Utah!

Us and Rich and Shana Robb at Temple Square

We finally left Arizona on April 3rd, bound for Utah. The plan included spending a couple nights at Bryce Canyon National Park, but the weatherman was forecasting snow, so we skipped southern Utah and headed straight into American Fork, where we (thought) we had reservations for a few days. When we called the campground from I15, not only did they not have our reservation, but they said that they don't allow RVs over 36 feet. They suggested another park in Provo, which was nearly full, but found us a space. Other RVers who might be reading this blog should stay away from American Campground in American Fork.

Lakeside RV in Provo is just a hop skip and jump away from Utah Lake State Park, which was not really open when we got there. Utah Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Utah, receiving mountain runoff from the Provo River, American Fork and Spanish Fork rivers.

The Mormon Temple on a snowy day

We woke un Sunday morning to an inch of snow on everything. Normally we would just stay out of snow's way, but we had made arrangements to meet up with my former boss from Mayo, Dr. Richard Robb and his wife Shana, as they have a second home here, and would show us around Utah. They only had Monday and Tuesday available, and the weather again turned foul, with a smattering of rain and hail pelting us on Monday. But we did get to see the Mormon Temple Square and had lunch high above the Mormon Temple. The Tabernacle, home of the famous choir, had unusually excellent acoustics, and a very impressive pipe organ. Rich and Shana also shared details about the church and their beliefs with us. On Tuesday, we went to their house in Highland, where Consuelo taught SHana and their daughter Rachelle to knit, and Rich and I played pool and watched the Red Sox. Turns out that Rachelle's husband Kevin is a rabid Red Sox fan.

On Wednesday, the weather cleared. We got some house work done, did a little walking around the campground.

On Thursday, I took off for the hills while Consuelo stayed home to work on her marketing project. I ventured into historic Provo, then up US 189 into the Wasatch Mountains. Fishermen were out testing the streams and Deer Creek Reservoir to see if the fish had thawed out enough to be hungry. Of those that I spoke with, only one had caught anything.

Park City skiers enjoying a fine spring day

After, I drove into Park City, a tourist trap at 7100 feet elevation. Park City was the home to the Nordic events for the 2002 Winter Olympics. I stopped to watch the skiers and snowboarders having their fun on the slopes. The same storm that kept us housebound on Tuesday had dropped two to four feet of fine powder on the slopes, and the valley folks had come up for some fine spring skiing.

Downtown Park City

After the slopes, I found the shopping district on historic Main Street, built in the style of a mining town, which it was, but far more colorful now. Art galleries, jewelry shops and clothing boutiques lined the narrow sidewalks. A few interesting sculptures brightened up the town. One sculpture of two boys sliding on their tubes, had snow piled up around it so it almost looked like they were in their design environment.

The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City

I left Park City, wandered down to I80, and thence down the hill into the valley in Salt Lake City. I located the Utah State Capitol building and took an hour or so to wander around it and explore the inside. The government was not in session, so only me and a few other tourists occupied the building. I was impressed with the grandiose design and execution of the capitol building. And it sat high on a hill offering a view of Salt Lake City.