Gorgoza Park’s Rain, Tubing and Miniature Snowmobiles, Oh My!

April 5, 2012 By

One of the highlights of our visits to Park City is Gorgoza Park’s flood-lit, lift-serviced tubing hill. Though prices aren’t cheap (a two-hour adult ticket is $22), I guarantee it is among the most fun thrill-seeking families can ever have.

Our visit did not start well. Prior to departure, Bode’s ski jacket was MIA and I feared we’d left it at ski school. When Jamie uncovered it hiding in the back bedroom, we were then faced with a new obstacle: it started raining. At a ski resort. You know, where is is supposed to snow.

We comforted ourselves by saying that mean it was likely snowing at the higher elevations (which it didn’t) and went on our merry way.

We were soaked to the core but had our most fun adventure ever. Usually the chutes are icy (read: suicidally fast) but allegedly the rain slowed them down considerably.


I didn’t notice–I was still thoroughly freaked out.

The kids were ecstatic to also try out Gorgoza Park’s miniature snowmobiles for the first time. The oval course is designed for kiddos ages 5-12 and it’s a mere $10 for 10 laps.

Is it just me or do they look hardcore?


Though they ended up tearing around that course at top speeds (which, thanks to the “governor” device the resort installed, they only went a maximum of 10 mph), it was pretty darn hilarious when they started out. I knew there would be hiccups. Though we live in a neighborhood where every other kid has a motorized four-wheeler, we’ve purposely kept our toys human-powered.

Which meant my kiddos looked pretty darn inept the first few laps.

I’d post the video but I shot it sideways.

(Insert apple doesn’t fall far from the tree comment).

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, Utah

How you know your husband really *gets* you

April 5, 2012 By

I repinned this stellar pin on Pinterest and told The Husband:

“I’d dress like this every day if I could.”


After a long pause, he finally said:

“I’ll get you some goggles.”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Grandma Johnson: The High-Flying Adventurer

April 4, 2012 By

If there’s one thing Park City Mountain Resort does well, it’s their off-mountain activities. You don’t need to be a skier to have a blast at Gorgoza Park (their tubing and snowmobiling hill) and PCMR’s base area.

We’re longtime fans of the alpine coaster and we were excited about a new addition this year: the Golden Eagle Zip Line.

Well, all of us except for Hadley who has had a pretty severe aversion to zip lines after doing the KEEN Adventure Race in Vail last summer.

We started out on the alpine coaster. Last year, I blogged about my frustration about being caught behind a slowpoke. Jamie was the one who unleashed on the perpetrator.

This year, it was my turn to go after a woman who not only slowed down but completely stopped every few feet on the tracks (which is not allowed). It took her 20 minutes to get down a run that should have taken a minute, completely shutting down the entire alpine coaster and leaving us stranded at the top. Her actions were not only frustrating but extremely dangerous as Jamie and Bode could have rammed into her going 30 mph.

Lesson learned: you don’t want to mess with us as it pertains to the alpine coaster.

Do you know someone else you don’t want to mess with? Jamie’s mom. She teamed up with Hadley to careen down the alpine slide full-throttle without braking even once.
She probably lived in fear Jamie and I would go off on her if she did otherwise.

But then she and Hadley took the first run on the Flying Eagle Zip Line. As far as zip lines go, this one is pretty tame (as opposed to the world’s steepest I did last summer). However, it’s a perfect introduction for kids and is more like a really fast chairlift with some thrills along the way.

I don’t know too many grandmas who would willingly do something like this but it’s a memory Hadley will always cherish.
The boys had a swell time, too.
Tip: cover your ears like Bode did because the noise at the end is almost deafening.

Or maybe it was just the sound of three Johnson girls screaming with glee.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, travel, Utah

Spring Skiing Park City Mountain Resort

April 3, 2012 By

Spring skiing is a gamble. When we were at Park City Mountain Resort two years ago for Spring Break, we had the best conditions ever–over 30 inches of fresh powder with a 110-inch base.

For the non-skiers of the world, this is the equivalent of giving Jamie a free pass to spend the entire day in his pumpkin patch.

The 2011-2012 season has been a completely different story. Many ski resorts have had their worst snow conditions in 30 years and PCMR was no exception. Though the mountain is still covered in snow (though patchy in places), the surrounding areas are completely devoid of it.

It’s surreal to be on a ski vacation without a lot of white stuff.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this. Though the snow wasn’t the greatest, we still had one of our favorite vacations ever. It also afforded us to the opportunity to have some adventures off the slopes. On Wednesday, Jamie and I played hookey after we dropped the kids off in ski school and hiked to the Park City Hill Summit where a bold “PC” is scribbled across it.

Allegedly. We overshot it completely so never actually saw the symbol.

Our first day skiing at PCMR confirmed what I have long suspected: I absolutely suck at skiing icy conditions. (This is a generous observation).

But then a funny thing happened: it rained. I thought this was be the worst thing that could happen but I was wrong. The moisture actually softened up the snow so our final couple of days were soft, slushy and FUN. I fell in love with spring skiing for the first time.

Though don’t get me wrong: I’d take 30 inches of fresh pow ANYDAY over slush.

Next year?

Tomorrow: Stay tuned for why Jamie’s mom is a pretty darn cool high-flying, adventurous Grandma!!!

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, skiing, Utah

And the first shall be last

April 2, 2012 By

For my column in The Denver Post today, I wrote about our failed Easter egg hunt last year.

Or rather, my parenting fail.

I submitted my article to my editor a few weeks ago and then the media erupted last week with the Easter egg hunt that was canceled in Colorado Springs because of aggressive parents. People everywhere were lashing out against “helicopter parents” (those who hover over and push their kids too much).

My article had “backlash” waiting to happen. I fretted over it a few days before emailing my editor whilst on vacation last week with a revised piece that hopefully would subdue my critics.

So far, no hate mail.

But it’s still early in the day.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: holidays, Humor Tagged With: ,

The Travel Bug

March 28, 2012 By

It would seem between driving to Canada, skiing Loveland, SolVista, Eldora and soon-to-be Park City Mountain Resort, we’ve had a busy winter travel-wise. But honestly, it feels like just the opposite and I have the travel bug. Big time.

I’ve been begging Jamie to go camping in Moab next month. Despite our many backcountry adventures (see a sampling here, here and here), I was mortified when I realized we’ve never taken the kids there.

When I lived in Utah, Southern Utah’s desert was like my second home. Every spring and fall, I yearn to go back back there.

You will note I did not mention summer. During my one and only visit to Moab in July, I dubbed it “The Devil’s Summer Home.”

The heat was no joke.

Speaking of summer, much of ours is already filled between family coming into town for Haddie’s baptism in June (hurray!), adventure camp for the kids at Avid4 Adventure, swim lessons and then Canada. Though I have zero desire to drive to Calgary anytime soon in the winter (see The Day I Thought I Was Going to Die), I’m planning to make the two-day drive alone with the kids in July.

So many people think I’m crazy for doing it and it wouldn’t be possible if my kids weren’t such intrepid travelers. Of course, they’ve had no choice because I’ve dragged them all over tarnation since they were babies. It helps that they are both imaginative and don’t require I entertain them 24/7.

Case in point: When we drove to Calgary at Christmas, they set up tents all around their carseats. At one point, I suspected Hadley was up to something and I noticed she had swiped my eyeliner. Bracing myself for a clown-like makeover, I was amused to discover something quite different.

“What is that on your face?” I queried.
“Whiskers,” she confessed.

I’ll take cat-obsessed over a boy-crazy tween ANY DAY.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family travel, Hadley, Humor

Chess: A Real Love Story Intermingled with the Anti-one

March 24, 2012 By

I don’t remember who gave me the soundtrack to the musical Chess but I’ve been in love with it since my college days. Add music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (formerly of ABBA) to lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita) and you have a winning combination. One Night in Bangkok is probably the most recognizable on the soundtrack.

But I’d never seen it on stage. I’ve Googled it over the years and the only shows were in London so I figured it just wasn’t meant to be.

When I made the loooong pilgrimage to Canada over the break, I dug up that old tape (remember those?) and listened to it almost non-stop. I even voiced to Jamie how I would love to see it someday.

That someday happened within weeks of returning back to Colorado when I heard Chess was coming to the Arvada Center March 23-April 15– a hop, skip and a jump away from my house. What. Are. The Odds?

As a side note, I’d like to point out that for once, the odds were in my favor.

I obviously jumped on it the moment tickets went on sale and last night, Jamie and I attended the preview. Though I had a general idea of the story line (love triangle between an American and Russian at the world chess championship in a Cold War setting), much of it was new to me. Politics, intrigue, affairs, it was all there.

The first act was slower than the second and I can’t say I would have loved it had I not been already enraptured by the music but there I was singing away with the magnificent cast.

Fortunately, I left the dancing to them.


Outside of the theater is an art gallery. If the musical was the anti-love story, then Jamie and I are the anti-connoisseurs of modern art. I don’t discount its worth but I do profess my inability to “get it.”

Thus was the case as we stumbled upon the painting in the background of this picture.

“Merchants of Desire,” Jamie read.

“Hmmmm….” I murmured.

“The funny things is,” he mused, “There is no desire in it.”

And that, my friends, is why we’re so perfect for each other.

In the end, it was like a dream come true to see Chess, though we later joked the ending is like the anti-love story. Spoiler: Nobody ends up happy.

Except, of course, me for finally being able to see it.

==========

I searched around trying to find my favorite duet from Chess: I Know Him So Well. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-AcCOiPtZA&w=560&h=315]

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Even a Prepared Boy Scout Couldn’t Have Anticipated This

March 22, 2012 By

One of the things that stresses me out about skiing is the sheer volume of stuff that is required for it. To combat the morning chaos, I now have a routine where I set out all our items the night before and that has helped us tremendously.

Usually.

We invited Jamie’s brother Chris to Loveland Ski Area with us for his birthday. He arrived early that Saturday morning (never happens) and we had planned to drive to the mountain soon thereafter.

Until Bode’s glove was nowhere to be found and we tore apart the house looking for it.

I was positive I had set it out the night before so its whereabouts was a real head-scratcher. Had Fat Kitty eaten it? Was I officially out of my mind? Bode had lost his back-up pair of gloves and touque the week before so it was a do-or-die situation.

Or rather, a find-it-or-freeze-your-hands-off scenario.

After about 20 minutes of looking, my wise husband investigated Bode closer.

“Bode, what is that?”
“What is what?”
“That lump underneath your ski pants!”

Bode looked down and sure enough, there was a subtle lump near his calf. Sheepishly, he removed his ski pants to discover the MIA glove.

A stellar start to Uncle Chris’ birthday, wouldn’t you agree?

Stay tuned tomorrow for why our Loveland Ski Area adventures were “the best kind of stupid.”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Humor, skiing

The state of affairs

March 15, 2012 By

So, I obviously don’t have a new blog yet.

Poor Jamie is working more than ever and we ran into a problem with the new design. Namely: we can’t figure out how to get the particular WordPress template we chose to work.

A minor problem.

Jamie doesn’t have time to figure it out. My friend Lori graciously came over but couldn’t figure it out, either. For a lot of Jamie’s projects, he outsources to a dude in India so he suggested he send Said Dude my blog information for him to take a look.

But he keeps forgetting. “I can’t do it now,” he says late in the day. “I have to do it in the morning with the time change.” Then he forgets again.

On a related note, Jamie doesn’t even read my blog but he keeps apprised of it through his mom who often calls to bust him for his exploits. Yesterday’s post was a current example.

Me: “Did you send my blog info to India yet?”
Him: (Ignoring me) “Did you write a blog post about me that was mean?”
Me: “Which time?”

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

From Injury-faker to Superstar: How Bode Got His Groove Back at Park City Mountain Resort

March 12, 2012 By

My 5-year-old son Bode has had quite the skiing history during his young life.

Named after skiing legend Bode Miller, we hoped he would show an affinity for the sport. What we got: a roller-coaster ride with several crashes along the way.

When we first put Bode on skis at age 3, he was fearless. Refusing to do the wedge, he carved in and out of his fellow skiers in a crouched tuck position. At age 4, he lost some of his confidence and this year at age 5, a bad experience at the beginning of the season resulted in an aversion to the sport as he faked an injury to get out of ski school.

It wasn’t pretty.

But with our recent four-day vacation to Park City Mountain Resort, I knew his experience on the slopes would make-or-break him.

Signature 3

We received the recommendation to enroll him in Signature 3 Superstars, a ski school program designed for 4-6 year-olds whose skills have moved beyond the standard program as the students are exposed to a significant portion of the mountain.

But upon reviewing the requisite skills that included making consistent side-to-wedge turns, I knew he wasn’t ready. He could barely make it down the hill 10 feet without falling.

So I held him back to the regular Signature 3 Ski School with the distant hope he would be ready by week’s end.

The Beginning of the Miracle

I’m not sure how, I’m not sure why, but something finally started clicking with Bode. The first two days he raved about his experience but I was guarded in getting excited about it. Then as we walked up the hill to ski school on the third morning, he started pointing out his favorite haunts.

“Dat is where I take the chairlift,” he said pointing to First Time Lift. “And over dere (Turtle Trail) is where we go skiing.”

But then came the clincher: “I JUST LOVE SKIING!” As I started to pick myself off the ground, he continued, “IT IS SUCH A GOOD WORKOUT.”

Loving skiing was one thing but a workout? This is the kid who can barely make it around Target without complaining his legs hurt.

The Superstar Miracle

By the end of his third day, I asked the ski school if they thought he was ready to be bumped up to Superstars on our final day. They connected me with instructor “Coach” who assured me he thought it might be a bit of a stretch but he was pretty much ready.

Bode was thrilled to be in his new class and good mom that I am, I fretted the entire day. What if he couldn’t keep up? What if he left with a worse attitude than he started with? What if he never wanted to ski again?

I am sometimes prone to overreaction.

Near the end of the day, my husband Jamie and I were heading back to the base area via Homerun when we spotted a familiar pair of red ski pants–it was our little Superstar! We followed his class into Blaster, one of the resort’s Adventure Alleys that wound through a cosseted tree covering.

I was blown away. Not only did Bode keep up with everyone, his instructor later informed us he had gone from being the one who needed the most help to the best in the group in a matter of a few hours.

Keep in mind there are only three kids in each Superstar class but that was enough for me.

My husband and I trailed him through Blaster and down some “secret passageways” off Claim Jumper. As I reveled in his confidence, laughter and skiing ability, I inadvertently crossed my own ski tips and before I knew it I was the sole person to wipeout.

And I lost face with a few little Superstars.

Here’s for hoping there will be room for me in the class next year.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Favorite Posts, Humor, skiing, Utah
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