Salt Lake City

Up at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise. Amazing.

This hotel has been THE BEST we have EVER stayed at. Even the lift has windows out to the views. It is beautifully designed & the service is very efficient. We are leaving feeling very refreshed.

Drive past the John Wayne Cabins. Buttes silhouetted in the morning light. Big drive today from Monument Valley to Salt Lake City (SLC): 620 kms. We share the driving.

As we set off, Julie's voice suddenly booms into the cabin of our car - she seems to have found her way again: welcome back Julie. Top up with gas at Mexican Hat & take photo - & keep on going.

Pass through Canyonlands. Photo at Wilson Arch.

Pass a couple of large pelotons of cyclists going the other way - in race/tour? Then 15 minute delay for road works just before Moab City. My Friend contributes to the blogging: "Stop for very good coffee from barista with waxed moustache, who apologised for lack of artistry with our lattes; also spoke to local cyclists who had no knowledge of the large group of cyclists we saw earlier."

Just after Moab City we see sign for Arches National Park. This had been recommended to us by Parks Ranger at South Rim in Grand Canyon NP. Julie has taken us on an unplanned detour. What a bonus! It is AMAZING. A million photos & over an hour later we leave, having seen just a portion of the Park, but we were well satisfied.

We drive on 95 deg F = 35 deg C. Looking for shady spot for picnic lunch. Keep driving.

Several freeway interchanges & a steep climb to 7477 ft up through a cutting parallel to the railway & river down below with TWO trains on the track going the SAME way through 2 tunnels (& a toot & a wave from the driver when he looked up to see us waving & photographing from a rock high up on the road above him) brought us onto Hwy 6 into the State of Utah & 140 kms to go to Salt Lake City.

Stop (finally) in rest area : sardines on bread for a late lunch.

We bypass towns with names like Spanish Fork, American Fork, Orem, Provo - HUGE. Most of these places were settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s. We see a big sign for the software company, Novell. Also a sign for Utah Valley Uni. Snow on mountains in the distance. Lot of traffic.

I am sitting in laundromat in Salt Lake City. The journey today was marvelous until about 70 kms out when it turned into a nightmare - traffic everywhere & going like the clappers. We decided we were an HOV ("high occupancy vehicle" = 2+ people in car). Fewer vehicles by far in the HOV lane - most vehicles have only 1 person in them.

My Friend has gone to get petrol.

My Friend is back. We are having problems with Travel Card. It seems in the last month, 5-digit pin is required. We have only 4-digit pin. Have to go into long explanation at each petrol station. My Friend has gone to get ice as no fridge in room.

My Friend is back with ice. Machine at laundromat almost finished. Hooray. I think we will dry stuff in our room to save time. We want to see SLC afterall. And we appear to have lost an hour somewhere between Grand Canyon & here...

Later ... After dinner at the Salt Lake City Brewery, we walk around the city centre. It is very clean; there are many tall buildings; the city has a glamorous air about it. We come upon the historic Temple Square - world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is amazing. Huge. Beautiful. The amount of money invested in this complex is immense. Powerful influence here of course.

Trivia Q as we drive along: what % of State Parks plus National Parks does the US have relative to total land area c.f. Australia?