Salt Lake City

I have been in Salt Lake City for a little over a week now.

Andy and Lisa took me hiking on Antelope Island, which is something of a wildlife preserve out on the lake.

It is a home where the buffalo roam:




And the deer


AND the antelope play!


And of course don't forget the box turtles!


HAHA! "Box turtles"! I'm hilarious!

I also went to Hill aerospace museum.



It has a large collection of planes and contains a comprehensive history of planes in the military of the United States. Worth checking out, especially since it's free.

Have you ever seen a large plane up close and in person before?



It is kind of mind boggling how these great metal titans actually get up in the air, carrying hundreds of pounds of cargo no less. Propeller planes I mean. Most people know jet engines are magic. But those propellers, doing nothing but pushing air, manage to give that plane the speed it needs to generate lift and carry it through the sky. It is kind of just a little amazing.

I went hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon (I think).



There is a lot of hiking available in Salt Lake City and it is all very pretty.

When I returned form my hike there was a covey (that's what a group of quail is called for all you trivia-nighters) of quail in my host's driveway!



I've never seen a quail in person before. They are adorable.

People have told me not to miss the temple at the center of town. It's supposed to be a very impressive and beautiful building, so I went to the temple to take some pictures.

It is, in a word, a building.


I don't think I have the right eye for architecture. I have never much appreciated the temples of man. I always just see a great and impressive effort and determination of dubious purpose and seemingly misguided intent. Perhaps it's not that I don't appreciate architecture, but my disdain of organized religion that sours me on it. I begrudge no man their faith as long as they do not begrudge me mine, but the organization of religion I find often gets people's moral compass all screwed up, and acts as a divisive force overall.


Meanwhile, on Antelope Island, there are rocks that look like bacon:



But do not try and eat them. They do NOT taste like bacon.