Flying

While visiting Park City you may recall that 

I mentioned our stop at the Utah Olympic Park.

We went back the next day to watch members 

of the Freestyle and Aerial ski jumping teams practice.

Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Oh, and did I mention that the pool is not heated?

The guide estimated the temperature to be in the 40's!

But, hey, no problem.

Did you notice that the skiers are wearing their ski gear?

(They did have wet suits under their gear.)

A Matter of Perspective

Do you recall anything from the Salt Lake City Olympics? I'll have to admit, those memories, the few that were on the shelf in my brain were pretty dusty. But, as we have been in the area some images have begun to come back in focus. Certainly, visiting the Olympic Park was a great help. Several times, as we walked around the museum, or listened to our tour guide, Carl Roepke, Luger and then sports commentator, things came back to the forefront and I got caught up in the drama all over again!

The Utah Olympic Park near Park City was constructed for the Nordic ski jumping, luge, bobsled and skeleton sled competitions. The park is still used, year-round for training, and visitors have an opportunity to ride in a bobsled, fly down the hill on zip-lines, race down an aluminum alpine sled track or test their coordination in doing some freestyle ski jumping into a pool. Luckily sadly those venues weren't open for the season on the day of our visit! It was hard to visualize each area as it would have been during the games, with hundreds of spectators, media personnel and athletes milling around.

There is a wonderful museum that chronicles the 2002 Olympics, as well as another area that looks at skiing through the ages. I was enthralled by the puppets that were used in the opening ceremonies. As I saw them hanging from the ceiling, reaching down below my feet to the first floor, I recalled seeing them in the ceremony, with their articulated joints making them come to life as they seemingly galloped through the air, offering a tribute to the ancient history of the West. Along with the horse, the museum had puppets of the bison, beaver and eagle.

We went on a brief tour of the facility.

We had a chance to see the bobsled/luge/skeleton sled run from near...

and far!

We just happened to be at the starting point for the luge

when the wheeled sled began a trip

down the track with some PR folks.

Do you see them in the middle of the curve below?

They are reaching speeds of 70+ mph

and hitting 5 G's.

Carl, a former Olympic luger, explained that he had

taken a few of the bobsled rides down this track.

He decided the wear and tear on his body was too much!

I guess he's reached the age of mortal reasoning!

We had a chance to see a few of the Nordic ski jumps from the bottom:

And the top!

In order to get a decent perspective on this...

Looking above, 

do you see the little white square on the left,

about 2/3 of the way down the picture?

(Just above the green plastic runout area.)

That's a Ford Econoline van!

Oh, and looking to the right,

in the middle of the picture.

Do you see the developed area?

Remember that.

There will be a quiz!

The green part of the jump is covered with long plastic grass.

The white "stripe" in the middle of the upper half

is a formed, plastic track.

The skis fit in the track. 

Even when there is snow on the jump

a track is carved for the skis to ride in. 

Oh, and on the steep landing area

they have to put what looks like large cargo nets

over the green 'grass' to keep the snow from sliding off.

For summer training water runs down the jumps 

which adds a bit of slickness to the plastic. 

And, now for the quiz....

Do you remember the developed area I pointed out?

Then, you passed the quiz!

This picture is taken from that area.

I am in an observation tower

at the Swaner EcoCenter. 

In the distance, almost in the center of the picture,

you can see the two large Nordic jumps 

I showed you in the other pictures.

In the foreground of the picture is

Newpark, "The Newer Side of Park City"

On the left and in the background you can see some condos.

In the center are some shops.

There are business buildings and rec centers

out of the picture to the right. 

Hubby and I went across to the developed area 

after leaving the Olympic Park to find a restaurant.

We found so much more!

This is a beautifully planned 

Live-Work-Play-Shop-Dine-Stay community.

It's a community of the future and we think

it's the way communities should be built!

To us, it's a matter of perspective!

Park City Rambling

I love old towns like Park City. They just ooze history. I can get lost in imagining life in earlier times.

Park City was a silver mining town beginning in the late 1800's. Virtually none of the original buildings still stand as most of the city was destroyed by a fire in 1898. Fire swept through the town again in 1912. The Claimjumper Hotel was a victim of each of the fires. According to the historical plaque on the building, the people of Park City recognized the need for a more fire-retardant hotel and funds were raised by the Henry Spriggs Commercial Club to build this brick and masonry structure. It opened as the New Park Hotel in November, 1913. It was built at a cost of $22,455. The New Park Hotel was described as a "beautiful and commodious hostelry" with the dining room decorated in patriotic red, white and blue. All meals including Sunday dinner, were 50c each. Guest lists, which were published weekly in the 'Park Record', indicated that business was flourishing. Apparently the hotel is being refurbished inside and will open as a hotel again at some point in the future. 

I like how the buildings have been constructed to fit into and around the hillsides.  It might make for interesting layouts of the interior.

In some areas of town there are alleyways with steep stairs heading up or down,

from one street to the next. 

Many of the cute little houses are bigger than they look,

even though there isn't much of a lot.

This one is 2100 sq ft and has 4 bedrooms.

It's on the market for $1,000,000.

Location, location, location!

There is a town lift to take skiers up to the top of the first ski slopes. 

You can just make out the wires of the lift behind this double row of homes. 

There are additional ski slopes on the back side,

as well as elsewhere up and down the valley. 

Main Street is about a mile long.

It has numerous restaurants, galleries and shops. 

The street is on a hill.

You can begin at the top...

and take the free trolley back up if you don't care to hike!

I took this picture of the art gallery for Doc.

I thought he might appreciate the idea that

someone else likes pancake rodents!!

(However, I guess rabbits, no matter their spelling,

are not considered to be rodents!)

I'm not a huge fan of wearing cowboy boots.

They pinch my toes.

However, I was impressed by the variety

offered in this cowboy supply shop.

Meet Franz, the Bear. He is a Park City icon. 

However, I would not sit next to him to have my 

picture taken. His bronze bench was a real hot seat!

Banksy is a world-renowned graffiti artist.

He decorated an alley wall with this art

during the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. 

Speaking of the Sundance Film Festival...

Do you know what film was voted the

US Documentary Audience Award winner in 2011?

That's a hint about something to come....