After leaving the beauty of Colorado, we were anxious to continue the magic and Utah, just west, was the ideal destination. Many don't know that Utah has just 2 million people and also more national parks than any other state. This is why, when you get there, you see the following:
1) Signs along the highway that say" "NO SERVICE FOR THE NEXT 160 MILES”
. That means no exits, no gas, no washrooms, no nuttin’. (Subtext: Hey dummy, make sure that your car and your bladder are in fine working order. Otherwise, you’re rattlesnake dinner).
2) Other signs along the highways say: SPEED LIMIT 80. That means 90. It’s amazing how easily you get used to flying along the road at this speed, occasionally being passed, no less. It also means that you arrive at your destination more quickly than expected. For those of you who know how I drive, you can understand that this was a life-changing experience.
3) The highways are almost empty, except for the odd vehicle, it being an 18-wheeler, an RV, or other intrepid Honda drivers like myself. Talk about hitting the open road.
We spent several wonderful days visiting a number of national parks (Arches, Canyonlands, and monuments, each of them involving huge tracts of mountain ranges, chasms, valleys, wildflower-rich meadows, and forest
. The land was quite dry due to the drought that’s affecting the entire western part of the US. Fire warnings abound. We drove, hiked a bit, drove some more, hiked some more, all in the heat of the day. We blessed our car’s A/C regularly.
Our first night was spent in Moab, Utah, a major adventure sports destination, though we took a pass on mountain biking, rappelling, rock climbing, bungying, etc. Because of the scenic beauty, many westerns were shot in the surrounding areas. By sheer luck, we ended up staying at the Apache Inn, a modest inn, which had housed many of the screen legends of the past when they filmed here. John Wayne , for instance, had been a regular, for instance. The desk clerk greeted us with: “Hey, Pilgrims”.
Salt Lake City lay in our sights, and a return visit (we were there 8 years ago) was in order. We only spent a day there, visiting some new sights, and scrupulously avoiding the main draw, Temple Square, site of the Mormon church
. We had done the tour last time, and it’s very impressive. We had previously been exposed to the subtle indoctrination, and didn’t want a repeat. Sample: “There’s so much joy we can share. Can we contact you when you return home?”. Instead, we visited the new and wonderful library designed by Moshe Safdie, a building where light played amongst the collection in myriad complex patterns. The imaginative rooftop garden seemed like a perfect place to have a coffee and enjoy a book. So we did. This was capped with a visit to a nearby farmer’s street market, where we sampled some products, and bought some incredibly delicious fruit. A little dinner at our favourite salad place, Cheesecake Factory, and we called it a day.
Our last Utah stop was in a town called Pocatello on the way north to Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park, Pocatello has a number of hot springs spas, and we found a popular one, for a much-needed day of R&R. It was mountainous, lushly-landscaped, reasonably–priced, and devoid of kids for much of the day. They had several pools, each at varying levels of heat, ranging from a comfortable “ahhh” to “my head is about to explode”. We’ll leave it to you to guess which pool I favoured and which Bonnie favoured.
We could easily have spent many more days in Utah, since there are so many beautiful national parks to visit, including our favourites, Zion and Bryce Canyon, but it was clear that we had to start back towards home, and so we headed north instead.
Our next stop: Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
UTAH-- PARK IT HERE
Monday, August 03, 2015
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
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Comments

2025-02-16
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cissie.retired
2015-08-22
Boy, were you ever right! Magnificent scenes and views in Utah. Lots of wide open spaces, for sure. One of your photos reminded me of a place near Sydney Australia called the 3 sisters, where 3 conical mountains rise. Of course there's an Aboriginal legend that accompanies this. Your photo of the conical mountains was so similar!
I am impressed with the various differences you see across America. Awesome!
We are having sunny, less humid weather today. The Ex opened yesterday. Summer is winding down. Public school teachers have reached a tentative deal, but not the English Separate nor one other which I currently can't think of. Old age sucks when it comes to memory!
Love your blogs, so do continue. So enjoyable to read.
Hope Springman
2015-08-26
Another great blog, and more beautiful photos. Loved your descriptions of the many wondrous creations of Mother Nature, as well as your relaxed moments at places I love, like Cheesecake Factory. Wishing you continued safe travels as you make your way back home! Xox