The Ski Trip

Jan 5 - 10, 2002

Wow.  My best friend, Bob McConnell, is an instigator and I love him for it.  He likes to ski and he likes quality time with his friends, so he set a date and made an open invitation to join him in Park City, Utah for 5 days of winter sports.  10 of us signed up, enough to afford an AWESOME townhouse overlooking Main Street.  Bob ordered the air fare and lodging, some other guys pitched in to line up rental cars and it just came together beautifully.  Thanks, everybody, for a memorable trip :)

Psyched up during 3 hour layover in Phoenix....Click to enlarge.

Outfitted and ready to hit the slopes. 

I had a lesson the first morning, then stayed on the bunny slopes.  The above photo was taken the second day out after we'd ridden the fast lift to the very top of the mountain.  We went down Home Run, a 3.5 mile green (easy) run that was still too steep for me.  I was practicing turning and somewhat acquired a feel for it.  My right turn was better than my left, so I relied mainly on it.  I also used the Snowplow or Wedge a lot to slow down.  If I got going too fast, I felt out of control and I was determined not to break anything.  This was my last day of skiing, but it was a good introduction and enough so that I can take Quinn skiing sometime.  I liked snowmobiling better :)

Aaron, Rick, John, Jarrod and Jayson.  The experienced ones.

Bob and I resting weary muscles at the condo.  John, myself and Aaron in front of The Perch, our home for the week.  Aaron catching some satellite tv.  The view of Park City from The Perch.  I was very relieved to find plenty of bathrooms and hot water.  Very nice digs.  And, of course, the perfect courtesy of the sterling individuals I stayed with made the experience a delight.  

Snowmobiling in Uinta National Forest.  During winter, the forest is closed to auto and truck traffic and snowmobilers have the roads, trails and meadows completely to themselves.  It was vast and pristine.  I always find forays into remote places like this inspiring and rejuvenating.

Tuesday night in Park City, everyone had dinner at Mulberry Street.  Anne Marie Cruz, a reporter for ESPN, joined us for cards at The Perch later.

Next day, I was briefly interviewed by the local news.  The reporter was under the impression we were the Des Moines bobsled team.

4 of us drove up to the Olympic Park.  The tours were full, but we got to see the bobsled run, ski jumps and other facilities up close.  This is the view looking down on Park City, which was enshrouded with clouds at the time.

Last day in Utah, we killed time in Salt Lake City.  I arrived just in time for the noon organ recital at the Mormon Tabernacle.  Afterwards, I spoke with the organist and she allowed me to play a bit and sample the vast resources of this unique instrument.  It's not the largest organ in the world, but this Aeolian-Skinner instrument is beautifully maintained and contains a wealth of rich timbres making it suitable for virtually the entire organ literature.

The third picture is of the smaller Assembly Hall organ.  The fourth is the 1858 granite Temple, open only to Mormons.

Last evening in Park City, 6 of us had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Buona Vita (The Good Life).  It certainly is.

Back at home at the Des Moines airport.  Had my shoes searched twice but they never looked in my carry-on backpack.

The end.