Jerome, Idaho - Salt Lake City, Utah, Great Salt Lake, and Temple Square
Friday, May 2
While I packed the trailer this morning, Barbara went across the parking lot to get us a couple of Egg white McMuffins. We ate in the parking lot and then I pulled Taz around to the front of the hotel while Barbara checked us out. Then, it was off to another day of adventure.
The terrain we first encountered was different from anything we've seen so far on this journey. We couldn't see any signs of volcanoes, but it looked for all the world as if lava rocks had been flung around the area...a geologist could certainly have a heyday around here.
We've learned along the way that if we get tired of the scenery, it will probably change within a few miles, and that was the case again today.
Snow-capped mountains seemed to always be around us...sometimes many miles away, and sometimes very close.
And while the snow caps had their own beauty, the rolling hills and bluffs along the way provided a great visual experience. We began seeing more green grasses today than what we had seen previously.
As we traveled farther south and got a little closer to the distant mountains, we could even see individual trees against the snow.
Sometimes the snow caps were framed so perfectly by the terrain that we couldn't help but shoot them.
And at times, the big mountains disappeared and we just saw the road and rolling plains.
But the mountains were never far away.
We finally entered Utah and began experience its unique blend of terrain...rolling plains, pastureland, hills, and mountains...what a picturesque highway!
We stopped at Snowville for gas and a butt break and then continued down I-84 toward Tremonton.
Although the speed limit was 80, the highest we'd seen in weeks, I kept the speedometer locked at 70, the top speed for any kind of fuel efficiency.
The next road sign made us think this was no time for another break.
So, we kept on the straight (but not so narrow) highway.
This part of Utah is very sparsely populated.
We found it interesting that this mountain had a very definite copse of trees visible on it We didn't see this sight anywhere else we traveled today..
In the distance is Tremonton, with smoke boiling up. We got several shots of the smoke later, but couldn't tell if it was a deliberate burn or a fire out of control.
We tied in with I-15 at Tremonton and began seeing more snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Have we mentioned that Barbara likes to do helmet selfies in her spare time?
We noticed a Sonic sign when we approached the Brigham City exit. Since it was lunch time, we took it as a sign that we were supposed to stop here.
We even had a visitor that watched us as we enjoyed our first Sonic meal in a l-o-n-g time.
As we finished our meal, a young couple that had been waiting in the take-out lane and who saw us taking so many photos, pulled over and suggested that we drive a few miles up into the hills to the community of Mantua for some great photos, so that's what we did. But first, Barbara got this shot of one of the mountains behind Brigham City as we were pulling out of the parking lot.
The road to Mantua and the photo opportunities turned out to be everything the couple told us about.
And here's the view I had as we left Mantua to return to the main highway.
Back on I-15, we rode south through Ogden toward Salt Lake City.
It was finally time for me to quit gawking at the mountains ringing the Salt Lake Valley and start watching for the traffic that was building up on I-15.
We made another fuel stop and then worked our way to I-80 West to find the Best Western Airport Inn where we checked in unloaded our gear, and then decided this would be a great time to ride a little farther west to check out the Great Salt Lake.
Neither of us had ever been to the Great Salt Lake, so we didn't have any idea of what to expect. For me, I was blown away by the proximity of snow-capped mountains on one side of I-80 and the huge desert lake (75 miles by 35 miles) on the other side.
While we were wandering around trying to take photos of each other, a couple of young ladies who were looking at the sights offered to take our photo. We've found this sort of thing to happen all through our journey...kind of makes one want to think that maybe people aren't so darn bad after all.
Following our brief exploration around the visitors center, we returned to the hotel, had a great meal at Perkins Restaurant next door, and retired to the room for some rest and relaxation.
Saturday, May 3
Salt Lake City Temple Square
We had the luxury of sleeping in this morning. With no cycle ride on the agenda for the day, we took our time getting ready to go touring in "regular clothes."
We were fortunate that the hotel provided a shuttle service to the airport so we could catch a ride on the TRAX train, a part of the Utah Transportation Authority mass transit system.
Once on board our car, we took a couple of pictures to prove we were there, and then settled in for the fifteen-minute ride into central Salt Lake City and our stop at Temple Square.
Barbara had never been to Salt Lake City, but I had visited there 51 years ago with Max Johnson and Charles Seaman, a couple of college band friends from Eastern New Mexico University. I couldn't recall any part of that visit except the tour of the Tabernacle and the demonstration of the acoustics, and was sure that everything must have changed greatly since that time.
This was the view from outside Temple Square as we stepped off the train. The building is the Tabernacle Visitor Center, but it took nearly three hours of walking, talking, and looking at signs to learn that.
Our first stop was at the South Visitor's Center to get an introduction to the complex and see displays about the beliefs of the Latter Day Saints.
We got this shot of the Temple through a large window inside the visitor's center. The Temple is such an imposing building that its presence is seen and felt throughout Temple Square.
Note the abundance of flowers in the above shot. Temple Square is alive with some of the most beautiful flower gardens we've ever seen.
Also lending to the beauty of Temple Square is this large fountain. Getting a photo of an individual next to the fountain is difficult, because the fountain looms so large over everything near it.
And here is yet another view of the Temple as shot from behind the fountain.
After walking around the fountain area, we stopped to take pictures of some of the flower gardens in the area.
It was getting close to lunch time, so we decided to try the fare at Lion House Pantry, the historic home of Brigham Young.
The food was served cafeteria style, and was as delicious as any home-style meal a person could want.
While visiting with a couple in line at the Lion House Pantry, we learned that we could go to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and take an elevator to the top to get aerial views of Temple Square and beyond.
After eating, we looked around the area some more and then did the elevator bit, where we captured yet another view of the Temple, as well as the surrounding countryside.
There was no shortage of visitors offering to take photos of other visitors, so when an elderly gentleman asked if we'd like to have a photo of the two of us, we jumped at the opportunity.
Temple Square houses some of the largest and most conclusive genealogical study facilities in the world. Aunt Travis had asked us to see about their study sites, and we found that one of them is in the Smith Memorial Building.
While we were gawking, one of the elders approached us and, noting I was wearing an Air Force tee-shirt, asked if I had been in the Air Force. It turned out that he had served from 1961 - 1965, the four years prior to my enlistment in 1966. His wife was a teacher, so we had plenty to talk about. While we were talking, I asked about the free photo that was offered to visitors, so he said he would take care of that and led us to a backdrop showing immigrants arriving at Ellis Island more than a century ago. We were a little anachronistic in our modern day clothes, but loved the setting and the final results.
We were beginning to wear down after all the walking, but wandered back toward the Tabernacle, after we learned from one of the volunteers where it was. We couldn't get a good shot of the outside, but did go inside to hear part of the spiel by a tour group leader. The acoustics are such that microphones aren't necessary to be heard from the stage, and almost anyone sitting in the hall can hear anyone else in the hall who is talking. What a magnificent facility this is!
And for someone who grew up listening to recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and E. Power Biggs playing the organ, I could only wish I could be present for a concert.
We're sure there was much more to be seen in Temple Square, but we were worn out and suffering from another bout of sensory overload, so we left the grounds and went outside to wait for the train to take us back to the airport.
While we were waiting, we went into one of the bookstores on Temple Avenue, and Barbara got this shot of a seagull sculpture.
Then, it was time to board the TRAX train and return to the airport.
Barbara found a beautiful flower that someone had left beside her seat, so she laid claim to it long enough for me to get this shot.
We returned to the airport, called the shuttle service, and waited for our ride to take us back to the hotel so we could relax a bit and begin packing for another leg of the cycle ride tomorrow.
"There's something magical about traveling; it's as if the world opens up to you. I've experienced strangers acting like family and old friends opening their heart and homes along the way." - Unattributed
From Salt Lake City, Utah,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
