A trip to the Utah Olympic Park is a great afternoon. After having lunch in Park City, Utah, we continued down the road to the official home of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Visitors to the park will find themselves at the bottom of a long, windy road that leads to the summit of the mountain. Once at the top, you’ll have a great view of the city below, and the chance to get an up close look at Olympic Memorabilia from the 2002 games.

Take for example this display on how Olympic Medals are made.

The sports center has interactive exhibits on the region’s ski history and Olympic events. You can try your hand at slalom skiing, watch videos on the games and even try to lift a curling stone. Check out a few of the highlights.

By the way, how heavy are curling stones? Very heavy, nearly 50 pounds!

Guided tours are available for a small fee, but the museum itself is free. If you time it right, you may also see athletes training (even all year round). Instead of ski jumping into powdery snow, they land in a refreshing pool! And for the adventurous, come wintertime, you can even take a bobsled ride!

1 Hour is not enough if you want to see it all. With all the exhibits, films, tours and photo opportunities, you could make the most of this experience in about 2 – 2.5 hours. For the future Olympian or spectator, you’ll have a delightful afternoon at the Utah Olympic Park.

Have you been to an Olympic Park? What’s your favorite? Add your comment below.

For more photos from the sports center, including Team U.S.A. Uniforms and Trading Pins, visit my Flickr site. Stay up-to-date with the latest travels of adventureswithben by becoming a fan on facebook here.

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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthaiand share our Ultimate Thailand Explorers Application Video to Pattaya, Thailand with your friends and family.

It’s rare these days that you get anything for free without a catch. The Ogden Marriott in Utah proved me wrong. After a hard days work on the road I look forward to dining out. It is an opportunity to relax, eat a good meal and see the city. I try to avoid spending the evening in the hotel. However, I made an exception to this rule in Ogden.

According to history provided by the Marriott Hotel, Al Capone once visited Ogden. It was in the late 1920′s during prohibition (a time in U.S. History when alcohol was banned for my international readers), when Ogden developed a reputation of being rough. Tunnels were built underneath the city to smuggle liquor. Ogden was also an overnight stop on the transcontinental railroad. On a trip back to Chicago, famed gangster Al Capone spent the night in this Utah town. On his return to Chicago, Capone commented, “Ogden was too wild a town for me”.

To celebrate the occasion, the hotel was completely decked out. From the Porte Cochere (a fancy French term for roof over a driveway), guests were welcomed by costumed hosts and hostesses wearing their finest gangster suits and flapper dresses. They provided each person with a gangster hat or feather boa.

Both outside and inside the hotel were old, vintage cars that provided some photo opportunities.

Inside the ballroom were several cooking stations. They had stir-fry, baked salmon, tuna wraps, soups, salads and bread. They had music, decorations and gambling tables (the fake kind).

But the best part was in the main lobby.

Cold Stone Ice Cream was available for the taking – as many trips as you could have! I only indulged in one. I wasn’t feeling well in Utah (notice the red eyes in the photos). Ice cream has a way of making anyone feel better though!

Why the free party? The hotel was hosting a convention group and needed lots of space for their ending social. They decided to invite the whole hotel instead of inconveniencing everyone. A great choice indeed! I think Ogden has changed it’s reputation since then. I didn’t find it wild like Al Capone did, but I did have sweet dreams!

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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthaiand share our Ultimate Thailand Explorers Application Video to Puttaya, Thailand with your friends and family.

Today I wanted to share a quick trip that is just under an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City, Utah. Park City, Utah is probably best known for hosting the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. It’s also home to the Sundance Film Festival.

The drive from Salt Lake City to Park City takes you through the middle of two mountains. It’s a great drive, especially in the Autumn. Park City has several ski resorts scattered around the town, which while dormant now, are probably bustling with activity in the winter. And that’s how I imagine Park City to be, the quintessential ski resort town.

My experience was somewhat different. For starters, I was there during mid-week during what would appear to be a slow time of year. So my day was pretty mellow. I grabbed a simple lunch at a restaurant called Zoom. Through serendipity, Zoom happened to be the restaurant of Robert Redford. Our server told us that he is one of the best bosses he’s ever had. Good to know!

The restaurant is inside an old train station, complete with original, hardwood flooring. Today it’s a place to dine, but I had to take a moment to reflect on the history beneath my feet, and all the people who had traveled on that same floor to destinations unknown. The food was good. Lunch was doable, but dinner was slightly on the expensive side.

After lunch I took a brisk walk outside. Historic Main Street had it’s boom in the 1860′s. Silver mines were it’s claim to fame.

The buildings are original, but the modern-day cars seemed to detract from the quaintness of this shopping and dining hub. Boutiques, restaurants and other shops line the street. Parking is by meter, although a few garages are available. What caught my eye was this chairlift. It takes you over the highway and to the mountaintop. It’s not for skiers, but for hikers. Unfortunately, I was out of season and it wasn’t operating. I think it’s a weekend thing.

My experience along Main Street was what it was, a chance to eat and stroll. Nothing more, nothing less. My real intention in visiting this city was to see the Olympic Park. You’ll see more from there later this week.

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More adventures of Olympic proportions to come this week from my trip to Utah.

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Parking is available in several lots near Temple Square. I happened to have found a parking meter nearby (which worked to my favor later on). Temple Square was a surprisingly large space. There was the temple, visitors center, performance hall of the famed Tabernacle Choir, Research Library and some other buildings and garden areas. Our clients told us earlier that there would be volunteers visible to help us if we needed any. And that was certainly the case. A visit to Temple Square is more than just a sight to see, but also an opportunity for Mormons to educate (and probably more likely to convert) visitors. Here’s how it almost happened to me.

My colleague and I obviously looked like great targets. We were standing on the grass with map in hand, trying to find the research library. Two young, friendly women, not older than 25, approached us. One was from the U.S., the other from South Korea. They politely asked if we needed help and we said, “could you point us in the direction of the library?” They gladly offered to personally walk us there. Hmmmmm

Things started out simple at first. “Where are you from?” “What brings you here to Salt Lake City? and other get-to-know-you questions were asked. Along the way they stopped us in front of a statue of Joseph Smith and John the Baptist. They asked if we knew the story of Joseph Smith – to which we said “no”. It was time for a Mormon Story.

Here’s the simplest understanding of the Mormon Religion. Practicing Mormons and Religious Scholars please feel free to correct me via commenting below – but I’m trying to keep this really simple.

One day, a guy named Joseph Smith was ordained to the priesthood by an Angel. From that point forward, he became a prophet, sharing the word of God. He established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he died, a new prophet took his place. Today, Thomas Monson is the prophet du jour.

The idea of a 21st Century Prophet was intriguing. I asked if he was like the Pope. Sorta was the answer.

Nonetheless, our guides walked us into the research library and handed us off to a new set of guides. While I took my place at the computer they exchanged notes.

My new guide, started showing me how to use the record locater. While the website was loading she said, “I heard you had some questions about the church”.

“Not Really”, I said. I was just curious about the whole prophet thing. I asked my guide how one can become a prophet. A prophet is chosen from 12 Apostles, which are chosen from a group of 70 men. The eldest Apostle becomes the prophet. I was curious further. “Is an Apostle a full-time job?” The answer is yes. The church has no paid clergy, so being an Apostle is full-time. My guide also explained that it’s possible they might have a 2nd job. I suggested Ebay – and we both chuckled.

That was a brief moment of levity in what was now heading towards the hard-sell of the Mormon Religion. With my perceived curiosity, my guide started handing me brochure upon brochure about the church. I took them all because I’m a push over and was being polite. I only declined the opportunity to give them my information on a card for a pop-in by some missionaries. I don’t like being on lists.

When I was given the pamphlet about the Mormon Temples I was told, “Here is a pamphlet that describes what goes on inside our temples.” (Only Mormons are allowed in their temples, giving the religion a very negative, secretive perception). “We printed it so you wouldn’t think that we do secret things in there.” And that’s where the skeptic in me laughed on the inside.

I don’t know whether or not secretive things happen inside their temples. My guess is, like all religions, they have their seemingly bizarre rituals to outsiders. But honestly, printing a pamphlet, authored by the church about the church isn’t a great PR strategy in convincing people that you are being upfront.

At this point, more time was being spent talking about the religion than on my Family Search Project. TINSTAAFL: There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. The timing couldn’t had been any better. My alarm clock on my phone went off. I had 10 minutes to get to my car before my parking meter would expire. I asked if Family Research could be done online (and it can here). I grabbed my brochures and set out to the car.

Family Search takes some time. It won’t give you a Family Tree per se, but you can find birth and death records and from there, start to trace your roots.

The temple is set amidst a lush garden with fountains and flowers. It also is accessible directly from the airport. Follow Temple Road from the terminal and Voila, you are there. Coincidence? Probably not. The Mormons are known for their not-so-subtle conversion attempts. A trip to Temple Square shouldn’t be any different. If that’s not your thing, you may want to avoid this experience. Otherwise, check out the grounds on the basis of visiting it as a landmark in Salt Lake City, bring your patience and park your car at a meter for a quick getaway if necessary.

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