(Photos with captions coming tomorrow.....)
After our visits to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park we spent the night in Etna, Wyoming, a rural community of less than 200 inhabitants located 46 miles south of the resort town of Jackson. For dinner we had to drive to the nearby community of Thayne (pop: under 400) because there weren't any places to eat in Etna. It was that rural. The following morning we made our way to Salt Lake City, the final destination of this long journey before returning to South Florida. We left Etna heading west along Route 34 (known as the Pioneer Historic Byway) through Idaho before turning south on I-15 into Utah. The Pioneer Historic Byway follows the path of early pioneers along parts of the Oregon Trail. This turned out to be another interesting, scenic drive through valleys, open prairies and mountainous landscapes. And like the highways we experienced in Montana, at times we were the only ones on the road. To be honest, it isn't difficult to imagine what our frontier was like back in the 1800s because this region of the United States is still wide open and barren in terms of residents. Case in point, there are more people living in just the four counties on the southern tip of Florida than the combined populations of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. We spent two nights and three full days in beautiful Salt Lake City. We stayed at the Little America Hotel near the downtown area, the best lodging of our trip, within walking distance of the Temple Square and many of the city's attractions. The photos below were taken over our first two days in Salt Lake City (including the drive along the Pioneer Historic Byway). We visited the Great Salt Lake (situated about 19 miles from the city) and spent almost an entire day exploring the downtown area and Temple Square, the 10-acre complex owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Neither one of us are Mormon, but, hey, 'when in Rome', right? Besides, visiting Salt Lake Salt City and not seeing Temple Square is like going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty. This beautiful square contains the awesome Salt Lake Temple, the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, two visitors' centers and several offices of the church. We also toured the Church History Museum located across from the Tabernacle to learn a little about the history of Mormonism and how converts made their way out west. From the Temple Square we walked three long blocks uphill along N State Street, through a very nice residential area, to visit the Utah State Capitol Building, which is perched on a hill overlooking the city's downtown district. We were both impressed with Salt Lake City, it was a wonderful place to visit filled with very friendly people.