Utah Vacations by Ruth Paget

Utah Vacations by Ruth Paget 

I have happily visited Utah five times with my husband Laurent in the 2010s on business trips. Ruth, the stage mother, knew that the Sundance Institute is located in the mountains outside Salt Lake City. 

So, on the first free weekend of our trips to Utah, we always drove out to Sundance to buy merchandise for our daughter Florence Paget, who was studying playwriting at Juilliard in New York. 

Our first Sundance purchase was knit cap with the word “Sundance” knit in it. I wrote my mother in Wisconsin to get a picture of Florence in her Sundance cap with a snowman. (My mom is a stage grandma and got this done right away.) 

Some of our other fun Sundance purchases include: 

-snow jackets -a leather journal with Sundance embossed on the cover 

-Western scarves book 

-Wilderness knives with corkscrews 

-Cowboy doodle books 

-paper journals for project management 

After shopping, we would go to the café for fizzy, non-caffeinated soft drinks and muffins. We would look over our purchases and discuss them. I am a stage mom who will sell film downloads, tickets, and merchandise for my family’s products, so I like discussing markets and merchandise sales. 

Once we had visited Sundance, we would drive into Park City to eat a more substantial meal at El Chabusco Mexican restaurant. You order at the counter here and a restaurant worker will bring it to you when it is ready. El Chabusco has lots of sauces on its buffet counter. I stir mango-pepper sauce into my refried beans and cilantro-lime sauce into my rice for extra kick. I like shredded chicken or cheese enchiladas with tomatillo sauce for lunch. 

After our meal at El Chabusco, we would walk down a few doors to Einstein Brother Bagels to order bagels for dinner. I could relive my youth in Detroit (Michigan) here when I would go to suburban Southfield for bagels – onion in winter and salt in summer with lots of cream cheese. 

On other weekends during our trips over five years, Laurent and I would visit one of Utah’s many national parks: 

-Arches – This national park was made famous as an Apple screensaver and mousepad. It is scorching hot, so make sure to bring water, a hat, and sunscreen. 

-Zion – The massive tablelands in this park were created by erosion, exposing layers of varying colors of red rock. The mesas (tables) glisten in the sun and are very photogenic. 

-Bryce Canyon – Famous for its hoo doos or rock chimneys that you can view from above. You can drive through the hoo doos on the valley floor as well. The valley landscape resembles Mars with red rocks and red soil. 

-Canyonlands – These are vast and sizzling hot even in a car with air conditioning. The Colorado River cuts through this area carrying red soil with it. 

-Sandy – This is not a national park, but has dramatic scenery in a mining area. The California Tectonic Plate collides with the North America Tectonic Plate here and creates towering pillars that surround you as you go through the mountains on a one-lane free on stilts. 

Utah has many areas for skiing and zip lining (Sundance has a zip line) in addition to historic and cultural centers in downtown Salt Lake City. 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Montana and South Dakota Trip by Ruth Paget

Montana and South Dakota Trip by Ruth Paget 

In 1973, my dad took me on a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana during the Watergate Trial. We left from Detroit, Michigan and set out for an overnight stay in Minnesota with one of his pen pals from Field and Stream magazine (their mutual interest was fishing in the wilderness). 

I woke drowsily after the overnight stay in Minnesota, but became wide-eyed once I hit the van for a day’s worth of travel through the Badlands of South Dakota and Montana. Dad turned on the radio coverage of the Watergate Trial. He was a Republican and commented on the commentators, “Politics just ruins good people like Richard Nixon.” 

“What about the robbers?” I asked. “They’ll be found guilty. No one will know them or know anything about the robbery,” dad remarked. 

Prairie dogs raced in front of the car in the Badlands. I kept asking dad to slow down and not squash the prairie dogs. The speed limit was 75 miles per hour then, so we were flying and squashing away. 

“I’ll get in an accident, if I slow down for all them, Ruthie,” he said. 

We were both transfixed by the moon-like landscape. Vast rock plateaus were broken up by higher rock plateaus with caves in the landscape. I thought snakes might live in the caves. 

I thought it took forever to get through South Dakota and Montana was a longer state I saw as we crossed the state line. Dad stopped at the visitor center where I picked up travel brochures. Glacier was the big deal in Montana. Dad gave me saltine crackers with liverwurst to eat in the car. 

I looked at one of the travel brochures for Butte, Montana and asked dad, “Are we going to Butt, Montana?” 

“That’s not how you say that,” dad said. “Okay, are we going to Booty, Montana, then?” I asked. “That is pronounce ‘byut.’ It’s a French word meaning ‘hill.’ The French were the original European explorers in this area, “ dad said.

I sat chuckling at my kid joke.

“We’re going way up north right to the Canadian border to see Glacier National Park,” dad said. 

There were towering pine trees at the entrance to Glacier that cut off the sun. 

 “We’re going up the ice mountain now,” dad said. 

We went up, up, and up. I looked down at the pine trees, which became progressively smaller the higher up we went. The pine trees looked like stick trees you put on a Christmas mantelpiece we were up so high. I was glad to read the summit. 

We went to a picnic area where dad took out his Coleman gas stove and made a breakfast-dinner in Lodge cookware. He filled his Coleman thermos with coffee several times. We breathed in the thin, high-altitude air. 

With a belly full of bacon, I agree to go to Banff National Forest in Canada, so we could see Canadian pine trees and say we’d been to Canada. 

Even as a kid, I knew dad was thinking the Glacier vacation was ice, pine trees, and dead prairie dogs.

Dad carefully drove down the steep glaciers that had patches of water on them from melting snow. I fell asleep and woke up in South Dakota. 

Dad turned on the Watergate Trial when I woke up. 

I told dad, “I want to be president. I think I can do a better job than this.” 

“It’s all headache,” dad said.

“But, I think I could do it. And, I’ve traveled internationally after this trip. I have a head start on international affairs,” I said. 

We both were laughing about Canadian pine trees. 

Surprisingly, my non-feminist dad said, “Study hard, and even if you’re not president, you’ll still be able to do something you like eventually.” 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Denver, Colorado Trip by Ruth Paget

Denver, Colorado Trip by Ruth Paget 

I had transferred through Denver International Airport several times before finally getting to accompany my husband Laurent on a business trip there when he had a teaching assignment at the U.S. Air Force Academy outside Denver, Colorado. 

The plane ride in through the Rockies was very bumpy with only jagged mountain peaks as emergency landing sites. I was happy to be on terra firma when we arrived at the airport. 

Our hotel was in a remote convention area with rows of every major hotel chain on one side of a wide road with every major bar-restaurant chain represented on the other side of the road. We unpacked and set out to eat at Bennigan’s and noted where Kentucky Fried Chicken was. 

We arrived at Bennigan’s at 3 p.m. and were told the dining room was closed, but could eat in the bar area. We ordered a mushroom-cheese pizza and big Patron margaritas. Denver vegetarian pizzas come with whole pickled mushrooms. The pizza was different from Monterey (California) where we lived, but equally delicious. 

We came to Denver in the midst of the political campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. There were tons of political ads on the TV along with ads to legalize marijuana (Colorado-speak for cannabis). 

While Laurent taught during the day, I treated the remote location as a secluded writing sabbatical. I wrote new blogs and edited and proofed books. The time passed quickly this way, and I seemed to get little done. 

When the weekend rolled around, Laurent and I set out for Colorado Springs. My mother had served on the Board of Trustees for the Union Printer’s Home there for many years as an elected trustee, and I wanted to see the place. 

We ran into a terrible traffic jam. We turned on the radio to see what was wrong to find out that then-candidate Donald Trump was speaking in Colorado Springs. Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters were descending. There were out-of-state and Mexican license plates on the road, too. I did not want to crash a potential riot in a stand-your-ground state with people who wanted open-carry for guns. 

Laurent exited the highway and came back on the other side. We went to the Tanger Outlet Malls and bought Ralph Lauren Polo Shirts. I was happy with those as souvenirs. 

Denver is a huge railroad junction where you can find almost anything or have it delivered pretty quickly. I spent the rest of my time in Colorado writing and enjoyed the Marriott Hotel’s set-up-for technology and Internet hotel room. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Wyoming and Nevada Trip by Ruth Paget

Wyoming and Nevada Trip by Ruth Paget 

After my daughter Florence and her friend went on a spring camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and got snowed on, my husband Laurent and I set out on a trek to these two parks with a reservation for a park hotel. 

It takes two days to get to Yellowstone from Monterey (California). We stopped overnight at my request in Elko, Nevada. I learned that Elko hosts the West’s largest Cowboy Poetry Gathering when I worked as the Youth Services Librarian in Monterey County California. This event includes many Western singers, food, and merchandise and book sales events. It fills hotels up in town and in surrounding towns. The Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a big event. 

A Basque Festival was being advertised when we were there. Many people of Basque origin settled in the American Southwest as shepherds. The Basques come from the Northwest corner of Spain and the Southwest corner of France originally. They are famous as intrepid cod fisherman, but also graze sheep. There is probably a debate going on somewhere as to whether or not they are Latino or white people. 

Laurent and I went to Dos Amigos Mexican Restaurant for dinner. I ate shredded chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce with rice and beans for dinner. I love Mexican comfort food. I also loved the restaurant’s air conditioning in the desert. Using solar panels to run air conditioning is okay in my book. 

Back at the hotel, we slept soundly in our cool room. We woke up while the desert was still cold. The hotel served biscuits and gravy, bacon, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I love those items and ate heartily. The trip was already a success for me. 

Laurent listened to Western music as he drove, but then put on Sirius FM, so we could listen to Jay Z and Kanye West as we drove to Yellowstone. 

We arrived at Yellowstone and did our first foray in the park to find out where things were, notably the Old Faithful viewing building. The roads in Yellowstone are tricky. You can start out on a flat road and turn a corner and than find yourself on a rising cliff for several miles. We are used to driving Big Sur, but this road situation can be surprising for campers, so expect some slow traffic. 

We ate at a diner in the park. I had a cheeseburger with fries and a vanilla shake. 

“The pure air here is making me hungry,” I told Laurent. (Oink! Oink!) 

We checked in the hotel. Laurent went hiking. I opened the windows to smell the honey-scented wildflowers outside. I took a nap that lasted till the next day. 

Next day, we went to see the Old Faithful geyser erupt for about an hour in the morning. As a native of flatland Detroit, I do find geysers and sulfur springs extraordinary and smelly. 

From Old Faithful, we drove along Rockefeller Parkway to Grand Teton National Park. There is a huge lake in front of these snow-capped mountains that makes this area more tranquil than Yellowstone. I thought it was perfect for writing. 

We ate lunch at a bar outside the park. I had what I called a fajita burger. I ate sautéed peppers and onions on my hamburger instead of cheese and thought it was great. I liked the Idaho home fries I ate as well and drank a bitter, hoppy beer. 

We toured Yellowstone some more and got ready to go back to Elko and then Monterey. 

The trip was perfect the next day when we saw some buffalo as we exited the park. 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Nevada Meals by Ruth Paget

Nevada Meals by Ruth Paget 

Everyone in the Western United States knows that casinos often serve very good food at reasonable prices in quiet restaurants. 

My favorite state for casino cuisine is Nevada. My favorite casino town is Carson City, Nevada. Carson City is the capital of Nevada. Gold and silver were discovered there in 1859 and one of the town’s family tourist spots is a railroad museum. 

The place I like for casino cuisine is Bodines Casino. We took Florence with us and would get the following meal for the three of us: 

-garlic bread 

-prime rib 

-baked potato with sour cream, butter, and chopped parsley 

-salad 

-chocolate lava cake 

-glasses of Napa cabernet sauvignon for Laurent and me 

-soda for Florence 

-fizzy water for the three of us 

The cost for the three of us was $25 per person in the 1990s. That is a deal. 

When traveling in the Western United States, check out highway billboards for deals. They usually list price and a lead menu item. You can always ask hosts to look at menus for deals as well, too. 

There is a big shopping mall in Carson City that probably has restaurants, but I think Lake Tahoe residents go there for clothes and books in a state with lower taxes. 

Another place I like to go is the Palais de Jade (Jade Palace) in Reno, Nevada. 

Florence twisted her head upon entering this restaurant looking at all the items inside. 

 “See those dragons at the entrance. Those are called fu dogs and they protect people inside the restaurant,” I told Florence. 

“The water tinkling in the fountains and the mirrors that make the restaurant look very large are examples of Chinese feng-shui, wind-and-water design,” I said.  

We sat in a circular booth up two steps in a jade-blue colored, circular booth. It was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the air conditioning felt great. 

I had a true Nevada moment there. Despite being in the middle of the desert, I was able to have kung pao squid that tasted as if it had been freshly caught in addition to egg rolls and rice. Florence had her usual Mongolian beef, and Laurent had walnut shrimp.  

We all drank jasmine tea, which smelled like perfume. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, which also cost about $25 per person in the 1990s.  On the way back to Monterey, Laurent said, “Casino cuisine is a good deal.” 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Culture of the American West Game Created by Ruth Paget

 

Culture of the American West Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget – by Ruth Pennington Paget

This game was inspired by a book about Western scarves I found at Sundance Resort outside Park City, Utah.

 

Objective: To encourage research on history of the American West while having fun. 

There are 7 levels in this game. 

Level 1 – Singing Cowboy and Western Songs 

-Start by handing out song sheets for 5 – 10 Western songs from the book Cowboy Songs: 62 Classic Saddle Songs by Hal Leonard 

-Sing one song a capella -Sing the song straight through and then sing it in rounds 

-The objective of singing in rounds is to teach children to focus despite noise around them. 

The French sing in rounds as in the song Frère Jacques or Brother John as it is called in English.

Instructions for Singing in Rounds 

-Choose at least 3 groups -Hand out song sheets 

-The first group begins by singing the first two verses of the song and continues singing 

-The second group begins to sing when the first group gets through the first two verses of the song. The second group continues singing the song. 

-The third group begins to sing after the second group sings their two verses of the song and continues singing 

-When the third group is done singing, the round is over. 

Level 2 – English Word Pronunciation Based on the Songs 

-Take the song sheet and ask each player to practice pronouncing 20 different words you have selected 

-Ask the group if anyone knows what those words mean. If there are some tricky words, ask the players to look them up on Google dictionary 

 -Ask the players if there are any other words that they would like to know the means of. If there are, have them look these words up on Google dictionary 

-Teach players how to use Google dictionary, if they do not know how 

Level 3 – Cowboy Drawing and Coloring 

-Use the book Cowboy Doodles by Anita Wood to do the following activities without writing in the book so you can use it several times 

-First, use tracing paper to copy the images then do the drawing exercises in turn 

-Color in the outlined drawing with colored pencils 

-Have players read the story that goes with image and correct pronunciation if necessary or make up a story 

-Ask the players questions about the story they made up Secrets of Western Scarves Games You will need Dianne Zamost’s book Western Scarves for background to play this game. The author also lists outlets where you can purchase these scarves. Each state in the United States has a scarf. First, read the book to learn about some of the practical uses of scarves out on the range and on the ranch. 

 

Level 3 – Western Scarf Compass Directions Game 

-There is a Western scarf for every state in the United States -The state capital is always featured along with an image of the capital 

-Taking a Michigan Western Scarf as an example, ask players to write out the state capital of Michigan – Lansing – on a piece of paper. 

-Then, write the compass directions of North, South, East, and West out on the paper around Lansing. -Ask game players to study the compass directions and look at the cities around Michigan’s capital of Lansing. 

-Then, fold the scarf and turn over the compass directions 

-After doing this, as a player a question such as “Is Kalamazoo east or west of Lansing?” 

-Whatever the player’s response is use the compass you drew and ask the player, “Use the compass directions and Western scarf to verify your response.” 

-You can play the Western Scarf geography game to learn the geography of individual states quickly 

Level 4 – Western Scarf Crops and Other Foods Games 

-On most Western scarves, there are cities with images of foods produced there 

-Using Kalamazoo (Michigan) as an example, ask the player, “What crops are grown in Kalamazoo?” -Most teens cannot recognize corn as a plant, so help them out when you are first playing this game 

-Tell them, “That’s corn. Your corn flakes cereal comes from that plant. 

-You might want to mention some of Kalamazoo’s other crops such as celery, dry peas, dry beans, and oil seeds. 

-Ask the child, if other food products are pictured on the Western scarf 

Level 5 – Western Scarves Transportation Networks Game 

-To extend the food products game, you could research the following transportation networks that exist and where they go:  

-railroads 

-highways 

-superhighways 

-county roads 

-airports 

Level 6 – Western Scarves Quiz Game 

-Players can make the quiz lists themselves, which helps players retain information 

-The player will quiz the parent on what he or she knows for an hour and then the parent will take turns answering a question 

-Make your own list in the following manner:

-alphabetical order by state 

-alphabetical order by city 

-for each city, list the crops in alphabetical order 

-for each city, list the animal foods in alphabetical 

-for each city list the transportation networks in alphabetical order 

All of these Western Scarves Games Give Players Knowledge of the Following: 

-state capitals 

-locations of cities around state capitals to learn geography 

-knowledge of what food crops are grown in that area 

-knowledge of transportation networks, which include rivers (as in Virginia’s Hampton Roads), railroads, highways, airports, and county roads. (What are the endpoints of these transportation networks?) 

-How many state capitals are located at or near the center of their state?

For the next Culture of the Western U.S. Game, ask yourself the following questions: 

Level 7 – Read books about the American West

Suggested Books:

-Laura Ingalls Wilder series. You can watch the television series and ask the same questions. -

-John Bunyan folktales 

-John Henry folktale

-Laurence Yep such as Dragonwings (Golden Mountain Chronicles, 1867) and Dragonwings (Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903), and The Cook’s Family

-Todos al Rodeo: A Vaquero Alphabet Book by Dr. Ma Alma Gonzalez Perez and Teresa Estrada 

 By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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German Culture Introduction by Ruth Paget

German Culture Introduction by Ruth Paget 

I lived in Stuttgart, Germany by the Black Forest for several years in the mid-2000s and began studying German culture with many wonderful books there. The books, films, and audio programs about German culture below might interest Americans with German ancestorS, especially if planning a trip to Germany.

German Art 

-Northern Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts from 1350 to 1575 by James Snyder 

-Durer (Art and Ideas) by Jeffrey Chipps Smith 

This book is particularly good at showing how to promote his artwork and how to work with commission agents.  

German Travel Guide  

-Germany for Travelers by The Total Guide 

German and Austrian Wine 

-The Wines of Germany by Anne Kreblehl 

-The Wines of Austria by Stephen Brook 

Austrian wines are not German ones, but they pair well with German food. They are becoming available overseas now. 

Beer Book 

The Complete Beer Course: Boot Camp for Beer Geeks: From Novice to Expert in Twelve Tasting Classes by Joshua M. Bernstein 

German Cookbooks 

-The New German Cookbook: More than 230 Contemporary and Traditional Recipes by Jean Anderson and Hedy Wurz

-The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking by Mimi Sheraton -

-Festive Baking: Holiday Classics in the Swiss, German, and Austrian Traditions by Sarah Kelly Lala and Bonni Leon

German Customs 

-Germany – Culture Smart: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture by Barry Tomlin 

Films 

-Metropolis Directed by Fritz Lang

-Good-bye Lenin! Directed by Wolfgang Becker 

Comedy about the reunification of Germany 

German Genealogy 

 -Trace Your German Roots Online: A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites by James M. Belder 

Contemporary German Music  

-20th Century Masters: The Best of Scorpions Millemium Collection

-Pink Floyd

Literature 

-Goethe by Faust

-Grimm's Fairy Tales

Language  

-Rosetta Stone Learn German Bonus Pack Bundle by Rosetta Stone 

Germany Map

-Michelin Germany Map

By Ruth Paget, author of Marring France and Eating Soup with Chopsticks

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