My family and I live in a beautiful place.

I'm not talking about our house, which is nothing special - a nice, middle class 20-year-old multi-level home on a quarter-acre lot in a decent neighborhood, part of a large development of homes that look pretty much like all the other homes on the block.  Nice, comfortable, serviceable - but not beautiful.

I'm not talking about the neighborhood, which is also nice, but nothing special.  It's old enough to have mature trees and landscaping, so there is a sense of establishment and stability, but it is not a high-end rich people enclave.

I'm not even talking about our city, which is also nice, reasonably well-run municipality of just under 100,000 people.  It has good schools, most of the services you could want, and lots of open space and parks.  It also has a very good municipal recreation program, which I have experienced first-hand as a soccer coach for both of my sons' teams.  (SIDE NOTE - if you have not already done so, go to the home page and watch the second video of the youth soccer team in action).  But all in all, I am sure many cities across the country can make amny of the same claims.

No, when I was we live in a beautiful place, I am talking about the physical location and natural amenities our city offers.

Our city sits at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, a part of the awe-inspiring, world-renowned Rocky Mountains of North America.  And when I say sits at the foot, I'n not talking about siting at the base of the foothills that lead to the smaller peaks that eventually lead to the large, rocky, craggy mountains.  I'm talking about literally sitting at the the point where the valley ends and the steep walls of 11,000 foot granite peaks begins.  And in those rare instances when other towns can make that same claim, they are usually made by municipalities of 10,000 - 20,000 year-round residents that is sustained by the influx of tourists in the winter ski season, not a city that is part of a valley that is home to 750,000+ people.

Our city is home to an MLS Soccer team.  The valley in whcih  or city is located is home to professional Opera, Ballet, an NBA team, a nationally renowned University,   You have virtually any service you can find in any major city in the USA.  If you fly into the International airport that services our county, you can walk of the plane and be skiing at a world-class resort in 45 minutes.

From my front door, my family can leave our driveway and be on a chairlift in 20 minutes.  Yes, 20 minutes, and one of these very same world class ski resorts, the ones you saw during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Now you may be reding this and think, "This guy is sure arrogant!"  Perhaps your thinking I am smug, self-righteous bastard.  Perhaps you think I work for the local Chamber of Commerce.  Perhaps you think I am trying to say I live in a better place than you, and by extension my life is better than yours.

In fact, I am not thinking or saying any of those things.

What I am saying is, I am sure a lucky guy. 

I've said this in other posts, so I don't want to re-hash the whole "I am such a lucky man" thing.  I am a lucky man - healthy, employed, with a fabulous wife, two of the greatest sons a dad can have, a nice home, etc.  I am extremely grateful for all of those things.  

What I'm talking about here is where we live.  I would have all of the things I described in the paragraph above if I lived in Duluth, Milwaukee or Wichita.  In fact, where we live is the icing on the cake.  To live in a place where I can go skiing just 20 minutes from my home, where I can go for a hike to a 'Secret' alpine lake surrounded by wildflowers, again just 20 minutes from my home, where I can take a picnic dinner to a mountain meadow and watch moose graze 25 yards away, and where I can go to the opera, ballet or professional basketball game, shop at any of the premiere retail outlets or dine at my choice of nationally known restaurants later that same evening. 

And to top it all off, I can go for a long walk or short drive to reach a spot where I can set up my camera and capture a scene like the one below.



Yes, I am a lucky guy to live in such a special place.

There is one drawback, though.  Word is getting out.  The valley is getting more and more crowded and congested every day.

So enjoy this post, enjoy the photo above, and enjoy the video clip on the Multimedia page of this website.  And please feel free to come here and enjoy the skiing, hiking, cultural and entertainment opportunities our area offers.  I hope you'll enjoy your visit.

Just don't move here!

In a previous post I described a humorous incident that took place at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on a recent business trip.  Since then I have been back to Minneapolis for business half-a-dozen times - the last of which was Monday November 11.  The meeting I attended ran late and I was concerned I would miss my flight.  The drive to the airport was, shall we say, a bit of a white-knuckle ride.  I can't describe it, you really had to be there.

Now, as luck would have it, you can be there.  Come along for the ride.  Go to the Multimedia page of this website and scroll down to the paragraph that says Flying on the 494.  Click the link below the text to come along for the ride - but buckle up first!
 

I was reading bedtime stories to Chris and Tommy this evening.  As I wrapped up the last book,  Chris said to me, "Dad, would you like to hear some jokes?"

I knew what was coming, but nevertheless I said, "Sure, Chris.  Tell me your jokes."

If you haven't heard jokes form a seven-year-old lately, please continue reading.

"Why did the old woman tie roller skates to the rocking chair?" Chris said.

"I don't know, Chris?  Why did she do that?"

"Because she wanted to Rock and Roll!" Said Chris proudly.  "Want to hear another one?"

I'm thinking 'NO' but my mouth says, "Absolutely!"

"What do you get when you send a cow to Alaska?" he asks.

"Umm...I don't know.  What DO you get when you send a cow to Alaska?"

"Cold Cream!"

I'm not sure I get that one.  But we're not done.

"Dad, why did the elephant eat the light bulb?"

"You've got me, Chris.  Why?"

"Because he wanted a hot lunch!"

Groan. 

"Dad, is it okay to sleep on a full stomach?"

I think about this for a moment.  "Well, you can, but it might not be comfortable."

Chris grins.  "No, dad - I prefer to sleep on a bed!"

After I tuck him into bed, I realize I don't need to worry about sending him to college or preparing him for a career in some sort of trade.

This kid is going straight to The Tonight Show!

We are back from the Magic Kingdom.  I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to learn how the dreaded Disneyland trip turned out, given my heretical lack of unbridled enthusiasm for a visit to the House the Mouse built. 

What?  You haven’t been hanging on the edge of your seat, checking this site multiple times a day to find out how everything went?  I’m crushed with disappointment.

In fact, crushed with disappointment is not the phrase I would use to describe the trip.  I will have to grudgingly admit we all had a pretty good time in D-land.  Let’s face it, any kind of responsible parent, a family-oriented person, derives pleasure from watching their children have a great time, see and experience wonderful adventures for the first time, and go to a place that is as fun and friendly as Disneyland is.  And even though I knew, in the back of my mind, that I would be caught up in my sons’ excitement, I did not expect to enjoy myself as much as I did.

With that said, some of the feelings I expected to find did take place.  The park was very crowded.  I’m not a ‘crowd’ guy; I’m more of a ‘solitude’ guy.  Sold out arenas are fine for sports, but I don’t like the crowds and I’m not a big fan of waiting in long lines.  We had all of that and more on our first day in Disneyland, and I know that is to be expected.  I also found the park to be very commercial.  As an adult who makes his living as a marketer, I was dismayed at what I perceived to be blatant product hype.  So on our first full day in the park, I put on my happy face and trudged from attraction to attraction, taking pictures and doing my best to echo my kids’ excitement.

So we waited in the lines – over an hour to ride the Nemo Submarine adventure.  We waited in line to get photos of the kids with various Disney characters.  We waited in lines to get food, to buy souvenirs; we waited in lines to use the bathroom.  In fact, as a side note, I think over the course of our three days in the park we must have visited every single restroom in the park, most more than once.  Small boys with small bladders – add an overload of sensory stimulations, lots of water and the occasional sip of soda, and there you go.  Literally.

By the end of the first day we were wiped out.  After waiting in line for dinner, we got back to the hotel tired and grumpy.  I, for one, was ready to go home right then.  Of course, that was not an option, and I fell asleep dreading Day 2 more than my last root canal.

Then suddenly the ‘Magic’ happened. 
The morning of the second day, about 30 minutes after we entered the park, we were handed the Keys to the Kingdom.

For those of you who have been to Disneyland, you probably know all about the FastPass.  This ticket, which you have to pay an additional fee for, allows you to go the head of the line for many of the most popular rides at certain times of the day.  We were not willing to pay for that, so we resigned ourselves to three days of hour-long waits.  But as we came off the Winnie-the Pooh ride, two Disney employees met us and handed us DreamPasses.  These passes have tear-off coupons to go to the head of the line for all of the best rides at both Disneyland and California  Adventure.  They coupons are only good for that day, but the best part is that there is no specific time that they have to be used.  At anytime during the day you can use the DreamPass coupon for a specific ride and go straight to the front of the line.  Splash Mountain – we saved 45 minutes.  Tower of Terror?  We saved an hour.  Soaring California?  We saved another 45 minutes.

It was amazing how those DreamPasses changed our whole experience.  Suddenly we had the freedom to explore the park at our leisure, knowing we did not have to plan our day around hour-long waits.  We spent much more time exploring what I would term the less ‘exciting’ parts of the park.  Instead of racing around the park, we strolled.  Instead of worrying about someone needing to go to the bathroom 30 minutes into a 60 minute wait in line, we could visit the restroom as needed, then cut straight to the front of whatever line we chose.  It was a miracle.

At the end of the second day I told my wife that I was now forever spoiled, that our last day would be a major letdown.  I did not know how we would be able to endure waiting in lines the next day after the experience of simply going straight to the fun part.  She agreed, and we both decided we would focus on the secondary attractions on our final day in the park.

Have you heard the expression ‘Lightning never strikes twice’?  Don’t believe it.  The next day we got the DreamPasses again.

We were waiting in (a much shorter) line to ride some minor ride when we noticed some people walking along holding DreamPasses.  It appeared they had just received them.  Recognizing the passes from the day before, and remembering the Disney employee telling me that “We hand them out at random places around the park each day,” I thought there was good chance there were Disney people handing out those passes nearby.  We stepped out of line and walked (quickly) in the direction we had seen the other people come from.  Sure enough, around the bend we saw a small group of people around two Disney people handing out the Magic Passes. 

Clutching the equivalent of Wonka Golden Tickets, we walked back to the line we had been waiting in, happily going back to the end of the line, knowing it was the last line of any consequence we’d be waiting in that day.

In the photo above you can see the exuberance on the faces of the man in the gray shirt and the young boy in front of him.  The thrill of the ride?  No, it's thr thrill of bypassing an hour-long line to spend 3 minutes on the Splash Mountain ride.

So, overall, our trip was far more successful and enjoyable than I had anticipated.  Yes, we grossly overspent on Disney memorabilia, but the kids had a wonderful time.  I’m still a bit bitter over dropping $20 dollars for two corn dogs, two bags of chips and two soft drinks, but it comes with the territory.  Chris did say it was the best corn dog he had ever eaten, so I take some small solace from that.  And I’m glad we went, both for the memories we’ve now given our children, and for the fact that having done it now, we’re a good three or four years from having to do it again.

And before that trip, we’ll have many more trips in The Camping Machine to look forward to.

Take that, Mickey!