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Seriously – what’s not to like about the Winter Olympics? To me they represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement. Anyone can play outside when the weather is great, but it takes some real athletes to get their heart rates up in sub-zero temperatures.
Sure lots of people like the figure skating (and I’ll admit to getting caught up in the inevitable dramas that always seem to unfold) but what I really like are all the events where people put things on their feet and go real fast in the ice and snow. For two weeks I’ll watch the luge, speed skating, ski jumping, and alpine racing as if my life depended on it. (I’ll admit also to having a perverse fascination with the biathalon, despite a life-long aversion to guns.) And this year for the first time I’m looking forward to sharing it with Tommy and Teddy. Given Tommy’s immediate ambition to ski black diamond trails within moments of snapping skis on his feet for the first time, I expect he will be planning a career as a ski jumper before it’s all over.
It would of course be even more fun to take the kids to the actual games, a dream I fear I’ll never see realized. But happily, I’ll get to do this vicariously via my travel blogging friend Amber Borowski Johnson who won the Microsoft Office Winter Games Contest and will be live blogging the 2010 Winter Olympics from Canada on Microsoft’s dime. If you haven’t checked out Amber’s blog Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck, you should – it’s both hilarious and intrepid. I met Amber last summer and she is just as nice, friendly, and funny in person as she is online. She’s also my hero when it comes to outdoor adventure – it seems like every day she and her kids are hiking or skiing in the Rocky Mountains where they live. I can’t wait to read her posts about the games, which I’m sure will be almost as much fun as watching on TV.
And it’s not just the Olympics that I’m dreaming of this morning. I’ve always wanted to go to Vancouver, and now that my entire family is finally comfortable on alpine skis, I’d love us to go on a trip to the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort two hours from Vancouver and a mere four- to five-hour drive from Seattle. I’ve heard that it is one of the best places for a family ski vacation (I’ll stay loyal to my Vermont and say its second-best). But don’t just take my word for it – some of my favorite family travel bloggers have written about their own experiences there. Michelle over at WanderMom has some great posts, including a preview of the resort ahead of the Winter Games. And Debbie at Delicious Baby shares her tips for traveling to Whistler with little kids.
This post begins Ski Week at The Mother of All Trips. I’ll devote the rest of the week to describing our recent vacation at Mad River Glen and sharing my travel research in to skiing options in the Mid Atlantic. And for those of you who are curious about Teddy’s and my recent trip to the Bahamas, never fear – Ski Week is to be followed by Sun Week, where I will share every detail of our stay at Atlantis – sponsored by LEGO, JetBlue, and the Atlantis Resort. Hold on tight – it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks!
What are you dreaming of this Monday? Please feel free to share a link below, making sure you link directly to your post, not your site’s homepage and that you link back to this post. Questions? See About Monday Dreaming.
Olympic mascot photo courtesy of Tim in Sydney via Flickr.
Amber Borowski Johnson photo courtesy of Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck.
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6 Responses to “Mondays are for dreaming: The 2010 Winter Olympics”
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You’re so sweet. I’m getting just a wee bit excited.
I can’t wait for the Olympics.
But I’m thrilled for your recent adventures as well!
Amber’s Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck´s last blog ..Olympic-sized Celebrity Embarrassment
Your winter themed post reminded me of this Otaru, Japan. When I was there I also visited Sapporo, Japan which was home to the 1972 Winter Olympics.
John´s last blog ..Remembering Otaru, Japan
I’m looking forward to watching the Olympics on TV, yes, but if it makes you feel any better (for not being there, I mean) we could have taken our 2 kids to Vancouver to see the Olympics and stayed with my mother for free — and we chose not to. It’s going to be total chaos… but the thing that convinced us was that even as a volunteer, my mom cannot get deals on tickets to the events. The opening ceremonies tickets were selling at $350 each! She does get 1 ticket to the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremonies and can buy 1 additional ticket for $50
It is fun, though, to hear her play by play of everything going on in Vancouver – the latest is that the snow on Cypress mountain – home of the downhill events – has completely melted, and they are trucking snow down the mountain from higher up. Unfortunately that is melting too, and the forecast is for temps in the 50s! So… maybe better to watch it on TV?
Madeline´s last blog ..Three reasons not to miss the town of Orvieto
I’m with you! I love the Olympics. We went to the Games in Salt Lake City, and we had the BEST time. If you have the opportunity to go in person: do it!
This year we’ll be glued to the TV, too. Personally, I love the long track speed skating. But this year I have 5 former students playing on Olympic hockey teams, so you can bet I’ll be watching a whole lot of hockey!
Angela K. Nickerson´s last blog ..5 Reasons to Follow a Museum Today
[...] really got to wishing we were at the shore. That inspired up to add a link to this post on the Mother of All Trip Monday Dreaming Page. Check it out for other fun travel ideas for [...]
Hi Mara,
Yes, we have to travel together! One day…!! LOL! Could you believe that I’m Canadian and have travelled numerous times to Vancouver, but never been to Whistler??? Shame on me! I have to go one day…
jen Laceda´s last blog ..Laundry Day in Havana