Guess what we saw parked at another campsite as we were leaving the campground to go to downtown Salt Lake City? Another yellow Jeep Wrangler with two bikes on the back! Needless to say, we both did a "double-take"! What's even funnier, the couple in the yard also did a "double-take", so we stopped! Really nice couple from the Black Hills of South Dakota getting ready to leave for Park City for the day. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture until we pulled away. Maybe they will be there tomorrow when we leave for the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island.
Today, our initial plan was to do the Walking Tour downtown. We found a parking space in front of the Salt Palace Convention Center, right next to the Visitor Information Center where we were going to pick up the Walking Tour map. We decided to start at Temple Square, the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, situated on 35 acres in downtown Salt Lake City. On July 24, 1847, after being driven beyond U.S. boundaries for their religious beliefs, the Mormons, led by the church's president, Brigham Young, arrived in the "Salt Lake Valley" and stayed when Brigham Young declared "this is the place" and chose the site for the Salt Lake Temple.
The grounds were absolutely breathtaking...beautifully landscaped as you can see from the pictures. We were able to tour inside several building and got to sit in on an organ rehearsal in the Tabernacle, home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We were not able to see the inside of the Temple, as only Mormons can enter the Temple. You will also see in the pictures that there were 2 weddings, brides and grooms and guests, at both doors and the bottom of the steps of the Temple. I haven't figured that out yet and didn't have enough nerve to ask. We had lunch at the Garden Restaurant on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly the Utah Hotel), overlooking Temple Square and Salt Lake City. Lovely...
Well, you know how spontaneous we are...the walking tour of the city ended after we toured The Beehive, Brigham Young's "official" residence (he also lived in the Lion House next door...he had 27 wives and 56 children...not quit sure how this worked but most of his wives and children lived in the Lion House next door...we were told only 7 of his children lived in The Beehive...not sure how many wives lived in The Beehive). Whatever...
Why, you ask, did we end the Walking Tour? Because when we left The Beehive we "happened upon" the Tour of Utah. And what pray tell is that? I'm so glad you asked! The Tour of Utah is called "America's Toughest Stage Race" where cyclists from all over the world travel to Utah to "test their mettle" on Utah's mountainous terrain. The six day race occurs at six locations around the state and one of the most exciting spots to be a part of the tour happens to be in and around Salt Lake City! Today was an 8-mile circuit race through downtown, Capitol Hill, the Avenues and the University of Utah. Tomorrow the tour concludes with a climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird resort. Woops...I digress...now I remember...you want to know why we ended the Walking tour...well...
When we walked out of The Beehive, the cyclists were turning the corner where we were and heading up the hill to the Capitol. We started taking pictures then and, since they were repeating the same route 8 times and finishing at the Capitol, we decided to walk up the hill to the Capitol (we were doing to drive there later!) and catch them again...and again...and again! Anyway, it was fun but after a while we decided to "call it a day" and headed to the grocery store and Pet Smart (aren't you glad no explanations are needed for that?)!
I know you can't wait to see the pictures! You know the routine...click on the two links below.
https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/August132011SaltLakeCityUtah?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ6hmbDBh-bD7QE&feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/August132011SaltLakeCityUtahGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIm8oJPyn-a8FA&feat=directlink
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