Gym Class #13: Ski Jumping from Norway to Illinois

Ski Jump, Photo by Krenda

 Ski jumping is one of three nordic skiing disciplines which includes cross-country skiing, ski-jumping, and nordic combined (cross-country plus jumping).  In 1808, ski jumping began in Norway and the first public competition was also held in Norway 54 years later (1862).  Not much longer, the sport came to the United States.  With so much publicity about skiing in Colorado, you might have thought it began in the West.  It actually began in the Midwest.  The first US ski-jump located in Red Wing, Minnesota.  Three Norwegians came over and started the ski club.

The places with ski jumping history still play an important role in ski jumping.  Norway holds the most medals (398 total).  For comparison, the US holds 17.  Mikkel Hemmerstvedt, a Norwegian immigrant, earned the first US distance record in Red Wing (1887) and then later Mikkel set a new world record (102 feet).  You can visit The American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota.  This HOF is separate from the National Ski Hall of Fame, only focused on ski jumping.

The sport spread from the Midwest to the West and East.  Wisconsin now lists the most ski jump locations (Camero, Eau Claire, Madison, Wisconsin Rapids, Iola, and Westby).  While Illinois only has one ski jump location listed (Fox River Grove, Illinois), we fortunately live close enough to drive for an event without a hotel stay.  The Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove began early (1905) and remains a volunteer club to prepare athletes for Olympic-level competition.  It's considered one of the top learning centers for Olympic ski jumping in the USA with 5 jumps.  The jumps have availability year round and range from beginner to advanced jumps.  In 2018, three Norge Ski Club Olympic athletes (Mike Glader of Casey, Kevin Bickner formerly of Wauconda, Casey Larson of Barrington) traveled to Red Wing, Minnesota to accept the honor of American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame induction.

The sport has both Junior Tournaments and Masters Competitions (age 30 and older).  The International Ski Federation (FIS) organizes events.  Ski jumping existed in the Winter Olympics since 1924.  The FIS Nordic Ski Championship begin in 1925.  First held in France, the US held the competition in 1950 - the first championship outside Europe.  Switzerland hosted the first FIS Junior World Championship (1977) and the US hosted twice (Lake Placid, NY 1986, Park City 2017).  

If you live near Illinois, you should visit the Norge Ski Club Annual Tournament in the end of January.  For a small entrance fee, you can watch the skiers fly.  We especially were impressed with the kids flying off the 150 foot jump.  The crowd watches for the longest jump after descending from the ramp.  The announcer broadcasts the results and the crowd cheers.  There's some costumes and beer drinking, but a nice family event with many fearless adrenaline driven athlete.

 

NPS #10: De Soto National Memorial and Florida History

History and nature come together at the Hernando De Soto National Memorial in Brandenton, FL.  Don't confuse this site with the Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The National Park Service (NPS) operates this memorial.  The government authorized the memorial in 1948 to keep the story of Spanish conquistador and exploration.  

When we travel to new regions, we like to talk about the unique plants to the area.  Just getting out of the car, you will see a Gumbo Limbo tree, native to Southern Floridan and the Caribbean.  When you go into the visitors center, you can dress up in armor and watch a short film about the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto.  You'll appreciate the no cost entrance.

He began exploring at an early age of 14, taking a trip from Spain to Panama.  He served Balboa and partnered with Hernan Ponce de Leon.  De Soto traveled from Spain to Cuba to Florida with nine ships and 600 soldiers.  As one of the earliest European explorers of North America, his expedition landed on Florida's west coast in 1539.

Fortunate timing allowed us to visit Camp Uzita, the living history camp operating December to April.  Men in period costumes provided in-depth demonstrations, taking us through time while demonstrating different weapons.

After hearing the history, we took the half-mile trail on the south shore of the Manatee River.  NPS places history stories along the trail.  You might also see animals such as birds, fiddler crabs, pelicans and gulls, egrets, and herons.  Beyond the mangroves, you will see the water.  The park includes a small beach called Cove Beach.  We had good timing.  During the week, we walked along the shore as the only family exploring.  Another great time to visit is during one of their fishing clinics (age 7 and up) or a 1.5 hour ranger led kayak tour. Visit the NPS website for event information and keep exploring.

Transportation Lesson #7: 8 Ways to Ride a Stagecoach

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm: Olathe, Kansas

Transportation vehicles can take your kids mind back in time.  Imagine moving at 10 miles per hour with your ten pound or less luggage in heat, cold, dust, and bumpy roads.  Makes you appreciate your last airplane flight a bit more.  In the 19th centuries, stagecoaches acted as a main transportation mode, more rugged and stronger than carriages with thin wheels.  Slower than a horse, but taking heavier loads, stagecoaches delivered mail, freight, and passengers.  At one time, the US had over 150 stagecoach stations between Kansas and California.  The railroad competed and decreased stagecoaches.  The automobile put stagecoaches to a halt. 

We drove out west to see stagecoaches at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm in Olathe, Kansas.  The living history farm provides six rides on Saturday and one ride on Sunday ($7 adults, $5 youth entrance).  During the work week, you can get a reduced entrance fee to see the exhibits and barn, but no ride.

Here's seven other places your family can take a stagecoach ride:
1.  Yellowstone National Park; we visited the park but did not know you could take a stagecoach ride at Roosevelt area for only $15
2.  Jackson Hole, Wyoming; visiting the square, we were aware of the stagecoaches circling the square; 10 minute ride $6-10, Memorial Day to Labor Day
3.  MacDonald's Ranch, AZ; 26540 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ, 48 minutes $48 adult/$45 child; moonlight ride 1 hour $85, 1.5 hour $100; however fee to farm with no ride $0
4.  Tombstone, AZ; Allen St. in front of OK Corral, 20 minute narrated tour of historic town; adult $10, children $5
5.  Harris Stage Lines, CA; 5995 N River Rd, Paso Robles, CA 1.5 hour tour including stagecoach ride $50/person with $200 minimum; also offers camps and clinics
6.  Knott's Berry Farm, CA;  8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA; Butterfield Stagecoach ride is an attraction; admission $45 (online) to $75 (gate ticket)/person; other rides include Bigfoot Rapids, Calico mine ride, and Calico railroad
7.  Old Sturbridge Village, MA; 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA; May to Oct. rides in reproduction 19th century stagecoach, $3 ride

Art Lesson #13: Six Giant Troll Statues at Morton Arboretum

 Joe the Guardian, trail up the hill and overlooking the highway

The Six Forgotten Giants in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by artist Thomas Dambo, is celebrated art in Europe.  Travel is restricted to Europe, but you can find the artist's work in the United States.  The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois is home to Thomas Dambo's first large-scale exhibit in the United States.  Since Thomas is known for using recycled materials and promoting sustainability, it's fitting that an arboretum combines such art with nature.

I've visited the Morton Arboretum before the pandemic.  My friend had a membership and invited me to Passport Europe Festival one September afternoon.  The festival is so big that the event holds multiple stages simultaneously.  You have to choose between dancing and musical performances.  Often lots of audience interaction, joy, and laughter.  My friend certainly giggled when successfully volunteering me to learn Polish dancing in front of an audience.  I was so impressed with the park.  It's much larger than I expected.  I later learned it covers 1,700 acres and has 222,000 live plants combined with scientific research, making it internationally known.

During the pandemic, it's still a great place to visit.  The crowd is limited by timed-entry with non-refundable tickets.  With such wide, open spaces, social distancing feels so easy.  While more expensive than local or state parks ($15 per adult, $10 child ages 2-17), you also contribute to a great cause.  Joy Morton, son of the founder of Arbor Day and founder of Morton Salt Company, created the arboretum after studying botanical gardens in Europe.  The non-profit organization collects and studies plants from around the world.  From your ride through the forest, you can visit the East Loop and West Loop and see distinct outdoor exhibits of Asian, European, and North American Collections.

Tip #1:  Use the App to Help Find the Six Giant Trolls

Without the map, it could be a challenge to find all six trolls, some hidden in the woods after a trail.  Even with the map and signs with arrows, it still feels like a hunt.

Tip #2:  Drive the Troll Hunt

If you don't drive, finding the trolls would take a six to seven mile hike.  From a parking lot, the hike does not feel strenuous.  It takes a two feet to three-quarters of a mile hike from the nearest parking lot.  You'll still get your family moving.  One hike took you up a hill and you could look over both the arboretum and the highway, along with the super tall troll.  Rocky Bardur:  visible from road, easy walk from parking lot #1

Tip #3:  Plan for a Couple Hours

Once we started the hunt, my daughter insisted we find all six sculptures.  Kids enjoy finding the cute trolls and parents admire the details of reclaimed wood with different natural colors, twigs, and pincones combining for character.  Due to the pandemic, trolls are now fenced off.  You can still get great photos of Rocky Bardur, Sneaky Socks Alexa, Joe the Guardian, Furry Ema, Niels Bragger, and Little Arturs.  I've placed Destination Asia Festival my wish list for post-pandemic entertainment in August.  Culture, nature, and art come together at the Morton Arboretum.

Literature Lesson: Hemingway in Key West, Florida

Docked at the furthest of the Florida Key Islands, we finally made it to Key West.  Key West has a reputation for attracting artists, including the famous American novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway.  I traveled to Florida many times, but never that far south.  We took the Key West Conch Train for the transportation purpose of getting to the Hemingway House.  We visited during the summer and the sweltering heat surrounded us.  Bring water, sunglasses, and cash – the museum entrance only takes cash.  It takes patience while the train fills up and starts moving.

Patricia Schultz’s book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die recognizes Hemingway’s Home & Museum as a key attraction, “Visitors interested in the real deal can tour the house and studio where Hemingway completed A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.  Many of his possessions are on display, presided over by some 60 polydactyl (many-toed) cats, about the same number that Hemingway kept on the property between 1931 and 1939.”

We found the Hemingway Cats immediately.  They roam the grounds and don’t seem bothered by the many tourists, even people like me taking photos of their toes.  We also found the cats in the house, seemingly posing on a bed. 

The tour guide keeps the tour family-friendly, but our guide definitely told some jokes aimed at the adult visitor group.  You’ll learn about Hemingway’s wife Pauline who also lived at the house and you’ll hear about other women too.  The guide did a great job explaining the history and how it connected to the items in each room.  Typewriters and photographs made you think of both his career and his adventures.  After touring inside the house, we saw the famous expensive in-ground pool.  Look for the penny embedded in the cement.

The visit inspired me to learn more about Hemingway’s life.  I like Ken Burn’s documentaries, so I looked forward to the release of “Hemingway” show in 2021.  The six-hour series gave more depth and interesting stories.

If you want to learn about Hemingway’s earlier life, visit his birthplace in Oak Park, Illinois.

Hemingway’s Home & Museum in Key West tickets cost approximately $17 for adults and $7 for kids.  Tours offered everyday and last approximately 30 minutes. 

Hemingway’s Birthplace tickets cost approximately $20 for adults and $18 for youth.  Tours last approximately 50 minutes.

 

Transportation Lesson #6: Ticket to Ride, Lebanon Ohio & 9 Train Rides

Depot, Photo by Krenda

Games, geography, history, and trains.  You can combine them for your kids.  Kids love trains, so you'll have a hit.  Bring in the edutainment, starting with the game Ticket to Ride.  This board game for kids 8 sets the scene of a 1900 adventure.  The game requires strategy as you choose routes across the US, completing trips and competing for longest route.  It's rated 5/5 stars on Amazon and while you play on the map board game, the kids will likely learn geography, searching for cities.  Credit to my brother-in-law for introducing us to the US Ticket to Ride game.  When my son got older, my sister bought him Ticket to Ride Europe, a bit more complicated with tunnels and stations.



For parents with kids under 8, you may jump to train activity #2:  take a train ride!  My friend from Atlanta visited us in Ohio and we bought tickets for the LM&M, Lebanon, Mason, & Monroe train.  Most trips include a history lesson, explaining that the locomotive CNRY is one of the oldest GP& locomotives still operating and the coaches 101-104 were built in 1931.  You can get outside to view the countryside because the train includes an open car built in 1934 as a freight gondola.  This special excursion brought history to life by acting out a train robbery.

Facts:
Typical tickets cost $13 adult, $8 children.  Themed outings at a premium:
-Fall: Harvest Flyer adults $19, kids $16
-Winter: The North Pole Express including the reading of The Polar Express book cost $20.50 adults, $15.50 for kids.
 http://lebanonrr.com/



Here's 9 other train trips to consider:
1.  Durango & Silverton Train - Colorado - 45 miles narrow gauge railroad takes you through the San Juan National Forest, originally built to carry gold and silver down from the peaks; my friend got married on the enclosed Prospector Car; enjoy the beautiful mountain views, $85 adults, $51 kids

2.  Heber Valley Railroad - Utah - Heber Valley & Provo Canyon, steam and diesel trains, adventure outings take you to whitewater rafting

3.  Thunder Mountain Line - Horseshoe Bend, Idaho - ride along the Payette River & thru the Boise National Forest, explore gold mining exhibit in Banks

4.  Mount Washington Cog Railway - Marshfield Station, NH - 3 miles up the steepest railroad tracks in North America to get to views of New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont; kids $39, Adults $69

5.  Strasburg Railroad - Ronks, PA - coal burning steam train thru countryside and Amish area, look for special outing Day Out with Thomas

6.  Virginia & Truckee Railroad - NV - 90 min. ride from Carson City to Virginia City, pass thru tunnels and near cemeteries and abandoned mines

7.  Grand Canyon Railway - Williams, AZ - ride through desert and mountains to reach the Grand Canyons South Rim

8.  Cass Scenic Railway - Cass, WV - 11 mile journey within the state park includes a steep incline and great views of the mill town Cass

9.  Great Smoky Mountain Railroad - Tuckasegee River Excursion - Bryson City, NC - 32 miles through railroad towns and meadows.  Check if special for kids free with paying adult on Tue. is offered. 

Thinking Global in the USA #5: Italy & Leaning Tower of Niles (Chicago Suburbs)

During my month long backpacking journey across Europe, I really enjoyed Italy. Friendly people, sunshine, beautiful architecture, and gelato make you smile! I visited famous monuments including the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower stands behind the Pisa Cathedral and tilts, making for fun photographs. It's only a town of less than 100,000 residents. Who knew that unstable foundation and sinking architecture could make a small town so famous. With the travel ban to Europe during the pandemic, our family decided to find local monuments in Chicago suburbs which make us feel like we visited a different country. That's how we mapped a trip to Niles, Illinois, sister city to Pisa and home of the Leaning Tower of Nile. At 94 feet tall approximately the height 177 feet Leaning Tower of Pisa. Built in 1934 and later added a reflecting pool. The main event also consists of fun photos. Selfies with the teens was a hit. Despite the exciting architecture, the site had only a few visitors at our weekday excursion, making it easy to social distance. 

The surrounding area is grassy, making it perfect for a picnic. We brought our picnic blanket and Italian beef sandwiches ordered nearby. The kids reminded me that Italian beef began in Chicago, not Italy. That later led to a special trip to Tony's Canoli's, closer to home in the Chicago suburb of Mundelien. Like gelato, you should splurge and try all the flavors such as pistachio, hazelnut, lemon, turtle, and chocolate orange. We had the extra treat to meet Tony himself. If you live in the city, you might try D'Amato's Bakery as listed in Spoon University's "Where to Find the 24 Most Mouthwatering Cannolis in America." Like Tony's Canoli's, D'Amato's Bakery is also a family owned business. Next on the wish list is a visit to Little Italy in Chicago. According to "The Best Little Italys in North America" (Escape Here, Estrella Mora-Luna), Chicago rates as the top three Little Italy: 1. San Diego, CA 2. Philadelphia, PA 3. Chicago, IL 4. Manhattan, NY 5. Boston, MA

Transportation Lesson #5: Drive-It Yourself Carriage Tour (Mackinac Island, Michigan)

Selfie View, Photo by Krenda

If you enjoy horses, Mackinac Island feels like a dream location.  You step back in time, including transportation.  No cars allowed.  Everyone walks, bikes, or gets transportation via horse.  In the winter, residents can use snowmobiles.  However, as a tourist, you will likely visit in the Spring, Summer, or Fall, and enjoy the clip-clop sound in surround sound.

Back View

In planning our third trip to Mackinac Island, I wanted to find a unique experience.  Most people likely take the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours sightseeing tour that covers a lot of ground (Surrey Hills Museum, Arch Rock, Fort Mackinac, and Grand Hotel) in approximately 2 hours and $34 fee per person.  You might take a horse taxi to your hotel.  I wondered whether we could ride a horse or drive a carriage.  You can do both on Mackinac Island.

Side View - Driver

Four generations of the Gough family have operated such service.  It began with Taylor Gough who rented drive-yourself horse and buggies.  In 1953, Taylor's sons Jack and Burton established Jack's Livery Stable.  The family expanded the business to include Cindy's Riding Stable too.  Both Jack's and Cindy's rent horses ($50 per hour) for passengers up to 250 pounds.  Jack's rents carriages ($80/hour 2 passengers, $100/hour 4 passengers, and $120/hour for 6 passengers.  You'll figure out the time you need by looking at the maps with estimated timing.  We chose a path to go through woods and past the Grand Hotel.

Island Traffic

You don't need experience to drive the carriage.  They give you instructions.  Here's your opportunity to use the terms "Giddy up" and "Whoa".  You do need one designated driver.  Also, you should think about the age of your passengers.  One of the rules states "parents are asked to hold on to their small children to keep them from falling out of the buggy."  With teenagers, we didn't need to worry.

Reservations taken one day in advance.  You can also see whether available on the same day.  If you don't want to drive the carriage, but you want a private tour, both Mackinac Island Carriage Tours and Gough Carriages offer for $160/hour for up to 4 guests.

If we had more time, horse riding lessons or carriage driving lessons would also provide a memorable learning experience.  Check out the Mackinac Horsemen's Association lessons, including intro to riding (2 hours $110), private lessons ($55/hour), and semi-private 2 person ($45/hour each).  I learned about their programs through the tv show Best of America by Horseback.  They had a special two part episode featuring Mackinac Island.  Giddy up to Mackinac Island and appreciate the horses.