I always dread winter. My way of easing into the cold seasons is to savor our condo week at Iron Blossam, up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is cold in the mountains by early September, but it is so magnificently beautiful that I begin looking forward to winter, in spite of myself.
We always enjoy Room 618, our loft condo overlooking the swimming pool. We've owned it for the last fifteen years, since Jonny and Michael were little boys. Our week coincides with Oktoberfest, which begins, at Snowbird, in August! I always walk up to the big Oktoberfest tent to take a look at the Alpenhorns and yodelers, as well as watching the little kids in the pool at Iron Blossam and thinking of the days when we had little kids there, too.
One constant during our Iron Blossam weeks is my ironing. I know I'll watch more movies and TV news than at home, since I'm sharing open-walled rooms with Dave. I'm armed with my ironing board and laundry bin full of wrinkled tablecloths and napkins.
Another constant is dining at the Snowbird restaurants. Each night Dave and I try a different place--the Steak Pit, Wildflower, Lodge, and The Aerie. Dave and I spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon with Michael at the Wildflower.
Dave and I spent another evening at the Lodge. The cioppino was delicious, but the restaurant was nearly empty. We were definitely in the off-season. After dinner, the waiter warned us that a moose and her baby were right outside the front door, and that we should walk to Iron Blossam by the back route. There was a sign on the door warning of animal encounters! At the Steak Pit, we were sorry to miss the porcupine who usually sidles up to back door to eat a loaf of bread set outside by the wait staff. "It's been warmer this September, and he can still find lots of food outside besides our bread," our waiter sighed.
We ate two dinners at El Chanate, including finishing every last bite of our mud pie. El Chanate is located at the Cliff Lodge. There are space heaters for diners on the porch, and a striking view downhill to the Snow Bird Ski Center and the mountains beyond.
The most elegant restaurant we visited was The Aerie, on the 10th floor of the Cliff Lodge. We watched the sunset between our entrée and dessert. We went back to The Aerie, on our last night at Snowbird, to snap a few last photos of a beautiful place. As we left the Cliff, we saw one more sign, surely written by lawyers, warning us of the dangers outside. On our way to the parking lot, I turned back to try to capture the lights of Snowbird against the velvety black sky, filled with stars.
