Tourists in Utah

We left Birkenfeld, Oregon late Monday afternoon. We knew we should have left earlier, but it was too hard to pull away – we were having such a good time visiting with friends that we hadn’t seen for years. It was a 13 hour drive back to Salt Lake City – unless, of course, my sister drove. We drove up the Columbia River gorge, awed by scenes of mountains, trees, waterfalls and the mighty Columbia.
We still wanted to stop and visit with my uncle and aunt in The Dalles. It would add a few more hours to the trip putting us in Salt Lake City after the first two flights on Tuesday. (Leaving only one flight to Chicago that day.) We decided it was worth the risk. We left their house around midnight, and drove through the night to SLC.
Looking back, we should have spent the night with my aunt and uncle. We rushed to Salt Lake, but there was no rush. We spent the next four nights there.
My sister Mel was kind enough to share her anniversary with us. Yes, very romantic. We took her out to Olive Garden; then walked around downtown Salt Lake City. I felt a little awkward walking around in Mormon country with Eric and my sister. Here we are – Eric and his two wives. Eric of course thought I was funny. He kept loudly making comments at the restaurant, such as: “Sister, what would you like to eat?” “Wife, I am so glad we could be here with your Sister.” And to the waiter, “My wife will be sharing with her Sister.” He gets so much pleasure out of teasing me.
On Thursday Mel got on a flight. We watched her plane fly off above the mountains. It was an emotional time – Like the prize at the end of a long race. You did it, Mel! You did it. You are going home. We felt more urgency to get home when Mel was still with us because her husband was working and trying to find babysitters for the times when he was gone. When she flew away, the weight lifted. We relaxed a little more, and decided to tour Utah a little. Of course, Mel thinks we were just waiting for her to leave so we could have some time alone. I told her we made out just fine with her there… umm, did that come out right?
We had been riding the city bus around town, but that night we rented a car. It’s amazing how having your own transportation can make you feel free. We drove to Antelope Island National Park in Great Salt Lake. We hiked to the top of one of the bluffs and sat together on huge boulders watching the sun set over the water. We could see tiny spots on the plains below. We knew they were buffalo grazing. It was beautiful.
The next day, still having ticket problems, we left the airport again. We visited the home site of Brigham Young. I can't believe the hardships the first settlers faced! Some even came out with handcarts. Can you imagine just walking across the United States? Life is so comfortable now. I don’t know if I could have done it.
After driving through the canyon we walked through a local park. We stopped to get a couple pictures of the playground equipment for our boys; then cooled our feet off wading in a small tree-lined creek.
As I write this I wonder how we fit everything into the day. Airport, historical sites, canyons, parks, and after a late lunch a visit to a nearby national forest. The national forest was also in the mountains, and the views were breathtaking! Everything seemed big and grand, rugged and wild. We stopped at one of the trailheads and hiked two miles to Stewart Falls. I just cannot describe the beauty of this land. We sat on the mountain side at the top of the smaller falls, looking out over the valley and the mountains in the distance. I just felt like singing. -- I will lift my eyes to the Maker of the mountains I can't climb.... How great Thou art!
We hiked the two miles back to our car and drove back to Salt Lake City for another late dinner. I had seen an Indian Restaurant I wanted to try. I think Eric learned something that day. Never look for restaurants in unfamiliar cities when you are starving, that Shari just vaguely remembers driving past once. After driving about 45 minutes looking where I thought it had been, Eric finally said, "We are stopping at the next restaurant we drive past!" The next one looked like my mom's favorite restaurant back home – good, old-fashioned, home-cookin’. Eric broke the rules and kept driving. We found something that we both liked not too long after that.