The next stop is not actually in the very pretty mountain town of Park City, of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the annual Sundance Film Festival, but further up the mountain in Deer Valley. Or to be more precise, the Stein Eriksen Lodge named for the man who was the father of recreational and sports skiing in the United States. We've stayed at the Lodge a couple of times in the past, but always in the winter. The Lodge is taking enormous precautions to protect its patrons from the ravages of the virus. The lounges and dining rooms are closed and it's only possible to eat from a limited menu sitting on an outside terrace, so we never felt unsafe in any way
That having been said and as comfortable as the Lodge is, quite frankly the setting is a lot more attractive covered in snow. The ski trails have been turned into mountain bike trails, so the mountainsides are mostly covered in patchy brownish green grass and mud.
Not being much in the way of mountain bikers, we decide to skip the delights of the mountain and head west aways to see the Great Salt Lake and the city named after it. The vast Lake itself, one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet is now a fraction of what it once was - an inland sea covering a large section of the western US. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the lake was a popular attraction with an enormous entertainment palace on one bank. The Bonneville Salt Flats at one end of the existing lake gained some fame in the 50's and 60's when numerous land speed records were set there. But these days though, apart from a few boats and one area that's a nature reserve, there isn't much to see or do. These days, out visitors I'm guessing would be somewhat put off by the pervasive not too pleasant odour coming off the lake and the billions and billions of brine flies. The flies are apparently quite harmless to humans (and if anyone is going to be bitten, it's me!) but as the photo shows, they are quite attracted to us....
Apart from being the state capital, Salt Lake City's claim to fame is that it's the home of the Mormon religion and the 7th day Adventist movement. The centre of the city is dominated by Temple Square and a variety of very imposing buildings belonging to the church and its administration. Everything was closed to visitors because of the pandemic, so it was just a quick look and we headed for the hills....
Day 5: Sorrel River Ranch-Deer Valley: 270 miles
Day 6: Deer Valley-Great Salt Lake-Salt Lake City-Deer Valley: 130 miles