Julie Shipman Photography in Baja, Cabo, Los Barriles, Mexico and Park City, Utah - Park City Photographer

Action Sports Photographer, Portrait Photography, Travel Photography, Senior Portraits, Family Portraits, Salt Lake City & Park City, Utah

travel

Going to Spain!

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Congratulations to Jemison Cycling Tours on celebrating their 10th Anniversary Trip in Girona!

Here I Go!  Cycling Spain with a Pro…  a tour through Girona with Marty Jemison

I first met Marty Jemison in high school.  I was 16.  I recall riding in the back of a pick-up truck with him, in weather that was much too cold.  It was the 80’s… seat belts?  safety precautions?  We weren’t so good at that stuff.  The beauty was there were no cell phones either so our mothers never really knew how stupid we were…  (as if we moms have a handle on it now!  Hah!).

Fast-forward 30 years.  I now live in Park City, Utah, the home of JEMISON Cycling Tours.  A friend talked me into signing up for Jemison’s signature tour through Spain guided by none other than Marty himself.  What makes this interesting is that I’m quite a beginner when it comes to biking, especially every day for many miles. I’ve been trying to train for this “vacation” but I find I’m more interested in the scenery than my MPH, RPMs, cadence, velocity, or whatever.  After my first 20-mile training ride, I felt like I had just finished a stage of the Tours in Europe I used to do!  Yahoo! It hasn’t gotten much better.  Luckily,  I’ve been told that Marty offers wonderful side trips AND there is always the ‘broom wagon’ to sweep my butt off the pavement.

aka, the SAG wagon...
aka, the SAG wagon… providing much-needed support for cyclists on long rides or races.

 

Who is Marty Jemison?  Briefly, he started his racing career in Utah in 1987. By 1989, he was a Category 1 racer. In 1993, he began riding for the US National Team and won the US Amateur Road Racing Championships.  From 1995-2000, he rode for the US Postal Team including two Tour de France races where he finished 96th and 48th, as well as  5th in Stage 13.

After living in Girona for 6 years while riding in the Professional Peloton, Marty and his wife, Jill, decided to share their love of this incredible region in Spain with others and created JEMISON Cycling Tours.  The GIRONA tour is their Signature Tour and this September is the 10th Anniversary of a dream-come-true: a successful cycling tour business. I will have the privilege of sharing it with them.

Join me (and my camera), Marty, Jill, and others on this 10th Anniversary Tour as I post a photo blog detailing the highlights.  If I can’t make it up the hill (quite likely) I am assured of fantastic hiking, museums, ancient ruins, art, spas, cultural experiences and great food & wine.  I am looking forward to sampling the region’s local choice, Rioja!  Stay tuned.

www.julieshipman.com            www.jemisontours.com

Tour of Utah 2013

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Peloton on Kearns Blvd. during the Tour of Utah.
Peloton on Kearns Blvd. during the Tour of Utah.

 

What a weekend in Park City!  The Tour of Utah (named as America’s Toughest Cycling Stage Race) went through our town twice.  These guys are pros; many of them have raced the Tour de France.  I’m glad to see that the United States in starting to recognize the intensity, athleticism, and drama displayed at a major cycling race.  Thousands of “Utahns” came out to cheer on these boys.  It’s FUN!

Which reminds me, I too am going on a “Tour.”  I will be joining Jemison Cycling Tours for their 10th Anniversary Signature Trip through Girona, Spain, in September.  So, as I try to “train” for this ride, I realize I can’t be too hard on myself.  My 30 mile rides probably take as much outta me as these boys over 100 miles.  A 46 year old GIRL –who was never much of a stellar athlete in the first place– just has to do her best.  Lucky for me, my main task on this trip will be PHOTOGRAPHING the gorgeous scenery and the OTHER riders!  So, when I cannot turn my pedals a single more round, I will just have to notice a fabulous thing that requires my immediate attention with my camera!  Good excuse?

Park City ROCKS!

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I moved to Park City in June, so I’m a newbie.  However, growing up in Salt Lake City — just 30 minutes down the road — I spent a ton of time there.  My Dad bought a house in Park City when I was a teen, after my parents split up.  Funny, I remember when he sold that house in the Park Meadows neighborhood in the early 1990s.  It was on the market for $495,000 but he offered it to my husband and I for $1 and the cost of the annual taxes.  HELLO?  Pooh!  Park City?  Who wanted to live there?  We lived in DENVER.  Now, that was a REAL city!  Park City was an obscure little ski resort town with strange folks.  Blech.

HHHmmmmm.  Yes, well…  I noticed the other day — as I was on a lovely bike ride through Park Meadows– that my Dad’s old house was for sale!  Just out of curiosity I stopped and pulled the flyer.  Dare I share?  “VIEWS, VIEWS, VIEWS…  don’t miss this opportunity to live in one of Park City’s BEST neighborhoods with views that don’t quit!  This six bedroom home with vaulted ceilings and four rock fireplaces can be yours for $1,750,000! A great deal for this prestigious street.”

SERIOUSLY?  I feel so SMART.  That DUKE education sure came in handy!  In fact, those 2 Master’s Degrees I had just finished in 1991 sure PAID OFF!  “No thank you, Dad.  Just SELL it!” … Dad, I’m sorry.  Yes, you were right.  Wish I could tell you to your face…

And, Park City!  Wow, what a GREAT place to live.  An obscure little ski town with strange folks.  What could be better?

French Market in Provence

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Lucky me!  I just returned from a wonderful trip to the Cote d’Azur and the Provence region of France.  Rather an impromtu trip as a friend of mine “won” a house in an auction and I tagged along.  One of the most outstanding aspects of our trip was the fresh food we bought daily at the markets and cooked in our beautiful little sea-side villa.  Do not get me wrong.  This is not my normal activity to hop “the pond” to France with little notice and stay in a private villa on the coast.   But, hey.  Would you turn that down?  I think not…

So, there we are, a random party of 10 — five kids (none my own!), a divorced couple (how awesome they can travel together?) a great-aunt, Bo (my “boyfriend”) and me!  Ya know, you just gotta go with these things when they present themselves…

Why is it that fresh produce bought in outdoor markets tastes so damn good?  The experience of going to the market, meeting the growers/sellers, delighting in the smells…  and then cooking it —  is soulful.  It makes food taste better, digest better, and just feel better.  A remarkable experience that we should all do more often.

And, notice the first photo:  When I asked Livi and Bo what they each purchased, this is what they pulled out of the bag:  Livi bought a shirt and Bo?  Of course, he’s a boy… he found a sausage.

Vive La France!

Quick Trip to “SoCal”

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A quick trip to “SoCal” to visit my oldest son – Peter, with my youngest son, Jack.  There is one more in the middle, Hank — but as usual, he’s on his own journey this week.  Venice Beach is quite fascinating.  I don’t think PeopleWatching is better anywhere in the world!  There is truly every flavor of person imaginable.  There is NO norm.  Anything goes.                                              Refreshing.  Interesting.  A bit shocking.

It makes you ponder what is “acceptable” and what is not.  It’s all perspective.  Tolerance is key, but in raising children you have to set boundaries somewhere.  Venice Beach is the perfect setting for Endless Boundaries!

Enjoy my look at the world.  It’s different and it’s the same.  I love to travel.  I love to see it thru a lens.  I love to share it with friends, family and the world.