Chapter 15
Salt Lake City, the Great Salt Lake, and Temple Square

The next morning we spent repacking all our gear and cleaning out the rental car. We had a lot of room in the yard surrounding the cabin to lay out our gear and fold things up.

The cabin owners had a very nice friendly dog that came down to visit us. It knew to stay out of the cabins, but otherwise it followed Dave everywhere he went. As he walked around taking photos of the cabins and surrounding grounds, the dog scampered along side. Never barked or made a fuss. If you bent down to pet him he was most friendly. Even Diane, a self-confessed non-dog person liked him and held him in her lap for a photo.

On our way south to Salt Lake City we passed by Bear Lake which looked like a major water sports heaven for the local inhabitants. We also passed several hundred bicyclists on the LOTOJA bike race. It's a race from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY, a distance of about 200 miles! Done in ONE day !! The cyclists were spread out along the road for miles. Fortunately they were headed in the opposite direction from us for it would have been difficult to pass that many riders on the narrow highway, along with all the support vehicles following along behind.

We eventuall made it to Salt Lake City. We had always wanted to see the Great Salt Lake. I had always wanted to swim in it. So we pulled off the highway at the first Utah State Park on the shores of the lake to check the place out. Man! Were we very dissapointed!. The lake has receeded hundreds of yards from the original shoreline. Marinas were totally high and dry without a drop of water to be found for several hundred yards. We walked out over the dry lake bed to the water's edge. It looked filthy dirty. We both touched it so that we could say we had touched the Great Salt Lake. Later, at the first chance we got, we washed our hands thoroughly with soap and water!

Later that night after supper downtown, we visited Temple Square, the headquarters for the Mormon religion. We even took a short tour of the square.

Three of the cabins at "The Old Mill Cabins" We stayed in the middle cabin.
They were very nicely made and in great condition.

Here's Diane posing with the dog from the cabins.
It was very friendly and well behaved.

We pass a group of bicyclists on the Lotoja Bike Race from Logan, UT
to Jackson, WY, about 180 miles up and down 3 mountain passes!

Here we are at the Great Salt Lake. At one time the water came all the way up to the dike we were standing on. The water level has dropped drastically over the years. It was about a 1/4 mile walk to the edge of the water.

Here I am, symbolically touching the Great Salt Lake. The water was stagnant and filthy looking!