To Snow or Not To Snow?

We've been looking forward to this voyage for many weeks. And watching the weather in the Park City area for the fluffy white stuff, since we are staying at the Marriott Mountainside resort. It's ski-in, ski-out at the base of the Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR). Many visits to weather.com told us that all of Utah was suffering from unseasonably warm weather. Which means no snow making either. Resort opening days had been pushed back and then back again. PCMR officially opened the day after Thanksgiving with one run and one ski lift. A huge disappointment for Paul and a "whatever" for Annette. Annette set out to find other activities: Pilates, indoor tennis, movies and tours of the 2002 Olympic Park. And maybe a run or two for Paul. We plan for ALL of it.

Our flight leaves SFO at the ungodly hour of 6:10am. When you back up and do a time line, it translates into a 4:45AM (gasp!) departure from home. Neither of us got much sleep, having left packing to the late hours of the evening. A quick drive to the airport, a smooth check-in at SFO, we even have time for a quick breakfast at Perry's. Annette doesn't even remember take off, she fell asleep immediately. Paul dozed as well after feigning interest in the book he took out of his carry on. Baggage pick up was quick, except for Paul's skis (they decided to stay at SFO). Rather than go directly to the resort and run the risk of our room not being available, we decide to take a quick tour of the Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Fodor's tells us it is a must see if you have a short time in SLC. The Nuvi is proficient at directing us to downtown SLC and Temple Square.

It's crispy cold and sunny, good weather for a short walk. A beautiful visitor's center depicts ancient Jerusalum and wonderful paintings of Jesus' life. The temple (pictured here) is magnificent and dominates the square. Nativity scenes from around the world are sprinkled throughout the square. A helpful docent suggests we head immediately to the Tabernacle (it's the background for another of our famous self portraits below) for an organ recital. A 30 minute performance that we enjoy, catching a little bit of shut eye as the music wafts over and around us.

For lunch, we decide to follow a recommendation of one of the Elders to eat at the Lion House Pantry. This house was were Brigham Young's home, built to accommodate his very large family. He died in this house in 1877. The Pantry offers a cafeteria style menu with a selection of 4 entrees. The rolls are the best (per the Elder). It's a nice lunch, just nice.

We make our way to Park City, and our resort. Oops, we don't have a reservation for you. Do you have a confirmation number? Very guiltily, Paul admits that he should have brought the confirmation for our time share trade. No problem, we'll call and confirm. Oops again, they are closed for the Thanksgiving weekend. Annette decides to "check out", Paul doesn't need any additional guilt, he's generating enough of his own. It does work out and we are given the keys to our suite. We then settle in for a much needed nap.

Our dinner plans are simple: take a quick walk around the resort complex and find a decent restaurant for dinner. The only restaurant open is the Baja Cantina. Reasonable Mexican fair with a few margaritas and a Modelo Negro beer. The dessert is killer: Grand Mulege: a baked banana with brandy, Grand Marnier, butter, and brown sugar topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, nutmeg and almonds. It put us both over the top and we waddled back to our room to crash after the sugar high.