We got to Henefer on Wednesday and were suppose to stay two days, only stayed one. The place is in the middle of NOWHERE! It turned out to be a timeshare resort with camping, and guess those who bought into it just stay there and play. For us to do sightseeing would have taken a full day to get anywhere so we left the next morning and found a cute little RV park near Lake Utah in Provo.
We were surprised to learn that Lake Utah is the 3rd largest lake west of the great lakes behind Tahoe and Flathead. It is actually a State Park with camping, beautiful day use areas, beach, boat launches, interpretive center and boat rentals. We would recommend this as a stop if anyone is coming this way.
Thursday we decided to explore the American Fork Canyon, one of the many canyons this area is famous for in the Wasatch Mountains. The canyon is in the shadow of Mt. Timpanogos that has an elevation of 11,750ft. The fall colors were out and we saw some beautiful yellows, reds, and oranges mixed in with the stark white trunks of the Aspens.
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Besides the colors and the panoramas, we were lucky to see a momma moose and her baby laying in the bushes. Deane spotted her as he was trying to get pictures and she moved just enough so we could not get a clear shot. Guess she is camera shy! As we traversed the switchbacks a pair of wild turkeys jotted out in front of us oblivious of any potential danger. They just strutted across the road without so much as a glance to us.
In this canyon is Sundance Ski Resort that Robert Redford owns. We stopped for a look-see and found they were doing a Harvest Moon ski lift ride that night. So under the full moon about 10pm we took the 45 minute ride to the top and back. Deane had never been on a ski lift before and did not realize the ride was going to be on the ski lift chairs.... he thought we would be going in some sort of enclosed gondola. We were both a bit unprepared in our dress as we saw others coming with blankets and heavy coats. But we figured we could manage as others were there in shorts and flip-flops. Deane tried to take pictures as we rode and my favorite is the one of our feet.
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Most humorous part of the ride was as we came down, about 100yds from the end, I pulled the safety bar up and over us (so we could get off) and Deane's face was pure panic. In his own words "everything puckered up tight" and he pushed himself as far back against the chair as he could get. The last laugh was on me tho. My legs are short, so as I tried to get off the chair I couldn't get down fast enough before the chair was nudging me in the rear. Thanks to Deane for saving my ass as he pulled me away.
One thing we wanted to do while we were in the area was to hike up to the ice caves on Mt. Timpanogos. There are three ice caves on the mountain which are connected and rangers take visitors on guided tours. To get to the caves requires a 1.5 mile hike with a rise in elevation of 1100ft. up to an elevation of over 8000 ft.
After my last experience of hiking (actually snowshoeing) at about 6000ft on Mt. Bachelor, I decided it was something we should pass on. I regret not trying, but since our lungs are used to being at sea level, not sure it would have been an enjoyable experience.
We spent our second day relaxing and getting caught up on bills, emails and watching TV. So it is now Saturday morning and we are on our way to Bryce and Zion National parks. But first we are making a stop at Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Notes on Utah so far: The roads are all under construction, everywhere you go. Espresso stands or for that matter coffee shops, are greatly lacking. I have only seen one Starbucks. I miss my Latte's!