July 11, Mt. Baldy

Jack

Time to hit the lifts at Sun Valley.  Kristin, Len & Jimmy hiked to the top.  Jack, Kelly, Kevin, Jen and Fran biked to the lifts and did a short lap before meeting the entire family for lunch at the Roundhouse Lodge at the top of the Gondola.  Lenny hiked to the top of Christmas Lift on Bald Mountain Trail, and rode the chair back to meet us for lunch.  Kris & Jim hiked part way up the same trail, and walked back down to find Pat, Larry, Maddie, Hannah & Hillary as they got off the Gondola.  The bikers arrived about 15 minutes later.

For some strange reason, we were given $10 off vouchers for $20 spent on lunch with the purchase of our lift tickets.  Pat and Larry were treating lunch, and the waiter let us stack all our vouchers.
After lunch, everyone rode the Christmas lift to the top for the obligatory family photo.  Hikers rode the chair back down, and the bikers headed down on Broadway Trail to Warm Springs trail.

Sun Valley had a huge fire a few years ago.  They also ran some championship mountain bike races on the same trail over the weekend, and the trails are real hammered.  Add that to the lack of tree cover in the burned out places of the trail, and you have a rocky, bumpy trail.  We remembered a sweet, smooth, fast trail.  Our plans for multiple loops ended after one descent on the Warm Springs Trail.  No need to do the Cold Springs trail, which is rockier, steeper and rougher.  Of course, Jack said this was the best downhill trail he had ever done.  He was up for another.

Jennifer