Salt Lake City

Today we made it to Salt Lake City.  Total Driving today: 642 Miles.  Total time: 10h 07m

This stretch encompasses probably my favorite part of my drive - as well as my least favorite.  I really enjoy the route through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  I remember when we arrived here on the way out a year ago - it was like an oasis compared to the desert that is Nevada.

Which leads me to my least favorite part - Nevada.  Beth asked today "I wonder what God was thinking when He made Nevada?"  I had no answer.  From Reno to Salt Lake City - there is literally nothing.  The most interesting part of the whole drive is the "moon."  The Moon is the part when you leave Nevada before you get to the Salt Lake.  It's a real desert, only it looks like you're driving on the moon because it's all white.

Nevada was also very strange today.  It started out a little cloudy.  A couple hours in, it turned to a thick dust filled fog - blowing all over the place, that felt like you were driving through the tank of a Dyson.  Then it started raining.  Then it poured.  The worst part about the rain is that it basically was raining mud.  If you've never experienced that - well, it's gross.

We got into Salt Lake City around 7:30pm local time.  After checking in to the hotel - where we left the cat - we decided to go downtown to check out the Temple Square.  I have to say - it was pretty interesting. Salt Lake City, or at least the area around the Mormon Temple - is kept very well.  Here's a couple shots of our nighttime visit.

This is a shot from the Church of Latter Day Saints Conference Center.  It was cool because there is a waterfall coming down the building, and the way it was lit up at night was awesome.

I really like this because you see the gate and sign with the temple in the background.  To me, the gate is pretty symbolic.  The Mormon church gives no tours of the building and you have to be a member to even enter the building.

We arrived as the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir was finishing rehearsal in the Orchestra Center.  Very cool.

Comments

[adam]

Gasp! You didn't like Winnamucca! We actually stopped and ate dinner there when we went cross country.

Just so you know, there is only one golf course between the Wyoming border and Cheyenne. Enjoy the high country. You'll catch yourself singing "O Give me a home..." all day.

Two things to look forward to about Nebraska and Iowa... Cabella's is like an oasis in the boredom desert. And the famous I-80 truck stop is the largest truck stop in the world and worth a gander.

OK, Omaha is pretty nice.