When Patty Gannon moved to the Basin five years ago, she had no idea she'd be exploring the area in such depth with her family by doing the activities in the See & Do guide.

“We had tons of fun doing the 101 activities,” Gannon said. “Initially it was myself, my husband and my son Steven and his wife Allison and their baby. Then we have some pictures of our grandchildren and a few of our other children in there with us just doing different things.”

Gannon – a Vernal resident – said her family would get out the calendar, maps and the See & Do guide and plan their routes. They took days just driving from one location to another.

All of the planning paid off and they only missed one item. Even though they walked the trail and camped with their grandchildren, they didn't take the 25-mile hike to the top of activity No. 45, King's Peak.

Now, 100 activities later, Gannon has claimed the top prize in the Uintah Basin Standard/Vernal Express 2009 See & Do Contest. They'll be making new memories with their family by enjoying a free family reunion package from LC Ranch in Altamont.

“We have four children and they are all married with children, so it will be a large family, about 18 of us,” Gannon said. “I'll have my mom come down from Oregon. It will be a lot of fun.”

Gannon said that out of all the activities, she and her husband really enjoyed finding No. 78, Lower Pole Creek Sinks. They felt it was “beautiful, peaceful and quiet,” and well worth the drive.

The objective of the contest was to see and do as many of the activities, events or places listed in the 2009 See & Do guide as possible during the contest period. The deadline for entries was 5 p.m. last Wednesday.

Entrants provided documentation showing they had completed each activity during the contest period. One participant – who is a single woman – got really creative trying to prove she had been to the places by including a doll named “Chuckie” in almost every shot.

By the way, the second-place winners, state Rep. Kraig Powell and his family, of Heber City, did make it to the top of King's Peak. Overall, they managed 89 activities.

Winners got to choose one of the following prize packages, with those completing the most activities getting first pick: a Flaming Gorge resort package, a vacation for two at Falcon's Ledge Resort, a one-day Green River rafting trip with Hatch River Expeditions through Split Mountain Canyon for four people, a day of guided mountain biking for two on the Uintah Basin's Awesome Network for Trails, a family reunion fun package from the Duchesne County Area Chamber of Commerce.

Following the Gannons, those rounding out the top 10 in the See & Do Contest were: the Kraig and Kim Powell family of Heber City, with a score of 89; Lani Palauni (and Chuckie), 88; the Dale Knight family of Vernal, 77; Julie Nelson of Roosevelt, 49; Julie Runolfson of Vernal, 48; the Lacy Bartholomeusz family of Vernal, 46; the Roy Lee Stevenson family of Roosevelt, 45; Brandon and Danielle Aycock of Neola, 42; and Elaine Corless of Vernal, 42.

“Congratulations to the Gannons,” Vernal Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Kitzmiller said. “They may have won the contest, but as a family the prize they won was really just being together and experiencing the Uintah Basin, and that's a far greater reward.”

Miller also said the program not only is good for tourists, but for Basin residents who never realized what wonderful activities the Basin has to offer. He's looking forward to the program's “continued success.”

“Just get out there and enjoy the time with your family, and have a lot of fun,” Patty Gannon said. “We enjoyed getting the family together and we would highly encourage it. This is a great opportunity for us to spend time together.”