Pizzeria 712

It’s almost the weekend and for many of us that means we’ll be headed out to one of the many amazing restaurants Utah has to offer. If you are planning to be in Orem over the weekend, be sure to stop by Pizzeria 712 to enjoy award-winning pizza made from locally grown ingredients. 

"Where food and community meet.

The majority of our ingredients come from local family farms, and that's just one of the ways food brings us together."

Pizzeria 712 - History

Pizzeria 712 opened in 2009 and was founded by Colton Soelberg and Joseph McRae. Pizzeria 712 is just one of the Heirloom Group Restaurants started by this team. You may have heard of the other restaurants in this group too like Communal or Mountain West Burrito. Colton and Joseph are committed to using locally grown ingredients from farms around Utah, which means that many of their menu items are seasonal to take advantage of what foods are best at each time of year.

Along with delicious food made from high quality local ingredients, Pizzeria 712 also offers a relaxing, casual atmosphere that would be perfect for a romantic date or just a night out with friends. The interior is decorated with local art and rustic wooden tables. You’ll be able to chefs work their magic since the restaurant has an open kitchen layout. Patio seating is also available if you’d like to enjoy the weather.

I was able to try Pizzeria 712 a few months ago and I have nothing bad to say about it! I ordered the hand pulled mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil pizza and it was some of the best pizza I've had in a long time. I would highly recommend Pizzeria 712! To look over the menu and learn more about the company, visit their website at http://pizzeria712.com/.

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Kings Peak

Kings Peak - 13,528'


Last summer a few friends and I set out to climb Kings Peak, the tallest mountain in Utah.  It is a 28 mile trek, round-trip, high in the Uinta mountains.  Most people do it in 2-3 days with the most hardcore hikers doing it in a single day.  The overall hike isn't very technical but the last 2 miles of the ascent require you to scramble up giant boulders to reach the summit.

View from the summit

The Trek
We left Provo later than expected and got to the trail-head at 2pm.  As we began the hike we snaked through lakes and hiked through dense forest.  It is a beautiful part of the state and a great place to get away from the crowds.  The first day we hiked in about 10 miles and set up camp.  The next morning we started before sunrise because we knew we had 18 miles that day to reach the summit and hike back out to the car. We hiked for a few more miles before beginning the scramble to the summit.  This was the most difficult part because one wrong step could send a 200 pound boulder rolling down the mountain, and potentially over the person hiking below.  We got to the summit at about 10am, had our lunches, and enjoyed the view.  It feels great to sit on top of the highest point in any state, and this was no exception.  We relaxed for about 20 min before beginning the 14 mile trip back to the car.  Overall it was a great hike and a beautiful area of Utah.

US State High-pointers
One of my life goals is to climb the tallest mountain in each of the 50 states.  Of the US State Highpoints, Kings Peak is the 7th tallest.  The tallest mountains on this list are mostly in the western part of the United States with the tallest in the contiguous United States being Mt Whitney (14,505'). The mountain of all mountains and number one on this list is Alaska's Mt McKinley (20,327').  Some say it is tougher than Mt. Everest and it is the tallest mountain in the world measured base-to-peak.  It will be a lifelong goal for me to accomplish the 50 high-pointers.

Other great hike ideas: http://allthingsutah2012.blogspot.com/2012/09/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x.html

Choose your flavor. Themed races.

     What? Who ever thought of organizing a half marathon that finished at mid-night (Moonlight Half Marathon, Aug. 4th, Mapleton, UT)? Well... the same type of people that thought it would be fun to run a 5k around Halloween time while being chased by zombies (Night of the Running Dead 5k, Oct. 20th Sandy, UT) or run a 5k obstacle course up and down the mountain and through a swamp (Dirty Dash 5K, Sept. 22nd, Midway, UT). The list of themed races is long and growing in Utah and across the country.

Fun Run

     These new 'fun run' races have brought excitement into the boring world of long distance running. If you are an avid runner you might want to defend the term "boring" and argue that the sport makes you feel alive and energized. So for the sake of argument I would agree with you but how much more alive would you feel if ZOMBIES were chasing you while you ran? That is all that I was getting at. I have ran 5ks, 10ks, half and full marathons, sprint triathlons, olympic triathlons, and a half ironman so I know what if feels like to run for hours at a time and feel... bored. Themed races, 'fun runs', give you a chance to get out and run like you always have been but with a little more excitement.

Color Run

     Themed 'fun run' races are also marketing rockstars because they have attracted more and more demographics of runners (or non-runners) to participate in each race. Those people that you never thought would be interest in running in a race are now excited to run a 5k with friends while spectators, volunteers, and sponsors throw balls of exploding color on their white shirts at each distance marker and then join a big party at the finish line (The Color Run, Sept 15, SLC). My wife and I are runners but we typically wouldn't have ran a half marathon at mid-night until we saw the advertisements for the Moonlight Half Marathon and thought, "That would make a fun date night... lets do it". There marketing worked on us. While we were running that race we saw and unusual group of people that I never thought would be running a race, a group of ten 14yr-old girls having a birthday party as they ran. They all had glow in the dark happy birthday hats and singing the popular birthday tune as they ran. The father was leading the pack dragging a little red wagon filled with birthday cake, donuts, drinks, and presents. Wow! Like I said, "Marketing Rockstars"!

Mud Run

     Since these races are supposed to be more fun then serious they often tend to attract groups of runners not just single entrees. My family and I are a living example of this in action. My wife recruited her two sisters and their husbands, her little brother, her mother and myself to run the Dirty Dash (Mud Run) in Midway, UT Sept. 22nd. We have been training as a family to get everyone in shape for the race. In the name of family unity we were able to get others to race with us that NEVER would have searched out a race opportunity on thier own.
    So if you are an avid runner this new phenomenon just gave you a much needed breath of fresh air in options of races to run and if you are someone that has always been looking for an excuse to start running here is your excuse.
 
These are all fun runs but if you want to share this fun with others through a simple act of service while you run please read my blog post on serving other through running, "Runners with Heart". Click here http://allthingsutah2012.blogspot.com/2012/09/runners-with-heart.html