Lillehammer in 24 Hours

Kimber went to Lillehammer on Saturday with Jennifer and Jennifer's daughter Kaitlyn. We left Stavanger at 9 pm on Friday night and were back in Stavanger at 9 pm Saturday night. Jennifer and Kaitlyn left to fly back to the US on Sunday morning. Hence the title of this post.



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!!

Preikestolen on a Windy Day

While Kirk and Sidney are off exploring Europe, Kimber is spending time with Jennifer and Jennifer's daughter, Kaitlyn. Jennifer was Kimber's boss in Texas City and will be Kimber's boss when we return to Houston. We went hiking Sunday to the most popular Norwegian hiking destination, Preikestolen. It was a lovely day except for the wind. Most of the hike was well protected from the wind, however, when we rounded the corner to the "Rock", we were nearly blown off our feet. You see in the picture below Kimber and Kaitlyn are not standing. As you also may notice, our hair is blowing completely side ways. We were nearly side ways too. We could barely stand for the wind. Fortunately, the wind was blowing in from the fjord towards safe ground rather than towards the fjord and long drop down. There is also a picture of us standing but that didn't last long before we had to drop down to keep from blowing over. It was nearly hurricane force winds.


Unfortunately for the rescuers, pilot, and person needing rescue, we saw this rescue helicopter and it's crew in action on our hike down from Preikestolen. It was exciting for us but not for them I am sure.

For those who know us or who have been following the blog, you may remember what happened the last time I hiked Preikestolen. I badly injured my left ankle very near the top of the hike. Rather than take the option pictured above (helicopter route) I hiked out on the injured ankle. Maybe not the best choice. But I remembered exactly where the injury occurred. I was stepping through the gap between the large boulders shown to my right in the picture below. I didn't see or react to the small rock in the center, and my left ankle turned off of the rock. I was carrying Sidney in the back pack at the time and the extra weight contributed to the severity of the injury. At the time I thought I broke it. Fortunately, neither Sidney or I were injured further because of the mud we landed in when we fell. It felt a little odd to return to the scene of the crime. My ankle held up well this time, but I think it will always be affected by the injury.



It was windy in Stavanger Sunday night as well. The two pictures below show the affect the wind had on the crane hook. It was swinging from side to side in the wind like a pendulum on a clock.



Finally, Kimber will be traveling with Jennifer and Kaitlyn to Lillehammer on Saturday. We are going to visit the Olympic Park, do the Wheelbob and the zip line at Hunderfossen Park. Kimber is excited to get to explore another thing in Norway and to share it with friends. It will be a fast turnaround trip, about 24 hours from take off to return to Stavanger.