Tabagauche

Tabagauche, originally uploaded by Yoga Chickie.

We drove out to Park City today, from the Salt Lake City valley, where the Wasatch Mountains are visible, incredibly enough, on all sides. Everything was blanketed in snow, which is not always the case in the valley, but there‘s been a lot of precipitation lately. As we got closer to Park City, the road began to wind up and through the mountains, passing by the Utah Olympic Park, which was the site of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, some of which took place here at The Canyons (ski jumping, bobsled, luge and, my all-time favorite, skeleton).

Having spent time at some of this country’s more low-key ski locales (I have never set foot in Vail), as we approached the entrance of The Canyons, I was taken aback by its sheer “resort-ishnes“, with its long, winding, picturesque drive up to the "lodge" where we're staying here. And by lodge, I mean "giant hotel". I am not used to this sort of place on ski vacations. But The Canyons is less than 10 years old, so it’s pretty glitzy as far as ski resorts go. And by “glitzy”, I mean that there’s maid service (unheard of anywhere else I have ever stayed while skiing), and it’s smack in the middle of a pretty little village with a smattering of cute little stores, a “Java Jane’s” and a couple of restaurants and sundries stores.

On the downside, when we got to our room, it didn’t take long for it to sink in that there were no drawers and no closets! It didn’t sink in immediately because the room, aside from the storage problem, is quite nice, with a breathtaking view of the mountain, which is so close, you feel like you can shout out to the people skiing on it. I guess most people are okay with living out of their suitcases, all other things being equal, but I have to be honest: it would be hard for me to regard that with equanimity. On the upside, a quick call to the concierge produced a five-foot tall pine chest of drawers. I can work with that.

We spent most of the day walking around the little village, where the theme seems to be Native American art, and specifically, what they refer to as “Petroglyphs”. All around The Canyons, you see these little petroglyphs, each representing one of the four elements of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. They look like a cross between astrological signs and cave drawings. And then there is “Tabagauche”, a gigantic statue in the center of the village (pictured above), which holds a burning torch that lights up the village at night. “Tabaguache” is named from an Ute word meaning “place where the heart stays warm through the seasons” and it is intended to be a symbol of renewal, reaffirmation and the promise of uniting family and friends. It’s actually very powerful.

The rest of the day was spent…you guessed it: practicing. Well, I mean, I practiced. The Husband and the boys were with me in the Fitness Center, but they weren’t practicing. I’m not sure what they were doing exactly, despite that they were right there with me. And I’m not quite sure how I managed to fit in an entire practice either, and an outstanding one at that. I was pleasantly surprised.

Maybe it was the view of the mountains out the windows. Maybe it was how toasty warm the room was. Maybe it was just a fluke. But here is the really big news: I honestly and truly bound Mari D, by myself, first try, both sides, by the hands, not just the fingers (it would have been nice if I could have bound by the wrist, but it’s a tall order for me to hold onto my wrist even in the easiest of poses, since my hands are small compared with the size of my wrists. I think I’ve mentioned that here before. You know what they say about girls with big wrists, right?………Big watch bands.) I think what helped was that as I got into it, I sort of channeled Christopher H., who I couldn’t help but watch a little bit during his sister’s led half primary class. He reached back and held his palm open for what seemed like quite a long time before reaching back with his other arm to take the bind. I did the same, and when I reached back, it was like, “Oh! There’s my hand!”

Tomorrow is our first day on the mountain. No practice, as it is Saturday. Sort of dreading getting up at the crack of dawn on Sunday. Perhaps I can practice in the late afternoon? Somehow, I think not. I need to look at this as an exciting challenge. Early morning practice. Something so many people do as a matter of course. So then why not me?

YC