TRAVEL AWAITS: My 7 Favorite US Mountain Towns To Visit This Summer

This article was originally published in Travel Awaits on April 30, 2023.

Summer in Phoenix means hot days and nights. That’s when my husband and I look for cool, crisp mountain air. Far from the madding crowd, sleepy mountain towns are the best places to chill; the smaller, the sleepier, the better. These are the nine that we remember best. They are all at least 6,000 feet in elevation and not more than 5,000 in population. Try one out this summer. You will love it.

Granby, Colorado

Granby, Colorado is a great skiing area during winter, but when it closed early the previous winter due to Covid, it became our choice for our first Covid family reunion. It’s a small mountain town in the Rockies, 8,000 feet in elevation, with a population of 1800.

Just twenty minutes from our lodge, Lake Granby offered boats for rent and many options for eating and shopping. From there we hiked the trail to Adams Falls, a moderately difficult 0.3-mile hike, and continued farther to a clear stream that tumbled to become the lovely waterfall.

Not far is Rocky Mountain National Park, the third most-visited national park in the country, with many trails, campgrounds, and streams. Easy Coyote Trail yielded no wildlife sightings, but at the Holzwarth Historic Site, one moose was feeding quietly near the homestead.  And all along the main park road, we saw many more at sundown.

Pro-Tip: There are two great day trips from Granby. Hot Sulphur Springs Resort, 30 minutes away, has 23 mineral springs of different sizes and temperatures on a hillside. Also 30 minutes away is the upscale town of Winter Park, Colorado where we did some shopping and found a branch of the Colorado Nepalese and Indian Bistro chain, Durbar. 

Big Bear Lake, California

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains at the south shore of Big Bear Lake, this mountain town is less than a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. It was easy for our two older grandkids, 24 and 27, to join us for a weekend and make the town of 5,000 our playground in the midst of Covid lockdowns.

Home to wildlife in alpine habitats including the rare mountain cougar, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo was great for our first morning. Then we hiked the Woodland Trail, a 1.5-mile loop of dry woodlands with 16 interpretive stops explaining the plants, wildlife, and geology of the area. Our first half-day was capped by a picnic at the East Boat Ramp.  

The two-block urban area of shops and restaurants called The Village was great for our first afternoon: hanging out while enjoying $2.99 sundaes at the Bone Yard Bar & Grill, scouring the shops, and watching the brightly lit carriages shuttling tourists around over dinner.   

The next day we went to Pine Knot Landing and rented a 22-foot pontoon boat. Southern California's largest recreation lake, seven miles long and a mile at its widest, 7,000 feet above sea level, became a wonderful base for taking photos of the Big White Dome, the Dam, and unique floating outhouses! Then we capped our stay at the large deck of the Pines Lakefront Restaurant, looking out to “our lake.”

Pro-Tip: A $5 Adventure Pass allows parking at all trailheads and the use of all restrooms.

Snowbird, Utah

When Covid statistics started to decline, the upscale Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort (in the unincorporated community called Snowbird, Utah) reopened, requiring very low points. My husband and I could not pass up the chance. From there, we ticked off a bucket list item: the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island, less than an hour away. 

Our 1,500 sqft one-bedroom suite at The Cliff Lodge also included a living room, a dining room, and kitchen/bar. One of the two balconies had a jacuzzi that looked out onto the Wasatch Mountains, with wonderful displays of wildflowers instead of winter ski slopes. Still, we spent time at the high-end Spa at the top of The Cliff Club .

With an aerial tram, chairlifts, a mountain coaster, a huge trampoline, summer tubing, the vertical drop, a tree climb, gemstone mining, and the alpine slide, the Snowbird Village was the place to be. The Peruvian Lift and Aerial Tram took us to 11,000 feet for spectacular vistas.  

There were other lodging options, nine shopping outlets, five fine dining, and 11 casual dining restaurants. And all these trails: 11 lower mountain, ten mid/upper mountain, and six Mineral Basin Trails for hiking and mountain biking.

Pro-Tip: With a Bird Bundle pass, one can avail of a host of summer activities.

The Grand Mesa Northern and Southern Terminuses

At over 500 square miles and over 11,000 feet elevation, Grand Mesa in Colorado is the largest flat-top mountain in the world. With over 300 stream-fed alpine lakes offering great fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing, it became a great personal retreat. The Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway (State Highway 65) runs through it for 62 miles between Cedaredge, the southern terminus, and Mesa in the north, two special mountain towns!

The Grand Mesa Visitor Center is near Cedaredge, which is at a lower elevation of 6,000 feet.  It’s a retirement haven (30 percent of the 2,400 residents are 65 years of age and older) because of the mild climate, low taxes, outdoor recreational opportunities beyond those offered in Grand Mesa, health care facilities, and cultural activities. From there we made a trip to the southern entrance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Mesa is higher at 8,000 feet and smaller with only about 600 residents. It is where most of the tourists stay in ski resorts, tiny home villages, lodges, and campgrounds. A ski lift platform took us to breathtaking vistas at the top. We even discovered the American Servicewomen Memorial Park in Collbran, 15 minutes away, the first park to honor women.

Pro-Tip: We got supplies from Palisade, down at the foothills dubbed “The Peach Capital of Colorado.”

Brian Head and Parowan, Utah

Last summer we had our family reunion at Brian Head, Utah, minutes away from the Cedar Breaks National Monument. Smaller than Bryce Canyon National Park (only an hour away), the Cedar Breaks’ hoodoos are much larger and more dramatic. It is truly a hidden gem.

The small downtown (population 154) had regular restaurants and shops, but an art/flea market added to the fun. Afterward we drove up a narrow gravel road to reach Brian Head Peak (12,000 feet). From the very windy overlook, the view of the reddish national monument was surreal; at night, stargazing was spectacular. We were happy we caught the last day of the Wildflower Festival, too.

Cedar City is a valley town of 37,000, 40 minutes away. But it was Parowan, Utah, at an elevation of 6,000 ft. with 3,100 in population and just 20 minutes away, that caught our fancy. The Parowan Cemetery features frontier-era sandstone fences and markers. We stood in front of the grave of one of the many wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.

At the outskirts of Parowan is a wind gap, a 600-foot-deep notch through the hills cut by an ancient river 15 million years ago. Native Americans carved petroglyphs on the smooth faces of the large boulders. The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pro-Tip: Farther on the Gap Road is Dinosaur Footprints Trail, an easy 0.4-mile hike with some dinosaur footprints properly marked.  

Crested Butte, Colorado

Several summers ago, my husband’s high school had a reunion in Crested Butte, Colorado, a former coal mining town with a current population of 1,500 at 8,800 ft. elevation. (The other town of Mt. Crested Butte is at 9,375 ft). They are famous for skiing and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. We stayed at the cozy Columbine Cottage with great views of the mountains and the Aspen Glow.

The Silver Queen chair lift took us to 11,000 ft of Gothic Mountain and a thousand feet more of hiking got us to the top. The area is Colorado’s wildflower capital, and near Kebler Pass there were troves of lavender, yellow, white, and orange. The movie “Swiss Family Robinson” was filmed around Lake Irwin. In fact, the Hollywood Cabin is still there. We picnicked near the top of the mountain.

After a great walking tour of downtown hosted by the popular bard from the town museum, we joined all the townsfolk who had gathered for a free outdoor concert on the grounds of the Center of the Performing Arts with the venerable mountain as the backdrop.

Pro-Tips: Some of us did river-rafting on the Taylor.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

At 7,000 feet in elevation, Taos Pueblo in New Mexico is a unique mountain town. With a population of 4,500, it’s the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. This World Heritage Site includes 95,000 acres of preserved land called the Blue Lake Wilderness Area of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Red Willow Creek splits the Pueblo into the northern part with the Hlaauma and the southern Hlaukkwima, two adobe Great Houses believed to be more than 1000 years old. The old church and cemetery have been there since 1619. Today the modern city of Taos lies nearby for tourists’ dining, shopping, and lodging.

Pro-Tip:  From Santa Fe, the Low Road that follows the Rio Grande (spectacular in fall) takes you there. Going back, take the High Road and stop at the Santuario de Chimayo (built in the 1800s) and marvel at its original 6-foot crucifix.

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From High to Low Risk, Cruising while on Quarantine

During summer, we usually go on a long cruising trip on the road to escape the Phoenix heat, visit our children, and celebrate our anniversary. But, since there is a ban on non-essential travel between the US and Canada and my middle daughter lives in Calgary, we won’t be able to go there. Even Ada County in Idaho—including Boise where Bill’s son lives—is imposing a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for people from states with high community spread of Covid-19 like Arizona. So we will not be able to go there either.

Instead, we are doing two shorter road trips to visit family and celebrate in areas where there are, in fact, lower risks for Covid-19 than staying at home. We will soon be in Granby, Colorado to visit Bill’s eldest daughter. Then in August, we visit my eldest daughter in Livermore, California. Before Colorado, Bill and I have chosen to spend a week in The Cliff Lodge Summer and Ski Resort in Snowbird, Utah. Before Livermore, we are spending another week in Snow Lake Lodge in Big Bear Lake, California. Both are part of celebrating our 12^th year wedding anniversary. This post is about the Utah celebration. 

Shoshone Falls

Bill drove all of 11 hours from Viewpoint to The Cliff Lodge, plus two 30-minute rest stops. After a much-needed rest for the night, Bill again drove the following day to Twin Falls, Idaho—four hours each way. It was our only chance to have a picnic with his eldest son and his family since that part of Idaho is not restricted. They chose a spectacular location for a picnic: the Shoshone Falls, "The Niagara of the West." Standing 212 feet tall and 900 feet wide, it is one of the largest natural waterfalls in the US, higher than, but not as wide as, Niagara. I really don’t know why its application as a national park was rejected. It should be one.

Located on the Snake River, it carves its way through a deep basalt canyon to meet the Columbia River below. Its flow is dependent on many variables. The best time to see it is in spring when the snow begins to melt in the mountains. In the summer months, a part of the river is diverted for use in irrigating 500,000 acres of farmland so the flow is somewhat reduced. But I thought it was still pretty spectacular, even in July. The worst time to visit is during fall when the water is used to recharge the reservoir system upstream. 

The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird

After another night of rest, we woke up to the beauty of our 1,500 square feet one-bedroom suite of the Cliff Club, an up-scale timeshare property located within the Ski & Summer Resort in Sandy, Utah nestled in the lovely little Cottonwood Canyon. The bedroom had an oh-so-comfy king bed, a lounge area with a sofa bed, an office desk, and a bar set-up, a bathroom suite with a walk-in closet/washing machine area, and a balcony. The living area had a sofa bed and armchair, a bar with stools, a complete kitchen, another office desk area, a bathroom suite, and another balcony equipped with a jacuzzi kept at 104 degrees Fahrenheit 24x7. We certainly  founda lot of use for it.  

The two balconies both looked out to the green wonderland of the Wasatch Mountains. It offers great ski slopes during the winter but in spring and summer, there are wonderful displays of wildflowers amid lots of firs, pines, and aspens. We could even see parts of the little Snowbird Village like the aerial tram, the chairlifts, the mountain coaster, and the stream that made the constant hum of nature calling. The Snowbird Center on the Village features other lodging facilities, shopping outlets, and more activity areas like the huge trampoline, the alpine slide, summer tubing, the vertical drop, a tree climb, and gemstone mining. In the whole resort, there are a total of nine shopping outlets, five fine dining and eleven casual dining restaurants, a high-end Spa at the top of The Cliff Lodge, another swimming pool and hot tubs at ground level and get this: 11 lower mountain, ten mid/upper mountain, and six Mineral Basin Trails for hiking and biking. 

We bought the Bird Bundle pass that is good for three hours and did everything that we could finish during that time. We tried both the Peruvian Lift and the Aerial Tram to get photos of all the spectacular views from up there at 11,000 feet above sea level. We took the Chickadee chairlift up to ride down the winding Alpine Slide twice and rode the rollicking mountain coaster twice. And my vocal cords exploded to Bill's utter embarrassment. They were our favorites so we did not get to experience the others.

The Resort, which opened only on July 1, required masks at all indoor and outdoor gathering areas. There were hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere. Everything we touched was sanitized after use. Contact tracing logs had to be filled up wherever we went  Reservations, menus, and forms were all digital.  Employees were health-checked every day. The resort was only operating at 40% capacity. Each facility was restricted by capacity, too. Most restaurants had patio seating sections. There was hardly a soul inside the Lodge. There was no need for air-conditioning so there were no common airflows. We just opened the sliding doors during the day.  The only bad experience was the initial adjustment to the altitude and the dry air. Two humidifiers were available for our suite. 

The Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island

We must have passed Salt Lake City several times but I had never visited The Great Salt Lake. So we went down to visit the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Its size fluctuates a lot because the lake is shallow. It has recorded the lowest at 950 and the largest at 3,300 square miles. Three major tributaries deposit approximately 1.1 million tons of minerals in it each year. Because there is no outlet for the water besides evaporation, the lake water is far saltier than seawater. In fact, it is the eighth saltiest body of water in the world, just behind the Dead Sea, at 30% salinity. Thus, you naturally float.  

Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles, is the largest of ten islands in the Great Salt Lake. When the lake is at its low levels, it actually becomes a peninsula. We drove across the causeway, a narrow two-lane road connecting the mainland to the island. It was a great place to see the beauty of the Great Salt Lake and witness the variety of scenes from white salt beaches, to white salt lakes, to everything in between. It is also home to the wildlife which grows well since there are no predators on the island: pronghorn, bighorn sheep, American bison, porcupine, badger, coyote, bobcat, mule deer, and millions of waterfowl.

After covering the areas around the Visitor Center, the Park Headquarters, and the two campgrounds, and having some burgers and onion rings at the Island Grille on the northwestern section of the island, I was lamenting not being able to spot any wildlife. But, as we were driving to the southeast side, we chanced upon a herd of maybe fifty bison down by the lakeside on Bill’s side of the car. When Bill stopped to let me out and take photos, lo and behold, there were ten of them on the hillside beside me.  I had heyday taking their photos especially when they rushed down the hill, crossed the road, and joined the herd.

We did not forget to visit the Fielding Garr Ranch located on the southernmost part of the road. The house is known for being the oldest continually inhabited Anglo home in the state of Utah (1848 to 1981) and the oldest Anglo built house in Utah still on its original foundation. It was quite interesting to see the old barn, stand-alone cottages, stockyard, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, grain silo, and farm implements. The stables had a few horses, too.

The Great Salt Lake State Park

The Great Salt Lake State Park is nearer the city but is quite small. It consists of the only easily accessible and swimmable part of the lake, the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club and Marina, and a Visitor Center. There are great views of the lake, Antelope Island, the Black Rock, and Saltair Resort. The latter is a modern-day remnant and symbol of the original Saltair built on pilings over the shore area of Great Salt Lake. The new resort offers concerts and a concession service for souvenirs. This was opened as a state park in 1928. And in 1980, the marina was enlarged with new boat docks.

The Utah State Capitol

The Club is just 25 miles from Historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The beautiful mountain resort thus gives its guests a lovely mountain escape with great access to city life and an international airport. We have passed through the city many times as we visited Bill’s children, to and from Idaho and Colorado. We had been to Temple Square before so we went to see the State Capitol  has been instead. It isois of the state’s most prominent landmarks since 1916 and underwent one of the largest historical preservation projects in the US in 2004-8. It renovated the building against the risk of an earthquake and restored the original beauty and artwork. However, it was closed to visitors. Outside is the wonderful monument to Salt Lake City's founder and Utah's first governor, Brigham Young.

We have been to many timeshare properties but this is one we would definitely go back to and maybe experience it during other seasons.  And Salt Lake City offers a lot for visitors. I wouldn’t mind photographing Antelope Island during sunset and maybe spend more time at the Temple Square.

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Looking Forward to Our 2020 Travels

It’s now time to look forward to our travel plans for the coming year. We will go to ten new destinations, return to ten old-time favorites, and visit family and friends. On the road for five months on three separate road trips, we will have seven months of rest at home. I think it is a good way to cruise past 70.

Part 1 Mexico, Season 2

We all read about the recent massacres in Mexico. Indeed, the conditions for safety have deteriorated. But, as we had concluded before, the danger towns of Mexico are no different from the crime-infested towns of America. In fact, they all share spots in the listing of the most dangerous cities in the world. So Bill has decided to drive again to and from Mazatlan. We have found it so convenient to bring as much as we need and to bring home as much as we want. We leave Viewpoint on January 1 and drive down to Mexico going through the towns of Tubac, Arizona, Hermosillo, Sonora (only five and a half hours from a massacre site), and Los Mochis, Sinaloa. 

Concordia, Mexico

On January 4, we reach Mazatlan. For two months, we will have our annual all-inclusive vacation at El Cid Resorts composed of four hotels and a country club complex. Season 1 featured day trips to the towns of El Quelite and El Rosario. During Season 2, we plan to go to the towns of Villa Union and Concordia, famous for their artisanal wooden furniture. We also plan to climb the 325 steps up to the highest lighthouse in America, El Faro Mazatlan. Of the islands around the city, we sailed to Deer Island in Season 1. During Season 2, we intend to go to Stone Island.

Marietas Islands, Mexico

At the end of February, we drive farther down south and spend two weeks (and Bill’s birthday) in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. This is my first time to visit this famous Mexican destination. Aside from its Mercado and Malecon, we hope not only to experience the city’s renowned nightlife scene but also to take a boat tour to the spectacular hidden beach in the Marietas Islands. 

Guaymas, Mexico

Two weeks later, we go back to Mazatlan for a reunion of friends from the Philippines, colleagues from the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology. In our last week, we will shop for what we want to bring back home. Our long drive home will be broken with a short rest at the resort town of Guaymas, Sonora. It’s an upcoming Mexican destination that is close to the border. Our final stop will be the border town of Nogales, Sonora. We get home on April 1.

Part 2 Road Trip, Season 2

We are also continuing the tradition we started last year of escaping from the summer sizzle in the Phoenix desert. We will do another road trip of four to five weeks through Americans states and Canadian provinces, visiting family and friends. We will break the long drives with one-week stops at great resort towns.

Cliff Lodge and Spa

From July 7-12, we will be in St. George, Utah. It is the nearest city to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Thus, we will have plenty of opportunities to have outdoor fun with Bill’s son and daughter and their families in our annual reunion with them. Just a four and a half hours north is Salt Lake City. We have often passed through and so we have seen the city in bits and pieces. The week after St. George, we will explore it fully and explore the Great Salt Lake and Temple Square. We will definitely luxuriate at Cliff Lodge & Spa in Snowbird, Utah where our unit has a large hot tub inside.

Lands End, San Francisco

Afterward, we spend a week in Calgary, Alberta, the home of my second daughter and her family. And then we visit our Arizona friends’ mountain cabin for a round of ATV riding in the hills around Essex, Montana. On the way down to my other daughter’s California home, we will pass through Richland, Washington and Klamath Falls, Oregon waiting to be surprised!  Then, from July 29-August 4, we spend a week at the home of my eldest daughter and her family in Livermore, California. The day trips we hope to make while there are to San Francisco’s Land’s End, Point Bonita Lighthouse, and the Cliffside Ruins.

Big Bear Lake, California

Before going home, we will spend our 12^th Wedding Anniversary with a week in Big Bear Lake, California. Summer recreation at the lake includes water fun at the Alpine Slide and a visit to the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, a large rehabilitation place for animals. Hopefully, my eldest grandchild who lives two hours away can join us for a couple of days. We should be glad to be home on Aug. 10.

Part 3 A Short Getaway with Neighbors

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

After these two trips, we will still have two weeks of studio or one week of two bedrooms of timeshare vacations available for the balance of next year. We plan to use this at Puerto Penasco or Rocky Point, Mexico which is just three and a half hours by car from our Viewpoint Home. We have never been there and would like to see if it is a good place to visit regularly, being the nearest Mexican resort town. For a week in September, we plan to party there with our neighbors from Viewpoint Golf Resort.

2020 will take us to ten new destinations, make room for revisiting ten places we have come to love, and allow for visits to family and friends. What's great is that we will even have seven months at home, giving me time to finish my second book. It is the kind of cruising that’s ideal for travelers past 70.


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Road Trip to a Reunion at Park City, Utah

Summer is when the heat kind of smothers you in the Phoenix desert area. It was a smoldering 105 degrees Fahrenheit when we left. We had planned a five-week road trip through Utah, Idaho, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California to escape the heat, visit with family and friends, and see places we had not seen before. 

The Road Trip to Park City, Utah

It took us eleven hours to drive to Park City, Utah from Mesa, Arizona. After driving for seven hours, we stopped for a night in Panguitch, Utah, a town of 1,520 people. What I will not forget about this town is Yvonne at the Panguitch Drug Store. I had left the charger for my Fitbit Charge 3. She took my Fitbit to her home after work hours and called Bill to pick it up when it was fully charged.

Glen Canyon Dam

Before we reached Panguitch, we passed through the beautiful city of Page, Arizona famous for its unique slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend. Right after Page, we found Glen Canyon Dam. Even if it is only a third the size of Hoover Dam (8 generating units compared to 17), it is still the second tallest dam in the US and the one that actually feeds our Arizona home with electricity. And Lake Powell, the manmade recreation lake it created, is larger than Lake Mead created by Hoover Dam. No wonder Page has become a big city. It has a lot going for it.

Glen Canyon Dam National Recreation Area

The Reunion at Park City, Utah

On the second day, our drive was just four hours. We designed it this way so we could arrive in Park City early. We even had time for some fun at the Park Silly Market, held every Sunday from June to September at the downtown area. Then we went to the grocery to shop for some dinner ingredients before checking in.  

Park Silly Market

yellow bike areas in downtown Park City

This stay was a family reunion with two of Bill’s three children and three of his five grandchildren. The two families arrived at almost the same time and the dinner I prepared, Filipino chicken afritada and Vietnamese lettuce wraps, was ready just in time. The 3br suite at Wyndham Park City was spacious enough for all. The best part was the free drumstick or ice cream sandwiches at the lobby!

Day One: Downtown and the Olympic Village

The morning of Day One was a stroll up and down the hill of Main Street in Downtown Park City. Everyone found something to take home from the unique shops. We ended up having lunch at 501 on Main. After lunch, we found ourselves at Java Coffee where we had either ice cream or coffee. I had both with a scoop of Java Coffee ice cream. Yum.

Jump Skis at the Olympic Park in Park City

Then we headed to the Olympic Village. Park City was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. We marveled at athletes training to dive at the Olympic swimming pool and took shots of the ski jumps. Wandering around the Ski Museum was also fun with the gift shop, the exhibits of bobsleds, and a huge artistic rendition of a bison head.

marmots are everywhere in Park CCity

On the way back to the resort, the children (and I) had so much fun spotting marmots on the roads. At Wyndham Park City, we again enjoyed the free drumstick and ice-cream sandwiches. Then the kids frolicked at the heated pool and hot tub before our chicken kabobs dinner. A game of Taboo saw the adults competing against the children, ending 1-1.

Day Two: Bloods Lake Trail

We searched the Net for hiking trails and selected one listed in the Park Magazine’s article, “Four Family-Friendly Easy Hikes in Park City.” It was a great find! The Bloods Lake is nestled at an elevation of 9,300 feet. We had to negotiate Guardsman’s Pass and parked the car at the clearing about two hundred feet higher.

the kids were brave enough to take a polar plunge at the cold lake

It may have been rated easy but for me it was hard. There was a section with a steep incline. Going down was hard; going back up was even harder. But the views were beautiful, especially since some wildflowers were still blooming. The children took a plunge at the cold lake. They got out as soon as they discovered a leech swimming. Are they perhaps the reason it’s called Bloods Lake? 

the view on the way back to the parking area/trailhead

Back at the resort, it was another round at the heated pool and hot tub for the kids; also the drumsticks and ice-cream sandwiches. Then, it was a left-overs night supplemented by one large and one medium. pizza Then the kids decidedly beat the adults at the games of Taboo and Catch-Phrase. We vowed to prepare for next year’s reunion.

Check-out Time was 10 am so we had plenty of time to pack and have left-overs for breakfast. But it was the goodbyes that took forever long. Bill was so happy his family finally had a reunion. He was sad to see them go but hopes that it will be an annual thing from now on. Next stops: Helena, Montana then Calgary, Alberta.

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