This week is the official start of that long-anticipated season. The off season. Shoulder season. Pre-season season. The, nothing-much-goes-on-right-now season.
When I moved to Park City in the late ’70s, less than 2,000 folks lived inside the city limits full-time and there were no stoplights. During this same timeframe, after the resorts closed, the strangest thing happened. The town kinda closed, too. Oh, the schools were still in session and the Mt. Air Cafe still served three meals a day but up on Main Street, restaurants and gift stores hung signs that honestly said “Gone Fishin'” and whether folks went near a rod or reel, they left town for places warm and sandy.
It was a simpler time.
Now, we brag we are a four-season resort community and so, except for the occasional week or two of shutting down to clean up and take a tiny break, most folks operate businesses that either have lost or never had that six- maybe eight-week time to recharge. Our European counterparts always find this strange — our lack of commitment to recharge. I read recently that the average vacation time in most European countries is exactly that, six to eight weeks. The average American vacation time is something less than 10 days with (where did I read this?) at least a third of Americans leaving their vacation time on the table and working through their life.
I understand not everyone has the resources to fly away and stay in hotels and eat meals in fancy new restaurants. But everyone can benefit from a change of scenery, a change of routine, a change — dare I say it — of people to talk to. And even though the price of a gallon of gas is rapidly approaching what my mortgage payment once was, it still is the cheapest way to get away, even for just a day trip.
Want to be gone all day and still back in your bed at night? Here are a few of my personal favorites
Sundance Resort. Remember, you’re just a day-tripper, no expensive lodging for you. But a stroll on the grounds, listening to the river water crash and wash past that fabulous bronze sculpture on the boulder, a walk through the gallery with the ever-changing art, including the interesting glass works made from recycled glass there on the property — all this costs nothing. If you “used to” be a bit of a camera bug this is the perfect place to remember how to frame your shots. You could splurge buy some art, be a walk-in at the spa for a massage or just grab a homemade cookie in the general store. The clothing and jewelry is often on sale right about now and you can pick up bargains for next winter.
And if you want to complete the feeling of a mini-vacation, do indulge and have lunch there in the Grill Room. Interesting people stay at Sundance year-round and I have never gone there and not had a terrific meal and great time eavesdropping and observing. And the chicken tortilla soup is a meal by itself.
Evanston. It’s more than the place to buy fireworks. Just an hour from here, this border town in Wyoming feels like the kind of Western town movies are made about. Maybe future documentaries. The downtown has undergone a bit of revitalization and you will be surprised at the little gift stores and diners and Westernwear stores all around. I have a favorite pair of cowboy boots I bought up there, maybe 15 years ago, in a kind of farm/Western gear store that sold things people needed. In fact, maybe it was that same store I bought my old flannel-lined jean jacket. Not a designer, flannel-lined jean jacket but the real deal, made to work on the land. And because Evanston is an old railroad town, there used to be a great Chinese restaurant downtown across from the depot. Just writing this makes me realize how long it’s been since I made a day of it there. Guess I’ll put this on my personal go-there-soon list.
Maybe you just want to drive. Listen to music. Stop and take a few long leg stretches but not quite hikes. Head up the Mirror Lake road. I don’t know how much is open yet but you will see the river running and critters everywhere. The trees are just starting to green up and the snowmobilers have pretty much left and the four wheelers aren’t yet there.
This is another grand place to bring along the camera. Over the years I have seen moose and elk and deer and any number of long-eared rabbits and full wing-span eagles. You could pack your own little lunch and eat it anywhere you like or you could meander back and stop in Kamas say at the High Country Drug Store and have an old-fashioned milkshake and stock up on, say, bandages at the same time.
Or maybe you have less time and just need to clear your head a bit. Just take a few side roads out in this county. Maybe even the next. First, you’ll be amazed at the growth. There is no denying the land rush that has taken place in the past few years in all those sleepy little towns that didn’t know a latte from a Lexus. There are still ranches and farms that are the stuff of picture books and right about now, there are baby animals dotting the landscape. But there are also major housing developments and new commercial space and restaurants with liquor licenses.
Just a day away from your routine can expand your world. Remember the universe really is greater than the top of Guardsman Pass to the movie theaters out at the junction. Not everyone nearby looks like they just left a fancy boutique after they’ve been to a spa. Real people have real stories to tell. So even if you aren’t planning a couple of weeks to be gone fishin’, you owe it to yourself to steal a couple of hours and shift your perspective in this quieter time. When the earth is in a state of renewal the least we can do is follow suit. I plan to take my own advice and gas up the car and see where I end up, this very Sunday in the Park