Olympic Park

Since the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake in 2002 (which I was able to work for NBC in their IT group for this, which was very fun), the Olympic Park here is one of the few Olympic venues that is still in operation and making money.  Most just sit and rot.  The US Ski Team practices here, both in the winter and summer for ski jumping.  In the summer, as you will see, the skiers practice their jumps by jumping into a pool - skis and all!

There are activities that the public can do, including zip lines - one of which is one of the steepest zip lines in the world, also travelling at about 50 mph which is the same speed an Olympic ski jumper travels,  tubing down the actual ski jumps, at 50 mph which was a little nerve racking, but fun, and even riding the bobsleds on the actual bobsled track.  When a groupon popped up for the activities, we jumped on it!  It included everything except the bobsled - which will run you $65 for two runs!

We went before it got too cold, and everyone else had the same idea as we did. It was so crowded! We did have a lot of fun though and spent the whole day there!  We wanted to do several things more than once, but the lines were so long and it was hot!

It was game day, with BYU playing Utah, and we drove by this HUGE flag next the freeway!

It's the biggest flag we've ever seen! It was SOOOOO big!

The leaves were just starting to change

You can also pay to try the ski jumping

Video:

Our first look at the ski jumping hills

The make you go on the "smaller" one first, on the left, then you can go on the one on the right

Getting ready to go down

Whee!!!!   Mine turned backwards from the very start, and I didn't like going backwards!

Video from Marissa:

Riding the lift up to the zip and alpine slide

It looks pretty barren without all the snow

Jacob and Hannah getting ready to go down on the zip line. It runs two at a time




Video from Matt:

Alpine Slide run - it actually was very fun!  We really liked this one

Super big and difficult obstacle course

There were several bobsled runs - it's LOUD!

Patsy's Mine

This hike has been on our radar for some time, but it's in Farmington, right above Lagoon Amusement Park, and with it being farther away, it took some planning.  We combined this hike with Gilgal Gardens as it was on the way, so that made it seem like it was worth the drive - 2-4-1 activities!

The history of Patsy's Mine is very clouded and not much is known.

Patsy Marley was from Ireland and was a prizefighter boxer there and suddenly ended up in Farmington, Utah.  He was convinced there was silver, gold and copper and other precious metals in the mountain due to the silvered color rock in the area. Sometime in 1904 he made a claim on the land.  It is not known when he started the mine, but it's estimated he worked on it for  about 20 years.  He lived in a small house in Farmington and made the trek up to the mine daily, and sometimes made camp just above the mine.  When he finally gave up, having found nothing, he left the town as quickly and unknown as when he arrived.  Nobody knows exactly when he left or where he went.  The mine goes back about 150-200 feet or so, and only branches off once with a very short arm.  No way to get lost in there, it's short and pretty straight back. It's about 20 degrees cooler and dark in the back. You will need flashlights or headlamps which is what we brought.

It's just under a mile to the mine from the trailhead, climbing about 500 feet in elevation.  Hike another 1/2 mile and you come to "Flag Rock", and climb another 500 feet in elevation.  Flag Rock can be seen from all around Farmington and the American Flag was placed there just after 9/11.  The height of the rock it was placed on, is about the same height of the twin towers, from the valley floor to the rock - it's quite high!

Our whole group (Us, Megan & Corey, Matt & Marissa) went to the mine, but only Jacob and Corey went on up to Flag Rock.

One of the few known photos of Patsy

On the way up

Flag Rock at the top

We stopped to find some geocaches and Matt made the find!  Actually three or four finds!

Heading into the mine - it's tall in most places you can stand up fully

Now you see why it took him up to 20 years!  This is a lot of work!

They made it to Flag Rock!

Gilgal Garden

He have wanted to visit Gilgal Gardens for some time, but just never did.  It's a short activity - maybe 15-30 mins, so we just hadn't gone to Salt Lake City just for that - we wanted to make it part of a larger trip.

Gilgal Gardens in right in the middle of a neighborhood near downtown Salt Lake City.  It's a strange place.  We planned a trip to Patsy's Mine (next blog entry) in Farmington, and thought it would be a perfect time to stop at Gilgal Gardens on the way.

Gilgal Gardens contains 12 original sculptures and over 70 large stones engraved with scriptures, poem, and hymns.   Thomas Child was a strong member of the LDS Church and in 1945 started the gardens when he was 57 years old. He wanted to make a place in his yard to go that would create a sanctuary to shut out fear and provide a place to rest and relax and ponder his beliefs.

He went to great lengths to find huge stones, some weighing up to 62 tons for his sculptures.  He traveled across Utah always looking for the "perfect stone" to add to his garden. He named the gardens Gilgal after the biblical location Joshua ordered the Israelites to place twelve stones as a memorial, and translated, Gilgal means "circle of standing stones.

There are no plaques explaining the sculptures or anything...you just walk around, look and ponder and talk about the abstractness of the sculptures.

Very interesting place for sure!

This one was strange - arms and leg parts and faces all over

Sphinx with the head of Joseph Smith