Hike up Ensign Peak...

This morning Jared took me on a hike up to Ensign Peak, an hour to get to the top with the most stunning views once the summit was reached. The following was taken from the Salt Lake City website.
"Ensign Peak is a prominent hill on the northern edge of the Salt Lake Valley. On July 26, 1847, two days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and seven other pioneer leaders climbed the hill to survey the valley. From its summit they laid out in their minds the city they intended to build.

The men fastened a yellow bandanna to a cane and waved it from the mountain peak. Brigham Young named the spot Ensign Peak. The pioneers had carried two American flags with them across the plains. Within a short time a flagpole was erected and one of those flags was flown from the peak.
Brigham Young claimed a vision from God directed him to lead his people into the Salt Lake Valley. It is said that Young recognized Ensign Peak as a prominent landmark in his vision, confirming his statement: "This is the right place."
Over the years Ensign Peak has been the site of numerous civic and religious ceremonies.
Utah's state capitol building stands on a shelf part way up the hill. Efforts to preserve the summit as a park began in 1908. In 1934 a monument was built, honoring the men who climbed the hill in 1847.
On July 26, 1996, the site was officially dedicated as both a historic and nature park by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. During the dedication ceremony, the Ensign Peak Foundation presented the park to the people of Salt Lake City. Homes now cover the bottom two-thirds of the hill. An LDS chapel and park stand at the upper end of the developed land and serve as a staging area for people who wish to climb the summit. A maintained trail leads from the chapel to the summit. The hike is short and easy."




At the bottom of the Peak before we started the climb..



It was a shame about the smog, as the view was stunning, looking back on the way up...

There are wildflowers everywhere gorgeous amongst the dry grass.

Looking up towards the summit.

Downtown Salt Lake City..Beautiful!!

My 2nd "Must " in SLC..

Okay, so Lethaby's Creamery in Salt Lake City is a MUST visit . We decided to go as a celebration of Emma's first day of kindergarten. The ice-cream is amazing, and the sundaes and banana splits to die for.

But first we had to drive across town, which after your first day of Kindergarten can prove to be an exhausting trip.

Then we check out the menu to make our choices...........

Our visit to the Zoo...

Top of the list of places to visit in Salt Lake City for me is the Hogle Zoo. On my last trip, three years ago, the zoo was undergoing some major changes, so I was looking forward to seeing what had been completed.
There is still some work to be done, but overall I was impressed .

Today Evette, Emma, Lucca  and I braved the heat , left home real early and headed over to the Zoo. It goes without saying that the kids had a great time, with visits to just about all the animals we could cope with, a ride on the carousel and a train ride. But for me the highlight was the visit to the Gorilla. He was the ugliest, biggest yet most beautiful specimen. Out came our cameras and Evette and I went crazy trying to capture as many photos as we could. After a few minutes Evette was standing in front of the glassed indoor enclosure, clicking away madly when without any warning the Gorilla just rose up on it's hindquarters and lunged towards Evette, smashing his fist against the glass so hard that you could feel the vibration of the window where we were standing. Needless to say we all screamed like we had been scalded, and left there in a real hurry. A bit further on we told one of the keepers in passing what had happened and she said that this Gorilla was a real Diva and often took a dislike to people, or perhaps just the "paparazzi".

Below are some photos of a wonderful day, good on you Hogle Zoo for doing all the changes the Zoo is a pleasure to visit.

Oh, What a Night......

Over the past few years I have followed and enjoyed a lot of Blogs, getting to know people from all over the world, every now and again wondering what it would be like to meet these great people in person.

At present I am visiting my "Grandies" and my daughter and son-in-law in Salt Lake City, and as one of my favourite bloggers Life in Red Shoes lives in Salt Lake City it seemed an opportune time to meet up with her and some other bloggers from the area . 

So last night we met up at Bridgette's adorable house for dinner and a chance to put some faces to some bloggers names. And what a night it was, it was  like catching up with friends that I hadn't seen for a while. You know those friends, that even though you may not see them for a long time when you meet up again it's like you just pick up from where you left off. There was an instant connection with all of us, talking about our families,  grandchildren in particular,  and how we would right all the wrongs in the world. But, best of all there was an awful lot of laughter, we all seem to share the same sense of humour and a passion for Santa,( You had to be there), together with a love of good food and all things chocolate. The chocolate cake was a true winner , and Kay's gorgeous sugar cookies were a definite hit.

Thanks so much ladies for an awesome evening it was a pleasure to meet you all, and I am sure it will not be the first or last time we meet. 

Bridgette, me, Colleen, Cathy and Kay. Evette was behind the camera lens as usual.