Hi, I’m back! I had a blast spending the last five days in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. My apologies for not posting as promised but there was so much to do that blogging just didn’t fit into the schedule. Besides, carrying around a heavy camera and lens got old pretty quickly so a lot of my pictures ended up being taken with my iphone.
The trip actually had a bad start but it seems like ages ago since it happened. Due to the hot mid-day conditions in Salt Lake City, my husband and I were bumped off our connecting flight to Sun Valley (weight and balance issues). The next available flight would not be until the following morning so we were forced to stay the night in a Delta Airlines-endorsed “hotel” without a car. This is the second time this has happened to us this year. In February, our connecting flight to Aspen was cancelled so we ended up staying in SLC all day only to finally grab a flight to Grand Junction, rent a car and drive almost two hours before reaching Aspen. Not good. As much as we’ve enjoyed Salt Lake City as a destination (skiing/cycling), we’ve not had much luck when it comes to layovers. The upside is that a good friend who resides in Salt Lake City kept us company for the evening, allowing us to visit our favorite bike shop and eat some good Middle Eastern food.
Chicken and Cauliflower Kabseh
We finally arrived in Sun Valley on Friday morning (July 2) and after settling in at our friends’ beautiful home in town, we were off on our first adventure.
Halfway through our first hike…
…and we ended up here.
The evenings were spent drinking great wine, eating delicious food and most importantly, spending quality time with six of our friends. On the second day, I spent the morning mountain biking with the boys and took in some more beautiful scenery.
The following day was 4th of July. We celebrated the occasion by embarking on a five-mile one-way hike up to Mt. Baldy.
About a mile up from the start…
Closer to the top…
A very cold decent from the chair lift…
…then the gondola.
Of course, we couldn’t end the day without a reward…
Buffalo burgers with caramelized onions and cheddar
Oh, we had a putting match at the club, too. Don’t know if the cocktails before and during hurt or helped my game. The boys won but we laughed so much.
On our last full day, the boys went on another long bike ride in the morning and fished in the afternoon. The girls did some urban hiking, visiting Sun Valley galleries and taking advantage of the 4th of July weekend sales.
Some other noteworthy events: We missed the town’s annual 4th of July fireworks display so we created our own. After firing off half our goods, the kind policeman sent us off without a fine. The following morning, my husband and our friend ran into our own Governor Arnold at the local coffee shop sporting some serious bed head (according to hubby).
Overall, it was a fun-filled trip. We’ve spent the last seven summers staying in Telluride (Colorado), one of my favorite places in the world, but after my first visit to Sun Valley, I know it won’t be my last. We have our good friends to thank for welcoming us into their beautiful mountain home and showing us what Sun Valley has to offer.
And starting tomorrow, I’ll have four of my nieces and nephews with me for the weekend. I’ll try to resume my food posts with some kid-pleasing recipes and catch up on the posts of my favorite bloggers in between. Cheers!
Welcome home! Despite the rough start to your trip, it looks like you had a great time! What a wonderful place to spend your Fourth of July weekend. Good luck getting settled back into the routine of life again and have fun with your nieces and nephews!
Looks like a great trip despite the delays! I have never been there before but it is on my bucket list!!!
Lisa, I think you’ll love it–it’s hard not to!
So beautiful! I love the mountains. Looks like a great trip.
I’m glad you had such a wonderful trip. Seeing these photographs remind me of home…I am glad that you were finally able to get to your destination (traveling in the air can be so frustrating). I hope you have a wonderful week!
Thanks, Monet. It was a minor inconvenience compared to all the fun and laughter afterwards. 🙂
What a fun trip! Love Sun Valley!
Welcome back 🙂 Beautiful photos of the mountains!
Thanks, Christa!
The country around there is just so gorgeous. My husband’s family often has reunions near McCall on Lake Payette. There is nothing like Idaho’s mountains and lakes. Sounds like you had a lovely vacation.
Thanks, Kristen. It is gorgeous there–I was very happy to visit for the first time. 🙂
Looks (and sounds) like you had an awesome time! Thanks for sharing those awesome pictures!
Gorgeous photos! It sounds like you had a marvelous time!
WOW!!! Amazing scenery! The last thing i expected was of you to say that you had middle-eastern food! So glad you did!
Isn’t it funny how you find the best of a particular cuisine in the most unexpected places? 🙂
Hi Jean, I’m jealous, what a beautiful trip, sounds like so much fun, thanks for sharing the photos and definitely a big welcome back, you were missed:-)
Aww, Patty, you’re so sweet to say that! Thanks so much!
My family loves Sun Valley, and yes it can be a difficult destination when flying commercial.
You and your hubby must be enjoying the kids! Oh how I love the little ones, so much fun to cook with, and it all goes by too fast.
Jewleyjulia
Thanks, Julia. It’s really fun having the kids around. I think I have a budding foodie too!
What beautiful pictures of your trip! Many, many years ago, I ran into Gov. Arnold when he was still just a Terminator at a frozen yogurt shop in Brentwood when they still lived in L.A. I was shocked that he wasn’t as tall as I imagined him to be.
Great photos, a rough start but the rest of the trip sounded wonderful