Getting Into the Olympic Spirit - Our Own Way

We continue having a great time hanging out with the kids in Utah. Today we spent time with Jason and his friend Brianna while Heather and Brooks both had to work. Neither Bob or I had ever been to Park City and since Heather and Brooks just had a fun few days there, we decided to make a day of it.

The weather could not have been more perfect, in the low 80's I'm guessing, and the drive from Provo is beautiful. It took us less than an hour to get there. We parked near Main Street and walked up and down.

With all of the little boutique shops and restaurants in Park City, it was interesting to see what the church does to mix right in with the spirit of the town. They have a Family Tree Center right in the middle of Main Street with old time photos and props that I'm sure draw the crowds.

Jason's first Olympic event was "Wall Jumping" although his score was not even enough to qualify for the finals and the Chinese team easily beat his score.

Bob wasn't sure what to make of the costumed moose, but in Park City the Moose sculptures are similar to the pigs in downtown Seattle. They are dressed by local artists.

Main Street is just below the ski slopes and at there is a ski lift that runs right to the street. Skiers can cross a bridge to be taken right to the restaurants in town.

After we walked up and down Main Street, we drove several miles to the Utah Olympic Park, where many of the Olympic events were held in 2002.

The picture below is of a training facility but we believe that a lot of what we saw was just how rich kids spend their summer vacation. They wear wet suits and climb on the ramps. Each has a different height or curve at the end of the slope. They twist and contort before entering the water. There are plenty of coaches telling them just what they should do. Just before they hit the water, the water bubbles like Jacuzzi jets to break the surface tension making the entry to the water more gentle. We watched kids as young as 5 or 6 all the way up to adults. Some were very good.

After watching other athletes training for a while, it was our turn to get in on some action. The Olympic Park has an Alpine Slide, which is a summer luge. Jason and Brianna had a choice between that and the zip line, which actually looked a little slow. They opted for the luge and I decided to take the chair lift to the top of the mountain along with them. Bob is not a big fan of heights and he decided to hand out at the bottom and wait for us to get back.

At the top of the mountain was the ski jumping area that was used in the 2002 Olympics, and is still one of the top training facilities in the US. We walked right in to the building and to the top of the ski jumps. Believe me, it's a very long way down. Bob is sitting there on the third from the right flagpole stand at the bottom. The facility was really impressive.

Heather and Brooks have been talking for days about how much fun they had doing an Alpine Slide. They did it in a different area of town but Jason and Brianna had a blast getting to the bottom of the mountain the fast way.

This picture of Brianna doesn't do a good job of showing how fast you really come down the mountain.

I cam back down the mountain the same way I went up, because that was the ticket I bought originally. I would have loved the luge course though and next time I go to Park City, that's what I'm going to do.