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| Wasatch Mountain |
Utah is a big, wide-open state with vast expanses of empty land mixed with snow-capped mountains and an almost unbelievable diversity of terrain. The Wasatch and Uintas Mountains highlight the central part of the state and lead the way into the mighty Rockies. Although it is large, the state is relatively sparsely settled with most of the population
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| Pronghorn Antelope |
concentrated in the major urban areas. That results in a kinda strange dichotomy ... it is both one of the most sparsely settled - yet most urbanized - states in the country!! Hmmmm..... Anyway, that winds up being great news for the rest of us!! The state has an incredible number of things to do and see and is home to five national parks, seven national monuments, two national recreation areas, six
national forests and more than forty state parks and monuments!!! We're not going to spend too much time talking about all that right now but, be assured, we will!!!! Leaving Salt Lake by I-15 we cruised along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake - an astonishing and eerie body of water that is the largest salt-water lake in the western hemisphere. (A side note - if you are ever flying into this area, try to be near a window when you are descending.
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| Salt River Pass |
The colors you see in the lake are just amazing. Some of the sections where brine-shrimp are highly concentrated are vividly pink or red, almost like the water has been
dyed!!) Anyway, we had decided that, although the interstate was probably quicker, we would stick with the smaller highways and near Brigham City we turned East and at Logan we took US-89 into the mountains. I read somewhere that the name Utah comes from the Ute Indian language and translates roughly "people of the mountains." If
that's right, the name fits well because the craggy, snow-capped peaks are readily visible almost all the time. But - the creatures you see are also an integral part of this whole ecosystem. Large herds of Pronghorn Antelope roam the grasslands and, as we will see, the bigger creatures hang out in other areas. Domestic animals are also present and we saw signs indicating one of the local festivals that I imagine is not too popular
with the resident cattle herds!! Near Bear Lake we left Utah for a brief trip through the corner of Idaho and then quickly into Montana. We stopped for a breather at the Salt River Pass and to marvel once again at the beauty there is to see in this world. Then, it was on into
Afton, Wyoming an absolutely enchanting town with one of the most unusual "Main Street Decorations" I've ever seen. Take a look at the picture on the right. The entire "arch" over the roadway is made of "antlers" most of them from elk like the ones represented at the top of the arch. It was amazing!!! We visited several of the shops in Afton and, once again, had enjoyable conversations with some of the local folks. In fact ... I got a tip on one of the stores that was having a sale on "reading glasses" (of which I find I need an increasing number!!) and I bought two pair!! So - we cruised on up US-89 through the lower edge of
Bridger-Teton National Forest - named after Jim Bridger, one of the most remarkable frontiersmen in the history of our country. We won't spend too much time on Mr. Bridger right now but, if you get the chance, you need to look him up and think about his remarkable accomplishments. And - for you folks who like unique historical tidbits - here's one for
you. Kansas City, Missouri is an interesting place to visit for lots of reasons but the one I like most is because of the tremendous number of fountains and statues found around the city. Welllll ... if you look around K.C. carefully enough, you will find a monument to the founder of Kansas City - and - the founder of the Pony Express -- and -- Jim Bridger!!!! Anyway - we arrived in Jackson Hole and made it to our home for the evening - The Alpenhof Lodge - just as snow began to fall. Now, those of you who are familiar with Jackson Hole, Wyoming know that the famous
actor Harrison Ford is known to hang out here. Since we are good 'buds' with Mr. Ford we were sure he would try to get in touch with us for dinner - but - we had other plans. We attended the concert put on by the Jackson Hole High School Symphony Orchestra!!! It was fantastic. We strolled back to our rooms in the snow and spent some time unwinding with a glass of wine and reminding each other how blessed we are to have the opportunities to see these incredible sights. This will be a somewhat abbreviated post - but - that's because we plan to add two tomorrow. One will be as we move through the Grand Tetons toward Yellowstone National Park and the other will likely show our arrival in Yellowstone. Anyway - that's the plan and we're sticking to it ... I think!!! Stay warm!! See ya.
national forests and more than forty state parks and monuments!!! We're not going to spend too much time talking about all that right now but, be assured, we will!!!! Leaving Salt Lake by I-15 we cruised along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake - an astonishing and eerie body of water that is the largest salt-water lake in the western hemisphere. (A side note - if you are ever flying into this area, try to be near a window when you are descending. 
dyed!!) Anyway, we had decided that, although the interstate was probably quicker, we would stick with the smaller highways and near Brigham City we turned East and at Logan we took US-89 into the mountains. I read somewhere that the name Utah comes from the Ute Indian language and translates roughly "people of the mountains." If 
that's right, the name fits well because the craggy, snow-capped peaks are readily visible almost all the time. But - the creatures you see are also an integral part of this whole ecosystem. Large herds of Pronghorn Antelope roam the grasslands and, as we will see, the bigger creatures hang out in other areas. Domestic animals are also present and we saw signs indicating one of the local festivals that I imagine is not too popular
with the resident cattle herds!! Near Bear Lake we left Utah for a brief trip through the corner of Idaho and then quickly into Montana. We stopped for a breather at the Salt River Pass and to marvel once again at the beauty there is to see in this world. Then, it was on into 
Afton, Wyoming an absolutely enchanting town with one of the most unusual "Main Street Decorations" I've ever seen. Take a look at the picture on the right. The entire "arch" over the roadway is made of "antlers" most of them from elk like the ones represented at the top of the arch. It was amazing!!! We visited several of the shops in Afton and, once again, had enjoyable conversations with some of the local folks. In fact ... I got a tip on one of the stores that was having a sale on "reading glasses" (of which I find I need an increasing number!!) and I bought two pair!! So - we cruised on up US-89 through the lower edge of 
Bridger-Teton National Forest - named after Jim Bridger, one of the most remarkable frontiersmen in the history of our country. We won't spend too much time on Mr. Bridger right now but, if you get the chance, you need to look him up and think about his remarkable accomplishments. And - for you folks who like unique historical tidbits - here's one for 
you. Kansas City, Missouri is an interesting place to visit for lots of reasons but the one I like most is because of the tremendous number of fountains and statues found around the city. Welllll ... if you look around K.C. carefully enough, you will find a monument to the founder of Kansas City - and - the founder of the Pony Express -- and -- Jim Bridger!!!! Anyway - we arrived in Jackson Hole and made it to our home for the evening - The Alpenhof Lodge - just as snow began to fall. Now, those of you who are familiar with Jackson Hole, Wyoming know that the famous
actor Harrison Ford is known to hang out here. Since we are good 'buds' with Mr. Ford we were sure he would try to get in touch with us for dinner - but - we had other plans. We attended the concert put on by the Jackson Hole High School Symphony Orchestra!!! It was fantastic. We strolled back to our rooms in the snow and spent some time unwinding with a glass of wine and reminding each other how blessed we are to have the opportunities to see these incredible sights. This will be a somewhat abbreviated post - but - that's because we plan to add two tomorrow. One will be as we move through the Grand Tetons toward Yellowstone National Park and the other will likely show our arrival in Yellowstone. Anyway - that's the plan and we're sticking to it ... I think!!! Stay warm!! See ya.
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