A sense of belonging in Park City, Utah
Mountain junkies Lynn Ware Peek and Bob Peek invest in community
Winter/Spring 21-22
Written By: Natalie Taylor | Images: Deborah DeKoff
A few decades ago, two 20-somethings fresh out of college bumped into the friends of a friend on Main Street. “Go get your bikes,” one cheerfully called out. That fateful afternoon spent on single track turned into marriage, family, and roots for Lynn Ware Peek and Bob Peek.
In many ways, they embody the very persona of Park City locals: involved, committed, creative, and on the move. On any given day, you might find them on the trails they love, mountain biking, skiing, or hiking.
You may have heard Lynn’s voice on KPCW. She started working with the public radio station in 2008 with “Tales from the Wasatch Back,” before covering planning com- mission and city council meetings as a city reporter. “I loved being a reporter,” she says. “You are in the middle of everything in the city and county, nonprofits — all the great things going on.” These days, she co-hosts two Public Affairs Hour shows, “The Mountain Life” and “Cool Science Radio,” and has been working in various capacities for the city, including two years on city council and now as community engagement liaison.
“As this community grows and evolves and stretches and becomes, as a lot of us feel, so different than when we moved here, we’re grasping to hold onto the things we knew and loved,” she says. “KPCW makes me feel like I’m contributing to something I started so long ago; being part of community. I hope I can help other people feel a sense of belonging here.”
Both Lynn and Bob came to Park City with plans to be ski bums for a season. “We moved here to ski, but as time went by, its year-round fun snared us,” says Bob. “Mountain biking, ski touring, Nordic skiing, hiking, all the things we want to do, we can do from our house.”
Bob owns RL Peek Painting, a house painting business he started 35 years ago. “I am more of an artist than any- thing else,” he says. “My eye is always searching for aesthetic quality and trying to figure out how to escape the ordinary. I enjoy the process of making and mixing color.”
Bob seems to always be working on interesting and creative projects, whether it’s the new “space pod” in his front yard, figurative landscapes in oil, or sculpture. “New ideas are always swirling in my head,” he says. “I’m always looking for a fun, interesting, and artistic challenge.”
The couples’ latest project is an 1,180-square-foot home down a dirt road in a secluded area that’s only accessible by snowmobile in the winter. “It’s a work of art,” says Bob. “Every surface and every angle got a creative eye before we made any decisions.”
The seclusion found at their new home lends itself to a different way of living. “I love coming and going in the winter, ski touring right out of our home,” says Bob. It’s a thrill they passed down to their kids. “Our children are our most focused passion — the best thing we’ve ever done,” says Bob. “They were born and raised here, and inherited the love of being outside, playing in the mountains. They’re products of this place and so lucky to have had the experience.” And we’re lucky to call the family neighbors.
