Yesterdays' adventure was to take our bike up Emmigration Canyon (lovely wide bike shoulder and share the road signs along with a significant number of bikers going both up and down the canyon) up to (short steep curvy climb) and over Farleys Flat(longer smooth but equally steep swoops complete with more bikers) down to to Park City to ride the rail trail. It was another drop dead perfect riding day- temps in the mid 70s, slight breeze, cloudless sky and low humidity.

The last time I was in park city was 50 years ago, long before the ski area and all of the resorts. The main street consisted of an old victorian mining era theater, an equally aged church, some false front stores, a loose grouping of victorian era homes in various states of repair and scattered mountain cabins and summer homes. Needless to say it has changed as the whole area has become a ski resort with condos, large hotel facilities, restaurants, box stores and very many homes.

However either with the ski resort which went in in the 90s or since, they have put in a substantial trail and rail trail system in and out of town along with main street wide enough to accommodate a bike lane in either direction. Park City was originally a mining town so there were several rail systems and junctions coming through and into town and connecting it to Wyoming to the East and Salt Lake (a major railroad center) to the West.

We parked near where the old ( now new and trying to look authentic but not quite making it) train station was and took the rail trail down towards the bottom of the canyon and then down the canyon where the most recent and smaller ski resort Canyon Lands is just starting to take off.

The slope was a gentle one to two percent,.(coasting down , easy climb back up at the end) running through water meadows and wetland belts between or at the back of various condo and housing areasand out into the fields at the valley bottom. We had the sound of a trickling stream beside us for quite a while along with some beaver ponds, one with an enormous and very elaborate beaver dam, several types of flowering trees which I can't name, red winged blackbirds and magpies chirruping and squawking and general beneficent mother nature. A couple of road crossings which were well marked and gated with a post in packed dirt to slip past. The roads were side roads and not busy. One brief stretch on the road to transfer to another trail and then fairly level with some ups and downs and a highway underpass to take us down to the trail running down the canyon towards the Canyons. This trail had more "terrain features" with several short steep climbs, some curves and bends and some gentles slopes amid the hillside growth of broom, grass, trees, some sage and many other shrubby type growths, a dog park, school, hospital and more open country side. We went down this almost to Canyonlands and then turned around and reversed our course. We only rode about 25 miles, but between the extra 2,000 feet elevation and Kris' gears still acting up a bit, it was enough to loosen up the legs and really enjoy the ride.

On our way back down the canyon we ate at Ruths Diner a famous and infamous diner that has been, first in Salt Lake since 1920 and the canyon since 1950. It was the place that all the frat boys snuck away to from the University to smoke and drink beer. The original diner is still there but upgraded and improved. Lovely outdoor patio with lilacs (in full bloom) a large trees along with another little brook. Good variety of vegetarian, vegan and carnivore dishes.

Today we are going out to ride the JordanRiver Trail towards Provo and from the looks of it it will be another gorgeous dayE