Ski Skool

Salt Lake City - 40°45'39.00"N 111°53'25.00"W

I've arrived in Salt Lake City after four days of learning to ski in Breckenridge.

I signed myself up for lessons when I arrived last Saturday, and on Sunday morning I was given skis, boots, poles, a helmet and introduced to my fellow school mates and our instructor Bill........... I hid the helmet behind a bush and picked it up later - I looked like an idiot.

Learning to ski with American people learning to ski can be difficult. At least it was in my group;

Barbara - 4 ft 5" tall, ginger perm tucked under helmet with a voice that made me want to throw myself down the mountain regardelss of being able to ski or not. She was toppped off with a bright pink shell/ski/jump suit that would have made Eddy the Eagle cringe.

Sebastien - aged 16, fell over 8 times in the first 5 minutes of wearing skis, threw the most amazing tantrum I've ever seen, burst into tears, punched his sister, and stormed off. We didn't see Sebastien again.

Larry - 50 something, liked to ski with his tongue up his left nostril and his arms waiving around so that anybody who had 2 eyes at the top of the mountain, only had one by the time they got to the bottom. In fact, Larry is the first American to make me lose my temper since I've been here.

Whilst boarding the ski lift he poked me in the eye with one of his ski poles. I accepted his apology but was less forgiving at the top of the lift when Larry fell over, punched me in the jaw in a blind panic of waving arms and finally dragged me to the floor with him. They had to stop the lift whilst a group of hysterical lift operators picked Larry and me up off the floor and moved us out of harms way. Lucky for Larry I'd dropped both my ski poles so I couldn't maim him with them.

Anyway, people came and went from the group over the course of the days, but by the end of my last day my instructor was happy enough to take me and two others out onto a blue/black run. I've still got all my limbs, a working spleen and my dignity. I like skiing so I'll be doing it again whenever I get the chance.

On Wednesday evening I got a bus from Breckenridge back to Frisco where I had to wait for the Greyhound to take me back to Denver.

I stood in a waiting room with three Mexicans and a drunk, hoping the bus would arrive soon! I rang the Greyhound line to check that there was definitely space on the bus because you can't buy tickets at Frisco and you have to pay the driver when you board. It wasn't good news. This was the last bus of the night and space was running low. The agent on the other end of the phone suggested that my best option was to make sure that I was at the front of the queue when the bus arrived to make sure that I got a seat! There wasn't a queue though. We were all just sat in the warmth of the waiting room whilst it was minus who knows what outside.

So, 15 minutes before the bus was due to arrive I stepped out into the cold and made camp at the curb where the bus would be pulling up. I was first in line and there was no way anybody could cut in front of me.........

The bus was over an hour late. I'd been stood in the cold for that long, too scared to go back in the waiting room in case one of the 3 Amigos or Oliver Reed's twin brother managed to get to the bus before me. Finally, when it did arrive, I managed to get a seat and made it back to Denver for the night.

In the morning I boarded a train to Salt Lake City. 15 hours on a train, through the Rocky Mountains that would have been agony if it weren't for the incredible scenary along the way.

The train winds its way up into the mountains from Denver, and meets up with the Colorado River at a place called Granby. It then follows the river through the mountains and canyons onto Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction before it parts ways at a place called Mack. From here the river runs South West out of the mountains and across the desert to the Grand Canyon. The train heads North West through the Ruby Canyon and onto Salt Lake City. The views of the Ruby Canyon as the sun went down were awesome.

I got into Salt Lake City last night at about 11.30pm. I managed to get a cab to a Motel, slept in a room that smelt like a foot and then got myself to the Holiday Inn where I'm staying now first thing this morning.

I'll be here over the weekend and Monday, before I meet up with my next host family on Tuesday as well as visiting the University of Utah for a couple of days.

I'll be back on here again soon, but don't be shy to get in touch in the mean time. I'm trying to keep on top of all my E-mails.

p.s - Robin and Roosevelt Virtual Scholar update - so far he's travelled 1721.6 miles from Chicago to a Geocacher's event in Washington on the West Coast (N 47° 39.707 W 122° 07.106). He's been picked up there by somebody calling themselves "NBJPoppa" who will be dropping him off somewhere else soon. You can follow his progress using the link on the right of this page.