Track 11: Mountains and Mormons

The drive from Denver to Salt Lake City kicked my butt, you guys. It was definitely not the longest leg of the journey, but I was antsy, and it turns out that Garrison Keillor is not good for keeping one company while driving through the sagebrush plains of southern Wyoming. If driving through Nebraska was boring, driving through Wyoming was boring-er. The sun was beating down and burning my arm, and once it started to set, it got even more intense. But enough complaining. This coffee shop is only open for another 25 minutes, so here's a condensed version of my time in SLC:
- Met Steve and Angela, owners of Safan Ranch. They're cool! We had Vietnamese food for supper.
- I slept so soundly on the couch that I wanted to stay there all day. Finally a decent night's rest -- the first in weeks.
- Today I drove up through Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Snowbird ski resort. The mountains are amazing, and I was completely out of breath after hiking for 5 minutes. Stupid altitude. There was a little snow as well as pretty fall colors, and I think I got some decent photos.
- Next I drove out to the Great Salt Lake. It stinks! Literally! Like that foul smell you get at the ocean sometimes. But it was beautiful, too, and it's just cool to say that I've seen it (to me, at least).
- On to the International Peace Gardens, which were a little past their prime (it IS October), but still cool to walk through.
- I'm about to head through downtown, maybe past the Temple and all those other Mormon things.

Tomorrow, we head for California (Angela is riding with me)! I'm really ready to get there and set up camp, take a few deep breaths, and CHILL OUT.

I'll post pictures soon!