Dude ... Where's the Film Fest?????

Okay,

Is somebody pulling a fast one on me? Here I sit in Salt Lake City, but can't seem to find the Sundance Film Festival. Eh... what's that? Really? It's only October? And the Fest is in January? SHEEET...

But seriously, I'm out here in Salt Lake again, but NOT for a scouting trip to Sundance. I'm actually here on other business. Again I'm staying with my good friends Mel and Deb. I'm about to begin a FilmTreks Documentary Filmmaking Workshop... as a STUDENT! That's right, the same workshops that I usually help coordinate for OUR SouthSide Film Festival in Bethlehem, PA. This time I'm not an overseer, but am digging in and playing student. And I just can't wait!

in the meantime, there's the matter of killing some time. So yesterday after an early morning workout at Gold's, I took a tour of the area, driving in one big circle... intentionally. I started from the gym and headed toward Robert Redford's spread at Sundance Resort. WOW!!!
This is one cool place, tucked up in the hillside amidst the Wasatch Range. After quite some winding and turning, I finally finished my climb and entered the resort, complete with crafts shops, restaurants, bars, lodges, cabins in the woods, and a ski resort. After touring the grounds and climbing up into the woods, I grabbed some grub at the Foundry Grille. Didi some shopping and watched some glass blowing demonstrations, then tried to make a phone call. But... no signal to be had, as I was surrounded by the hills on all four sides. So I did like the bear in that children's song.... I climbed another mountain, or more precisely, I climbed up Ray's Run alongside the ski lift, until I finally had SOME signal on the cel.

Next it was time to get back on the road. So back down the winding roads and North on 189 toward Park City, where the majority of Sundance normally takes place each January. I paralleled Deer Creek Reservoir, a massive body of water, complete with campgrounds, beaches, and recreational boating activities. Interestingly, along this journey I passed familiar sights, not familiar because I've been here, but because I've seen these landmarks... in the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". It was actually while working on this film that Redford became intrigued with this area, eventually buying land. Some of which eventually became his Sundance Resort, named after his character in this film. The name is also what inspired the name for his Film Fest. Pretty cool, eh???

Back to the road... so I continued winding around the reservoir and then through the cowboy community of Heber, a drop of Western flair in Utah, complete with Cattle and Horse ranches, cowboy boots, and the look of an old western town. I was simply "passin' through", and soon came upon Park City, a more familiar sight. I've spent the past two Januarys here scouting films at Sundance Film Festival, and have also been here during the winter months for a ski vacation with my wife. I KNOW this town, and spent many enjoyable days climbing up and down its streets, viewing films at its many theaters, and doing some star watching in between all that fun and chaos. But still, I love taking the climb up and down Main Street, bopping in and out of the shops full of crafts, art, and an occasional silly souvenir.

But alas, all this fun had to end soon, as dinner was approaching and my host, Mel Halbach was expecting me for a "boys night in". Deb was out of town, and Mel, Clayton Farr, and I planned a night meant for BOYS. Our evening included tasty cigars, splendid rum, a few martinis, and a beer or two. This was all mixed with stimulating conversation, filmmaking discussions, some film screenings, and a little Bill Maher to cap off the night. The evening wound down and soon we all needed to call it a night just before midnight.

At 5am I awoke to again visit the gym for a 5:45 Spin class. Not sure it was wise after an evening of smoking and drinking, but I was determined. And I'm feeling those effects as I write this note. I did some towning this morning and afternoon, and this evening my Filmmaking Workshop begins. I am SOOOO psyched and can't wait to dig in as I begin to create a short documentary on a local subject. More to come, but damn do I need a one hour power nap.

I'll continue this blog throughout the workshop, and will try to add some photos from the trip and the class. In the meantime I'll fall asleep while staring out the window while gazing at the snow dusted mountains on all sides.