Over the Christmas holiday, my family and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, and today I'm telling you guys all about it.
As a Type-A person, planning and prepping happened weeks before the trip, and the packing happened days before the flight. Is anyone else this way?
I made sure my mind and body were right because pre-flight anxiety is a very real thing and it's something I struggle with. Click here for my tips on pre-flight anxiety. I also made sure to have all of our belongings and information organized and ready, to make the traveling process easier and less chaotic.
We took off the morning of Christmas Eve from my hometown, Houston, Texas, and arrived in Denver Colorado within a few hours. There we waited for about an hour for our connecting flight to SLC. We safely landed in Salt Lake City around 1PM and were picked up by a family friend.
Our first stop upon landing was In-N-Out, not my first pick when it comes to food but, I wanted to see what all the hype was about. After waiting in the drive-thru line for what felt like an hour, we drove to the house where we were staying and ate there. I'm sad to say that I was a bit disappointed by their food. Now, I'm not saying I'm biased but, I think Whataburger is way better. Haha!
I don't know about you guys, but after a long day of traveling I'm exhausted and this time around I had the company of a bad headache. So naturally, all I wanted to do once arriving was to settle in and relax. My family on the other hand had other plans and they went on a hike while my little sister and I stayed home to rest.
On Christmas Day my husband and I woke up and got ready to go out and get some photos for an Instagram collaboration I had due the next day. We decided to make a mini-hiking trip out of it so we drove to Mueller Park and it was the most peaceful place I'd been to in quite a long time. It reminded me of Narnia. Snow covered the ground and tree branches. We saw a woodpecker pecking away at a tree looking for food, and a frozen creek whose running water you could still hear.
After our mini-hike and photo session, we came home for a quick lunch break then drove to the Bonneville Shoreline Trails for some more hiking. This place was just as beautiful as the first place we hiked but completely different. There was no snow, instead, it had beautiful fields of dried grass that in the sun gave the hills a golden appearance.
My husband, being the adventurer that he is, hiked up a steep hill while I stayed back to watch, and took photos. I must say that I was very impressed when he made it up the steep hill in less than 10 minutes. After he made it to the top, I hiked up a little to find a good spot to sit, soak up the sun, and enjoy the gorgeous views of the valley and mountains that surrounded me.
The day after Christmas we took a drive out to Park City, a ski-resort town high up in the Rocky Mountains. The drive there was absolutely unreal. We were surrounded by gigantic mountains that I captured on film, however, the camera does the beauty of their nature no justice. There we went to Woodward Park which I highly recommend if you're new to skiing or snowboarding. It's less expensive than the nearby ski-resorts and it's less crowded too.
It was my second time skiing and let me tell you, it was not any easier. I fell at least half a dozen times and a few of those falls were really painful. There did come a moment where I gave up in frustration and cried mid-way down. But I did manage to make it down to the bottom of the mountain, in one piece, no broken bones, and that's what's important! Will you find me skiing in the future? My answer is, not by choice. Haha!
Our last full day in Utah was pretty chill, we didn't do a whole lot. My husband went on a sunrise hike while I slept in, then got ready. When he got back we went to a nearby shopping center to take Instagram photos for a collaboration. After that, we spent the day with family and packed up for our flight the following day.
All in all, Utah was great! We experienced a lot of firsts on this trip as a family and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Most of our time spent here was out in nature and far away from the city. Which I think is exactly what we needed. I would definitely love to come back!
Here's hoping 2021 is filled with more travel and adventure.
Until next time friends, take care!
xo, Your Girl Jess
