[ C L I C K . I M A G E S . T O . E N L A R G E ]br /br /(..my computer has done some funky things to a couple of these pictures, sorry about the strange exposure)br /br /So Tim Weston has been the “King of the Blog” so far. But today at lunch, he decided that “we”, the actual athletes should contribute to it as well. So here is issue number one, by the skiers. (Isabel and Logan)br /br / We’re sure Tim has already informed you that we have safely arrived in Kuopio. Today was our first ski on the trails here. But with only one day under our belt in Kuopio, most of our adventures have occurred in Lahti, our first stop of the trip.br /br /Lahti Ski Jumps:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128eBCvtfI/AAAAAAAAAL4/8gaaApMM4B0/s1600-h/lahti-jumps-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128eBCvtfI/AAAAAAAAAL4/8gaaApMM4B0/s400/lahti-jumps-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430703949540734450″ //abr /br / The hotel we stayed at, which was actually, believe it our not, a Best Western, was extremely plush. At first glance the beds looked like something that would belong in a jail, but they were some of the most comfortable beds we have ever slept in. (Whole group approval!) br /br /Tyler Bridger:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128kw9jUWI/AAAAAAAAAMA/8T-5SXx1eOU/s1600-h/bridger-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128kw9jUWI/AAAAAAAAAMA/8T-5SXx1eOU/s400/bridger-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430704065483067746″ //abr /br / The food so far has led to some very interesting experiences. We have consumed everything from pizza at a sketchy, back-alley pizza parlor to pretty high-class steak. The first one led to a team member’s gross night. Breakfast has been the best meal everyday. Come on, who wouldn’t like to have endless amounts of fresh bread and jam? One person even ate the “assorted pickled fish parts” served.br /br /Kuopio Stadium-Area around Sunrise:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128spLx7xI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UypWLmZHG8E/s1600-h/stadium-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128spLx7xI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UypWLmZHG8E/s400/stadium-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430704200834215698″ //abr /br / Okay, now on to the stuff that we are actually over here for. We skied for three days on the world-cup ski trails in Lahti. During these three days, we witnessed some “cutting edge” technology in snow grooming. Over here, they set the tracks with a foot between the skis on all the down hills for a more stable tuck. Of course we didn’t know that so we decided to ski up them. br /br /Striding in the “Double-Wides”:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128z4jsCuI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/igDEgULKNm4/s1600-h/wide-tracks-900.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cBFLp0vFuic/S128z4jsCuI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/igDEgULKNm4/s400/wide-tracks-900.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430704325220109026″ //abr /br / Also, Finland obviously doesn’t care about any liability due to the fact that we could ride the elevator up to the top of the ski jump without anyone asking us for a pass or anything. Going up to the tops of those assured us all why we do cross-country skiing and not ski jumping. br /br / It’s been a great trip so far. As the races get closer, the stress will begin. But we will still leave our hearts in Kuopio. (Inside joke.)div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8099746996508773021-6016310588756397979?l=usaj1team.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
