Olympic City

Colorado Springs is home to the U.S. Olympic Committee, as well as several sites related to Olympic sports. And if you know me, you know that I LOVE the Olympics!! So I was very excited about this portion of my trip.

My first stop was the U.S. Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame.

There were lots of costumes, which I loved.

Tara Lipinski's gold medal (her costume is pictured above left).

And the last exhibition costume and skates worn by Sonja Henie. So sparkly!

This was also pretty cool. A sketch of Peggy Fleming's choreography.

While there were some cool artifacts on display, the museum overall felt disjointed and lacking in focus. There were several displays of skates, but not a whole lot of context.

And as an archivist, this 19th-century pamphlet taped to the wall made my heart hurt.

There were random toys displayed throughout the museum. (I had this Barbie!!!)

Lastly, there was a corner with some Dutch decorative objects reflecting the rich skating heritage of the Netherlands. I found this interesting, but again, I wish it could've been organized into a more cohesive narrative.

Another stop on my tour of Colorado Springs was the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

I got an hour-long tour of the training facilities used by various sports. (There are two main training centers in the country, plus a few sport-specific training locations.)

This is the gym that's used by all the athletes. We saw the boxing team working out here.

The shooting range...

We saw the wrestling team...

The aquatic center...

And the gymnastics facility. Interesting fact: the women's team doesn't train here because the age limit is 17.

I think I'm ready for my tryout!

This was the signage for the restroom, which I thought was cute.

My trip to Colorado Springs was capped off by a massage at the historic Broadmoor Hotel. I definitely could've spent some more time here.

Garden of the Gods

Last weekend I flew out to Colorado Springs to visit my friend Whitney. It was my first time in Colorado, and people were complaining about the "heat wave" there, but it still felt infinitely better than the muggy/rainy mess we were having in DC.

One of the main attractions in Colorado Springs is called the Garden of the Gods, a cluster of rock formations jutting out of the landscape.

We had a nice little hike, although I was getting a little winded due to the elevation.

I'm pretty sure this is the Lion King rock.

That's Pike's Peak in the background.

Like Atlas holding up the world....

Stay tuned for more from Colorado Springs!

Summer Vacation, Part 2

Another highlight of my visit to California was touring Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, a California State Landmark.

The vine-covered entrance to the gardens.

Built by a Sicilian immigrant in the early 1900's, the subterranean system of tunnels and rooms covered 10 acres. He built everything by hand using these implements.

After he had purchased the land, he realized the ground was too hard to plant anything, so he planted trees and vines underground, with skylights to provide light and water.

He also lived there. Here is a courtyard with his bathtub.

His bedroom.

And the kitchen.

It was a fascinating place to visit, and a good way to beat the heat!

Summer vacation

Hello! Now that summer is officially over (even though it's still 95 degrees here), it's finally time to look back on my trip to California in June. I spent a lovely weekend with Lacey in my hometown of Turlock. We also took a jaunt up to Yosemite....along with 50 million other people.

Ah, nature!

It was the first day that Mariposa Grove reopened after a long renovation, plus it was the height of the tourist season, so it felt like there were even more people in the park than usual. Despite all this, we were able to have a few moments of quiet and solitude.

We hit Mariposa Grove at the end of the day, which turned out great because there was hardly anybody there, and the light was fantastic.

No trip to Yosemite would be complete without a deer sighting.

Some 19th-century tree graffiti!

I guess I'm officially a tree hugger.