Utah

Had a few days at Alta and Snowbird this weekend to start off my spring break. Report: Spencer did, indeed, use up all the snow. Or maybe it was the warm weather. Nonetheless, how can one complain about big mountains, small crowds, plenty of sun, and no injuries?

One lesson about rental cars in the Salt Lake airport: if you are renting from Advantage (which is either a maverick firm or Hertz's price discrimination tool), don't try to explain to the agent why it is that (a) the pre-paid tank at $3.09 is not a good deal, even if the nearby stations charge $3.59, and (b) if she wants to insist, over the explanation, that it is a good deal, she is being deceitful. Novel theories of consumer harm don't sell well in that setting.

I'm in Cedar City, Utah, working from Starbucks. The first one in about 200 miles, since north of Provo! Lots of young kids coming in and out; I now realize this is a college town. Southern Utah University. I wonder if they want to start a new law school? (Slogan: "SUU teaches you to sue!") Before getting back on the road I need to finish some comments on student outlines in time for them to put my comments to use over spring break. Then I need to polish up an abstract of "The Competition Policy Implications of Bankruptcy Asset Sales" for a competitive workshop submission.

But within a couple of hours I need to get on the road to St. George. The mission: run 2+ hours on the marathon course for the St. George triathlon. I'm a little nervous about the hills and altitude, but I need a long run this week with Boston just over a month away, and that race follows Boston by three weeks.

Update on the St. George run course: yowza. But it is beautiful.