Felix goes to Lima, Peru

1. Where is my geognome?
Lima, Peru
2. What is the climate like
humid, hot, colder in the mountains
3. What do you use for transportation?
bikes, cars, buses, walking
4. Are there any famous landmarks?
We have machu pichu in our country
5. What do kids do for fun?
sports
Jessica Marquis A3, Andersen

Butch in Denver

Colorado State Capitol

1.How dense is your city/town?

Denver is a very big city with a very dense down town area.

2.Where is it relative to Utah?

Denver is in Colorado, just East of Utah.

3.What is the Climate like?

Like Utah, with fewer extremes.

4.What food do you eat?

Same as in Utah.

5.What language do you speak?

English.

Butch in Australia

Butch on Sydney Opera House
Butch with an opposum
Butch (and my cousin) with some

Maioris pretending to play music

Butch by a river

1.How dense is your city/town?

Sydney is a very large city with lots of people.

2. Where is it Relative to Utah?

Just about on the exact opposite side of the world.

3.Whats the climate like?

Very hot.

4.What food do you eat?

Eat lots of meat.

5.what language do you speak?

English.

Butch in Boston

Butch at the Boston Common

Statue of Paul Revere

Butch in front of

Paul Revere's house

1.How dense is your city/town?

Boston is a city with very large buildings and alot of people.

2.Where is it relative to Utah?

Boston is on the other side of the country, on the east coast.

3.What is the climate like?

Boston's climate is like Utah's, but its more humid and has fewer extremities.

4.What type of food specialties are there?

Mostly like Utah, except for with more seafood.

5. What language do you speak?

English.

Victoreno @ the American West Festival in Logan, Utah

1. Where is this place located? Just outside Logan, Utah, is the location for the annual Festival of the American West, which I have gone to many times. In the background is the covered wagon, similar to those my ancestors came into Utah on in 1847.
2. What is the climate? Logan has four distinct seasons annuallly.
3. What is Logan known for? Logan has many cultural aspects, but this place specifically is known for preserving the heritage of the founding of the American west.
4. How culturally inclined is Logan? Logan started off a small farming town and was originally settled in the mid 1800's by pioneers sent up by Brigham Young. Now the University of Utah provides a lot of cultural aspects and the growth of the town through the university has led to cultural diversity of many nations.
5. Where is Logan located? It is an hour drive north of Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah.

Lauralee Browne
Mr. Andersen

Victoreno @ Logan Canyon in Logan, Utah

1. Where is this place located? Logan Canyon is located between Brigham City and Logan in Utah.
2. What is it known for? It is one of the most beautiful canyons in northern Utah.
3. What is the climate? Logan Canyon is known for its snowfall in winter often blocking the road or making driving difficult in the winter.
4. What is the average temperature in winter? It can be subzero many times during the season.
5. What is the topography like? The mountains border both sides of the road and the peaks are covered with snow most of the year.

Lauralee Browne
Mr. Andersen

Victoreno @ LDS Logan Temple in Logan, Utah

1. Where is this located? The Logan Temple is located in downtown Logan, approximately one hour from Salt Lake City, Utah.
2. What is the cultural significance of this place? Mormons first settled here in the mid 1800's originating a colony of pioneers who began building the temple.
3. What is it known for? Besides being culturally valuable to Mormons, the temple has great architecture that draws many visitors.
4. How many visitors come per year? Several hundred thousand.
5. What is the significance of the building to Mormons? It serves as a place of worship all year round.

Lauralee Browne
Mr. Andersen

Victoreno @ Tremonton, Utah

1. Where is this place? Tremonton is located just north of Brigham City of I-15.
2. What is this town like? It has been a quiet farming community for many years but is changing with the influx of people.
3. What is this town known for? Being a small farming community.
4. What is the cultural significance? I really like big cities, so this didn't appeal to me that much.
5. How did it develop? Farmland that was pretty good here made growing things easy. Early pioneers, sent to colonize it, found that growing things in this spot was nearly ideal.

Lauralee Browne
Mr. Andersen

Victoreno @ Hill Aerospace Museum in Ogden, Utah

Lauralee Browne
Mr. Andersen

1. What is this? The Hill Aerospace Museum.
2. Where is it located? Just 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Interstate 15.
3. What is this used for? It has an inner museum, but also has a collection of nearly 20 planes used in the history of the United States wars. You can go inside each one.
4. What is the cultural significance of the place? It is located near Hill Air Force base, a base still operated by the United States military
5. What was the most interesting fact about being there? I didn't know these were even here and I didn't know they could be toured. I was surprised at what they looked like.

Viva La France (B4 Mr. Anderson, Kasey Anderson)

France pictures post later
Paris in the Spring time (DD, May'08)
Here he is, in Europe! TeranUSA who was last seen flying a single engine Katana back home, is now in France. Could not let TeranWorld have all the fun on his global pursuit with Eric, could we? The Ds were generous to let Teran tag along- spring time in Paris and Ireland can't be more gorgeous!

2597: This is a picture with Teran in front of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution. It was supposed to be demolished twenty years later, but people loved it, so it was allowed to survive. In hot or cold weather it can shrink or grow up to 6 inches. About 4 million people visit it a year. Now, your gnome makes it 4 million and 1!

2612: This is taken across the street from the entrance to the Louvre--at the Louvre Antique Market (I bet you thought everything in the Louvre was already an antique, right? So did I! But there are some they sell--and some they don't!). The Louvre is a pretty famous museum housed in a palace that was started in the 1300s. Besides all the art and scupture, the walls and ceilings--everything about the architecture--is also a work of art. And they hold fashion shows there (you know the ones you only hear about on TV?) in January and June.

2613: Teran is in front of the Palais Royal (Royal Palace), built in the 1600s. It was originally built for Cardinal Richelieu (you might know of him from reading about the Musketeers). After he died, Louis the XIV was moved into the building with his mother (she was regent, meaning he was too young to rule so she had temporary ruling power). Eventually Louis moved out to Versailles and left his brother Philippe to live there. He made it into a a party house, and eventually (because the police were banned from being there) the place became a spot for all kinds of bad behavior and revolutionary ideas. Today, it houses government offices and this courtyard, which is a bizarre artistic design of black and white pillars of varying heights poking up through the courtyard (in some spots you can see them extending below, too!). They don't seem to fit the design of the building, but maybe they fit the odd history?

2631: Teran looks very small because we couldn't get it any higher, but you can see how big the statue of Joan of Arc is. The statue stands in an important place (Paris has lots of Places--not like a place in English, but more like a spot--center, park, opening--where something of interest exists. You probably know all about Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake in 1431 when she was still quite young. She claimed to have had a vision, and her example and dedication (and her death!) renewed the French will to win a war with England that had been going for 100 years! Today, when people in France want to rebel or start a demonstration, it often starts in this square (place), with Joan of Arc seeming to encourage the fight.

2632: We thought this was a cool shot. Teran here is in Place de la Concord. In the background, you can see the Tour Eiffel, but here you can see (closer) the obelisk that someone in Egypt (some Pasha) sent to France in exchange for a clock for his mosque. Some exchange! The obelisk is 3300 years old. Before it was in this very large Place (again, not a place--but a spot), there was a statue of Louis XV on a horse. Then, during the revolution, this was a big place for the guillotine--some 1300 people lost their heads on this spot. Now the Place is at one end of what's considered the most famous street in the world: The Champs Elysee. Embassies and gardens surround it--and there's lots of traffic swirling around, too, as you can imagine. Your gnome had plenty of company when he visited the Place.
Au vior
-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

Katana Flight @ Spring Break (B4 Mr. Anderson, Kasey Anderson)

Teran on the single engine plane, Katana

Checking out the interior of Katana

Teran wanted another shot on his favorite toy

Plane of the tarmac, taxiing to the runway, then for take off

CFI Travis beginning our preflight visual inspection

More preflight inspection

Buckle in, but not as tight as a car seat belt

Ready to roll

Why, you may ask, is she blogging random pictures of a plane? Because I FLEW a plane! NO, not flew in one. I FLEW a plane! I was the PILOT who maneuvered and controlled the plane! I was the one taking off, steering, flying, and landing the plane! (albeit the flight instructor, Travis Morgan sat in the passenger seat to supervise). LOL.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not insane. What a Rush! This was the ultimate adventure! What better place to post it, than in this adventure travel site where gnomes rule. My gnome, TeranUSA, shared this flight experience with me. It was our FIRST flying experience!

The best thing about having a certified flight instructor (CFI), on a beginning flight, is that you don't have the responsibility of checking every flight detail before take off. Something I plan to learn to be a private pilot. It was exhilarating to fly, and be in charge of the control stick! The pro took charge of all the details of operating the switches and buttons and communicating with air control. I steered, took off, flew and landed. All of it accomplished rather easily, though the concept sounds intimidating.

Steering the plane was probably the most challenging of the four parts. You have to remember to steer with your feet. It sounds harder than it actually is. Basically, you only steer this way while you're on the ground. You push down with the right foot to turn right. The left foot is pushed down to turn left. Both feet push down to come to a stop. It's different, but you get the hang of it. I had to stop steering for a while so that the CFI could check the engine. He had to make sure the single engine plane wouldn't stall in mid-air. That would be bad, REALLY BAD!

Next was the take off. We had to wait for air clearance from the air control. The CFI took charge in communicating in pilot lingo. They use the alpha-beta system. You know, "alpha" for "A," “beta” for “B” and referring to the name of the plane as something like "Wolf 1-5" and other flight details.

Upon clearance, I steered the plane (using my feet, of course) onto the runway. I had to keep it centered on the runway. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention. There's basically no gas pedal in a Katana. I just had to brake and turn it off. I could make it go faster in the air, but I don't think you can on the ground.

The most important thing about taking off is the airspeed. I had to watch the dial until it got up to about 44, and then pull back slightly on the control stick. Then when it got up to around 68, I pulled back a little more. Between 44 and 68 was when we got in the air. Then I just had to even out the plane by pushing the stick shift forward and back to level the plane.

For me, one of the nicest things about the Katana is that it is roomy on the inside, but small enough to keep you from being afraid once you are in the air. Commercial planes are so big that just taking off gives you a sinking feeling in your stomach. It takes a lot more effort and runway to get a big plane up to the right elevation so that you can level it out. That is why it's initial climb ends up being really steep. With the Katana, you hardly feel like you're taking off at all. You're just there, gliding. Sure, you're up really high, but you don't feel a dramatic change. It's just a switch in scenery from ground to aerial view. I won't deny it, that would probably scare a lot of people, but not me. Visual changes don't frighten me at all, unless they're accompanied by a loud noise or sickening feeling. So I felt just as secure as if I had two feet firmly planted on the ground. Steering was a piece of cake. Just pull up to stay up, push down slightly to go down. Going left just means pushing the stick shift to the left, then bringing it slightly back up to the right to even out the plane. The opposite applies to going right.
The only part that even slightly scared me, was what took place after the instructor asked, "Do you like roller coasters?" Well, roller coasters are kinda fun, so I was like, "Sure." Then he explained about positive G's and negative G's. Easy to talk about Physics. Much different to actually experience Physics! I'll admit, it's a bit scarier than a roller coaster. Thankfully, the CFI steered this one.

Here's what happened. When he brought the plane up on the “roller coaster ride,” I started feeling really lead heavy, about twice my actual weight. So, if you weighed 300 pounds, you'd feel like you weighed 600. (No, I don't weigh 300 pounds, it's just an example!) Then, when the plane droped back down, it got a little strange. Everything started floating. The free key attached to the ignition key floated upward. The dust lifted off the floor. Two of us pilots hovered above our seats. I was too busy trying to stay IN my seat, and keeping my organs intact, to notice dust particles floating. The experience was far more surreal than a roller coaster ride. I think my liver actually started floating too! Just kidding. But that's what it felt like. It was good that the CFI warned me about the details of the expected effects. Despite my anticipation, I was still too bewildered by bodily sensations to notice how the negative G's were affecting things around me. There was a sense of helplessness. Once the bewilderment of this experiment is over, I may be ready to tackle more G forces. I may even overcome my initial disorientation.

Once I was back in steering control, I did a few sharpe turns in the air before heading back to the airport. It was a lot sooner than I would have liked. Compared to everything else, landing the plane was a cinch. When we received the control tower clearance, I knew the flight would soon be over. (*sigh*) I suppose I should give you a better description than that.

We had to follow another single engine plane that was cleared to land before us. I had to keep the plane high enough not to hit the ground, and then gradually descend. I did this by pushing down slightly with the stick shift, and pulling up a bit when necessary. I had to make sure to line up the runway and not descend too hard. I really made a great landing! By great, I mean only the instructor got his foot blown off, and I only lost half the plane. Just kidding! I made it out fine. It was a smooth landing, and we both got out safely. I mean, how hard can it be to steer a plane?

This flight opportunity is one of the finest rewards I've ever received!

The CFI commended my natural aptitude for flying and encouraged my aviation pursuit.

I am really looking forward to next Saturday's Aviation Camp. At "ground school", I'll learn basic aerodynamics, aircraft operations, instrument interpretation, taxi, takeoff, and landing procedures. It will be great! I'm also taking Ground Pilot class @ THS. After that, just two more "ground" classes and I could be on my way to getting my Private Pilot's license (PPL) by putting in the qualifying flying hours. If I show promise in aviation, I could have a "flying success" in my future!

-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,
Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

Teran in Poland (B4 Mr. Anderson, Kasey Anderson)

Photo label

Picture album of Poland (see Teran posing with a Polish gnome)

Teran rode the bus into Poland, a change from all the train rides on the Eric's 3 month eurail pass. Let's see what Teran knows about Poland before his visit. Warsaw is the capital of Poland. Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) who died in April, 2005 was from Poland. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the notorious WWII concentration and extermination camp mass extermination of Jews.

Information Teran found is that the national name is Rzeczpospolita Polska (about the ssize of New Mexico) with a population of about 38.5 million people. It is a north-central Europe, surrounded by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and a little slice of Russia. The Baltic Sea is north of Poland. Zloty is the monetary unit. Warsaw is the capital and other large cities include Lodz, 778,200 people; Krakow, 733,100; Wroclaw, 632,200; Poznan, 581,200; Gdansk, 456,700; Szczecin, 415,700. The majority of the people are Polish, but very small minorities include Germans, Belorussian, Ukranian and others (2.7%). Most are Catholics, though there are also Eastern Orthodox and Protestant.

Though it helps to know about Poland, it is more fun traveling with Teran and his friends in Poland and criss-crossing Europe

More than vodka and sausages (a summary about Poland would not do justice to the more interesting original account of Eric's travels) .

Teran had a great visit in Poland. "I (Teran's host) arrived in Berlin two days ago (after having left Poland) and despite the crazy cold, I have enjoyed this new adventure land. It is just Teran and me for the near future, so give us a jingle to let us know how you are faring in your corner of the world."

-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,
Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

World's Fair (B4 Mr. Anderson - Kasey Anderson)

Top 4 pictures: Danish booth; Lego Viking ship & Danish almond cookies (recipe below); TeranUSA on Denmark map&flag








Exhibits at the World Fair: Spain, Jamaica, Thailand, Singapore
This week, the Freshmen participated in the World's Fair. Exhibits of many countries from all the continents were represented. While Teran's cloned twin, TeranWorld is criss-crossing European in the weeks and months to come, TeranUSA thought he would do his own world tour here in Lindon, Utah. (You might recall that student host, Kasey electronically sent her Teran half way across the world to meet with his gracious American host to piggy-back around the world. The cloned twin, TeranWorld has departed from Czech and Poland and is now in Berlin, Germany.)

TeranUSA was most impressed with the AWESOME displays by the students, a gathering of the United Nations in this school. Leaving Kasey (who is the project manager for the Danish team, co-ordinating her teammates using livejournal.com, how high-tech!) to manage the Denmark booth with her three dedicated teammates, Teran covered great distances to visit many cities and to taste the local flavors of many lands. Some samples of the colorful displays are Jamaica, Spain, Thailand and Singapore. There is not enough space in this blog to to applaud the creative and innovative presentations that impressed most folks. The fair was fun, interesting and enticing. Kudos to all the students, teachers and helpers for having this educational fair. After all the hard work, everyone was SO ready for the spring break beginning Saturday (yesterday).
The Danish project team includes Ann, Kylee, Katie & Kasey.
Here is a much requested cookie recipe for a taste of Denmark you can sink your teeth in. Enjoy!

Mandelsmorboller (almond butter balls)(very top picture, next to the Lego Viking ship)
- 1 cup soft butter
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-2 cups flour--sifted
- 1 cup almonds--chopped
- powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add flavoring and mix well. Stir in flour and fold in the chopped almonds.
Shape in small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated 350degrees oven about 16 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

***The cookies taste better after they have cooled down***

-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,
Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

Slovakia & Czech Republic - tradition "at best-odd, at worst-barbaric" (B4 Mr. Anderson, Kasey Anderson)

March 23, 2008 (Easter traditions most unusual)

Picture of Easter pomlázka - braided willows

Easter is the first Sunday after the first moon after the Spring equinox. The earliest Easter possible is March 20 and the latest is April 25. This year, we were surprised with an early March Easter, March 23, 2008. The next March 23 Easter will be the year 2160 (not likely any of us will live to see it again), the last March 23 Easter was in 1913. Religious Easter is a holiday we are familiar with. What we are not familiar with is the social Easter tradition practised in Czech Republic & Slovakia (formerly one country, Czechoslovakia). This practice is viewed "at best-odd, at worst-barbaric". While traveling in Eastern Europe several summers ago, my mom recalled hearing of this strange Easter custom."

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a tradition of spanking or whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. In the morning, men spank women with a special handmade whip called a pomlázka (in Czech) or korbáč (in Slovak), or, in eastern Moravia and Slovakia, throw cold water on them. The pomlázka/korbáč (see picture) consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods), is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with colored ribbons at the end. The spanking normally is not painful or intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked in order to keep their health (fertility)and beauty for the year. An additional purpose can be for men to exhibit their attraction to women; unvisited women can even feel offended. Traditionally, the spanked woman gives a colored egg and sometimes a small amount of money to the man as a sign of her thanks. In some regions the women can get revenge in the afternoon or the following day when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any man. The habit slightly varies across Slovakia and the Czech Republic. A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day, but it is now little more than an all-day water fight.)

More personal funny anecdote of this "whipping" Easter is found in Eric's blog, (Teran's host). He purchased a whip in the event of a counter whipping by the girls, I guess one can never be too careful you know.

More Easter Pictures and Resources are: Velikonoce, Czech Easter (Velikonoce), Easter 2008, Easter in the Czech Republic (and recipes), Easter Monday, Celebrate Easter Monday with a Good Dousing

-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

Passover Seder by Victor Ludlow (Presenter of over 26 years)
A four-hour seder is filled with symbolism and dinner. The first experience was a family Seder, the second was an authentic presentation and hopefully the next is a Seder in Jerusalem.
If you have never participated in a Seder, one might want to experience it.
(pics and write up soon)
=

"Ahoj!" Česká Republika (B4 Mr. Anderson, Kasey Anderson)

Pictures : Old Town Square with Tyn Church; Teran with host, Eric; Teran in front of Powder Tower (where they used to store gun powder); St. Vitus Cathedral; Old Town Prague walking tour

Czech Republic, March, 2008
Through the miracle of the internet, Gnome Teran arrived at Eric’s in Praha / Prague, Czech Republic (CR), Eastern Europe. T got a new make-over, and is ready to spring to the first leg of “walk the earth” experience with his traveling American host, Eric. The rest of us could only live vicariously through their experiences.
Teran got the blog welcome, “Peter and I (Eric) added a new companion to our traveling group, that of a small Gnome named Teran. Teran belongs to the daughter of one of my friends that reads the blog. Her Oak Canyon Junior High School class has sent these gnomes out to people across the world to see where they end up. I have found it enjoyable to try to get Teran to see as much as he can, so be on the lookout in the photos, he may pop up from time to time.”
On New Year’s Day, 1993, the once original country called Czechoslovakia was peacefully split into two different countries : the Czech Republic and Slovakia. CR is 30,450 sq mi in area, with a population of almost 11 million people. Praha (Czech for Prague) is the capital of CR is a major tourist destination, especially popular with western Europeans as it is only a hop and a skip away, and the euros go a long ways here.
While Czech Republic is currently included in the European Union, they do not enjoy full benefits yet, so Teran found a place in Europe where his US dollar was actually worth something.
The 2016 Olympic Games site, this town is also into Football, I mean soccer.
Prague is widely considered as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and is among the most visited cities on the continent (Europe).
Eric shared with Teran, “It seems as an American, Prague has always seemed like one of those pretentious alternative places people would mention in their travels to Europe. If you asked them about their trip, their eyebrows would rise and they would say, “well, you know I just had to do Prague and it was lovely, darling...” So, while trying to avoid the condescension but retain all of the emotion, let me tell you how lovely Prague in fact is..."
"Prague has the most stunning examples of gothic architecture of all the places I have visited. I have taken walking tours in several places but I enjoyed this activity the most in Prague. I was not the only one, because there were more bustling tourists here than in any other place I have been - I could barely get across the Charles’ Bridge. In response, Prague has developed a very robust tourist industry. Of course, you run the risk of dismissing much of the city’s beauty to an artificial pandering to tourists, and in many other places, that is exactly what it would be. But there is a rich history and enduring legacy in the performing arts here that is very legitimate. The highlight of this leg and indeed one of the greatest highlights of my journey thus far, was the opportunity to attend a sold out performance of Don Giovanni. My “seat” was a “standing only” space but at theatre center, so I did not mind. More impressive, the standing-room-only places cost less than two euros. The theatre was the Estates Theatre where Don Giovanni first debuted 220 years ago. Since my first days in Vienna, I could see the various tributes to Mozart, but this was the proverbial icing on the cake. The performance was phenomenal." (In 2002, my mom and I criss-crossed Europe. While we were in Vienna/ Wien, Austria, we thought about going to Prague about 200 miles away but regretfully there was never enough time. We’ve been repeatedly told it was beautiful and cost of living is cheap compared to Austria, maybe some day...)

-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)

Butch In Arizona

By: Judson Stephens

Anderson A4

This March, Butch took a vacation to Gilbert Arizona. He had fun, but he did not leave unscathed.

Here's Butch being impaled on a cactus

Here he is lying on some spiky lettuce

And here he is yet again on top of a spikey cactus

Here are the answers to the questions

1.Is your city more spread out, or is it densely populated?

The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch; Gilbert, Arizona. Densely populated.Largest town in the United States with approximately 200,000 residents.

2.What is it's relative location to Utah?

480 miles south of Orem, Utah.

3.What's the weather like?

Average high of 107 in July with an average low of 44 in December.

4.What types of food are commonly consumed in your area?

Traditional American food, along with a lot of Mexican food. Local produce includes Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruits, and Corn.

5.What language do you speak?

English, some Spanish.

Salt Lake City. Stephanie Teal. Andersen. A2

Dear Stephanie,

Your geo gnome has traveled to Salt Lake City. As the headquarter location of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this city was founded for the purpose of a gathering place for its dominant religion, Mormonism. The Salt Lake Temple took forty years to build. Evidences of Mormon heritage are found throughout this Utah state capital. The seagull is a symbol of faith prominently shown in the downtown area to commemorate the Mormon pioneer history wherein the new settlers survived an insect infestation. Other symbols proudly displayed to highlight Mormon heritage is the reference to the honey bee and the term Deseret and Beehive which refers to the industry and cooperation of the people. ZCMI Center and the term Zion also has historical and religious reference but is applied to business. In 2002, after surviving the scandal of media attention regarding bribery, the Olympics were showcased and hosted in Salt Lake City. The 2002 Olympics highlighted the strengths of the area and gave attention to the natural wonders of the area, such as world-class ski resorts built in rugged mountains. A rapid transit system helped facilitate crowds at these athletic games and continues to contribute to tourism and business in this sophisticated area offering downtown amenities. The Grand America Hotel and other landmarks boast beautiful landscaping, classic furnishings and delicious dining. The Joseph Smith Building, formerly Hotel Utah, is a glamorous, yet historical site, offering restaurants, cultural entertainment, reception facilities, and a world famous genealogy research center. Church office buildings, the Conference Center and Temple Square, home of the Visitor Center and newly refurbished Tabernacle with amazing architecture, acoustics and organs serves as a Mecca for religious visitors, as well as a cultural center where entertainment such as recitals, musical extravaganzas, etc. are offered. However, while definitely a hub for the Mormon faith, other faiths are also represented. Salt Lake City has a zoo, a children’s museum, a planetarium, civic buildings, higher educational opportunities, and an established business and cosmopolitan flavor, as well. All four seasons are experienced here, with mild fall and spring climates, hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

San Diego. Stephanie Teal. Andersen. A2

Dear Stephanie,

Your geo gnome has traveled to San Diego. This region offers something for everyone. The seventh-largest city in the country, the demographic of the area range from 1.3 million people. Close to the downtown are is the San Diego Wild Animal Park with over 3500 animals representing more than 400 species, in settings similar to the animals’ natural environments. Visitors can vies the preserve on one-hour monorail tours or from lookout points along a hiking trail. Also, north of the downtown business district that has many skyscraper buildings and fancy restaurants and sophisticated shopping, there is the world-renowned San Diego Zoo that is Balboa Park’ premier attraction and a haven for exotic animal and endangered species. The 1200-acre park offers 15 museums—including Sand Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Man, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego Aerospace Museum and Mingei International Museum—plus the Tony-Award-winning Old Globe Theatre. In the Mission Gay area is the famous SeaWorld Adventure Park whose star attraction of this 165-acre marine-theme park is probable the Shamu Adventure, starring the killer whale in its outdoor stadium. Other highlights include Shipwreck Rapis, the Penguin Encounter, Manatee Rescue, and the Skytower and Bayside Skyride for spectacular views of the bay. Not only known for tourist attractions and year-round moderate climate with ocean views, as a famous port city and home of a major international airport and military base, the city has long been known for its diversity and sophisticated business.