Good-bye Salt Lake City, Hello to the Real Utah

We left Salt Lake City this morning with no regrets. Traffic was horrible -- shades of the Washington Beltway. There were orange construction cones for miles with little evidence in most places of anybody working. Finally, about 30 miles from the city, the highway went down to two lanes in each direction and a more country landscape. (Sigh of relief...) It reminded me of our Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley with a large grass median and mountains to both the east and west, although the mountains here are much more rugged and with less vegetation than ours back home.

The ride was beautiful through the country, especially when we turned off Int. 15 and turned onto Utah 20 to go over the mountains and then onto US 89 down the valley. But the really incredible views began when we got to Utah 12. We drove into Red Canyon with bright red-orange rock formations, tunnels cut thorugh the mountain, and towering cliffs on either side of us.

But nothing could have prepared us for the incredible sight of Bryce Canyon. After we set up camp we drove into the park and went out to Sunset Point. We looked out over miles of towering rocks rising from the canyon floor in an amazing variety of shapes and forms. Some looked like giant chess pieces, others like walled cities and castle turrets. There were cathedral-like spires and rocks that resembled all kinds of things just like cloud pictures. I took one picture that appeared to have a duck in it and one group of rocks reminded me of the model of Jerusalem we saw at the Morman Temple visitor's center. Some of the rock formations looked absolutely impossible with large boulders balancing on the tops of skinny pillars. How could such a place exist? To me it is an absolute wonder of nature and should be listed among the wonders of the world.

This, to me, is the real Utah, the rugged natural landscape that celebrates the rugged individualism of the people who settled this great state. Larry read me an entry about the early settlers of Panguitch which is about 25 miles from Bryce Canyon. We passed through it on our way and will return on Sunday to attend Mass there. The early settlers had a difficult first winter when the crops failed. They were starving, so an intrepid group of men set off to Parowan about 40 miles away to get food for the settlement. The ox-drawn wagons couldn't make it through the deep snow, so the men abandoned them and used quilts to walk the entire way - putting one down, walking across it and putting down another in front while they retrieved the quilt behind. The town still celebrates the "Panguitch Quilt Walk."

That story speaks to the spirit of the people who settled this country. What a courageous band. Would that we had that same spirit in facing the challenges of today. We are stewards, individuals created in God's image and entrusted with the care of this beautiful country and the people in it beginning with the least ones, the little babies in the womb waiting to be born. May we be faithful stewards quick to respond like those men whose ingenuity and courage saved their families from starvation.

Salt Lake City and Antelope Island: Not Our Favorite Stop

Thursday, September 29

George Bailey would love the Salt Lake City KOA. Last night was filled with jet noise, train whistles, and traffic -- all night long! The only thing missing were ship anchor chains. Needless to say, we didn't get a great night's sleep. It's too bad they put us in the front near the road; the back of the park is probably quieter. Oh well, we're off tomorrow.

We got up early this morning to go to the 8:00 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine which is absolutely beautiful, although I knew the Church had been renovated the minute we walked in because it had a large baptismal hot tub in the back.

Travelling There is Half the Fun!

Wednesday, September 28

We have thoroughly enjoyed our tourist days when we go hiking or visit museums or go on some sort of activity like a boat float or tour. But the days we just travel from one place to another will, I'm sure, be among the most memorable. Like today - mostly just a travel day to Salt Lake City.

After taking down the camper we took one last walk along the Snake River behind the campground and Larry left a little stone hoodoo. We've seen them everywhere we go since Wisconsin so it seemed appropriate to leave our own mark on the beach behind the Jackson KOA.

Then we were off, traveling south on US 89 toward Alpine. Immediately we were treated to the most beautiful fall colors. The box elder, which the locals call mountain maple, ranged from a rosy red to a brilliant scarlet. Against the bluest of skies they were exquisite. We passed into the southeastern corner of Idaho and came to a museum about the Oregon Trail in Montpelier. I'm so glad we stopped. Not only did they have a wonderful series of paintings about the pioneers on the Oregon Trail, but there was a display of beautiful quilts. (You would love it, Rebecca!) We spent a delightful hour wandering around and then getting some tourist info from the visitor center next door. The woman was very helpful and urged us not to miss the viewpoint overlooking Bear Lake.

Travelling down Logan Canyon we were treated to some of the most beautiful scenery on our trip yet. I asked Larry to stop at one point so I could walk back up the road to take a photo of an impressive rock structure with a lovely little creek. What a surprise to see a young man climbing the rock. Well, actually, he was swinging from a harness clipped to the rock. He seemed to be enjoying just hanging there. I was delighted to get a photo, not only of the interesting rock, but with him hanging from it.

The view from the observation point above Bear Lake was breathtaking. The color of the water changes, according to the information sign, because of minerals in the water. Calcium in the rocks is washed off and causes the light to make different colors from brilliant sky blue to aqua. The Lake is spring fed and huge. It was like a brilliant sapphire on the landscape.

Getting into the area around Salt Lake City was a reminder that even out west there are cities with terrible traffic and congestion. We are staying at a KOA in town and have already noticed the: airplanes, trains, traffic noise, and bright lights. Our poor little maison de les etoiles will see few stars while we stay here I think. But we will only spend two nights and one full day here. We are eager to get back to the middle of nowhere where God paints his autumn world in brilliant colors and silence.

One last picture from the day. We saw many signs along the road urging motorists to watch out for free-ranging stock. And what a treat it was to come upon a herd of sheep that apparently had just been led across the road by a shepherd on horseback. What fun! But the entire drive today, fun from the moment we left the campground in Jackson until we hit the traffic around Salt Lake City, was pure delight. Thank you Jesus that there are so many more open spaces than there are cities in this wonderful vast country of ours!

Scenic River Float and the National Museum of Wildlife Art

September 27 - Tuesday

After breakfast we went to the KOA office to check on the scenic Snake River raft ride. Just in time - the ride was scheduled to go at 10:00 and it was quarter till. We ran back to the camper for sweaters and the camera, hopped in the KOA van for the ride over, and off we went. Our driver was a full time RVer, a retired electrician who works during the summer and then goes off to visit his kids when the campground closes in October. We've met lots of full-time RVers who either work or volunteer while they travel.

When we got to the river there were a half dozen rubber rafts being prepared. We donned the mandatory life jackets, got the safety speech on what to do if we fell in, and were assigned to a guide. Ours was a young college grad named Hunter who decided to spend a few years having fun before settling down. When summer season ends he plans to work for one of the ski places to get free skiing during the winter.

Our two hours on the river delighted us. A picture perfect fall day gave us beautiful views of colorful trees set against a blue blue sky and the bluegreen river. We saw several eagles including two brown-headed juveniles with their mother. A river otter swam by as well.

Hunter told us Harrison Ford owns 40 acres in the area and often participates in rescue operations with his helicopter. He told a story of a young woman being airlifted off the mountain with a broken leg. When the pilot turned around to ask how she was doing, she saw it was Harrison Ford and fainted dead away. We think it's a river guide story, but maybe it's true and the actor has some Indiana Jones blood in him for real.

After enjoying the real thing we drove to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Patrons of early wildlife art were hunters. So often animals were portrayed as the perfect specimen. Many artworks showed the "heroic male" of the species boldly standing in the foreground of a natural setting.

We finished our day walking around Jackson and eating at the Teton Steakhouse which had a fabulous soup and salad bar as well as a good senior sirloin at a reasonable price. Another memorable day in the great state of Wyoming!

Jackson Hole and a Tram Ride up Mount Rendezvous

September 25-26

There's so much to do here in Jackson Hole we extended our two nights (with one full day to explore) into three nights. It gave us time to do laundry, catch up on some blogging because I have internet finally (none in Yellowstone's campground), and just enjoy gazing at the mountains and hiking along the river. We settled in on Sunday afternoon with enough daylight to walk down along the Snake river which runs in back of the campground. The tenters are right on the river overlook. Wow!

The next morning we dawdled a bit over breakfast then made a stop at the Visitor's Center to get hiking information. We decided to take a flat walk on the levee along the Snake River near the town of Wilson. At the .5 mile marker there were two female moose nibbling on the trees. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a clear picture because they were in behind the trees. We probably would have missed them entirely except for several other walkers who pointed them out. They really blend in with the scenery. We stood and watched them for a few minutes and then went on hoping they would come up on the levee to cross to the river for a drink. No luck. But the three mile out and back walk was delightful with all the fall colors and the bluest sky I've ever seen. We also came across a few young people with a border collie who was trying to catch his shadow. What a sweet little animal (reminded me of our Shaley who lived to be 16 and was our "circus dog" who would jump through hoops and do all kinds of tricks). The river is clearly down now and there is driftwood all along the dry places in the river. People tell us in the spring when the snow starts to melt it turns into a raging riot. I sure wouldn't want to take a whitewater trip then.

We drove up to Teton Village and had lunch at the Mangy Moose. It was breezy but we sat outside on their deck and braved the occasional cold gusts as we ate our buffalo burger and Idaho trout fish and chips. Great food and a hefty lunch to prepare us for a hike on the mountain. We took the tram to the top of Mt. Rendezvous. It was an eleven minute ride and what a view! But when I got off at the top, I had to sit down I had such vertigo. The mountain is over 10,000 feet elevation and  looking down into the valley with nothing around me but open air (and a breeze to boot) made me dizzy. I had to look down at my feet when we climbed the stairs to the "top of the world" to view the scenery all around. Looking over at Grand Teton peak, the highest mountain in the range, we seemed to be at the same level but Rendezvous is actually about 3,000 feet lower. Sure didn't seem like it.



Dad with Grand Teton peak in back.



We hiked about a half a mile down the mountain and then stopped to sit on a rock and pray our rosary. A large group of young people came along and then an older man. We asked who the kids were. They were students from Iowa state studying landscape architecture and he was the professor. He said the hike was to explore what exactly landscape architecture means. What a place to think about it!

I'm not sure what "landscape architecture" is, we didn't get into that, but we've seen lots of buildings here in the west that are designed to fit into the landscape. I imagine that's what landscape architecture means -- designing buildings in comformity with the surroundings. There's definitely a different look here. The visitors centers and museums are often made with local stone and in different designs from back east -- simpler and more rugged. Lots of the log cabin type look in the restaurants with cowboy decorations: ten-gallon hats, saddles, dear and buffalo heads, antler chandaliers and door handles. It's really different from what we're accustomed to. And bronze sculptures, big bronze sculptures are everywere: bison, groups of elks, bears, moose, etc.

The temperature at the top of the mountain was about twenty degrees colder than the bottom. Brrr...ice and snow in the crevices. A sign at the top showed pictures of wildflowers and called the area an "alpine meadow." There were still flowers blooming among the rocks and it made me think of Heidi living with her grandfather on the mountainside and running barefoot in the summer meadows with Peter and the goats. The view down into the valley was breathtaking once I could look farther than my feet. I think I could get used to being that high. I never get vertigo on our own beloved Virginia mountains but they are an entirely different breed. I think the Massanutten is about 1500 feet as it rises from the dam below our house -- quite a bit smaller than 10,000 foot Mt. Rendezvous. And people ski off Rendezvous. Someone on the tram was talking about a teenager who was killed last winter when he fell head first into a snow well under a tree. Apparently the snow under the trees doesn't get packed down and he must have smothered when he couldn't get out. I hate to think of such things.

We looked for wildlife on the tram ride down but didn't see any. We did see lots of beautiful fall colors, but I kept hoping for a glimpse of mountain goats or bighorn sheep. No luck, only the shadow of the tram preceding us down the mountain.

Then back to the campground for a campfire. What camping trip would be complete without an occasional hot dog cooked on a stick over an open fire? The stars were brilliant in the dark, clear sky. So I've decided to name our little home on wheels la maison de les etoiles, the house of stars. We haven't spent much time there except at night sleeping under the stars.

Grand Teton, Jenny Lake, and Interesting Conversations

Sunday, September 25

The angels continue to be on the job. This morning Larry noticed that the ball on the trailer hitch was loose. (Thanks, angels for the alert! Losing the trailer hitch could be a real disaster putting all the weight on the two linklines.) Lacking a wrench large enough to fix it, Larry borrowed one from our neighbor, another blessing. If you don't have the right tools, pray that a human angel has one to loan you. After tightening it, we hooked up and went off to a service station to have the hitch looked at and further tightened.

We had a long talk with the mechanic who is a native of Wyoming and fiercely independent. He described how the government is destroying the work ethic and gave the example of a friend who had open heart surgery and went on disability temporarily. He wanted to go back to work but social services told him if he did, not only would he lose disability, but he would also have to pay back all the disability he had received. So, of course, he can't afford to go back to work. This is how the government creates a permanent welfare class. Penalize work. Talking to this gentleman was a real education in economics. He said the people of Wyoming (about half a million in the entire state) keep a close watch on their state legislature. He favors a flat tax, but a state senator told him that will never happen because it would put so many people out of business: IRS agents, CPAs, tax preparers, etc. He predicted a revolution is coming bigger than the Civil War. Interesting conversation.

Meeting people around the country is fascinating. We had a long conversation the night before with a gentleman at the Jackson Lodge as we sat by the fire. He was concerned about government as well although he was more shoulder-shrugging, what-can-anyone-do-about-it frustrated. The mood out here is definitely anti-government. These are people who love America and hate what the career politicians are doing to her.

But back to vacation.... We left the service station and headed south toward Jackson Hole. I booked a KOA on-line (Gosh I love that Ipad my daughter-in-law loaned me! Thanks, Jes.) That relieved the stress of trying to find a place later so we could stop and take our time enroute which was exactly what we did.

The views along the road of the towering Grand Tetons are glorious! They are so strange. There are no foothills. The land is flat up to the base of mountain that then appears to go almost straight up. I can imagine the pioneers seeing those moutains. "Great Jehosaphat! How will we ever get over those?" And then there's the Snake River which crossed the Oregon Trail over and over so that the people had to ford or float it numerous times. Here behind our campground the Snake isn't too wide -- only about 30 yards, but it's swift and looks deep. Imagine a wagon train trying to cross that!

Jenny Lake is one of the prettiest stops we've made. We took the boat across the lake. It was a speedboat ride with the wind whipping so much we had to take off our hats or risk losing them into the lake. It made me laugh and I loved feeling the spray! Once we landed we hiked out and back to a beautiful waterfall (Hidden Falls) and an overlook only a little further on with an expansive view of the lake and the mountains. The walk was a well-travelled path but rocky and steep. It was like climbing an endless staircase along a stream. The views were lovely with water tumbling in little falls and cascades beside us all along the way.

Hidden Falls is probably a hundred foot drop and lovely.  And only a little farther on was a rocky outcrop overlooking the lake. We didn't walk as far as Inspiration Point because I was worried about my knees holding out for the walk down which is very hard on them. But another angel had given me a hiking pole on the way up so I had that for support. Someone had passed it to him and, when we got about 200 yards from the boat landing, we met a group climbing up with a lady who clearly needed help. They commented on how smart I was to bring a pole and I said, "An angel gave it to me on the way up, and I'm passing it on to you. Have a wonderful walk." I hope she was able to make it to the falls.

We had a quick tailgate picnic in the parking lot and moved on to Jackson Hole where we found friendly KOA staff and set up for the next few nights. The bathrooms are spotless, the river is right below our campsite, and we are ready to explore Jackson Hole. My only regret is that the local parish showed no daily Mass. Churches out west have been fewer and farther between and have fewer priests. Pray for vocations.

A Big Thank You to the Angels

I haven’t said anything about our angels, but they’ve been busy watching over us ever since we left. We have our guardian angels accompanying us, of course, but we also asked St. Michael the Archangel to come along as a protector and St. Raphael who travelled with Tobias on his journeys. What better companions can one aske for. And they have definitely been on the job.

Yesterday, was a case in point. We were planning to travel to Jackson Hole and stay at a campground there called The Virginian (appropriate for us coming from Virginia we thought). We’ve had no problem anywhere without reservations. But we stopped at a scenic pull off and a lady struck up a conversation asking if we were going to Jackson. When I said yes she said they had a reservation, but were coming a day early and the campground was full. They were going to be parking that night next to the dumpster. Well, we made an instant change of plans. We went as far as Colter Bay in the Grand Teton National Park and booked a site for the night in their RV park, the last night it was open actually. That particular campground closes Sept. 25th for the season.

The blessing of our change of plans was a lovely two-mile hike around Jackson lake with beautiful views of the mountains and a close encounter with a very tame mule deer who was munching on salad in the woods near the trail. She wasn’t the least bit afraid and we were no more than ten feet away. When she decided to move toward us we backed away. As the park warns, these are wild animals and deer have sharp hooves.

We went to Saturday afternoon Mass at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart which advertised a 5:00 p.m. service. It turned out to be a wedding as well. What an odd crowd with the wedding guests dressed to the nines and the campers in jeans and sneakers. We seem to be lucking out on the sacraments with a baptism at last week’s Mass and a wedding this week. May the bride and groom be blessed in their married life together.

Instead of heading straight back to the campsite we stopped at the Jackson Lodge for an appetizer and drink. The ranger at the campground advised us that they have floor to ceiling windows in the second floor lobby with spectacular views of the Grand Tetons. She wasn’t exaggerating. What a view of the sun setting behind the mountains. And to top it off, after it got dark (and chilly) there was a nice warm fire in the most interesting fireplace with moose andirons. It was a delightful end to a lovely day. Thanks, angels!