say. We aren't "casino campers" as a rule, but when the teeny tiny asphalt spaces they call an RV park at the Nugget are renting for $35 dollars a night, why not stay for free in a casino lot? We had a nice dinner in the casino, and then were serenaded all night by the casino's theme music. I can't quite figure out why they need it in the parking lot, but it wasn't loud enough to be a problem, so we just considered it "white noise".

We made reservations at Jordanelle State Park so we'd have a home base while visiting Park City. The park is beautiful, with spaces nicely oriented, and as it's built on a slope pretty much everyone has a nice view of the lake.

The dark storm clouds that build up every day around 2:30 make a striking backdrop for the many trees and wildflowers, and look even darker in contrast with all the white RVs.

We really enjoyed sitting out in the afternoons and watching the waves of crested wheat and other native grasses ripple in the wind. The iridescent squirrel tail grass is especially pretty as reflects the light and really does look like a squirrel's tail!

 A couple of really blustery storms materialized out of all those dark clouds, but never lasted long. They did dump a fair amount of water, and a little hail. It's that moisture that keeps everything here looking like spring. The wind does take some accommodating. Awnings need to be secure, light weight chairs need to be stowed, and nothing loose left about the camp. One evening after being in town for dinner we came home late to find an entire roll of paper towels had been fluttering in the wind that came through the kitchen window and was unrolled all over the floor!

The park has really nice day-use facilities for boating and fishing, and the camping space are large.The lake is populated by ducks and geese, who float happily around the edges, no doubt enjoying lost bait and other goodies the visitors offer them.

Talking to one of the summer volunteer employees we learned how many it takes to keep things running smoothly. The park has about 20 people volunteering, and they seem to keep them busy, building new cabins and walkways to make the park even more welcoming.

Sites have water and electric, and tent pads, and there's a laundry available, conveniently placed next to a play area so Mom can do the wash and watch the kids a the same time. There are also showers and restrooms, and for those who don't have an RV, they have a few cabins. For a park so near a large city we found this to be especially enjoyable - well cared for and uncrowded.

We took advantage of the warm weather and had the family out to our site for a BBQ. The afternoon was ended rather abruptly when the chilly winds came up, but it was nice to visit and enjoy the view. Another night we enjoyed a lovely dinner party in Park City and met several really nice people, including another Duck fan!

Sculpture by the stream

On our last day we took a short trip up the mountain to Robert Redford's Sundance for lunch. What a beautiful area! Snow still decorates the top of the rocky cliffs, and the stream that runs through the middle of the resort was rushing at the high water mark with all the snow run-off.  It's a beautiful resort, with cabins tucked here and here among the trees, and a really nice restaurant.

Our four days here has seemed short, as days fly by when there's lots of visiting to do. Time to head south. . . watch for reports on that part of Utah.