Wrapping up Salt Lake City

We've stayed a week at the Salt Lake City KOA. Chosen for its central location, it has been good for access to downtown sights, shopping we've needed to do, the Jordan River Bike Path and access to freeways. (As always, just click on any photo to enlarge.)

We visited the state capitol building which sits on the side of a hill overlooking downtown.

Utah State Capitol building is a landmark from many points in the city.

Elaborate murals surround the dome depicting Utah's history.

We rode the Jordan River Parkway which we can access from our campground. This is an approximately 40 mile mostly paved path. Having recently experienced the Boise River Greenbelt and the Bellevue/Sun Valley Bike Path, this urban path paled in comparison. The river is a murky greenish-brown, with bits of trash, and the portion we rode, North from camp 9 miles, was mostly through depressed neighborhoods, industrial areas and open desert between towns. We did see two turtles, but they were too hard to photograph!

We took a scenic day trip looping through Big Cottonwood canyon where the fall colors were spectacular, to Park City.

Historic McPolin Farm

Fabulous colors on the ground and in the sky!

We had an excellent dinner out at Red Iguana. I'm mentioning it again because it was so good! Unless you like to wait in long lines you should arrive early or between normal meal times.

I made a unique and delicious Quinoa Mac N Cheese. The texture is more like a cheesey grits with a mac and cheese flavor. I went heavy on the cheese and used a cajun seasoning as well as cracked red pepper for zestyness. I think next time I'll add chopped broccoli for variety.

The 6 mile hike that turned in to 10 (or at least felt like it)

We arrived at the Salt Lake City KOA on Saturday after our longest drive yet of about 180 miles. We crossed the Bonneville Salt Flats (click on any pic to enlarge):

Admiring Bonneville Salt Flats...and our home

For the first couple of days we did some errands and short walks exploring central SLC (our campground is near downtown) partly to get to know the area and partly because I was feeling a little off; didn't know if I was fighting a cold or just sinus pressure. By yesterday I felt up to hiking.

Hans and I generally like day hikes of 5 - 8 miles, maybe up to 10 depending on the terrain and how we feel. We decided Little Cottonwood Canyon, a nearby access point to some of the local ski areas, offered the scenic beauty and escape from the city that we were looking for. After a brief search for trails we settled on Red Pine Lake trail because it was a 6 mile round trip to an alpine lake.

I have a weakness for alpine lakes. Hiking to an alpine lake guarantees some uphill, which means good exercise AND expansive views, usually includes some trees and boulders, often includes hiking alongside or crossing over burbling streams, and if you're really lucky you might see some wildlife.

The trail description I printed out was rather brief, I didn't realize it wasn't super specific about the actual trailhead location. After a bit of confusion we finally decided to park at the upper Little Cottonwood Canyon trailhead. We hiked for about half a mile and boy it was beautiful!

Mind boggling colors along Little Cottonwood Canyon trail.

Leaf covered trail.

After half a mile things just didn't seem right, we hadn't come to a bridge to start up the hillside. We happened upon a local who told us we were a couple of miles from the correct trailhead! So it was back to the truck and on to the correct starting point!

In the meantime I found another description of the trail (we carry a Nexus 7 tablet with us); this one also failed to mention the exact trailhead, but it gave more details on the trail itself. We were lucky to have found someone who knew the area.

We knew we were at the right place:

Red Pine Trail: 3 miles one way, 1,940 ft of elevation gain.

The trail was described as being a gentle uphill for the first ~2.5 miles then the last .75 mile as being rather steep. You notice the description already adds up to more than 3 miles one way... We figured we could handle .75 mile of steep (even though it was at around 9,000 ft).

We started up and the views were spectacular:

Looking North up Little Cottonwood Canyon,
ski resorts are at the top of the canyon.

Looking South, down Little Cottonwood Canyon,
Salt Lake City is just outside the canyon opening, with the Oquirrh Mtns in the distance.

The trail had been gentle as described, then it got steep, as described. But the steep just kept on going and going! At the trailhead Hans had started tracking our mileage with Endomondo and at this point I asked him how far we had gone: 2.5 miles. YAY, we only have half a mile to go!

The temperature was great, in the mid 50's, but overnight temps were below freezing this high up and we had a few icy spots where tiny streams took over the trail:

Ice on the trail, this is in the steep section.

By the time we reached Red Pine Lake I knew it had been way more than 3 miles. The steep section had been AT LEAST 1 mile of very steep, sometimes rocky, continuous uphill, at over 9,000 ft elevation. A little more than I bargained for on this particular day! Hans checked Endomondo and it said 4.4 miles, and this was our turn around point!

Red Pine Lake

At this point we were pretty tired and hungry. We had a leisurely lunch, resting up for the steep descent ahead of us, and made friends with this little guy:

The steep return was hard on the knees and feet but at least we had the beauty of our surroundings to dull the pain...

Colors abound on the trail.

Even the understory is flaming gorgeous!

By the time we got back to the truck I figured we had covered at least 9 miles, and possibly 10 including our erroneous start. It was a long, arduous day for someone who had felt kind of punky the past few days.

On the way home we stopped at the downtown farmers market and found some of the best produce prices I've ever encountered at a farmers market. Then we treated ourselves to a fantastic Mexican feast at Red Iguana. I can highly recommend this restaurant; the flavors were complex and delicious, the salsa was not wimpy, and we have enough leftovers for a second meal!

Lessons learned: Make sure the trail description you settle on has plenty of detail, and don't go for a lot of elevation gain when you aren't operating at 100%!

Campground Review: Angel Lake RV Park, Wells, NV

Angel Lake RV Park sits next to Hwy 80 in the tiny town of Wells, NV. We stayed here a couple of nights to break up the drive between Twin Falls and Salt Lake City and take advantage of alpine hiking a mere 12 miles away.

There are 48 pull through sites with full hookups (50amp). Most sites have a small patch of grass and a couple of young trees; all have a picnic table. Looks like the trees could be a problem for awnings as they get larger. The sites are pretty close together, actually the closest we've encountered so far. 

Since the night time temps got into the 20's everyone was closed inside at night so there were no noisy neighbors, despite the proximity. You can hear the highway and nearby trains, so earplugs are helpful for sleeping. The park also has lights on all night that were annoying; we had to cover the bedroom window to block the light. Despite these drawbacks, this seems to be the nicest place to stay in town.

Check in staff was friendly and knowledgeable about the area and also guided us to our site. The park has laundry and shower facilities, and a free shuttle to the local casino and golf course. 

Campground wifi was fairly slow, but so was our Verizon/Millenicom on 3G. 

The park was about 75% full when we stayed here. It seems to be a popular one night stop over as well as a base for hunters and recreation lovers. Hunting season had just opened during our stay.

We also met our first full timers while staying here, Mike and Keyna. So great to connect with others doing the same thing. That's the beauty of this lifestyle and blogging, connections can be made easily and you instantly have something in common!

Angel Lake RV Park Office, Laundry, Showers

Looking down one of four rows

Our site

Alpine Lake Hiking Near Wells, NV

We've relocated South about 115 miles to Wells, NV for a couple of nights. And those nights are cold, getting into the 20's! We've been warm and cozy in our home on wheels though. We made sure to unhook from the campground water supply to avoiding freezing.

Wells, NV is a tiny town, but they have a nice interpretive center for the California Trail and, key for us, the town sits next to towering mountains of the Humbolt Toiyabe National Forest along the Angel Lake Scenic Byway. (Note: you can click on any pic to enlarge it.)

Angel Lake Scenic Byway starts at 5600 ft and ends at 8500 ft;
from the high desert up into those high peaks.

The aspen are spectacular when you get close to them!

Friday we drove 12 miles up, up, up to Angel Lake Campground to hike to Smith Lake. The campground sits at 8500 feet and had already closed for the winter, but the day use area was open. Hunting season had started so we made sure to wear bright colors and stay on the trail.

After climbing 1,025 feet, some parts were quite steep along precipitous drops, we reached Smith Lake. This alpine lake is surrounded by massive peaks and giant granite boulders, but is small enough at 4 acres that one could easily walk the perimeter and into the small valley beyond it.

We spent some time relaxing in the sun and soaking in the peace and quiet and beauty around us; and searching the mountains for the elusive mountain goats that are said to inhabit them. I think they were all scared into hiding due to deer hunting season!

Smith Lake

The small valley beyond the lake

Smith Lake from the mountain-side.

From about 9,000 ft, looking into the valley from whence we came...
Wells, NV is a small patch of green near the top, center of the pic.

This was a great stop over to break up the drive from Twin Falls to Salt Lake City, where we are headed next. Stay tuned...

Campground Review: Rock Creek Park, Twin Falls, ID

We spent two nights at a county park: Rock Creek Park. It is a lovely slice of green along a fast moving creek in an area that is high desert and farmland.

You have to watch carefully for the entrance to the RV section which is between a gravel holding site and a modular home dealer. The park sits below the busy entrance road in a canyon. This makes it a little quieter at night than if you were right next to the road.

There are approximately 25 spaces, 7 are pull throughs, the rest back ins. Roads are paved, sites are gravel and mostly level. At just $15 a night it was a bargain with water and electric hookups only. There is a free city dump station about one mile away.

Water pressure was strange on the second evening, as though there was air in the system, though still usable. We had read about the water pressure issue on RV Park Reviews, so it seems to be an ongoing problem. We unhooked the water that night due to a freeze warning.

When we arrived midweek the place was virtually deserted with only four other campers. The next afternoon  the park was the site of a a junior high level cross country race, but quieted down again that evening, with even fewer campers.

Our Verizon and Millenicom services worked well here on 4G/LTE.

Half of Rock Creek Park campground; we are the fifth wheel in the upper right.
Our truck was parked in a visitor space nearby.

A Slice of Beautiful Canyon Amidst Desert and Farmland

We moved just 65 miles South to Twin Falls, ID.

We had a big change of weather from high 70's when we arrived on Tuesday, to mid 50's and lots of wind the next day. Being in the middle of desert and farmland the wind created a LOT of dust! Luckily we visited Perrine Bridge and witnessed some BASE jumpers on the first day, before the wind started.

Perrine Bridge across the Snake River Canyon.
People BASE jump from the center of the bridge.

A BASE jumper nearing end of the flight. No, s/he did not land in the water!

Perrine Bridge may be the the only man-made structure where BASE jumping is allowed without a permit. It is a very short flight and then they have to climb up a very steep cliff to return to their starting point.

The Snake River Canyon and Shoshone Falls were beautiful on a cool, windy morning. This canyon is the most impressive feature in this land of high desert, lava flows and farmland.

The Snake River Canyon is 500' deep in places.

The canyon is so wide in places they have resorts and golf courses nestled in it!

Shoshone Falls runs low during irrigation season.

All sorts of wonderful rock formations at Dierks Lake.

We're headed South towards Salt Lake City. Next up, Wells, NV.

Campground Review: Riverside RV Park in Bellevue, ID

There are only two RV parks with full hook ups in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area, which includes Hailey and Bellevue to the South. One is just South of Ketchum at $45/night and the other is in Bellevue, 15 miles South of Ketchum, at $27/night.

Our criteria for this stay was: full hook ups, reasonably close to the mountains...yet far enough away that if the temperature dropped suddenly we might not freeze at night, reasonable price, and decent walking close to the park.

We chose Riverside RV Park in Bellevue, ID based on all the above, plus it is a couple blocks off Hwy 75, whereas the more expensive park closer to Ketchum is right next to the highway. The park does not have its own website so I linked to the RV Park Reviews page.

This is a no frills RV park. Except for the sweet little grassy picnic area at the entrance, everything here is gravel and there is no landscaping. That said, the sites are fairly well spaced, each has a picnic table, full hook ups (30amp), and the laundry (two washers/dryers) and shower building were fine.

Even though the rules state 90 days max, it looks like there are a handful of folks who live here, all were neat and tidy. It was very quiet at night and the park was about a third full during our week long stay. There are approximately 30 sites, with the perimeter sites being back in and the center pull through, most are very level. The Host was very friendly upon arrival.

The parks wifi was fine, our 3G Verizon and Millenicom services worked well as did our satellite.

The Big Wood River passes just outside the RV park and there are lovely river side trails to walk or bike from camp. The Wood River Trail system is just a couple blocks away; it's a 33 mile paved trail connecting Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley.

This park was well located, very quiet, and a good price for our needs in the area. We would stay here again as the park in Ketchum was too pricey and looked to be too close to the highway. Next time we come through the area we are likely to head for Stanley, ID, higher in the mountains; weather permitting.

Entrance with picnic area behind sign

Picnic area, shower/laundry building at back right

Looking down the first 2 of 3 rows from the entrance.
We are on the left, 2nd rig in.

Our site, between our two closest neighbors