last and best stop: Sundance

On the back of Mount Timpanogas, about 20 minutes outside of Provo, is Sundance, Utah, my most favorite place in the whole world. My parents bought their home there when I was 15 years old, and then moved in full time about eight years ago.

The views from my runs with Mike were stunning. The runs themselves were totally killer. As in - they almost killed me dead. But it doesn't get prettier than that.

We soaked it in as best we could. (This is the Alpine Loop Road that starts in Provo Canyon and goes past Sundance, past Aspen Grove, up and over the mountain into American Fork. It is extremely scenic and also very windy, so car sick prone people beware. It costs a few dollars to drive it, but you can run it for free!)

Home sweet home.

When I was giving my hips a break from running straight up and down the mountain with Mike, I went hiking with my mom. She knows all of the best trails. They had a really rainy spring, so the ferns were out of control.

Something fun to do at Sundance is to ride the lift to the top. Hello Heber!

We walked to the resort for lunch at the Foundry Grill a few times and enjoyed the rustic ambiance that can only be found at Sundance.

The real fun started when my sister, Leslie, and her family arrived. I love these brothers and cousins.

Sundance recently opened their incredibly high Zip Tour, but we stuck with the homemade one below my parents' house.

The traditional "Cousin Bench" photo. We are missing lots of cousins in this picture, but we'll take what we can get.

Weirdos.

Almost every evening we'd take a loop around my parent's neighborhood. It was a good way to end the day.

Our last hike of the trip was to Stewart Falls. Oh man, I'd give anything to be back there under those cloudy skies right this minute. We were there for two weeks, but I could easily have taken two more.

Until next year, Sundance!