Our time in California has finally come to a close. We enjoyed our extended stay at Travis AFB. We got the Black Pearl back in 100% working order, but because of the extensive fires in northern California and southwestern Oregon we decided our adventure to the Pacific Northwest will have to wait till next year. So….. Deb and I came up with a viable “Plan B” and off we went to Salt Lake City. The drive through Donner’s Pass and following the Yuba River was NOT as spectacular as our last time through here. A hot, hazey, smokey two-day trek across northern Nevada and the Bonneville Salt Flats, we endured temperatures in the low 100s and safely arrived at Hill AFB FAMCAMP.
The Salt Lake City (SLC) and Great Salt Lake area had many surprises for us. We visited the Mormon Temple Square which was easily a couple of city blocks (over tenacres) with numerous buildings, the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake Temple were amazing engineering structures. Home to Mormon Tabernacle Choir, we did get to hear an organ rehearsal, but the choir practice was much later in the day. The Utah Capitol building location on the upper hillside was also quite a sight to see.We ventured up to Cottonwood canyon in hopes of an adventurous hike with the dogs. We did NOT do our recon very well, as we discovered all watershed areas in SLC do NOT allow dogs… so much for exploring the canyons, Deb and I found several gorgeous City parks that were pet friendly. We also found an awesome hiking trail right on base that we used for our morning walks.
Antelope Island State Park was just plain awesome. Only a short drive across the causeway, this park had deer, pronghorn antelope and bison roaming free on the island. Remains of the Frary Homestead, and a still working Fielding Gear ranch which in its heyday used to shear 10000 sheep a year were the highlights of the island park.
We made several trips to Ogden, Utah. Deb was still hoping to see Donnie Osmond…closest she got was a Donny Osmond album purchase at Lavender Vinyl. We found the St. Joseph Catholic Church with beautiful beams and stained-glass windows which was just amazing. Lots of cool old houses and of course an ice cream shop (Farr Better Ice Cream) that would challenge any of Michigan’s finest… I am sure mom would have loved the cherry pecan. We stumbled upon a main street festival on a Saturday where they had food vendors, artisans selling their crafts and a farmer’s market. We intended to go to the museums at the old train station but found this to be much more entertaining and less of a tourist trap…
There are three significant peaks that overlook the Great Salt Lake; Thurston Peak (accessible by hiking trail) and the Francis & Bountiful Peaks……accessible by Jeep!! (Yeah baby). So, we spent nearly a whole day 4-wheelin it around the mountain roads and switchbacks to get a bird’s eye view of the Great Salt Lake at 8500 feet. A helluva adventure.
Lots of little towns north of SLC; Bountiful, Riverdale, Layton and Farmington to name a few… lots of thrift stores, antique shops, roadside fruit stands. It was nice to step out of tourist mode and mingle with the locals. We had a very enjoyable week here. There were many things left unchecked on our bucket list in this area and Deb and I agreed this would be an easy place to revisit. Next stop Grand Teton National Park..
Leave a Reply