Kayaking Yellowstone Lake

A couple months ago I saw a Groupon special for kayaking on Yellowstone Lake. I absolutely love any excuse to go to Yellowstone, so I called Katie and convinced her we should each buy one. She finally agreed and we got our Groupons, now we just had to find a weekend. I had a trip in July, and both of us were going to Colorado to see family different weekends in August. We eventually decided on the weekend of September 10-11th. I fully admit I liked the idea of being in such a beautiful place on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The lack of tv and radio would be a bonus. I will never forget that day, but I prefer to remember it in a place of beauty.

Neither of us has a lot of time off work. To avoid using vacation I suggested and Katie agreed, to drive up to Big Sky, MT on Saturday, kayak on Sunday afternoon and make a late drive home. Katie picked me up Saturday morning in Salt Lake City and we headed up I-15. Since we were heading to Big Sky to use dad's condo for the night we cut off after Idaho Falls. Taking US-20 improves the scenery. You could see the Tetons off in the distance. We stopped in Ashton for lunch at a little place called Frostop that my friend Abbi introduced me to my first summer in Utah. They have fabulous milkshakes and tater tots. (I recommend the Huckleberry shake if you do stop in.) A few miles down the road we started seeing historic signs. Katie joked about pulling over to read them all. I told her I was fine with that since I always consider doing it but seem to be in a hurry when I go by. She didn't actually stop until she saw the sign for the Scenic Byway. We pulled over and it looked like it would connect back up with 20 so we decided to take it. It wasn't until we reached the upper water falls before the lower that we started to doubt the direction we were going. When we reached the lower falls next we knew we were in trouble. We ended up doing it backwards and ended up right back in Ashton by the Frostop. In the end it was a detour well worth the time.

Upper Falls

Lower Falls

The rest of your drive up to Big Sky was beautiful but mostly uneventful. We arrived in Big Sky shortly before 6pm. This is absolutely my favorite mountain. Katie says its because it is so easy to draw all on it's own. That might be, but I have always loved coming up to Big Sky. It is my happy place. Our first stop didn't count since it was a rush stop so Katie could buy some shorts at the sporting good store. The second and third stop were the important ones. First we hit The Cave, a liquor and gift store. We both got a mug and a beer glass, but Katie found a nice bottle of wine and I discovered they had Maker's Mark mini bottles. From there we headed over to the Hungry Moose Market. Katie picked up some beer and more wine, while I got a bottle of Ten Spoon wine called "Getaway", which seemed appropriate, and some postcards. Now we were ready to head to the condo to watch the Notre Dame football game. For anyone who saw that game against Michigan, you know it did not end well for our team. It was a quiet night after that.

Sunday morning we got up and headed out. We were on the road a bit before 9am, which was impressive even if that was our goal. Our reservation for kayaking was not until 2:30pm so we had time to enjoy the park. We came in from the West Yellowstone entrance, which means you have many miles before you can make a turn onto another road. So when traffic gets tied up due to wildlife, you might as well prepare to be patient. Our drive in became one of those. It took awhile before we were anywhere near the tie up so we could figure out the problem. My guess was elk since I'd seen them before in this area. Sure enough, there was a herd standing in or along the river right near the bridge. There were people everywhere taking photos. Katie was less than impressed. There was one elk standing in the middle of river almost posing. I asked Katie if she would be more impressed if a bear ran out and attacked the elk. She said only if it ran right next to the man sitting too close on a rock so that he pissed himself. Sadly, none of that happened so we kept going.

The route we chose was the one that would take us along the upper part of the loop toward the Canyon area and away from Old Faithful. We stopped first at the lower falls and somehow I found myself on the trail that takes you down to the brink. I have done that hike one other time, and have tried to avoid it since. It is only 3/4 of a mile round trip but you descend 600 feet and it is switch backs the whole way. It is a work out but worth it. The only bad thing is that then you are on top of the falls, so the pictures aren't amazing. Fortunately for us, we could see the view area across from us, and some crazy guy who had decided to climb down to get a better picture.

Viewing area across the way in the midst of the trees
1/2 way to 3/4 way down is the crazy guy

Blue dot on the big rock is the crazy guy

Katie and I actually watched him for awhile. At one point he went sliding over the rock to the Falls side. It took a moment to realize he had put his camera on a timer and was getting in the shot. I was convinced we'd be reading about his death in the paper. Katie on the other hand decided this just might be the guy for her. So if anyone knows him, let my sister know.

Brink of Lower Falls

After that excitement we hiked back up and continued on our way. We finally found the buffalo. The big guy below had been holding up traffic in the left lane by standing in the middle of it. At one point he was having a stand off with the cars. They say you should stay 25 yards away from wildlife, I'm pretty sure we broke that rule just driving past him.

The local welcome buffalo

As we were driving past the buffalo herds we could see rain in front of us. Then Katie noticed that the cars passing us had snow on them. Suddenly the stuff hitting the windshield was a lot slushier than rain. I'm not completely ready to call it snow, but it was close. At least I made it all the way until Sept. 11th before I saw snow this year.

Snow/slush on the drive

Seeing snow made us a bit nervous for getting out and into a boat. We watched the temperature reading on Katie's car slowly rise into the 40's. I figured I would need to pull all my layers out for this adventure. Fortunately, when we reached Grant Village for the kayaking it was a reasonable temperature. We both opted to stick with shorts, although I did put on a light, long sleeve shirt. There were only four of us going on the trip that afternoon. Katie and I were in one kayak and the other two women were in the second kayak. Then we had Dominick and Dan as our guides. After giving us instructions on how to get in the boat and paddle we got our safety lecture and were ready to go. Dominick was our lead guide and Dan was playing sweep. Which meant that Katie and I were with Dominick and the other ladies were with Dan. The trip is kayaking from Grant Village to West Thumb were you can see some thermals in the water. The wind had started to kick up but it was not too hard on the way over. On the way we got a National Geographic moment for Katie. There was a male elk in full on pursuit of a female elk. She on the other hand did not seem to have any interest in him. She kept running away and even went into the lake to get past him. A bit further down the coast there were also two younger male elk fighting. Then they started to head toward the bigger male. We tried to tell that was a bad idea, but you can't tell kids anything.

Female Elk trying to get away

We also saw some golden eye ducks. Dominick told us they don't like to fly so they try to duck under the water and come up away from you. They also start quacking in panic but never fly. When we got close we could hear them but we were close to shore so they were able to get up on land and run away from us. Their eyes really are a golden color. Kind of creepy. As we got closer to West Thumb we joked about all the tourist photos we were going to ruin. You could see a lot of them with their cameras up on the walk way looking at the thermals. Katie seems to get a kick out of being in the middle of their pictures. There is a point where we had to wait for the others since there are rules about being in the area of the thermals. It turned out though that the waves were getting too big to see anything. Dominick and Dan were getting worried and decided we should turn back. The return trip was a lot harder than the way out. The waves got so big I'm almost convinced I could handle ocean kayaking after this experience. Every so often we'd get hit with one and feel how cold that water was. Despite the extra effort we had to put in we were still having fun joking around with Dominick on the way back. We got really far ahead of the others and stopped to wait once. We were supposed to be fairly close to the coast line for the trip. At one spot we were not that close so I warned Katie about not dumping me out since I wasn't sure I wanted to swim that far. She informed me I wouldn't have to swim, just float and the waves would carry me in. I still wasn't ready to be that cold. Eventually we made it back to the dock. It was a great trip for my first kayak experience. I look forward to doing it again. We learned the hard way to pick the morning trips when the lake is calmer. Live and learn, the theme of the summer.

Katie and I by our Kayak

Katie wanted to stop in Jackson to have dinner with her friend Sam on our way home. So once we changed into dry clothes we bolted for the Tetons. We were told it would take us 2 hours from Grant Village. She was determined to beat that time. I think she might have pulled it off by about 10 minutes. It was a beautiful drive out of Yellowstone and through Teton National Park. I really think these are two of my favorites. It doesn't matter how many times I go, I love them every time. We saw some buffalo and antelope on our way through the Tetons. Still no bears or moose but we kept hoping. The sun coming through the clouds was gorgeous. The picture below just doesn't do it justice.

Sunset in the Tetons

We had a great dinner in Jackson with Sam. The whole time Sam and Katie kept trying to talk me into calling in sick or dead so we could stay the night in Jackson. This just wasn't one of those times I could pull it off. Eventually we headed back to Park City. Sam gave us directions to make it quicker. Unfortunately, we missed one of the turns and got a bit confused. We eventually got back on track and made it to Katie's house by 1am. Next time we take an extra day for the trip. Still, it was a great weekend. I'm glad we were able to go do it. If you are in the west I recommend a stop in Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. They are worth it.

East Coast Trek- Baltimore to New York; Part 2

Trying to figure out the next portion of my trip was starting to get complicated. I was going from Baltimore to Atlantic City with Amy, but then heading out from there with Gwen. Which meant that Amy had to get herself back to Maryland. Using one of their cars wasn't looking good and renting one was turning into a headache. I finally hit upon the idea to take the train. Less stress and we could focus on talking to each other since neither one would have to drive. We left out of Baltimore's Penn Station and had one connection in Philly. We took some time to eat as unhealthy as possible while we were waiting for the second train. I was tempted to get Dunkin Donuts, but went with Auntie Anne's pretzel instead. (They really do have all the fun food options out east.) Both parts of the train trip were easy and we got to Atlantic City without major headaches. Even better, there was a free shuttle to Harrah's. We got checked in and settled while we waited for Gwen to arrive. Once she joined us we decided to go explore so we would know our options. After that we got ready for dinner and the concert. We found a place that was nice but affordable for dinner and started with a drink. From there we headed straight to the concert venue (at the other end of the building). By this point my feet were already protesting the sandals Katie had told me to wear. We were a bit early, but not too much. Just enough time to get some pictures and a poster we could have the guys sign for the kids after the show. This was the second time that Amy and I had seen Straight No Chaser (SNC) but the first time for Gwen. She completely missed out while she was at IU. Since she majored in music I was curious to see her reaction. She enjoyed it and loved some of their renditions of songs we all know, especially "Like a Prayer". That is one of my favorites. If you ever get the chance to see them I highly recommend it.

After the show we went to grab drinks and then get in line to have the photos signed. I also wanted to say hi to Charlie since he was a fellow Bloomington North grad. Since Nora ended up not being able to make it to the show I was getting a photo signed for her. Amy was in front of me so she got to Charlie first, so he knew I was coming. When I reached him he leaned over and gave me a big hug. He joked with me about how they weren't coming to SLC again this year. Randy was sitting next to him and asked if I knew why. Charlie said he told me, but I never got that message. So Randy explained that they had been scheduled to appear in Utah once and were pulled because of their name. I've heard about other singers being asked to censor their lyrics or not come at all because of them. I wasn't surprised to hear that Straight No Chaser might not appeal name wise out here. I told them they should see if they could perform at the UofU or up in Park City which is very liberal about things. Hopefully one of these days it will work out, but I never turn down an opportunity to travel. After we made it through the line we hung out to talk to Charlie some more. After they do the autograph line they do photos. Since we were waiting anyway we decided to get one with the group. Charlie moved down to the front when we came over so we had the two North graduates standing together. Afterward we got to talk to him for awhile and meet his wife. They got a kick out of the Ski Team onesie I brought for their son. Since Charlie was giving snowboarding a shot I'll have to get one of those in the future for him.

SNC, Gwen, Amy, Me

Amy wanted to give the slots a shot since we were there. So after we talked to Charlie we went to get another drink and follow her around. Gwen and I weren't interested so we watched, drank and talked. I forgot a very important thing while drinking, I wasn't in Utah. This was drink #3 for the evening and the one with the most amount of alcohol in it. (Pretty sure it was 3/4 bourbon and 1/4 coke.) I was doing okay until the end and then it really hit me. When we went to our room for the night I was having issues with it spinning. Next time I go somewhere I have to remember they pour them stronger than we do at home. Live and learn was definitely the motto for this trip.

Tuesday we got up and went to the boardwalk before Amy had to get her train home. You can't go to Atlantic City without experiencing the boardwalk, right? We also got our feet wet in the ocean but it was freezing! After Amy left we walked around a bit and then headed further up the Jersey Shore. We stopped at another beach in the afternoon and walked the boardwalk there. It actually had a lot more going on than Atlantic City did. We had some lunch and people watched. Wow, was that an experience. There were a few people that fit the stereotype of what you expect to see on the Jersey Shore and I don't even watch the reality show. From there we headed to Jersey City where Gwen lives. We met up with her boyfriend Mark and went to a fabulous sushi restaurant for dinner. The car was parked in a great spot for a view of NYC across the river. It was beautiful, especially when we walked back and the lights were all coming on.

Wednesday we started our morning with Gwen getting a run in while I did some more of my rehab. Then we decided to go see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty before we drove to the Catskills. I had gone to the Statue of Liberty as a kid but not Ellis Island. We started with Ellis. We walked around checking out some of the exhibits until the Ranger led tour started. The stories he told were interesting so I'm glad we did it. I always love hearing the stories behind the history. It makes things more real. After that we caught the boat over to see Lady Liberty. Since I had climbed to the top as a kid and this was a last minute trip, we just went over and walked around. That didn't take long and then we were in line to get the boat back and head up to the cabin.

I forgot how beautiful it is up in the Catskills. The cabin is near Hamden, NY. It is surrounded by lots of green trees and rolling hills (mountains). I just loved it. We got up there around dinner time and sat out on the deck with our drinks and chips watching the sunset. They have a pond down the hill from the place and a garden. It was just so peaceful. This would be the relaxing portion of the trip.

Thursday we had a reservation to go canoeing at Skinner's Falls on the Delaware River, but no set time frame for getting there. We took our time moving in the morning and getting there. Before we left I was in touch with one of our former counselors who lived near by. She decided she would meet us there since her previous plans fell through. That way she could take some photos as we went through the falls. When Gwen and I were campers at Hidden Valley Camp in Equinunk, PA we used to sign up for the canoe groups. The closest we had come to Skinner's though was sitting on the side watching others go through it. The older girls had done this section and it was a challenge we had hoped to do. So we decided we were going. I signed us up for a 10 mile canoe trip which started just up the river from the falls. (Next time I'd put it more in the middle. Live and learn.) Fritz was there when we got to the falls and took some great photos. After all the years and the scary stories it wasn't so bad. We laughed our way through it and didn't hit any obstacles. Later when Fritz put one of the photos on the HVC Facebook page someone commented and asked if they still had a sign telling you how many people had died in Skinner's Falls. I'm glad we didn't see that. It really didn't seem that bad to us. We decided the year we sat on the side must have been one of those bad years for our counselor, maybe the one with the broken fingers. We figure she had a good reason for not taking a group of kids through there. After we made it through the falls we pulled over to the side to say hi to Fritz. We made plans to meet her later to visit camp and then headed on our way to finish the 9.5 miles we had left to our trip. They calculated 5 hours for the 10 miles. We calculated we wouldn't be that slow.

Me & Gwen going through Skinner's Falls

It was a beautiful day for our trip. The first part of the trip wasn't too crowded. We saw some other boats but not a lot. We saw some deer at one point. And when we stopped for lunch we got to watch a bird of prey swoop down for its lunch. I couldn't identify what kind of bird but it was a big one. We made a stop at the halfway point to use bathrooms and get drinks. They thought we were finishing but we just needed a quick break before the last 5 miles. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but there were some big buses at the landing when we stopped. A short while later it would all make sense. After the landing we were coming up to a bridge. There were some young guys jumping off the support beams underneath into the river. We decided they were nuts. After the bridge we came upon the reason for all the buses. It was a Jewish boys camp. I'm pretty sure we spent the next four miles trying to pass all those rafts. I have to admit, they were entertaining. Extremely loud, but fun to watch. I'm really glad we passed them when we did. It gave us enough of a distance that we got to see a bear. Gwen didn't believe me. She thought it was a dog. It came running out of the woods, jumped into the river and then jumped out and shook off. It stopped long enough to look at us, but we were a fair distance so nothing to worry about. Then it took off into the woods. I kept saying, that was a bear. When we reached the spot where we had seen it there were no signs of civilization anywhere nearby. Gwen still wasn't completely convinced. As we were finishing our trip we passed two women in rafts with their beers. We decided that next trip that might be the way to do it.

After we got back to Skinner's and were cleaned up we received an invite from Fritz to come to her house for dinner. Unfortunately, we missed the turn. We ended up in Hancock, NY so we were too far past. Fritz told us to head to camp and she would pack it up and bring it for a picnic. We were told to check in with the ranger since it is no longer a girl scout camp. Before we left Hancock we went in to check our directions. I asked about Candyland which was a place we always visited when mom had a day off and we went into town. Sadly, it burned down a few years ago. The end of a childhood haunt, at least I have some great memories. When we got to camp we went to ask permission to have our picnic. The ranger asked if we planned to steal the signs. Apparently the previous group stole some of the unit name signs. We promised we would only take photos with our camera. In the end we really only spent time around the dining hall and then down by the lake. While we were waiting for Fritz we took some photos. They had a fence by the dining hall that said HV. We decided it was missing the C. So we took turns standing there creating the C. The dinner that Fritz made was delicious! It was so nice to sit there on the hill looking out over the lake again. I really miss camp days. After dinner we drove down to the waterfront area. The ranger had made a comment about not caring if we jumped in the lake. So Fritz took him up on it and jumped in. Gwen and I opted out since we had already cleaned up once.

Me, Fritz, Gwen

After a few more photos we headed down the hill. On the way we stopped for photos of the water fall we used to play in and looked for the Gnome's house on the hillside. Then it was back to the cabin. On the way a bear ran out in front of us. It crossed the road and ran up a tree. When we stopped it peaked around at us. It was adorable, although we did keep looking around to see if mama bear was following. After that Gwen believed that the first one we saw was a bear.

Our 2nd bear sighting

My last night at the cabin was a hot one. So we sat up the hill from the cabin with Mark, enjoying drinks and the stars until it was late enough to cool down. It was a gorgeous night. I can't wait to go back to the Catskills. Gwen and I are discussing the possibility of a backpack trip next time. She will just need to be patient with me.

Friday was a travel day. I opted to take the bus from the Catskills to Long Island to visit Nora and her family. I didn't want anyone to have to drag kids on that long a car ride just to get me. It was a long trip but really pretty along the way. We went through Woodstock which was fun. I hadn't been there since a hiking trip as a CIT. I eventually reached my drop off point a bit late. When Nora pulled up to get me she had one sleeping four year old in the back seat. He fell asleep mid sentence on the way over. So the first of her children I actually met was Caleb who is 8 days older than my niece Trinity and a total doll. Caleb and I are in love with each other, even though I keep telling him about my beautiful niece. (When I tried to tell Trinity she hung up on me. Only 18 months and already a heart breaker.) We eventually got Brady moving enough to put him back in the car so we could go to dinner. I sat in the back seat with the boys. Caleb had received his new toy car and t-shirt before we left so we were fast friends. Brady didn't know yet what he was getting. We had a great dinner of New York pizza and the best stuffed clams. Afterward we stopped by Nora's parents' house so I could say hi. When we got home Brady got his t-shirt and book. Needless to say he was expecting better. Eventually he warmed up to them. The next day the boys had their shirts on.

Caleb and Brady

Saturday Nora and I got up early to beat the heat and headed to the beach with the boys. One thing I was trying somewhat successfully to do was hit some National Parks, seashores, historic sites, etc. on this trip. Fire Island is very near their house so we headed there so I could mark the Fire Island National Seashore off my list. We took the walk over to the Lighthouse and looked around. We only had the single stroller with us so when Brady got tired he tried to sit on the piece in front of Caleb. My guess is that Caleb is going to be a football player or soccer player. He wound up all his strength and would give Brady one good kick and send him flying off the stroller. Pretty impressive when you consider that Brady is 4 and Caleb is 18 months. After checking out the light house we put on the sunscreen and headed to the beach. The boys are allowed in the water if they are holding hands with an adult. Brady became my friend when he realized that I counted. It was cold but eventually you got used to it. I was fine with just standing in it, no need to wade in further.

After taking the boys home for nap time we cleaned up and headed to Sagamore Hill, home of Theodore Roosevelt. My park pass came in handy on this stop. It turns out the house tour is free with the pass. We got there just in time to catch up to one of the tours. Obviously, the house is not air conditioned so we could only see the first two floors due to the heat. The first two floors were amazing and there was a lot to take in. I'd love to have a list of all the books he has in that house. They were everywhere, floor to ceiling. There are some awesome artifacts from his trips to Africa and elsewhere. Plus all the things he accumulated as President. I definitely recommend it if you are in the area. On the way home we made a quick stop for groceries so that we could grill out. I have to say, Brett's grilled hamburgers might be the best I've had!

Sunday was our big trip into the city. Brady was really excited. We drove in and parked near the High Line so that we could go explore. If you haven't been there while in NYC it is fabulous. They took this old railway line that is above ground and instead of tearing it down they made it into a walkway with gardens, benches and viewing areas the length of it. There is still another section finish, but it is already long. When it is finished it will be 1.5 miles. We took our time checking everything out and letting the boys play. About half way along the path we went down to check out the Chelsea Market. I had made plans to meet one of my grad school buddies there for gelato. Nora and the boys decided that sounded like lunch to them. Brett and I decided we needed some chowder before we could go gelato. JulieAnn met us there and we were able to catch up for awhile. She went back up to the High Line with me to walk around a bit. Nora and Brett had taken the boys to explore more so when JulieAnn left I met them up there to finish the path and head back. On the way back to Bayshore I was sitting between the boys. Caleb fell asleep immediately but Brady was too excited. My favorite moment was when he said, "Excuse me, I have something to tell you. I can't believe we went to New York City! And I love you." How cute is that?

For my last night in New York we picked up dinner at Boston Market and took it back to the house. I sat next to Caleb who kept reaching out and putting his hand on my arm. Then he would just gaze at me. How come I can't get boys my age to do that? The kid is going to be a heart breaker someday. After dinner Nora and I took the boys over to her parents' house so I could visit before my trip ended. I hung out on the back porch with her mom and her brother Patrick while she spent a lot of time in the house with the kids and her dad. At one point Patrick and I both discovered that neither of us particularly want kids, we like spoiling the kids our siblings have. When one of them was having a tantrum I asked Patrick if he was sure he didn't want kids. He was quick to say he still didn't want them. I agreed. It is a lot of fun to visit, spoil them and then give them back. It was great to visit with the Cherry family.
Monday morning it was time to head home. Before I left we took some photos on the porch. The only person I don't have in any of the shots is Brett. But the boys were willing to get in them with us. Nora and the boys took me to the airport to catch my flight back to Utah. Not before I picked up some Skinny Girl Margarita and some Dunkin Donuts to take with me. I think I hit all the cravings I might have had for any east coast foods. It was a fabulous trip and I think I saw just about everyone I planned to see. There are always a few that I cannot fit in. That just means that I'll have to plan another trip in the near future or everyone needs to come visit me in Utah.

Time to enjoy Utah until the next trip.

Nora, Caleb, Me, Brady

East Coast Trek- Baltimore to New York

My trip out east took place in July. Since it was such a full trip I decided to wait until I returned to write about my adventures. Unfortunately, a lot happened when I returned so it has taken me over a month to get to this. I hope you'll enjoy the delayed adventures of my East Coast Trek.

Usually when I go east I hit the Baltimore/DC area and call it good. With all my college friends adding little ones to the family I thought maybe this time it would be a good idea to head up the coast and include New York. Plus, I had been in touch with a camp friend and we decided if I ever made it back out there that we needed to go canoe a portion of the Delaware River that we missed as campers. Then some friends and I found out that Straight No Chaser would be performing in Atlantic City for a couple months. We had never been to AC and it sounded like one of those places you should experience. So the trip started in Baltimore, with day trips to DC and Delaware before moving up the coast to Atlantic City. From there I hit other parts of New Jersey, the Catskills in New York and finished on Long Island. I learned a few lessons too. The most important being to put all the friends with kids at the front end and the relaxing portion of the trip at the back end. That way I have a shot at coming home somewhat rested. I also learned to do a better job checking the sports calendar before planning. I put my trip in the middle of the Tour de France and toward the end of the Women's World Cup. That last event worked in my favor though since I got to watch the last games with some actual fans. Live and learn.

I flew out Thursday afternoon after spending the morning with my dad who was visiting me and Katie in Utah. I arrived in time for a late dinner/dessert get together with Scott and Ally, both of whom were leaving the next day. So it was immediately or not at all for seeing them. I tried the night before to convince Scott he should meet me at the airport and take me to get the rental so we'd have more time together. Unfortunately, it turns out I didn't have his cell # in my phone and he didn't text me the #'s I would need just in case. By the time he texted to tell me he was there I was stuck in the middle of the rental car bus with no way off. I told him I'd meet him at the rental place. Somehow I beat him there and was already in line when he walked in. I had my arms open ready to give him a hug when the line started to move. I grabbed one bag and asked him to grab the other. That led to a lot of teasing about not hello, just ordering him around. I pointed out that if he had walked faster he would have gotten a hug first. I do so love to tease Scott. After I got my car we headed to Chili's to meet Ally. I had promised we'd do a dessert get together. Since I hadn't eaten much that day I decided to do dinner while Ally got dessert and Scott drank. If it hadn't been such a hike from there to my friends' house I might have joined him. Just did not think that the best idea since I'm such a light weight. It was a great time and I had fun joking around and catching up with both of them.

From there I headed up to Bel Air, north of Baltimore to stay with the Marklands. It was so late when I got there the girls had gone to bed. Sarah had left me a note and Anna had asked her parents to find out how early she could wake me up in the morning. (First indication that I should have put all the kids at one end.) I ended up staying up late talking to Amy and Tim.

Friday morning Anna was down there as soon as she could to wake me up. I do love my honorary nieces, they are just so much fun. We only had a bit of time together before they were going to go to Vacation Bible Camp and I was headed to DC. I got to meet "baby" Izzy for the first time and give Sarah and Anna their gifts. It was hard talking them out of wearing the new shirts that were too big or using the new bags I gave them. They were given the okay to wear the soccer hair scrunchies. Eventually they were out the door and I got ready to head to DC.

My plan was to go to DC to meet up with friends and play tourist. I didn't give myself as much time as I thought getting down there so I went straight to meeting the first group of friends. Unfortunately, both of them were running late. So I sat at a table at Uno's reading the Washington Post while I waited. Eventually Emilie and Kaira made it and we had fun catching up over pizza. I really miss the girls and outings for Uno's pizza. I tried to convince both of them they should come visit me in Utah sometime soon. After lunch they both had to head back to work so I walked up to the Dirkson Senate building with Emilie. I thought I'd see if Alicia was in at Senator Landrieu's office but I happened to pick the one time she would be traveling. Hopefully she got the note I left her.

After that it was time to go play tourist. Turns out, even after being gone for 9 years I don't do tourist well. The rest of the tourists annoy me. I started with the US Botanic Gardens. I did the inside but did not have time for the outside. That just means I have something more to see on the next trip. From there I headed over to the National Museum of the American Indiana. I realized very quickly I wouldn't have time for the whole thing. I started at the top, stopped for the film and then gave up. Again, more for the next trip. Then it was a sprint to the National Gallery to see the Metsu exhibit. I had read about it in the Washington Post and thought it sounded interesting. It was 15 minutes before closing time, so thankfully it wasn't a huge exhibit. I managed to enjoy each of the paintings and still make it to buy postcards at the gift shop before being kicked out. The first postcard I ever sent my niece Trinity was a hologram card of cats from the museum. I still had time before meeting friends for dinner but not so much that I wanted to try to figure out what might still be open. So I headed over near the Capitol and found a place to sit and people watch. I may not play tourist well since they annoy me, but I do love watching them.

Dinner was at the Capitol City Brewery (which was closing that weekend) with Sarah and Andrea. I have known Sarah since the 1999 Women's World Cup. I met her and Sonya outside a US practice in DC. We ended up becoming friends and going to games across the country together after that summer. I haven't actually seen her in awhile though. It didn't take long for us to catch up and decide we need to go the next Women's World Cup in Canada. We are inviting our moms since they used to go to some of the games with us. Then we decided that we would also pursue the idea of going to Brazil for the Men's World Cup. The bigger the group the more fun that trip will be. It was so great to see Sarah and meet Andrea. I'm hoping they'll come out to visit me in Utah soon. Especially since we have a great bike race out here that would be fun to go watch with them.

Me, Andrea, Sarah

Saturday I got up and had breakfast with the whole Markland family. Which was a lot of fun but probably not my best idea since I was meeting the soccer girls for an early lunch. I had requested that we meet at Bill Bateman's in Towson since I randomly had a craving for one of their crab dip pretzels. Not sure where that came from. I'm pretty sure the whole time I was in college I only ever tried one once. Due to schedules it was a small but fun group of us. Tina, Sharyn and Melissa were able to meet up. We caught up on events and watched the WWC 3rd place game. I love when I get to see my girls. And yes, even after all these years they are still my girls. After lunch Melissa and I decided to drive over to the Union to see what options we could find at the store. Right out front was a clearance table with Towson (TU) blankets that were 75% off. We weren't figuring it out exactly, but we knew it was going to be a good deal so we both got one. Later we discovered they were down to $12. Melissa said she felt like we stole them. It was hard not to buy every baby item in the store for Melissa's expected little one, but somehow we refrained. It helped that they didn't have much with soccer on it.

Sharyn, Me, Tina, Melissa

After the shopping trip at the bookstore I headed to Delaware to meet my college roommate Jennie. I also had high hopes that I might actually get to see my friend Michelle for the first time since we graduated from Towson. Jennie and I had picked Wilmington, DE as a nice middle ground since she was coming from north of Philly. We found a Brewery in a nice area to hang out and catch up. I hadn't seen her since she was expecting her first child and now she has two. I'm hoping on my next trip I can figure out the timing so I actually get to meet the kids. We had a blast catching up, trying some drinks and eating an amazing appetizer and dessert. (I adopted the drink, appetizer, dessert model from my mom and her best friend. It works.) The only sad thing about the Delaware hop was that I didn't get to meet up with Michelle after all. But I am happy that we are back in contact and hopefully she will be visiting me soon with her family.

Me and Jennie

Still on Saturday, and already I have eaten three times. But I wasn't done! Now it was time to drive back toward Bel Air to meet the Harkins family for dinner. I felt bad since it was getting late and tried to get them to go ahead and I'd just meet them. Somehow that didn't work so we all ended up pulling in at the same time. I felt bad for the kids, but I think they forgave me. No shocker here but Collin has outgrown me. I still have some time before Kiera hits that point. I'm guessing by the next trip though she will be taller. The only reason I'm amazed is because I've known these kids since Collin was a toddler. After dinner we had to make a stop at Coldstone for some dessert. That was four meals and a couple desserts all in one day. So much fun! I'm happy I was able to see everyone though.

Monica and Me

Kiera, Me, Collin

Sunday was my last full day in Baltimore and the final game for the Women's World Cup. I took the rental car back to the airport since I wouldn't need it going forward. The Marklands picked me up and we headed to a fabulous place to watch the game. To make it even more fun members of Sarah's travel team were all going to be there to watch. I also invited my friend Lisa from the TU soccer team since she had missed the get together the day before. She graciously agreed to watch with me and a group of 9 year olds. It was actually really fun. The kids painted their faces and had jerseys on. I had brought my new jersey and one of my old ones so Amy and I wore those. Lisa had on a men's jersey, but we let it count for the day. We had quite a large area of the restaurant side and got them to turn up the sound as loud as they could. Lisa and I kept yelling at the TV. Then we'd turn to the girls and say something like, "Always lean over the ball when you shoot. If you lean back it goes high." They would just nod at us. I think they have already learned the art of humoring the crazy adults. For those who have watched big games with me, I was definitely yelling, but there was no hyperventilating involved. By the time we lost on PK's you could see the writing on the wall. You can't keep giving up leads and miss kicks and get the win. Good job to Japan. (I have a theory, when we lose the WWC we win the Olympic Gold medal. Anyone want to go to London next year?)

Lisa and Me

Izzy, Sarah, Tim, Anna, Me, Amy

When we got back to the house the older girls agreed to help me do my rehab. We had to improvise on some of the items, which just made it more entertaining. For the warm up we went for a walk with me pushing Izzy in the stroller. That wasn't a bad way to warm up. Then we headed back to the house to see what I could figure out. Sarah caught on quickly to most of the items on my list, Anna worked hard to figure them out. For ladder work they had a twister game that used rings instead of the plastic sheet. We set the rings up in a ladder style and did it that way. We also all got out a jump rope and worked on my jumping. Sarah kept cheering me on. I wish I could have brought her back to cheer me on during the function test. We finished up by using the steps on their shed to do our step ups. I wish I had as much energy as them.

Before bed time we had to go catch fireflies since I don't have those in Utah. We weren't having much luck for awhile but eventually we caught a couple. Before bed the girls wanted to know how early they could get me up since Amy and I were leaving for Atlantic City in the morning. I finally agreed to 7:30am. They actually set their alarm.

Monday morning was the first time I actually heard the kids coming to wake me. I looked at the clock and it wasn't 7:30 so I told them they were early. They swore their clock said it was time. I told them I didn't care it wasn't time yet. So Sarah laid down on the floor next to me and Anna sat at the end of the couch. Eventually though I had Anna laying on top of me and Sarah on the couch right next to me. They are definitely getting too big for that. But it was nice to spend some time with them before I left. I can't wait for my next trip to visit them. (Although, I'd be thrilled to have them visit me so I could show them the west.)

To be continued...

And then it ended

It took me some time to recover from my trip so that I could write this last post. But I need to conclude before moving on to the next adventure.

My last morning in Oslo was an early start. We needed time to make sure we could pick up Lefse before we headed to the airport. It turns out that the box of Lefse to make up for the moldy package was left at the grocery store just down the hill from where Hanne lives. So that made for an easy stop. When she came out with the box it had a lot of Lefse in it. I decided to put in what I could and leave the rest for Hanne and Bjornar to enjoy, although Hanne kept telling me to take more. I'm sure when security checked my bag they were surprised to find frozen homemade Lefse from Bernie's mom, frozen Lefse that was packaged similar to getting a pop tart and then the non-frozen packages. I definitely had plenty of options for Carolyn and her family to try when I got home.

I was sad to say good bye to Hanne at the airport. I also realized that we had never gotten a photo together. So I asked a nice man inside the terminal to help us out.

Hanne and Me

Getting checked in and through customs went well. I still had some Norwegian money to spend before I left so I headed for the duty free shops. You cannot go wrong buying chocolate and postcards. By the time I was done I only had their equivalent of 50 cents left. Not bad. While I was in the Duty free shop I ran into Jenny Holden that used to be a co-worker and is now the Executive Director for Women's Ski Jumping USA. We discovered that we were on the same flight to Amsterdam so I said I'd watch for her at the gate. I was early enough to get a couple of seats near our gate. Turns out the chairs in Oslo are some of the most comfortable I have ever found in an airport. Jenny joined me a bit later and we caught up on things. At one point we realized that they might have moved our gate. I went to check and sure enough we had moved down a couple gates. So we moved down and found a new place to sit. Then the flight was delayed due to the weather. First it wasn't going to be until 11am instead of 10am. Then it was going to be at 10:30am but switched gates again. This time the gate was across from us so we just stayed where we were. Who would have thought that getting a flight out of Oslo could be such an adventure? The one thing Jenny and I never checked was where our seats were on the plane. So imagine our surprise when we ended up next to each other.

We made it to Amsterdam in time for our connecting flights but were rushing a little. I was determined to pick up tulips and alcohol before I departed. Jenny stopped with me for the tulips. And since we knew we wouldn't make it through customs with the real ones we bought wooden tulips which are just as pretty. That is where Jenny and I parted ways since she was headed for Boston and I was going through JFK. I made my stop for alcohol and then made it to my gate in time to sit and wait. Love that part of traveling. At least I had my kindle and a good book that I was finishing.

I have to say that now that I have done Minneapolis to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to JFK, I prefer the first option. The plane was bigger with more room on the first flight. The JFK flight was three on each side with four seats in the middle and completely full. I was unfortunately unable to get switched to an aisle and ended up in the middle. On the bright side I was sitting between two very nice women. One was from Holland and has her own jewelry store. The other was an American who is in the Peace Corp in Macedonia. She was headed to New York to celebrate her daughter's 30th birthday. I think I have a new plan for my retirement years now that I have heard her stories. I will also be adding Macedonia to my list of places to visit.

It is a lot harder to get through customs in our country than it is in Europe. That isn't to say that I had any trouble. But I did not have to fill out a form that just seems to try to trip you up when I reached Europe. Fortunately I made it through and was able to recheck my bag fairly quickly. Then came the confusion. I was so jet lagged that I allowed myself to get on the train between terminals without knowing where I needed to be. Once I was on I realized I needed terminal 2/3 and was headed toward 5. So I got off and took the next train back the other direction. Then it turns out the terminal I walked into was 2 and needed 3. I had the option of walking outside and down the hill to terminal 3 or I could go through security and then over. Since option two had moving walk ways I went that route. I was already tired of carrying my backpack and walking through airports with a knee brace on. It might not have been the quickest way since they had 2 lines for security and a lot of people, but I made it. My only mistake was not picking up dinner at Wendy's sooner. By the time I got around to it the line was too long. I ended up taking a bagel and apple juice on my flight. The JFK to SLC flight is almost as long as the Amsterdam to JFK flight. This time I ended up next to the window with two big guys between me and the aisle who both fell asleep. It was a LONG flight home. And I was trying not to completely fall asleep so that I would sleep when I got there. The one thing that kept me up was the inflight tv. I watched the Daily Show to stay awake.

The last adventure in getting home involved a ride from the airport to the apartment. I had tried to get mom to help me find shuttle info while I was still in New York. Unfortunately it was not working out. I had texted TJ about what he usually did and he said the taxi's were $25. So I knew I had one option. When I got to the airport there was an Express shuttle and it would have only cost me $16. Sadly it turns out that there is a zoning rule for my area that says they can't take me there unless I have a prior reservation. So that meant I had to take the taxi. Eventually I made it home but was too awake to sleep so I unpacked. The joys of traveling.

It turns out that after I left Oslo the weather did improve. In fact they had a sunny weekend. No reports of Northern Lights though. The USA finished strong but off the podium the rest of the weekend. The women finished 9th in the 4x5km Mixed Technique relay, while the men finished 14th in the 4x10km Mixed Technique relay. Then Liz Stephen had a personal best with a 16th place finish in the 30km Freestyle race, followed by Kikkan Randall in 18th, Morgan Arritola in 21st and Holly Brooks in 25th. So happy for Liz! (I still think my biggest regret of the trip is going to be missing the chance to see Liz race. Guess that just means I'll have to find another trip so I can see her in the future.) They say there were 125,000 people along the course for the Men's 50km Freestyle race to finish out the competition. For the USA my rookie Noah Hoffman led the way finishing 30th, followed by Lars Flora in 39th, Tad Elliot in 40th and Billy Demong in 51st. Not sure why Billy raced rather than Kris Freeman. On the Nordic Combined side the guys finished 6th in the last team event on Friday. I should have stayed, you could actually see the jumping that day.

Congratulations to all the USA Nordic Athletes! I am so glad I had the opportunity to attend such an amazing event and cheer them all on. I hope they all had a good time as well.


Here is a great article on Billy Demong.

http://skiing.teamusa.org/news/2011/03/07/demong-back-in-action/41270?ngb_id=3

Great video by Andy Newell:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjf_QcYvfKI

Now it is time to start planning the next adventure. I have to be good for awhile, but looking forward to an East Coast trip this summer with my Southwest Airlines reward flight.

Last Day in Oslo

First thing when I woke up this morning I opened the shade and said, "Oh crap." Turns out my last day of events in Oslo was going to be a foggy one. I kept praying that it would blow over but no luck. Despite the weather I hurried to get ready and down to the bus since I wanted to pick up the World Championship stamps on my way in. When I got to downtown I ran over to the post office which happened to be next to McDonald's. Those directions from Hanne made it easy to find. (About to finish my first trip to a foreign country outside of North America without eating ANY McDonald's. Very excited about this fact.) After picking up the stands I headed to Holmenkollen. I got a text from Bjornar on the way asking what I could see. I told him I wasn't there yet but wasn't hopeful. I was right. I never even bothered going to my ticket area, and fortunately nobody asked to see my ticket.

When I got to the top of the hill I decided to stop in the sponsor area to use the bathroom. Turns out that they weren't being real picky about tickets in that area along the side of the big jump. So I found a spot with a view of the finish area and the video board. After awhile I realized that Tara was down below near the edge of the stands so I headed down there. It also put me in a position to actually see the guys as they came up after their jump. To watch the jump today you listened for the bell that indicated they were on the jump. Then you heard the slap of their skis hitting the ground and then finally you saw them ski up to the finish. Even when the fog thinned enough to see the red lines near the landing area you still didn't see the guys. I figured if I wasn't going to see the jump I could at least see them and cheer loudly. I think Todd is the only one that heard me as he came up the steps because he turned around, smiled and pointed in my direction. And I knew I wasn't reading the start list last night, but I didn't see Bryan so I thought maybe Nick was competing. But it was Bryan, Taylor, Todd, Johnny and Billy today.

Todd after his jump

The view at the jump today

Since I had opted to "watch" the jumping it was too late to get a good spot along the course for Cross Country. And that sport is so popular with the Norwegians I knew I couldn't fake my way into the stadium to see anything. So I headed into the cafe to warm up and watch on the tvs in there. I found a spot out of the way and settled in. I considered going out and finding a spot if the U.S. teams made the finals. But everytime I looked out the window behind me I couldn't even see the jump arena that was 20 feet away. So while I was thrilled that Kikkan, Sadie, Andy and Torin made the finals, I stayed put to watch it on tv. In the end our girls finished 9th and our boys were 10th.

My Cross Country view

When the cross country sprints ended I decided it was time to go back outside and find a spot to watch the Nordic Combined race. The amount of people leaving now that XC was over was amazing. So I decided to press my luck and see if I could get into the stadium area. I got over in that area with no problem and considered my options. The view wasn't much better than I would get in one of the standing areas and you couldn't see the video board to help. I had decided maybe I'd go back to my usual spot when I found the rest of the Americans. They told me to join them. I debated with Fred the pros and cons but decided in the end it would be more fun as part of a group cheering. The group included Penny, Fred, Todd's wife Sunni Lodwick and some of the Lodwick friends. We were situated right on the stretch when they came back into the stadium on each loop and the run into the finish line. Todd was starting in 12th position a bit over a minute behind the leader. Billy was in 20th, Johnny in 36th, Bryan in 41st and Taylor in 50th. We had high hopes for Todd and Billy to move up. And with each lap they got closer, but they needed a bit more time to catch the leaders. In the end Todd was 5th and Billy was 6th. Which did get them on the stage at the medal ceremony and a handblown Norwegian glass as a prize.

Todd coming into the finish

Billy finishing

After the race we moved toward the end so we could watch the flower ceremony. We were in a good position to yell to our athletes as they walked by. Some smiled and kept going, but others stopped to chat. We waited and waited but never did see Todd. I heard later that he had gone to a spot his fan club had previously used thinking they would be there. We all finally gave up and headed down the hill to catch a train into town. Grant fed us cheese while we were riding back to town. I have to recommend the Norvega white cheese. Still not a fan of the brown cheese over here, just too sweet. (Although it was better to eat on a waffle.) And so ended my Oslo 2011 World Championships.

Me and the Lodwick fan club



Penny & Fred

Me & Billy Demong

I headed for home and dinner with Hanne and Bjornar. Which was delicious!!! My compliments to the chef. We watched the medal ceremony on tv, and just for kicks I took pictures. I'm pretty sure if I had gone I wouldn't have done so well since I'm so short. I tried it the other night with bad results. So at least this way I got to actually see our guys receiving their prizes. I was also throwing things in my suitcases and trying to get organized. One of the requests I had was for Lefse from Carolyn. I bought a pack last night that did not have to be refrigerated. When we were paying Hanne noticed that it was moldy so she went and got a different pack. Tonight I looked and the package I had was moldy. Bjornar wrote an email to the company and the CEO called him. We are getting some replacement items in the morning on our way to the airport courtesy of the CEO. Impressive! I thought that Hanne and Bjornar might get a voucher or coupon, I never expected them to call. So hopefully I make it home with some fresh Lefse for Carolyn to try.

The picture of the boots below are the ones I borrowed from Hanne after I soaked mine twice. I am not going to mention what they are made of, but they are cute and warm. One of the girls that works for the Ambassador said she has a pair but will only wear them in Norway. She is afraid that if she wears them at home she'll get hit. I doubt I could afford a pair, but if I could I'd consider it.

Hanne's boots that I borrowed

My trip to Oslo ends in the morning. I had a fabulous time and cannot wait to come back and see this country in the summer. I hope also that someday I will have the opportunity to spoil Hanne and Bjornar in my country. They made this trip the most amazing experience ever. I couldn't have done it without them. Thanks so much! We are pretty sure now that I am heading home that our cross country athletes will podium and our nordic combined team will probably take gold on Friday. There will also be a display of Northern Lights as far south as Oslo. I told them they couldn't tell me if they saw the Northern Lights. The rest I hope actually happens. Tomorrow I'll be cheering in spirit for our women's relay team of Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks. GO USA!!!

Random thoughts and Men's 15km Classic XC

I was so tired last night when I had to rewrite the post that I missed a couple things. So I'm going to start with random thoughts and stories. Then go into today's events.

At the reception last night Ambassador White said a few things and then invited Kikkan Randall to come up and talk. He made a joke about hearing that she had trouble with a Norwegian snake in her sprint race, but that in this country it was more likely a troll. Her comeback was that the snake was trying to trip up the Swedish athlete but missed and got Kikkan. It is nice to see that she can joke about it.

I really, really hope that this link works for everyone. It took a moment for it to load the page when I tried it. Move the video ahead to the 2:38 mark and watch from there until 6:05. If it doesn't work someone let me know so we can keep looking for a link. http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/253019/ This is the official dance of World Championships. They have everyone do it during stops in competition and at the medal ceremony each night. I knew that I knew the song, but it was three days before someone helped me come up with the fact that it was Everybody Dance Now. Since they put it into Norwegian it threw me but I'd had C&C Music Factory in mind.

Last year the team suits were red. Since everyone is red they opted to switch to black. It appears that everyone who used to be red decided to do that except Norway. So I have to thank Sprint and Nature Valley for their sponsor patches that stand out enough to pick the USA black suits out of the crowd. I always know when it is one of our athletes thanks to those yellow patches. Today I was wasting time before the event started. I realized that besides what I was wearing (courtesy of Farra) I was also a walking sponsor ad. So I put it all together for the picture below. Do I know how to support the cause or what? And you have to love that Snowboarding's logo ended up at Nordic Worlds. I'm guessing Ski team did not end up at Snowboarding Worlds.

High Sierra bag (ignore the SB logo), Sprint on the lanyard, Visa on the credential holder, Dermatone chapstick on the bag, Delta blanket.

I think for today a lot of people played hooky from work. It seemed a lot more crowded at the train station compared to yesterday. But not horrible. I headed up early on the off chance I would get to see Liz or the other girls while the course was open. I was glad when I saw the crowds to get a head start, but it turns out I didn't need it. Since I was making good time I decided to stop in the merchandise tent to see if there were any last minute things I needed to pick up. I have to admit, I really wanted the mascots, but they only come in one size and I was having trouble figuring out how I would pack them. So I picked up something smaller with the mascots on it instead. Then I headed up the hill to the W section and the spot I had found the previous day. Sadie had assured me last night that not only were the guys going past that spot for their course, but would actually go by twice when they added a 5km loop since they were doing 15km instead of 10km. I had barely gotten to my spot when I saw someone in a USA suit go by. Since I didn't have my glasses on yet I just yelled, "Go USA!". The person stopped and turned around so I waved. Turns out it was Billy Demong. He said he wondered when he would see me. Guess the other days were too foggy for him to tell. We chatted for a couple of minutes and I congratulated him on the new addition to his family before he skied off. I never did see any of the girls, but Noah, Simi, Lars and Kris all skied by with some of the coaches at different times. They all smiled or waved when I yelled good luck. Noah laughed and said thanks. I told his family I would fill in being loud and cheering for him today. They went skiing in Lillehammer.

Simi Hamilton

Noah Hoffman



Lars Flora


Kris Freeman

Since I had plenty of time I enjoyed some people watching and got to know the Swedish couple next to me. I had just cheered on one of our guys in the warm up saying good luck when the man said they would need it. Fortunately, he was teasing me. It turns out they had flown over the night before and were just here for today's event. They are big fans of the Swedish athletes. We agreed that we would cheer for each other's countries and also the Australians. We also helped each other out by taking each other's picture or watching our stuff so we could go to the bathroom or to get food. It is nice to make friends when traveling alone so I don't have to carry everything with me once I've found a spot. They were quite popular since they had printed a start list, which of course everyone wanted to see. I had written down the start #'s for our guys, so I only needed to check their list once. Eventually the race started and the cheering began. It was great having them go by us twice. More opportunities to take pictures and cheer them on. Toward the end of the race I was waiting for Kris to make his second pass by us when Paul that I met yesterday, walked up to the couple next to me and asked to see the start list they had. I told him a reporter should have his own. So he came over and stood with me for the last few athletes. We were both laughing that it is easy to pick out Kris even if you haven't met him because his sponsor is Eli Lilly and no one else has that one. As soon as the last guy went by I headed out. I was pretty sure that none of our guys were on the podium. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that Kris was 24th, Noah 30th!!! Lars was 39th and Simi finished 51st. I am so happy for Noah.

Me with the Normal Hill Jump behind

The walk down the hill went quickly, but the train platform was a bit crowded. This was actually a good day though.

Train station crowd

I was home by 4pm though so that is a good day. Now I'm trying to get organized with packing since tomorrow is going to be a long day of Nordic Combined and Cross Country Relays. Hanne and I are going to go shopping for Trinity this evening too. And after yesterday I'm thinking an early night to bed is sounding really good. For the relays, the women are team #12 with Kikkan Randall and Sadie Bjornsen. On the men's side we are team #17 with Torin Koos and Andy Newell. If I am reading the FIS list correctly it looks like for Nordic Combined we will have Nick Hendrickson competing instead of Bryan Fletcher. And then of course there is Billy Demong, Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and Taylor Fletcher. GO USA!

There is a Ski Jump!

I discovered today that there really is a jump at Midtstuen. I had been led to believe this might be the case but had not actually seen the ski jump on two previous visits. It really just looked like they were having the athletes glide out of the fog and calling it a jump. But it turns out it really is there.

Today's schedule included Nordic Combined team event and Women's Cross Country 10km Classic race. I decided to not take any chances on traffic and trains so I headed up early. I caught the Holmenkollen express which was serious. So when I got to Holmenkollen I walked over to the other platform and caught a train back two stops to Midtstuen. I could have hiked up and then down to Midtstuen, but I knew later I'd be hiking up and wanted to give my knee a break. I was inside and finding a spot on the railing by 9:30am. The trial jumps didn't start until 10:30am. It was me and the parents. I saw Johnny Spillane stretching so I yelled Good Luck across the jump and he waved. Then I spread out my blanket on the rail between the French and the Japanese parents. I tried to look big until some more Americans could show up and help me save the space. Eventually we had all the family members that I had heard were in Oslo standing with us. When Nancy and Chris showed up we swapped out my blanket for their flags. It was a perfect position. We had a good view of the jump, the video board and were close enough to yell to the boys after they jumped. All of them waved in our direction after they saw their score. I watched the trial jumps of all four of our guys, and then the official jumps for Johnny Spillane, Billy Demong and Bryan Fletcher. I bailed before Todd so I could get up to the Cross Country race in time. I did not want to miss the women again.

Things are nicer without the fog but the hike from Midtstuen to Holmenkollen is still rough and uphill. It was interesting to see how things were positioned now that we could see. The top of the jump and the Holmenkollen Chapel are actually very close to each other, we just couldn't see that before. I made it up in pretty good time since I left before the guys finished. There was still traffic heading up, but not too bad this time. When I got to the top I found a new direction to walk to the W section which was a lot easier than last time. I wandered around until I found a good spot that gave me a nice view. I was on the back side away from the stadium but I could see the girls coming and it was uphill. I had never seen a classic 10km so I asked someone how it worked. The girls start individually every 30 seconds. By the time they got to us (around the 8km) mark the #'s were mixed up and sometimes you got 2 or 3 athletes at a time. I took the start #'s for our girls with me so I could cheer them. Ida Sargent finished 51st, Kikkan Randall was 32nd, Sadie Bjorsen was 29th and Holly Brooks was 27th.

After the last woman went by our position people started wandering toward the stadium side of the section. As I walked slowly that way the crowd started to get excited and then went nuts. I realized that the announcer must have been telling them that Marit Bjoergen had won her third medal for Norway. Seriously, that girl needs a platinum coat instead of just a gold one. And then the most amazing thing happened. The fully packed crowd in the stands and the woods left. I have never seen a packed women's event thin out before the men's event. Norway was even in medal contention for the NC relay. It was unreal. But as I joked, the XC Ski goddess of Norway had departed and so did the crowd. I told Hanne that the one good side to Norway wins is that I didn't need translation to figure it out. The crowd is a dead give away.

Kikkan Randall

My new spot for the NC relay was only about 20 feet from where I stood on Saturday. Turns out we had a prime location, we just did not realize it with the fog. I could see a good chunk of the stadium area, a downhill section, a bridge and two straight aways in front of me, with an uphill just past. I yelled good luck and/or good job to Kikkan on her warm down and the Fletcher brothers, Johnny and Todd on their warm ups. Usually I got a smile or wave, but Todd actually stopped for a moment trying to figure out where it had come from and then smiled when he found me. Our guys had jumped their way in to the 5th position. I had high hopes until sometime during the third leg that we might climb higher. They pulled themselves into a very solid 4th place. Since every medal ceremony I had seen included 1st-6th place finishers I figured that at least got our guys on the stage.

Billy Demong

Bryan Fletcher

I heard one other American voice cheering on our guys in my area. I looked around and met Paul, who is working for Cross Country Ski Magazine over here. He had just flown in today and come straight up to the races. We ended up chatting on the way down to the train after the race. Today was actually an easy walk out and straight onto a train. I think I enjoy week day events the best.

Big jump at Holmenkollen

(I liked how it trails into the clouds)

It seemed easier to just go downtown rather than heading home in between. So I went souvenir shopping and then wandered past the City Hall and over to the water. I passed the Nobel Peace building. And then went into City Hall which is a pretty impressive place. After that I decided it might be smart to head to the stage area so I could get a spot. It was really early but I knew with Marit winning a medal it would get busy. Turns out my good spot was not so good once everyone filled in. But on my tip toes I could see Marit and the other athletes a little. But then the teams came out for the NC team event and only 1st-3rd came out. No USA team. Which also meant I had missed an opportunity to get a ride to the reception at the Ambassador's residence. As soon as I realized that I squirmed my way out of the crowd and called Hanne. And once again she rescued me. She got me to the right place to grab a bus. Then texted me the stop I wanted so I could see the spelling. Once I got there I called her and she directed me to the residence. She kept saying that maps weren't her strength but she got me exactly where I needed to be. I walked up just as the end of the team line was going through the gate check point. Someone asked where I had been and I said I didn't realize that 4th-6th wouldn't be honored so I'd been at the medal ceremony. One of the coaches, Gilbo, said they had just recently found that out too. So I guess I just missed the memo.

The US Ambassador's residence in Oslo is Villa Otium. It is a beautiful place and cost $125,000 in 1920 something. It was so expensive at that time it took an act of Congress to purchase. Ambassador White and his wife greeted the team. It was a wonderful evening and I was happy to have the opportunity to catch up with some of the team. I was especially thrilled to see Liz Stephen until I discovered that by missing the race the other day I missed my only chance to see her compete while I'm here. She seemed happy just to see me in Oslo, but I'm disappointed I missed cheering her on. Kikkan introduced me to her husband who is Canadian, works for the Australians and is married to an American. Sounds like fun. She said that the Aussie athletes took headshots that mimic those of the Norwegians on this huge semi trailor. Then they printed them and stuck them on their little van before parking it next to the Norwegian trailor. I hope I get to see pictures of that. I said I had wanted to take a photo of the big trailor so I could show our suppliers what opportunities they were missing with our team. That and I think we need gold jackets for when our athletes win big things. Liz also took me around and introduced me to the athletes who made World Championships but weren't on the U.S. National team. So tonight I met Tad Elliot, Jessie Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen and Holly Brooks. Hopefully some of them will end up in Rookie Camp with me this summer. It was great to see faces since I'd been cheering for them all week. It is hard to tell what someone looks like through sunglasses and earbands/hats.

I expected to just catch the bus home but Farra insisted I go with them until they dropped a group off at Majorstuen. Since I can catch one of the busses I need there I went with it. I discovered that DJ did get the bag of socks but did not realize the paper in there was a note. I told him it just said he owed me a drink for delivering them. He promised me one back in America. I'm holding him to that. One last hug for Liz wishing her good luck and I headed home.

Tad, Jessie, Me, Liz, Kikkan

Stephanie, Kikkan, Jessie, Sadie, Holly, Liz

Liz, Ambassador White, Me

It was an extremely long day. (Not helped by the fact I had to write this twice since the first time disappeared.) Tomorrow's schedule includes the Men's Cross Country 15km Classic race. Plan on cheering for Simi Hamilton (one of my rookies), Noah Hoffman (one of my rookies), Lars Flora and Kris Freeman. I plan on one of these guys pulling off an upset and making the podium. I'd really like to attend a medal ceremony with someone from our team actually there. Go USA!

Men's XC 30km Pursuit

After yesterday's adventures this morning was a bit of a slow start. Fortunately they had the transportation fiasco from yesterday cleaned up (after numerous apologies) so I didn't have to start out too early. The sun was out when I left this morning. My first glimpse of blue sky since I arrived. Hanne was kind enough to drive me into town so I could try the train. Since none of the trains actually say Holmenkollen I asked a young lady standing next to me. She promised to point out the right one when it came through. It turns out it was not hard to figure it out since it was already packed. We turned around and walked out of the station and got on the bus outside. The downside to the bus was the fact that it was only going to the path to the lower jumps, not all the way up to Holmenkollen which is where I needed to be for the XC race. On the way up the road though my brain kicked in. I realized that a short way up the path was the train station so I could see about sliding on when a train came through. This turned out to be a good idea. The first train was too full but the second had plenty of space for a few of us to jump on.

Once I got off at the Holmenkollen station it was a slow climb up the hill to the competition area. Along the way I enjoyed the people watching. Part way up I realized the people in front of me were speaking english and one member of the group had the same warm up jacket on that I did. Since I am in the home country of Bjorn Daehlie I can not assume much from the jacket. While most Norwegians that I have come in contact with speak english, they don't tend to do so until you ask them a question in english. I asked the man next to me if they were from America. He said yes and as his wife turned toward me I realized she had a U.S. Ski team logo on her headband. I asked if by any chance they were Noah Hoffman's parents. Turns out they were. I guess they could have been any American fan or parent, but I knew that the Hoffmans were in town since Penny and Fred had asked me if I had seen them. Before today I had never even met them. I just knew Noah from Rookie Camp. Our ticket sections were right next to each other so we hiked up the hill trying to figure out where to stand so we could actually see some of the course. Eventually we reached their area which was somewhat better than my area so they had me slid in with them. The area was like a bleachers only it was for standing instead of sitting. We were directly lined up with the big jump, which you could actually see. This put us somewhat off to the side of the Cross Country stadium and course.

The big jump

Holmenkollen Chapel with sun on it.

It was hard to tell how much we were going to see. There was a video screen down by the jump so we had that option. The binoculars helped make the screen easier to read. Luck was on our side and we saw more than we could have hoped for. So in the pursuit they do 15km of classic skiing and 15km of freestyle skiing (or skate). The classic route had three laps but the only time we saw them was when they came through the stadium. During this portion of the race Noah and Kris Freeman were in the pack of top 30 racers. The announcers said Noah's name a couple times during the race. Once they mentioned that he was a surprise addition to that group. We all cheered and those around us turned to look. The skate skiing had many more sections that were within site of the stadium. We could see them go through, across and out of the stadium, behind, up a hill and across a bridge. So during those laps we had more opportunities to pick out our guys. Although after awhile we did lose track of Tad and Lars. Kris stuck with the first pack most of the race and Noah lost a bit of ground but was in a follow up group. Toward the end Kris fell off the back but stayed in position for 30th. In the final run into the stadium he kicked into gear and finished 29th. Noah finished 27th for the day which was great for him. In the end Lars finished 53rd and Tad was 55th.

Kris Freeman in the black (between the red athletes)

Noah Hoffman

Skier from Kenya

(He has been around since the mid-1990's. This is his last.)

We realized early on that our guys were probably not going to be on the podium, so we were very excited while the Canadian athlete was leading the race, even if they did take one of our coaches. Sadly, it was not meant to be. In the last lap the Norwegian skier over took him and controled the end of the race. You should have seen the crowd when the announcer started going crazy with that news. I have absolutely no idea what he was saying but you didn't have to. You knew that Norway had the lead based on the fans. The excitement was huge, the flags were waving and the cheers never stopped. I kept joking that I was going to the Super Bowl for Nordic. That is seriously what it felt like to be in the midst of all those Norwegians when their athlete took the win in today's race. Hanne had warned me that this would be a big day for them and they would all be out in full force. I do not think you can imagine what this was like without experiencing it someday for yourself. If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. No one in America would believe that all that excitement and cheering was for a Cross Country ski race. It was an amazing day.

Afterward we slowly made our way toward an exit (you always hope anyway). Noah called his family and asked them to meet him in front of the Chapel. We had to laugh because that meant going against the tide of traffic for them, but he could ski over. They asked if I wanted to come but I was going to meet up with Hanne and Bjornar so I said to tell Noah congrats for me. I pointed them in the right direction and headed downhill. On the way I had to stop and see the sponsor tents. One of these days I need to go into the merchandise tent up there (just have to check my account first). I made pretty decent time down the hill until I hit the wall right above the train station. You could tell when a train came in because we would move a few feet forward. I texted Hanne to let her know that I would update her when I got on a train. It took some time, but once we reached the ramp it went surprisingly quick. They did a much better job today getting us out of there. But they also had jumping in the afternoon and you needed a separate ticket so they needed us gone.

When I reached downtown Hanne and Bjornar were waiting for me. They took me over to Vigeland Park. It is a beautiful area with some amazing sculptures. Everyone who has been to Oslo has been recommending it. I loved everything. It is hard to believe that the big sculpture is one piece of stone. The detail is unbelievable. They kept telling me how nice it is during the summer. But I really enjoyed it in the snow. We walked from one side, around the center point and down the main walk with the line of statues, including the angry child which is famous, and stolen often. I kept asking questions that they did not have answers to. Although we did find out that the building I was asking about was Frogner Manor and was from 1790. We went into the Vigeland Cafe to see if they had postcards. Not only did they have postcards but they had Holmenkollen postcards that say Oslo 2011 Nordic World Championships. I stocked up. But they cost 190 kroner which comes out to each postcard being about $2 each, so guess what everyone is getting as a souvenir?! I was assured that this is the cheapest cost I was going to find for postcards, and they are perfect, so I went with it. If you get one plan on treasuring it.

From there we tried to go to the Viking museum but it was closed. Instead we drove out to Bygdoy area which also has some museums that were closed. We were still able to walk around though and see some boats and the water. At least I'm sure it is a beautiful water area when it is not ice. It was actually kind of cool. On the way back we stopped so I could take a picture of the royal barns with the former king's symbol on them. I also enjoyed the drive back among some of the older areas that were really beautiful. Hanne had run into a bakery real quick and picked up some bread and Bolle which is a sweet roll with raisins. Delicious! It was a nice afternoon in Oslo.

Tonight for dinner I got to try their version of hotdogs. These were special ones named Kollen after Homenkollen. So I had hotdogs that were world championship dogs. And instead of buns we ate them on lefse which was yummy. When we are ready for dessert we are going to try my derby pie. Lets hope it tastes better than it looks. Hanne just said it looks like an earthquake. I was a bit nervous while cutting it, but it tastes good. Phew.

I have to admit that I'm glad I went to Freestyle World Championships before I came to Oslo. The difference between the two is night and day. Someone told me that going to Nordic Worlds would be as big as the Olympics. They were not kidding. Besides the crowds you can see the comparison in the medal ceremonies. There is a huge, beautiful stage downtown with a podium that looks like ice (it might actually be ice). The top six finishers come out, although only the top 3 are on the podium. But all six athletes receive what looks like a crystal or glass trophy cup. I hope one of our athletes wins so I can find out what it is. Each night includes concerts and victory celebrations. Members of the royal family have shown up at the flower ceremonies and the medal ceremonies. It is all done on a very grand scale. The best part is that when a member of the Norway team wins a gold they get a gold coat. I can just see Spyder doing that down the road for Lindsey. Overall it has been an amazing experience. I'm really glad that I took the suggestion from Billy to come to Nordic World Championships in Norway.

Tomorrow is the Nordic Combined small hill team event and Women's Cross Country 10km Classic. Our NC team is going to be made up of Billy Demong, Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and Bryan Fletcher. For the women's 10km it will be Ida Sargent, Sadie Bjornsen, Holly Brooks and Kikkan Randall. Since I missed the women's race while hiking up from jumping the other day I think I will head up early this time. Might have to skip Todd's jump. Shh, don't tell on me. GO USA!