Tag Archives: Sun Valley Idaho

Posted in travel

ON THE LONELY ROAD TO SUN VALLEY

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By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

Highway 95

”I’ve forgotten how to pack!”  Those were the words I muttered as I prepared for our first long vacation in over two years.  While my husband concerned himself with his clothes and golf equipment, I fretted over snacks for the trip, food and bedding for Dash the Wonder Dog, some staples for our stay at the condo, my clothes, knitting projects and, last but not least, golf equipment.  It’s little wonder he thought prepping for the trip was a snap.  But it was all for a good cause, our first trip back to Sun Valley in three years.  We have been visiting there almost every year since 1988, and although we’d heard that the pandemic has changed its small-town feel, we were excited to go back.  Getting there, however, was part of the challenge.  I am all for taking interstates.  Call my crazy but I like a plethora of eating options, bathrooms, and good cell service.  My husband, who insists on doing all the driving, loves the solitude of the smaller highways.  Since prerogative goes to the driver, we drove up to Idaho on Nevada’s Highway 95.  You would be hard pressed to find a more desolate road in the United States.  It is two lanes the whole way, with only four passing lanes in over 400 miles.  Which means everyone is going about 100 miles per hour and passing with great frequency.  As an added attraction, there are hundreds of miles where there is no cell service. I had visions of our car breaking down and the bleached bones of our bodies being found weeks later.  But we made it to our stopover for the night, Ely, Nevada, which is smack dab in the middle of … nothing.  Here’s how remote it is: there is no Starbucks in Ely.

The following morning, having safely survived the trek through Nevada (and no coffee) we made our way up to Sun Valley.  It felt like coming home, a place so familiar that we both breathed a sigh of relief that we were finally back in our “happy place”.   Not everything was perfect.  Normally after Labor Day you can shoot a cannon down  Main Street and not hit anyone.  This year, there was traffic and people everywhere.  We had heard that both bicyclists and drivers were out of control and sure enough, on our first day we witnessed a bicyclist being hauled off in an ambulance.  On the walking path to town the city has painted on the sidewalk,  “If you’re on a bike and you want to wave, make sure you use all your fingers”.  One of our friends, who has lived in Sun Valley for over 30 years, says the vibe has changed in the past year.  “Everyone is more on edge.  People feel entitled and gripe about everything,” she told us.  Still, the mountain and the trees are magnificent, so we chose to look at nature rather than rude people from California and Seattle.  This time of year the trees are beginning to turn and there is nothing more magnificent than quaking Aspen trees, with their full complement of fall colors, framed against the dark green pines.

So we spent the first few days taking in the beautiful views, playing some golf, and drinking Guinness.  And the our first weekend something wonderful happened – it snowed!  It wasn’t much but it contributed to a perfect Sunday – 48 degrees at the peak of the day, a roaring fire, and football on TV.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  As a bonus, the cold weather seemed to weed out the faint of heart.  On Monday morning, as we ventured into town, we noticed that it had cleared out.  Sun Valley was as we’d always remembered it in late September – quiet. Just the way we like it.

Next time: we venture further north and then wend our way home – on the interstate.

Posted in opinion

LESSON #1: DON’T BE A JERK

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By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

 

Without realizing it, we fill important places in each other’s lives. It’s that way with the guy at the corner grocery, the mechanic at the local garage, the family doctor, teachers, neighbors, coworkers. Good people who are always “there,” who can be relied upon in small, important ways. People who teach us, bless us, encourage us, support us, uplift us in the dailiness of life. We never tell them. I don’t know why, but we don’t.  Robert Fulghum

You may remember Robert Fulghum as the author of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten“.   In 1988 he published that best-selling book in which he outlined many of the lessons we learned as young children – share everything, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours – and he beseeched us to apply those principles to our adult lives.  Among the most salient points he made was: “When you go out into the world watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.”

I was drawn back to Reverend Fulghum’s book this past week for two reasons.  First, I am reading The Rise and Fall of 9/11, written in 2019 by Mitchell Zuckoff, a former Boston Globe reporter.  The book is an in-depth account of the people and events of that horrible day.  At times it has been painful to read, learning about everyday people in the air and on the ground, knowing what their ultimate fate would be.  But it has also been inspiring, a good reminder that people are generous and giving; there are plenty of people who look out for their fellow man, even to the detriment of their own well-being.  Reading about so many selfless acts reminded me of Fulghums’ advice – there were many examples that day of “holding hands and sticking together“.

Much has changed in the ensuing twenty years.  Technology has changed our lives for the better, and occasionally, for the worse.  The tech boom has altered almost everything we do, and in the process has created a super-wealthy class, rich beyond what any previous generation could dream of, much less achieve.  Unfortunately, for some, their wealth brings with it a sense of entitlement.  Which brings me to the second reason I pulled out Robert Fulghum’s book this week.

Each year since the mid-1980’s my husband and I have visited Sun Valley, Idaho.  We love it for it’s beauty, but also because of it’s “laid back”, mountain town vibe.  Although the city was founded by a wealthy man (Averell Harriman) and has historically attracted movie stars and business titans, it has still maintained a low-key, respectful culture.  So I was distressed this past week to read an article in the local Sun Valley paper about changes to the friendly ethos.

Like many rural areas, Sun Valley saw a significant rise in population as a result of the COVID pandemic.  In fact, real estate sales hit an all-time high last year, with prices increasing as much as 52% in some neighborhoods.  Most of the new residents and visitors are coming from Seattle and Southern California and, unfortunately, they have not taken the time to learn about the town and how its citizens are expected to behave.  City leaders said the growth has fostered some negative changes: trash and dog waste left on trails, aggressive driving, speeding cyclists who don’t yield to others and rude treatment of restaurant workers.  The owner of one local eatery decided to close on Saturdays because of weekend customers’ poor treatment of staff.

The city council is now pondering a new marketing campaign to “school” new residents and visitors alike on the expected norms of this peaceful little valley.   The current proposal is, “Don’t change Sun Valley. Let Sun Valley change you.”  I think that’s a fine start, but maybe the city leaders should consider distributing copies of Rev. Fulghum’s book as people enter town.  It would appear that a lot of people have forgotten what they learned in kindergarten.