Utah wasn't a state that I had any particular notion of, prior to visiting. I had known about The Great Salt Lake, or course, and its being a haven for the Church of Latter Day Saints, but it was otherwise a complete mystery to me. The primary reason that we ended up going into Utah was to avoid some of the oppressive heat we were experiencing in Colorado. We ordered an As-Seen-On-TV personal air cooler and hoped that it would do its part to stave off some effects of the "Heat Dome".
On our first day in the city, we took the short hike up to Ensign Peak, the site from which the original settlers of Salt Lake City surveyed the valley and laid out their plans for their new home. It was a drizzly day so we decided to do some chores. We fixed a curtain that someone (it was Winston) had torn and finally replaced their aging dog bed. The next morning, which happened to be a Sunday, we decided to explore the downtown. As a result, the city was utterly desolate, except for a small bustle around the church. From our point of view, Salt Lake City seemed a largely sad place. We saw what was, essentially, the Vatican of the Mormon faith surrounded by a great deal of poverty and suffering. A shiny, polished church and tabernacle and its carefully manicured grounds standing in the midst of so much want and need.
Following our exploration of the city, we decided we needed to get out and see something wilder. We ended up deciding to camp out at Antelope Island State Park. When we arrived at our campsite we noticed something unusual waiting for us. The (very large) droppings of a bison were just a few feet from our picnic area. We made note of it and went about our business. We took some time to repair a broken drawer, played some guitar, cleaned up the bus and made a plan to view the sunset from the Lady Finger Trail.
While we were relaxing in the shade of the bus we noticed our campsite neighbors staring and taking photos in our direction. I could only assume they were in awe of my craftsmanship but too nervous to discuss it with us. Then I realized they weren't looking at us, but just past us. They were documenting the very large bull bison who was grazing mere feet from where we sat!
We knew well enough not to get close and to carefully monitor the bison's behavior. We worked our way around the bus, taking photos out of every window. When the big fella made his way behind the bus, I felt safe and brave enough to exit and back away to take a few photos of the bison with the added context of our little purple home. It was incredible to see such a powerful creature just existing so quietly and calmly, knowing full well its strength and capability. It was incredibly charming to see him scratch his head with a hind leg, like a dog. It was hilarious to watch him scratch his body with a giant boulder and grunt with pleasure. There are some truths that are universal, like the satisfaction of scratching an itch.
According to many sources, Antelope Island is THE place from which to see The Great Salt Lake, especially at sunset. In ordinary times, I can imagine how stunningly beautiful the island and surrounding lake must be. Unfortunately, we arrived in the midst of a historic drought - there was even a display in the visitor center comparing the current low point of the lake to the previously recorded low point in 1875. Regardless of the conditions, we still enjoyed hiking up to Dooly Knob and taking in the views. It was a prime location to view just how depleted the lake had been, as the shoreline was well-defined. As much as we regretted seeing the Salt Lake in such a state, it was also oddly cool to realize that we were experiencing something truly historic - something unprecedented in more than a century!
There were certainly some highlights in our time in Salt Lake City. We enjoyed the novelty of parking Charlotte in a covered parking structure for the first time. We scratched a food itch for Emily and tracked down some delicious Pad Thai and a spicy pumpkin curry. Another surprise highlight was finding a delightful vegan restaurant, Vertical Diner, for some vegan buffalo wings and a burger! We also ate an obscene number of donuts from Donut Boy. Neither of us had previously had any particular affinity for or interest in donuts, but I saw the sign one day and decided I had to give them a try. We ended up returning twice after our initial visit and it sparked an interesting bit of food tourism in us. We've since tried donuts in many cities and compared them all to Donut Boy. Donut Boy is still our clear victor.
Another surprising discovery was thanks to Emily's new running habit. We needed to find a place for Emily to do her Couch 2 5K commitment and happened upon the International Peace Gardens. This was a beautiful horticultural park featuring displays of international pride. Cedars of Lebanon and a Nordic church stood beside pagodas and arches from Southeast Asia. It was a truly beautiful garden and a lovely place to spend a leisurely morning. Sometimes when we're planning time in a city the most important places are these hidden oases of wonder and joy.
Before we bade Utah a final farewell, we stopped by the Bonneville Salt Flats. It is truly shocking how beautiful a stark white landscape can be. The salt flats stretch on for quite a distance and it can, allegedly, be so disorienting that people get lost. We also had lots of fun playing with the disorienting perspective in photographs; making a giant Reese and an even tinier Charlotte. We even met some road-tripping Brits on the salt flats who lamented the difficulties in exploring America as a vegetarian - which got us wondering what we were missing over in England since we don't find it to be particularly challenging.
While Utah started out rough for us, we ended up making the best of the situation. We found a new love for trying donuts and saw the beauty in experiencing a historic drought. Life is what you make it and a good part of that comes down to changing your perspective.
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