We arrived in Lillehammer at about 1 am on Saturday morning as we flew from Stavanger to Oslo and then took the train, about a 2 and 1/2 hour ride, to Lillehammer. We started our day at 8 am by going up to The Olympic Park. This is where the opening ceremony for the 1994 Olympics were held and where the ski jumping competition was held. We took the chair lift to the top of the ski jumps and walked the stairs down. The plastic grass is what the jumpers land on in the summer.
We even got to see some people practicing on the smaller ski jump. If you look closely at the next two pictures you can see the jumpers.
Also at Olympic Park, we tried the bob sled and ski simulator. Those down hill skiers must have some really strong legs. The simulator demonstrated how fast and rough the courses are. And I am not sure how they react so fast. It has to be nearly impossible to see. The bob sled simulation was a warm up to our next adventure.
After Olympic Park, we took the bus to Hunderfossen. Our mission at Hunderfossen was to ride the Wheel Bob. We found amazingly sweet but very tiny strawberries on the walk to the bob sled park. They were the size of a pea but perfectly ripe and so tasty. Ont he return walk, we found blueberries. Kimber could still be out there eating. This is a wheeled bob sled that runs on the 1994 Olympic bob sled track. There were two sleds on the track when we arrived and we got to see them go by. Then it was our turn.
You wear a helmet and weight lifting belt to support your back. Then you board, three per sled with a professional driver. They remind you to keep your back straight, head up and forward, and to breath. Also, if the sled flips, don't panic and hang on. In 70 seconds, which goes by like 20 seconds, you are done.
It was totally awesome. Very bumpy but not nearly long enough. I asked the driver how they manage the bumps multiple times per day. She said it isn't as bumpy in the front and is much smoother on ice. Jennifer was concerned with the smell of hot rubber but I figured even if the thing turned over, we were safe.
After the wheel bob, we made a mad dash over to Hunderfossen for Jennifer and Kaitlyn to try the ropes course. I sat outside the fence an watched them, occasionally reminding Kaitlyn how to manage her ropes.
We concluded with riding the train back from Lillehammer to Oslo and a short flight home. The best part for me was at the end though when I had Sidney and Kirk home at last!!
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