It was shortly after 4:00 pm on a summer Friday at the U. To be expected, things were quiet on campus. Fortunately, there was the UTA Bike Bonanaza at the downtown Gallivan Center. Salt Lake City is a surprisingly bike-friendly city considering the long snowy winters. I normally start cycling to and from work in March and put the bike away in late October (sometimes as late as Thanksgiving). Don’t get me wrong, the city is no Seattle or San Francisco, but over the past few years SLC has added mixed use traffic lanes downtown, several bike lanes into the city, a dedicated bike path to Davis County, and increased conveniences for carrying bicycles on public trains and buses.

UTA and the city’s former mayors have been the catalyst for many of the improvements. The UTA Bike Bonanza is just one more way for the city to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling as well as to help coordinate the logistics of the Salt Lake Century – a 100-mile race that runs the following day. The expo was better attended this year than last. As usual, I met my wife and two kids downtown for the event. There was free pizza (Pappa John’s), drinks, and Creamies. There was live music and other forms of entertainment, and of course, vendors peddling their bike products (some good, some bizarre).

One of the highlights for me was the conversion of the former ice-skating rink into a bicycle performance stage. There were several kids no more than 10 years old riding their six-foot unicycles. A few bike fanatics brought their modded bicycles for the public to ride (check out me riding one of the two-floor bikes). My three-year old son was quick to point out that one of the unicyclists was wearing a U of U t-shirt. “Look dad, dat guy is wearing a Go UTES shirt,” he said. He makes me so proud.

One of the crowd favorites was a sort of recumbent bicycle that had “The University of Utah” painted all over it. I was curious who built it, so I sought out the inventor (check out the accompanying picture). It turns out, the bike was built by a senior mechanical engineering student at the U (and his team) who had just graduated last week.

This bike was a big hit with the kids. It was built by a mechanical engineering student for his senior project. The bike cost them about $1,500 to build. I was impressed that they formed the shell themselves out of fiberglass.

The event was a big success and a great way to spend an early Friday evening. I give props to UTA for putting on the event and the many sponsors who participated. There is a definitely a sub-culture of bike enthusiasts in SLC. If you’re a fanatic like me, there was no other place to be last night.

Like many others, I lamented the day the University golf course officially closed to make way for more capital expansion. USTAR facilities are a fantastic boon for the U and for the state, but the nine short holes of golf (that cost less than $5 and could almost be played during a single lunch hour) were the focal point of many undergraduate memories.

The course suffered a long and terrible death, slowly losing some hook-side rough to Trax on the 5th and 6th tees, and some yardage on the 7th green. The experience reminds me of a game my brother and I often play called, “would you rather.” It goes something like this, “would you rather be cheese-grated to death or cauterized an inch at a time.” Reflecting on the golf course I suppose I can now ask in retrospect, “Would I rather the golf course suddenly disappear or be carved to bits over ten years.”

Today at lunch I decided I would walk up to the former 6th green and pull out my stunt kite—an activity that was never possible in the past. It was nice to see students still practicing their swings in the fairways and people enjoying the open space reading and walking. The northwest wind raced up federal heights and dissipated nicely through the fairway providing a perfect updraft to launch a kite. As the kite performed dives and axles only feet above the still lush grass, I figured there were probably sick children watching with fascination from the windows of Primary Children’s hospital.

Sure, campus is quickly changing (it seems like there is a new building completed every other week) but it was nice to know there was still a place to get away from the bustling campus sidewalks. I’m hoping for more windy days in the coming months, so I can take my sack lunch up to the 6th green and launch my kite.

A quiet evening for a normally bustling hub on campus.

Ideal for people watching. Pricey food. Nothing like finding a tree to study.  A Mecca for activities and ideas. Did you know that the hourly “gong” is a rooftop speaker?