Friday night Zach sold a trip out of Sun Valley. Turns out the flight was going empty there and empty back to Salt Lake after the client was going to be dropped off. Zach had never been to SV and I had only been there in the winter time for some skiing, so we decided to go for the day!
We arrived early in the morning and both agreed the first thing we would do is rent bikes. We rode through downtown, checking out the shops, scoping out places to eat. Sun Valley is actually more of a resort, and Ketchum is the town nearby. I could honestly live there. Little boutique shops, people eating out on the sidewalks and walking their dogs. I could have spent all day exploring, but some friends had recommended we ride the gondola ride to the top of Baldy, so we rode our bikes over to the ski resort and got a lift up the mountain.
Gondolas are the way to go! I know they have them at Snow Basin near Ogden, but at my stomping grounds (Brighton Resort) we don’t have the luxury of gondolas. The weather was gorgeous and there literally wasn’t a cloud in the sky – only a light breeze and 80 degrees. The gondola doesn’t take you all the way to the top, but it stops at a lodge. We ate lunch there, at the Roundhouse. They had a BBQ right on the balcony.
After our lunch we mapped out our route for the rest of the day.
From the lodge you could take a chair lift to the very top of the peak, so we decided to give it a go and conquer Mount Baldy. The views were incredible.
We did take a few normal pictures, but the photo op quickly turned into a dance party.
After busting several moves, we rode back down to the base of the resort to saddle back up on our wheels. We spent the whole rest of the day riding the trails, walking through snowboard shops and art galleries, and sipping on fruit smoothies. There was even an outdoor art exhibition of natural architecture. The entire structure was built out of sticks and reeds!
We ended our SV day trip at a Mexican restaurant called Despos. THE BEST SALSA I can ever remember consuming. The food and the atmosphere was so great, it is a must when we go back in the future.
I don’t know if it was singing and laughing hysterically on the chair lift, dancing on Baldy, or riding our bikes and viewing the scenery – but it was the best Saturday of my summer thus far. Sun Valley is legit.