Day 63 – Salt Lake City, UT (Day 3)

We took a 5 hour sightseeing tour today. It was a lot like drinking from a fire hose, but a pretty good way to get a feel for the city.

Getting Started

We were up by 7:00. The rain had stopped and sunshine brightened the morning. The tour bus picked us up at 8:30.

On the Way

We travelled around the city viewing and occasionally stopping at points of interest. There were four stops where everyone departed the bus, two photo op stops and lots of “over there you will see” highlights.

John Knight, our Mormon driver/guide, has lived in the area his whole life. He knew the city and its history well. He included a lot of church doctrine in his narrative.

First stop: Temple Square/Mormon Tabernacle

We watched the rehearsal and performance of the 4,437^th broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir, Organ and Orchestra. The acoustics were phenomenal.

Rehearsal

After the performance

The Salt Lake Temple

It took 40 years to build the Temple.

The Temple is inside Temple Square

Assembly Hall

Assembly Hall is inside Temple Square

Eagle Gate Monument commemorates the entrance to Brigham Young’s property at the mouth of City Creek Canyon.

Eagle Gate Monument spans State Street

Second stop: Pioneer Heritage State Park

It’s supposed to have the best gift shop in Utah. It was attractive and had an extensive inventory. We didn't buy anything.

Entrance to Heritage Village

This Is The Place Monument

Remembering the journey west

Third stop: Trolley Square

We stopped here for lunch at the Desert Edge Brewery & Pub

Last stop: Utah State Capitol Building

This structure is majestic and beautifully constructed.

Arch and scene from the rotunda's
eight scene cyclorama

House of Representatives wing
from the rotunda

Wasatch Mountains from the capitol steps

End of Day

The day was sunny except for a brief morning shower while we were in the Tabernacle. We made a second visit to the Great Salt Lake.

Carol stands on the Great Salt Lake

A squall moved across the lake

Storm clouds approach from the east

Tomorrow

We decided to head for home via I-80. We should be back in Columbus in a week.

Day 62 – Salt Lake City, UT (Day 2)

Weather Update

Thunder rumbled and grumbled in the distance throughout the night. Action started at 4:30am with nearby thunder, lighting and moderate rain. It quieted after about an hour. We awoke to heavy overcast and dripping trees.

Plans

We extended our stay one day (through Sunday) and made reservations for a tour that includes the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle Choir and Organ, State Capital Building, Governor’s Mansion, and many other sites of interest.

It's supposed to rain quite a bit today. Regardless, we plan to take a look at Great Salt Lake on our own and keep a close eye on the OSU vs. Cincinnati game.

The Day

Our “do-it-yourself” tour didn’t work so well. The rain and limited visibility were too much to overcome.

Saltair Pavilion is the name given to several resorts located on the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The first was built in 1893. Over the years, the Saltairs have served as resorts, amusement parks, dance palaces and concert halls. The last (the third) was constructed in 1981 from a salvaged Air Force aircraft hangar. They hold occasional concerts here. We were underwhelmed.

Welcome to Saltair III

We weren't impressed.

The lake is much more impressive in the sunshine.

Great Salt Lake from Saltair Beach

We spent most of the afternoon in the trailer listening to rain drops, reading, watching TV and following football. We “watched” the OSU game on ESPN Gamecast and were pleased with the 50-28 win .

The rain stopped around 6:30pm and started again around 8:30pm. Oh, well.

Day 61 – Declo, ID to Salt Lake City, UT

Rain is on the way, but today was mostly sunny and we enjoyed a relatively short drive of 176 miles to Salt Lake City.

Getting Started

Carol had a rough night. She felt sick and didn't sleep very much.

We got up much later than usual and didn't get on the road until almost 11.

The morning looked brighter than we felt.

The Route

We took I-84 east from Declo to Brigham City where we connected with I-15 and followed it south into Salt Lake City.

Along the Way

The first 65 miles or so were pretty desolate. There were no towns or gas stops along I-84.

It's pretty desolate out here.

And there are miles to go. 

Snowville UT was our first opportunity for a stop. It’s a quaint little community. We got gas and stopped at Mollie’s Café for lunch. Mini Mollie (Mollie’s granddaughter) was our server. She was young, very efficient and quite sociable. She shared some family history and was proud to announce that her 10 month old daughter (the last of 5 children) had increased the census to 101. She also made it quite clear that further population growth was someone else’s responsibility.

The terrain along I-84 was rugged. We found it captivating.

Towns, businesses, and traffic increased dramatically after we got to Tremonton UT.

The Campground

We’re staying at the Salt Lake City KOA. It’s located inside the city limits, just 2 miles from Temple Square. Campgrounds inside large cities are usually like cramped parking lots with no privacy … but, not here. It’s attractive, nicely landscaped, and relatively secluded from traffic and street noise.

We’ll be here for 2 or 3 days.

Evening Weather Update (7:30pm)
The forecast calls for heavy rain and thunderstorms tomorrow. We're getting early confirmation now.

We had some strong wind gusts this afternoon and a brief shower. Dark clouds moved in around 6pm. The wind has increased and we can hear thunder.

It looks like this evening will be interesting and tomorrow will not be a good sightseeing day.

Day 60 – Baker City, OR to Declo, ID

What a day! It was chock full of pleasant, fun, interesting and surprising travel encounters.

The Weather

The day was sunny. It was quite cool overnight (the furnace felt really good) and quite warm by mid-afternoon (low 90s).

The Route

We spent a 2^nd full day on I-84 east. The 299 mile journey took us through eastern Oregon and into Idaho. We passed by Nampa, Boise and Twin Falls.

Leaving Baker City

We usually leave an overnight stay with no comment.  Baker City deserves better treatment. It’s a very nice rural community. The Mountain View RV Park is exceptional. We met many guests who return year after year.

This is the place.

They greet guests in a fun way.

Site 99

The Inland Café on 10^th Street provided another pleasant memory of Baker City. We stopped there for breakfast and found the place where townsfolk like to meet to eat and visit. Our meals were outstanding.

Along the Way

The drive gave us lots of opportunity to enjoy wide open spaces. Grazing ranges and fields stretched to the horizon. Towns were distant and gas stations were few. Mountains presented a number of long, steep inclines.

Long, steep inclines

Wide open spaces from I-84 in Idaho

Irrigation changes ranges to fields.

We changed to Mountain Time at the Idaho border.

The Idaho speed limit was a big surprise.

We didn't drive the speed limit.

We spotted a barn or hay fire on the way.

We saw smoke from many miles away.

It was too far away to tell what was burning.

The Campground

We stopped at Village of Trees RV Resort in Declo. It’s a highly rated campground.  Each site has mature shade trees and we’re camped along the Snake River.

Site A-11

The Snake River from our campground.

The Surprise

Carol noticed that the 5^th-wheel trailer parked next to us today looked a lot like the rig parked next to us in Baker City last night. John and Mary are retired and live in Fort Collins. They were our neighbors last night and are again tonight. They’re even parked on the same side of us as before. We didn’t meet yesterday, but we sure did today!

We definitely have different destinations tomorrow.

Tomorrow

We'll be in Salt Lake City by tomorrow afternoon.

Day 59 – Portland, OR to Baker City, OR

After spending 16 days in the Portland area, we started out on a 2,500 mile journey toward home.

The Weather

It rained lightly throughout the morning. We were able to drive out of it by early afternoon. The evening was beautiful … mid-70s, clear skies with a pleasant breeze.

The Route

We drove 305 miles on I-84 east and ended the day 2,246 miles from home. At least we’re heading in the right direction to get there.

About the Day

The trailer hook-up and reloading went better than expected. We pulled out at 10.

We followed the Columbia River Gorge for the first few hours. We passed Mt. Hood, three dams (Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day) and many beautiful scenes. Unfortunately, rain and clouds dimmed the effect.

Views from the gorge

We stopped in The Dalles for gas and lunch at Cousin’s Restaurant & Saloon. The meal was good and the setting was fun.

Cousin's decorated with farm equipment

The terrain changed dramatically as we climbed out of the gorge. The change became most noticeable as we approached The Dalles and continued eastward.

The terrain changed as we climbed.

We passed this huge tree farm.

Sprawling fields tell us we're out of the gorge.

Pendleton waits quietly as we peek into the valley from above. The city is on the western edge of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

We headed southeast from Pendleton and started a long, twisty climb over Blue Mountain Summit and Deadman Pass. The car worked very hard. We enjoyed some wonderful scenery from a viewpoint.

The climb up is a 6% grade.

We were rewarded with great views.

 

The Campground

Carol found a great campground in Baker City. Mountain View RV Park is highly rated, didn't require a reservation and is reasonably priced at $32/night.

Tomorrow

We continue the drive toward Salt Lake City.