The Sun Beat Down

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Hi Everyone,

Today we went to Salt Lake City, Utah. It is quite a nice city, very clean, easy to get around in city. But there is one catch…it is the single most religious place on earth. Walking around the city and especially Temple Square, there are sisters walking around to educate you about the Mormon faith. I know that they have their beliefs and that is all right with me, but it is really weird to be approached on the street. The sisters are dressed in street clothes but have nametags on that identifies them. We almost got roped into visiting the Mormon Church museum and watching an informational video!! It was mob mentality.

Overall, we liked Salt Lake City but we decided to check out Park City, Utah instead. Park City is very well known for its skiing, snowboarding, and the Sundance Film Festival. You could tell that it was a exclusive resort town perched on top of a mountain, at about 9,000 feet. There were quaint little shops and boutiques on the historic main street district. We decided to stay and check out the nightlife in the town. It was really great because it is not their typical tourist season. The skiing season just ended and the summer will not pick up until after Memorial Day, so we really were able to hang out with the locals. We met some interesting characters at the local watering hole, the No Name Saloon. Most of the patrons were skiers or snowboarders form the US Ski Team but it didn’t have the ultra healthy feel of Boulder. It was really laid back and people were really friendly. But we Massachusetts people sure do stick out in these parts. OUr sarcastic nature is pretty foreign to a lot of people in the Western US. We had a great time hanging out in Park City, it must be unbelievable when all the celebrities are in town. Our campground was the best that we have stayed in so far in terms of scenery, so peaceful and serene. We were right next to a mountain side and a creek. It was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of rushing water and not raccoon attacks!

Most business are closed in the cities on Sunday so we decided to check out the Great Salt Lake. We visited Antelope Island State Park to go to the beach and be able to relax in the sand, since it was in the high 80’s and low 90’s. Antelope Island was the most beautiful spot we have been to so far. It was unbelievably peaceful. There were the typical sand dunes, sea gulls, and the water was so warm it felt like bath water. The water has an unusually high salt content so you are able to float like a cork in the water. The only downfall of the water is that when you get out your skin is literally coated with the salt. It’s not a nice feeling but thankfully they had showers. I have never been to a beach before where you could be baking in the sand and see snow capped mountains in the distance. If I were ever to be in Salt Lake again, I would definitely go back in a heartbeat.

After toasting our skin we headed out of Utah and into Idaho. We have never been to Idaho so it was quite different than we had expected. It’s very rural and lush. There are so many mountains everywhere and rolling hills covered in dark green trees. We saw so many local farms on the way with cows and horses everywhere. We are camping in Lava Hot Springs tonight, its town of about 500 people and quite quirky. We plan on visiting the natural Hot Springs tomorrow; they are reported to have healing powers. This part of the trip really feels like we are in the lap of luxury. We are taking our time meandering around the Hot Springs, the beach, and hanging out in mountain resort towns.

I hope all is well back home!

Give lots of kisses to my beautiful nieces!

Love Laura

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Photos

Antelope Island State park
Antelope Island is in the Great Salt Lake...an oh boy is it salty. You can literally see the salt on your skin when you get out of the water

Mormon Mecca
Temple Square in Salt Lake City

Temple Square
The ground surrounding Temple Square are really beautiful and perfectly manicured.

Tenny, Tiny, Little Man Statue
There are millions of statutes of Joseph Smith, one of the modern day prophets for the Mormon church!

Antelope Island State park
Where else can you go to the beach in 90 degree weather and still see snow capped mountains

The Beach!!!
The Beach in May what a treat!

Comments

[marc]

have fun.
It funny to read about all these places that you are visiting. It is like reading my experience too. I had the same thing happen while I was in salt lake city and we did the same thing, go to the island. That must be a anti-religion zone, at least the buffalo think so. If you have time in Idaho, I made some reservations for you at an old friend of my house, Ted "the wacko" Kazenski. His one room shack is lovely this time of the year, and the outhouse has recently been pumped. Have Fun Marc, Wenche, Sara