Tag: 2014

Outdoor Retailers 2014 Summer Show, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

Twice a year outdoor gear companies the world over converge on Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailers conference. This year’s four day summer show (plus a demo day on Tuesday) was just last week at the Salt Palace Convention Center downtown. It included booths from the largest companies in the gear industry – Arc’teryx, Big Agnes, Black Diamond Equipment, North Face, Columbia, Goal Zero, Camelback.

Every kind of outdoor product was represented at the show – climbing equipment, tents, stoves, camping supplies, trailers, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, clothing, shoes, food. This was my first time to Outdoor Retailers and the sheer volume of things to see was overwhelming. I spent my time in one small section of the Salt Palace Ballroom and only scratched the surface of what possibilities there were.

While checking out the new items coming to market in the spring I was able to meet some great people at Lodge, Pakems, Avex, AGS Brands and Klean Kanteen who generously donated gear for future product reviews. With the tots in tow I was only able to spend a short time at the show, but I look forward to more opportunities in the future.

The best part of the show was an outdoor family bloggers meetup that was coordinated by Kathy from GoAdventureMom.com. It was great to meet the bloggers behind talesofamountainmama.com, kidproject.org, garagegrowngear.com, BackcountryParenting.com and some of their cute kiddos. I’m a big fan of supporting families to get outdoors and bring the kids along. All in all there’s a lot to look forward to in the outdoor industry coming up.

Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

Kenai Fjords National Park has the unique position of being one of the few national parks where the majority of its land is covered by ice. Because of its location, the easiest way to explore this national park is actually by boat, which is the reason Mountain Dad and I took a cruise through Resurrection Bay with Kenai Fjords Tours.

Aialik Glacier
The weather was wet, cloudy and cold, and I was very glad that I had purchased a rain jacket just the day before. Because of the stormy weather, the water was really rough as we crossed into the open ocean outside of Resurrection Bay. The four to six foot swells and ten to twenty knot winds were enough to make Mountain Dad quite queasy. To me it felt a lot like a roller coaster, not a sickness inducing traumatic event, only because I took motion sickness medicine beforehand.
Along the way out of Resurrection Bay we were lucky to find a pod of Orcas, or Killer Whales swimming out to sea. I’m impressed by their matriarchal society, with grandmothers being the ones to call the shots. Through out the day long cruise we saw a lot of wildlife including Oystercatchers, Comerants, Tufted Puffins, Puffins, Orcas, Dalls Porpoise, Sea Stars, Mountain Goats, Seagulls, and even a Humpback Whale. Zoom in close to the rocks near the water to see some harbor seals.

The highlight of the Kenai Fjords National Park cruise for me was watching the Aialik Glacier do its thing. This tidewater glacier morphs daily as huge chunks of ice break off and plunged into the water below. It was a spectacular view of nature’s forces at work, and one of the main things we wanted to see in Alaska.

The beautiful scenery, wildlife sightings and glacier experience were pretty amazing, but what topped off the trip was a stop on fox island for a prime rib and salmon buffet and a park ranger chat. It was a great end to a wet day on the water. Although pricey, the boat trip to see such an incredible part of the world was worth it.
Price: $172 Adults / $86.00 Children (2–11), plus tax and fees
Time: 8-9 hours, includes lunch and dinner
Tips: Shorter and cheaper cruises are available as well as day cruises with different companies. Kenai Fjords Tours did not sponsor this post in anyway.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

For our 10th anniversary Mountain Dad and I took a week long trip to the Frontier State – Alaska! It’s been on my list of places to visit for a long time now, and it was great to go without the tots in tow, just to enjoy time together. My next several posts will be about all the wild places we went to see – enjoy!

 Driving south from Anchorage along the Scenic Seward Byway was one of the highlights of my Alaska adventure. Steep mountain slopes, circling Turnagain Arm Bay is the quintessential Alaska image. The Scenic Seward Byway is a beautiful drive that can also be experienced by rail. By car or by rail, the Kenai Peninsula should not be missed.

At Mile Marker 47 on the Seward Highwayis nestled the 18 acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where we saw Wood Bison, Elk, Lynx, Great Horned Owl, Porcupine, Moose and Elk. One of the most interesting animals was the one winged Bald Eagle, Adonis, whose was brought to the center almost ten years ago with a bullet wound in its left wing. Being unable to survive in the wild, he now makes his home at the AWCC. 

One of my goals of the trip was to see a bear in the wild, and although the three bears in residence here are not exactly in the wild, they’re also not in the zoo either. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is working on expanding with its new BEARS exhibit. An additional 30 acres and research/visitors center building will allow visitors to learn more about native bear species in North America.

The two mile loop had a great viewpoint Turnagain Arm and surrounding snow capped mountains. The loop can be driven or walked (we opted to drive because of the rain). The gift shop has several tourist trinkets and t-shirts with all proceeds going toward the center.
I thought the price was steep for what we saw $12.50 per adult, $35.00 max per car, but I also don’t mind paying a little extra for a good cause.

Getting There: Head south from Anchorage on Scenic Seward Byway. Turn Right at mile 47 – look for the signs.
Price: $12.50 adults (12 and older), $9.00 kids age 4-12, Free for kids under 4, $35.00 total per car
Tips: Don’t touch the electric fence. This route would be a fun bike run with kids, if they can handle the gravel road.

Glassblowing at Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah

I wrote the following blog post for Sundance Mountain Resort about their awesome glass blowing program. If you ever have a chance to check these artists out, DO IT!

This article originally appeared at www.sundanceresortblog.com.

Sundance’s Recycling Glass Program by Susan Strayer

Beautiful colors mix in a molten sphere as artisans create fragile treasures to inspire and admire.Sundance Mountain Resort boasts one of the nation’s only recycled glass workshops, where Mexican artisans Gustavo Calderón Sr. and Octavio Fidencio Flores mold and shape old bottles into new beautiful creations. This past week I spent some time chatting with them while admiring their work.
 Glassblowers 2
Speaking in their native Spanish, Gustavo explained how the furnace functioned. “We have three ovens here, one melts down old bottles at 2,000 to 2,300 degrees Farenheit. The finishing oven is used to heat the project while we work it, to keep its shape. The final electric oven finishes the glass, lowering the temperature slowly so the piece doesn’t break.”

  Phase 02 water web
All the glassware at Sundance Mountain Resort, from drinking glasses in the cabins to platters at the restaurants, is made on site in the Art Studio’s glassblower workshop. Pitchers, glasses, platters, vases, wish balls, and beautiful ornaments are created here. Whatever is not in use in the restaurants is on display in the Art Studio Gallery in a colorful array like a stained glass window.
 Glass (9 of 10)
“Glass blowing is about teamwork,” said Octavio. “I blow and shape the glass to give it the form and Gustavo finishes. We always make new things, so it never gets boring.” As I watched Octavio take a glowing glob out of the furnace, I could see he was right. The pole he used was like a big straw and he could blow into one end to inflate the glob into a sphere. Gustavo was on hand to add colorful shards into the pole before Octavio put the piece into the second oven. Then like dominoes falling into place Gustavo was ready to snip the globe, finish the wish ball ornament and place it into the final oven. It was like watching a well rehearsed dance with both people anticipating their partners’ next move.
 Glass (3 of 10)
“We have to work quickly with recycled glass,” Gustavo explained. “It’s harder to bend. With new glass workers could take up to an hour to make a platter. With recycled glass we have maybe ten minutes.”
 He explained that it takes up to ten bottles to make one drinking glass because of the quality and thickness of the materials. Empty wine bottles from the restaurants and soda bottles from the deli are collected at the resort and turned into new glassware and décor. Even local homeowners like myself have been known to leave their used bottles from time to time.
  Phase 01 waterweb
Both Gustavo and Octavio hail from Guadalajara, Mexico where there is a strong glass blowing tradition. For the last thirteen years, this pair has left families at home to share that tradition withSundance Mountain Resort guests. Working next to furnaces of several thousand degrees can’t be easy but when I asked how they managed the heat they just shrugged and said, “Your body get used to it.”
To see these artists in residence in action, stroll past the workshop Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm May to January. You won’t be disappointed. Glassware can be purchased in the Sundance Art Studio.
 Glasses2
Susan Strayer is a resident of Sundance and an outdoors enthusiast. Read more of her outdoor adventures at www.mountainmomandtots.com.