Park City Food and Wine Classic: Hair of the Dog Road Biking

After an entire weekend of imbibing, and overindulging, at the Park City Food and Wine Classic, it was time for the event to close on Sunday, July 8 with the Hair of the Dog Road Bike Ride. 2012 was the inaugural year for this event, which was hosted by High West Distillery and Merrell.

Being ready for the event on time was challenging after two late nights, and Rachel and I got to the venue five minutes late.

We saw everyone preparing to leave out front and rushed to get our bikes ready. Unfortunately, the group didn't notice us coming to join them and took off on the ride a minute before we got to them.

Someone pointed us in the direction the group went and we pedaled as fast as we could to catch them...but we never found anyone. I think the initial direction we were sent was wrong. Sadly, this meant our group ride turned into a two-gal ride, but we still had a blast exploring Park City's Rail Trail.

This gorgeous paved trail takes you off the busy streets and leads you through breathtaking scenery on an easy road. When you reach the end of the Rail Trail, you can extend your ride as we did on the Frontage Road, which is nearly devoid of traffic with rolling hills to give you a workout.

After reaching the Home Depot (and stopping in to fill up our water bottles) we rode back through a neighborhood and finished by riding back on the main road into Park City. You can ride this stretch on the road, or cut off onto a safe, paved trail away from traffic. We opted for the road because we were hurrying, but I plan to try the trail next time.



We arrived back at High West Distillery in time for the chef-prepared gourmet lunch. A cocktail was included, as were glasses of non-alcoholic lemonade. A must if you are an addict like me. Three courses awaited us, beginning with a fresh salad topped with beets, radishes, and drunken goat cheese.

Next we selected the vegetarian option, a gourmet grilled cheese topped with heirloom tomatoes served with tomato soup and crunchy chips. The tomato soup was so good that I wished for a big bowl instead of a cup. A huge burger was also offered that briefly made us reconsider our vegetarian lifestyle.

Two homemade treats were offered for dessert, and Rachel and I shared to avoid overindulging. The first, a grilled cinnamon Krispy Kreme Donut topped with whiskey-laced vanilla ice cream, was melt in your mouth good. I'm not normally a donut fan, but this one blew us away.

Despite how delicious this was, it could not overshadow the true indulgence of dessert #2: A giant gourmet S'more. The fluffy, melted homemade marshmallow sat atop a crispy graham cracker topped with a slab of melted chocolate created by Millcreek Cacao Roasters. I think I won't be using a Hershey's bar on my next camping trip after trying this!

Previously known just for coffee, Millcreek's foray into the world of artisan chocolate-making was a decidedly good idea. After polishing off every bite of dessert, I found myself wondering where I could find a bar of Millcreek's freshly-made chocolate. Extra points for High West for using local chocolate and stamping their logo into it.

After lunch, proprietor David Perkins took guests on a Distillery tour, even going into the basement to show attendees where the action happens. Participants also received cool Merrel bike jerseys for participating, which makes the $90 price tag for the ride, lunch, tour, and jersey a steal!


As always, the Park City Food & Wine Classic and High West Distillery did an amazing job putting on this event. Here's hoping this road bike ride becomes a regular for future wine fests! What other outdoor recreation events would you like to see at the Park City Food and Wine Classic next year?