The Valley Sun

A 20-draft-mule jerkline powers this Big Hitch, a collection of historic ore mining wagons. This unique sight is the traditional finale of the Wagon Days parade.

One of the common sayings around town is that you come to Sun Valley for the winters, but you stay for the summers. As Averell Harriman discovered after he opened the doors to his extravagant palace in the snow, the Wood River Valley is an ideal summer playground. Harriman quickly decided to keep those doors open and take advantage of the spectacular Sun Valley summers. Today, 76 years later, we are still enjoying the whirlwind two months between July 4th and Labor Day, when summer wraps its arms around the communities of the Wood River Valley. It may be brief, but it is a whole lot of fun; summer in Sun Valley is something not to be missed.

This Labor Day weekend marked the official end to the summer of 2012, and for over half a century the annual Wagon Days festivities have been there to send it off in style. Recognized as the largest non-motorized parade in the Pacific Northwest, the Wagon Days parade is the highlight of the weekend, featuring dozens of “museum-quality buggies, carriages, tacks, carts, buckboards and wagons of every variety in existence today.”

This year The Sun Family was offered the chance of riding in one of the antique wagons. Having been a spectator for seven of the last nine years, being able to participate in this historic parade was too good an opportunity to miss (even if 2 hours in a horse-drawn buggy had the potential to make Baby Sun a squirmy mess).

Fueling up with Mrs Fisher Cat at Papoose Club's annual Pancake breakfast

To get prepped for our Wagon Days opus, we chowed down with our parade companion, Mrs. Fisher Cat (in town visiting The Toy Store), at Papoose Club’s annual pancake breakfast (another wonderful tradition, read about it here.). Local historian Ivan Swaner was more than happy to keep Kitty company and fill her in on the story of Wagon Days.

Little Sun and Mrs Fisher Cat of the Calico Critter Family

Next we headed to the Sun Valley Horseman Center to meet our wagon and gaze in awe at the assembled parade entrants. From Ralphie the Camel to the beautiful Eh Capa bareback riders, there was a lot to take in. Little Sun and Baby Sun were thrilled to be able to get up close and personal with the wide-array of entrants, it was better than a trip to the zoo!

Little Sun and Baby Sun survey the Wagon Days Parade participants from inside a Black Surrey pulled by spotted draft horses

Next it was time to saddle up and hop on our ride for the afternoon, two beautiful spotted draft horses pulling a Black Surrey (with a fringe on top!). While there were a few white knuckle moments as horses crossed paths and wagons rolled, overall riding in the parade was one of the best experiences I’ve had during my time living in Idaho. Waving at the crowds and seeing the smiling, happy people waving back at us we felt – for a few brief moments – like Ketchum Royalty. Baby Sun was in her element (there is a stage somewhere in her future…), waving energetically the entire time (until she fell asleep mid-wave somewhere along Main Street).

The Sun family hitched a ride in Mrs. Fisher Cat's rig, proudly sponsored by Carol Knight of The Toy Store

We owe the wonderful Carol Knight a big dose of gratitude for letting us ride along with Mrs. Fisher Cat in The Toy Store sponsored Black Surrey. It was lovely to be associated with a fixture of the Ketchum shopping scene for over 30 years, all along the route pockets of Ketchum “old-timers” cheered with extra enthusiasm when they saw Carol’s distinctive logo on the side of the wagon.

The view from the Wagon: Sun Valley Road as seen from the Wagon Days Parade

Viewing Wagon Days from inside the parade gave me a lovely perspective on my hometown for close to a decade. It was especially poignant as next month The Sun Family is moving on. After a wonderful nine years living and working in the Wood River Valley we are heading East to join my family in Charleston, South Carolina. We will dearly miss this valley. It is where Brian and I began our lives together, where we welcomed our children, Owen and Rose, and where we have made many dear friends.

In particular I will miss Sun Valley Resort. It is all too easy for locals to take for granted the special place they have on their doorsteps. I for one, only really understood the value of what Averell Harriman brought to this remote corner of Idaho when I started digging into the history of the resort, which is a rich tapestry of fascinating stories and entertaining insights into how these towns became what they are today. I challenge all locals and visitors to take a few minutes of their time to walk through the grand doors of the Sun Valley Lodge into the lobby, pause for a moment and just look around. Eighty years ago, the spot where you are standing was just a barren field of sagebrush, surrounded by nothing but a struggling mining town and untamed mountains. Today a grand resort stands there, an integral part of the thriving, complicated and extraordinary community that surrounds it. Averell would be proud.

For me, riding in the Wagon Days parade was the perfect way to say goodbye to Ketchum.

Happy Trails…

Jennifer Tuohy (aka Mrs. Sun)

p.s. While the end of the road nears for The Sun Family, The Valley Sun blog will continue. Watch this space!

This picture of Mr. & Mrs. Parry Thomas with Brentina, America's first World Champion and 2004 Olympic Bronze medal winner, graces the Sun Valley Lodge's Hallway of Stars. Brentina lives with the Thomas' at their River Grove Farm in Hailey.

There’s a little event going on right now in my hometown of London, England. In fact it’s about to kick off in a big way. Today, at 2 p.m. MT, the Games of the XXX Olympiad begins with what I am sure will be a spectacular opening ceremony (for us sequestered in the U.S. you can catch it tonight on channel 7 at 6:30 p.m.).

For obvious reasons, the winter Olympics is Sun Valley’s natural territory. However there is one local athlete whose claim to summer Olympic fame has landed her a prime spot in Sun Valley Lodge’s Hallway of Stars, where she stands shoulder to shoulder with Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Brentina, a Hanoverian dressage horse, is only the second animal ever to be bestowed with such an honor, the first were the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Brentina is the Wood River Valley’s hometown hero. Ridden by local athlete Debbie MacDonald to two Olympics (Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008) and one bronze medal, she is one of the most succesful  U.S. horses in history. Following surgery in early 2009, Brentina bowed out gracefully at the Las Vegas 2009 World Cup, and now lives a peaceful retirement at River Grove Farm in Hailey with owners Parry and Peggy Thomas. However, her stablemate Wizard may give Sun Valley residents the chance to cheer again this summer as he and his rider Adrienne Lyle prepare to take London by storm in the individual dressage competition. The competition begins Thursday and Friday (August 2 and 3) and concludes Tuesday and Thursday (August 7 and 9). Be sure to follow Adrienne and Wizard’s adventures in London here at her new blog.

For a sneak peek at the action you’ll see in the coming two weeks check out this video of Lyle and Wizard’s performance at the Grand Prix Freestyle in Devon, England last year:

Video not displaying? Click here.

I know I’ll be cheering our hometown duo on as they prance and dance their way into international hearts, and who knows, after a stop on the podium, maybe a spot on the Hallway of Stars will be in their futures too.

Happy Trails!

Mrs. Sun

Chef Derek Gallegos shows off his restaurant's house specialty.

Valley taste-makers will be familiar with Chef Derek Gallegos’ work, initially as the chef/owner at The Sun Valley Brewing Company and more recently at Three Ten Main restaurant in Hailey. Today, he is at the helm of Sun Valley Lodge staple Gretchen’s. Named after Sun Valley’s own Gretchen Fraser, the family restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the year.

For a taste of Gretchen’s goodness at home however, I talked with Chef Gallegos to get you a step-by-step guide to the perfect ribeye, one of the restaurant’s newest specialties.

Video not displaying properly? Click here.

Ribeye Steak with Gorgonzola Butter & Zinfandel Syrup, served with Idaho Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

Gorgonzola Butter
Ingredients
1/4 lb. gorgonzola cheese room temperature, 1/4 lb. unsalted butter room temperature, 1 yellow onion, finely diced and caramelized in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 dashes tabasco, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Directions
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Place on plastic wrap or parchment and roll into log shape, Place on cookie sheet and chill in fridge until firm.

Garlic Confit
Ingredients
1 lb. garlic cloves, peeled, 2 cups extra virgin olive oil, good quality, but not your best. Or just enough to cover the cloves.
Directions
Put garlic in small thick-bottomed sauce pan and cover with oil. Bring to boil, turn down to simmer and cook until garlic is soft and just beginning to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Stir every few minutes while cooking. Cool in oil. Will keep refrigerated for 1 month.

Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
4 medium Idaho russet potatoes, about 3 lbs., 1/4 lb butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
Cook peeled and cubed potatoes in water on low boil until easily pierced with fork, drain and save cooking water. In same pot lightly crush potatoes, add melted butter and warm cream, whisk potatoes until smooth, add some cooking water to potatoes if too stiff, add salt and white pepper to taste.

Zinfandel Syrup
Ingredients
1 bottle inexpensive, fruity zinfandel, 1 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup meat glacé (heavily reduced beef/veal stock), optional
Directions
Reduce all ingredients in thick bottomed sautee pan over medium heat to about 1/2 cup or until syrupy. Let cool.

Steak Salt
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns, 1 tablespoon rose peppercorns, 1 tablespoon allspice berries, 1/2 cup black peppercorns
Directions
Grind all above ingredients in spice/coffee grinder then mix with 1 lb. kosher salt and 1 oz. brown sugar. Put in jar with tight-fitting lid. Use on steaks, chops, ribs and fish throughout summer.

Don’t want to cook? Head to Gretchens and let Chef Gallegos and his crew cook this for you to perfection.

Happy Trails!

Mrs. Sun

Call 208.622.2800 or email restaurantreservations@sunvalley.com

The reason for a Lodge Balcony room: the best view of Baldy in town!

It may be just me, but one of my favorite moments of a vacation is when you open the door to your hotel room. It’s a moment of blessed relief that you’ve finally arrived, tempered by trepidation at what might be behind that door. The disappointment of a terrible room can completely destroy all the hopes and dreams you had for your vacation (not that that ever happens here!).

But in today’s age of the smart-phone and TripAdvisor, the traveler has a lot more recourse to find out what’s behind that door before they actually arrive, so I convinced Sun Valley to let me inside some of its rooms and provide you with a traveler’s-eye-view of the resort. The result will be a new Valley Sun blog series, Rooms from the Resort, featuring holiday-style snaps and quick hit videos from a selection of the abodes available to guests here. The content will be totally spontaneous, no staging or pre-prep just the god’s honest truth of what you’ll see when you open that door to your Sun Valley vacation. (And for the curious locals around here who’ve never stayed at the hotel in their hometown, such as myself, this is your chance for a free peek).

Here we go with our first room, A Sun Valley Lodge Balcony Room:

Background: This Lodge Balcony room is in the Sun Valley Lodge, the original hotel at the resort, and runs $339 a night for weekdays, $359 weekends. There are seven Lodge Balcony rooms that feature either a king bed or two queen beds in a medium size room with French doors leading to a balcony. The 148 room Lodge was built in 1936, and boasts the Duchin Lounge, Gretchen’s Restaurant, the ice-rink, a glass enclosed outdoor pool and the resort’s spa among its on-site amenities. Call 1-800-786-8259 or click here for more details.

If you’ve stayed at the Resort and have pictures or videos of your own in-room experiences, I’d love to see them – upload them here and then post a comment below. I’ll feature the most creative in a future Room from the Resort blog post and award my personal favorite with a prize.

Happy Trails!

Mrs. Sun
xoxo

The Lodge and its surrounds in 1937. This image was found in Averell Harriman's papers at the Library of Congress - you can see the handwritten notes on it detailing plans for the grounds.

When Joe Burgy first laid eyes on Sun Valley Lodge in 1937 he thought to himself, “This is the most horrible looking thing – a dingy brown cement building stuck out in a hayfield surrounded by sagebrush.” The future sports director for the resort just couldn’t imagine what in the world they intended to do with this luxury hotel in the middle of the Idaho wilderness.

The transformation that occurred when Averell Harriman hauled in hundreds of trees from the surrounding mountains to spruce up the sagebrush flats around his million dollar gamble, is a testament to the power of landscaping.

The same view of the Lodge taken in 2012

Fast-forward to 2012 and the old lady was in need of a bit of a facelift. “That first landscaping went in 75 years ago and most of the trees then were collected off the mountain and Trail Creek,” said Mike Turzian, owner of Sun Valley Garden Center and the man in charge of the resort’s horticultural design for more than 35 years. “A lot of those trees have lived their life cycle and are at a point where they can no longer fight off disease. All the trees we removed this year were heavily infected with scale.”

So it’s a case of out with the old and in with the new as the diseased trees make way for approximately 350 young spruce trees, 500 new aspen, 2,000 sprightly shrubs, as well as hundreds of flats of flowers. The resulting look has opened up new views of the Lodge and let light back into the historic building, stripping decades off the grande dame of American skiing.

“It’s definitely brought the architecture of Lodge back as a focal point and not the trees,” said Turzian. The change is quite remarkable. I remember when I first saw Sun Valley Lodge almost a decade ago, I was surprised at how difficult it was to see the wooden facade for the trees. Today the sight is not dissimilar to that Burgy saw all those years ago, but instead of being surrounded by dusty sagebrush, the Lodge now stands tall amidst healthy young trees and the largest planting of flowers ever seen in the valley.

“The impetus for the change was both the age of the existing landscape as well as the  goal of bringing it back to the standards Mr. Holding so enjoyed, when he first took charge of the resort.”

According to Turzian, in his younger years Mr. Earl Holding loved tending to the landscaping, sometimes working side-by-side with the gardeners. “It was definitely his recreation,” Turzian said. “Holding used to insist we wait until he arrived to start and would stay until the end of the day.”

Mike Turzian and his landscaping crew hard at work around the resort. More than 75 people are working on the project, which is estimated to be completed in 2014

However horticultural historians need not despair, some of the oldest trees still remain. “The big trees on each side of the Lodge, and on the north side of the Inn were probably moved here by Harriman when they were 10 feet at the most. Now they are approaching 120 feet,” Turzian said. That could make them over 100 years old.

Going forward, the biggest challenge for Turzian and his crew is trying to create some diversity in the landscape using the minimal amount of northern hardy nursery stock available to them. It’s a tough job in a climate that routinely drops to -20. But the fresh look has also presented an opportunity to modernize. The new landscaping has been designed to minimize water use through installing more efficient sprinkler heads and a drip system, as well as selecting more drought tolerant plants, all while still maintaining the setting worthy of this special place.

Here are some images I snapped around the Lodge since the transformation began this spring. But don’t take my word for it, come up and see for yourself.

Happy trails!

Mrs. Sun

Christina Healy Sneak Peak Trunk Show

See Christina’s new work BEFORE The Ketchum Arts Festival!

Wednesday, July 11

2pm–5pm

Sun Valley Lodge Gift Shop

622-2063

A local family enjoys a few days in America’s original ski resort

Vacations in Sun Valley are fun for the whole family.

By Nicky Elsbree

In recognition of one’s dedication to Sun Valley Company, they offer "R & R" packages to employees who have reached certain milestones in their careers. At the end of my 5^th season of teaching skiing, I was awarded a three-night stay, all food and activities included, at a Sinclair Company (Sun Valley’s parent company) run resort.

The vision of scooting down to Utah and experiencing Snow Basin’s light and fluffy powder seemed attainable. The reality of our energy levels, however, caused my husband and me to reconsider. In other words, we were tired and the thought of loading up and traveling five hours south with two young kids didn’t sound as glamorous or easy as it once did.

So, instead of letting the certificate collect dust for a couple more years, we took action. With one of their nicest resorts right next door, Spring Break Sun Valley-style here we come!

The view from the Sun Valley Lodge.

At 5 o’clock on Sunday afternoon we loaded Clayton (7) and Hadley (3) into the car with DVD player and drinks available (their bags stashed secretly) for our long road trip. "Hot Springs?  Camping?  Boise? C’mon! Where are we going?"

As we took a left onto Saddle Road and crossed Highway 75, they were really befuddled. Without saying much, we pulled into Sun Valley’s parking lot and walked to the big doors of the Lodge where we were treated like royalty,  as everyone is.

It was not until I presented a key to Clayton and told Hadley to hit the elevator button to the third floor that they started to engage in the possibility of…drum roll please…being able to spend the night at a hotel here in their hometown.

Yes, room #325, staring out at Baldy and over the hot pool, beckoned us. The kids were delighted as they chose their beds and took a few spins around the room, trying on bright white robes and too big spa slippers and even discovered a tiny box wrapped in gold ribbon hiding some fancy chocolates. For a moment, I think they forgot where they were… the transformation from locals to visitors was complete.

At Bald Mountain Pizza the atmosphere was relaxed, but we still reminded our kids of their manners. Our waiter Jonathan was cool and engaging without, you know, over doing it.

When he drifted back to the kitchen, we discussed the idea of "being from somewhere else," in effort to make ourselves more, well, touristy. Clayton promptly decided he wanted to be from San Jose. I guess the fact that he’s a hockey fanatic and a huge Sharks fan came into play. So as we gobbled up pizza, we had fun trying on our new identity and then weaved our way back to the Lodge.

The birthday boy gets hugs from Clayton and Hadley.

Clayton even got nervy enough to tell another elevating family when asked, that we were from San Jose. The mom, who mentioned they were from Idaho Falls exclaimed, "Wow, we’ve never met anyone from there before and isn’t that exciting?" Clayton’s everlasting grin grew even bigger.

The next day the rain came crushing and I actually felt bad for the "real" visitors.  Skiing in the rain can be good, but this was a soaker and back-up plans, which included raincoats, came into play. For us it was breakfast at Gretchen’s followed by feeding the ducks and out to the hot pool.  The temperature dropped just enough for the rain to transition to large wispy whiteness floating down. My daughter, Hadley, thought the flakes looked like the swan feathers she had found outside by the pond. They did and it was magical.

It felt like camp when we received a message in our room about an impromptu matinee showing "The Big Miracle," with Drew Barrymore.  As all good movies do, it provided an escape out of our own little world into someone else’s.

Ah let’s see, what next, a little bowling. We saw local friends and a plethora of visiting families as kids wore their cool kicks and hurled bedazzling balls down the lanes.  Parents tried to remember how to score as a few "oh yeahs" and "oh shucks" echoed throughout.

It's easy to keep the kids happy when you're hanging out in Sun Valley.

Dinner in the Lobby Inn and ambling about the Sun Valley grounds brought us up to 9 o’clock.  After reading the kids "Little Clyde, Horsing Around in Sun Valley," falling asleep to an NHL game on TV was an easy end to an enjoyable day.

The next morning was filled with a series of "Happy Birthdays" shrieked to my husband, Mark. Good thing we were on the end room as to not disturb many people with our off-tone singing. We marched to the Konditeri for a casual breakfast and out to the hot pool for a finale soak prior to checking out.

Two nights and a couple days of crossing over into Sun Valley’s fancy laid-backness gave us a refreshing perspective on the town next door. No, we didn’t ski and it was too wet to skate, but we did what young kids inherently like to do. Sleep in a hotel bed, ride the elevator and get tired out at the pool. It was fun to play the "we are from San Jose" game and easy to understand why people travel great distances to experience this special resort. With the pop of our tourist bubble, we hopped back in the car for our 12 minute drive home out Warm Springs Road.

And then the birthday boy grabbed his skis and headed for Baldy, the reigning king of Sun Valley, while the kids and I unpacked from our stay-cation.

Sun Valley Telemark Series is sponsoring a dual giant slalom telemark race on Cozy starting at 10:30am.  Costumes encouraged! For more information, please contact Julian Tyo at (208) 721-7159 or the Sun Valley Race Desk at (208) 622-6356 or svrace@sunvalley.com.

Travel to Sun Valley just got easier – Sun Valley Stages launches daily shuttle service to Sun Valley to/from Boise Airport and Sun Valley Lodge!

Adult fares are $50 per person, each way
Children 4-10 years old are $10 each way
Children 3 years and under are free

Three Daily Departures during Winter Season (December 19 – March 27, 2010)

Boise Departures
1:30pm – 4pm – 6:45pm

Sun Valley Departures
6am – 9am – Noon

Fall Season: September 13 – December 18, 2009

Boise Departures
Upon Request

Sun Valley Departures
Upon Request

For more info call 800-574-8661 or 208-733-3921
www.SunValleyStages.com

Enjoy Sunday Brunch at the Lodge Dining Room accompanied by Leana Leach on piano and vocals every Sunday from 9 AM to 2PM. Call 208-622-2080 for reservations.