I hit the road by 5 AM on Wednesday, with a 10 1/2 hour drive ahead of me I wanted to get an early start and miss as much traffic as I could. I love being on the road as the day dawns, and I got to see a beautiful sunrise as I travel down, Highway 80. Traffic was very light, there was a good amount of snow as I went over Donner Pass and I made it to Truckee (where it was very chilly!) just before eight. I stopped for coffee and a quick walk around town to stretch my legs, then hopped back in the car and continued on into Nevada. I found some good rock radio, singing along to The Who, John Mellencamp, Night Ranger and others which helped keep me awake during the long, flat drive. The 80 MPH speed limit and light traffic made for a faster drive and the snow covered mountains in the distance provided a pretty backdrop, though it was still a pretty monotonous drive.
I took a quick side trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats. A few brave (or stupid) souls drove out onto the flats, I heeded the sign that advised against driving on it and just walked a little ways out. There was a storm approaching, so it made for an ominous scene with the stark white ground and black clouds against the jagged mountains.
Next was a quick stop in Salt Lake City. I knew I would have more time on Thursday to explore and I needed to walk around so I went to Ensign Peak to get a view out over the city. Parking was easy, though I had to laugh at the sign that reminded people to lock their car and take their keys with them! The views did not disappoint, the mountains that line the city are just incredible. After that I headed to Julie’s house and had a lovely dinner and catch up with her and her husband, Randall. They gave me some great ideas of places to check out and after goggling at Julie’s craft room (she has a very successful business making custom gnomes) I headed to bed, ready for some rest after a long day of driving.
It took me awhile to get going on Thursday. I woke up feeling a little anxious about my first work away experience. I didn’t know what it was going to be like, what the people would be like, how I would do… I guess that’s part of the challenge I’m taking on, learning to deal with anxiety over the unknown. Eventually I got dressed and, coffee in hand, set out for Snowbird ski resort. Once I got out of the suburban sprawl (it’s worse than Sacramento – it just goes on forever!), it was a beautiful drive up into the mountains. The electronic sign that warned of mudslides and said ‘Drive at your own risk’ gave me pause, but since it was a sunny but cold morning I decided to proceed and I’m glad I did. Many of the runs were still open for skiing and I shared the packed tram ride up with a happy group of skiers and snowboarders. The views at the summit were breathtaking- they just went on and on! I can see why the people I know from Utah are not very impressed with Tahoe skiing.
After getting my fill of mountain peaks I drove to downtown SLC for a different kind of awe inspiring experience-listening to the organ in the Mormon Tabernacle. The acoustics in that building are amazing and it was such a thrill to hear and feel the music being played. Wow. Though most of Temple Square was under construction and closed, I was still able to check out the Assembly Hall, a beautiful building.
I also stopped by the Catholic cathedral, which is the most beautiful Catholic Churches I have ever seen. The stained glass windows, gorgeous mosaics and murals were almost an overload for my eyes, and even though it’s a large cathedral there are lots of tucked away spaces that give it an intimate feeling.
I had a quick stop at the Gilgal sculpture gardens, which I found interesting if not a little bit disturbing. I’d been planning to stay there a bit but it wasn’t a place I wanted to hang out for long.
Instead I headed to the Capital building and Memory Grove Park nearby, which was much more to my liking. The park was peaceful, and obviously very popular with dog owners. I found a quiet bench near the fast flowing creek and meditated for a bit, definitely nice to do after spending time driving in an unfamiliar city. Later I wandered around the Capital building, marveling at the beautiful murals and lovely dome. There was a young woman getting her quinceanera photos taken-I passed her coming out of the ladies room where she had to squeeze her dress to fit through the door! On my way back to my car I passed an art installation celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the US – Utah was the 2nd state to give women the right to vote (Wyoming was the first, California was 6th).
