A TRIP WELL TAKEN
A few years ago my wife decided to treat us to a vacation out West. The inspiration came from my friend Bill who recently returned from an RV trip to the area. I thought it was a fantastic and exciting idea so we started to make plans for an adventure but without the use of an RV. I wasn’t ready for going that primitive. Never even considered it. Where to start?
There were a number of important things to consider before firming up our plans. A few items on our list were time of year, points of interest, starting off point, travel arrangements, lodging, etc.,etc. Not being familiar with the “ Wild West” we had very little to work with except for our imagination and recommendations from Bill. We definitely had work to do.
I asked Carole to start a compiling a list of any ideas she had regarding the trip especially points of interest. I would do the same and the idea was to periodically compare notes. Actually I had no idea of what I would be looking for or what to expect.
Surprisingly there were a couple things on my bucket list that involved Utah. Seeing a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and visiting The Huntsman Cancer Center. That gave me the idea to start at Salt Lake City. Carole was more than happy to use Utah and Salt Lake City for our starting point. Mutually we agreed to choose other interesting places to go but not to make too many specific stops but rather to keep things loose without an itinerary so it would be more like an adventure. We chose to begin the trip in September. Carole got busy and now that a few things were settled she became excited. Maps, books, and brochures appeared in the mail on a daily basis. Clothing shopping became a regular activity for Carole. Everything Western.
Between us we compiled good list of places, mostly cities, that we would like to visit. Very little in the way of specific activities. Only one professional tour. It’s interesting to note that the more research we did the fewer places we felt necessary to visit. We learned more from literature and brochures than we thought we would.
We settled on The Mormon Tabernacle, The Great Salt Lake, Jackson Hole Wyoming, Yellowstone Park, Cody Wyoming, as much of Montana as possible, and Idaho Falls. All this looked good on the map. It appeared to be an interesting way to go. We could find lots of things to do while traveled. There were museums, sights of interest, and many local events along the way. The only obstacle was driving would be a bear. As it turned out driving was the best way to see the sights and give us the flexibility we needed.
Carole got busy making arrangements for airline tickets and hotel reservations for the Embassy Suite Hotel in Salt Lake City. We were set and soon we would be on our way.
We flew into Salt Lake City and I must say I was a little disappointed until I rented a huge SUV and drove into town looking for the Embassy Suite Hotel. The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness of the city. I thought it was a Mormon thing. Not a piece of paper on the immaculate super wide streets. Everything was maintained and seemed to be cared for. The grass in common areas was cut with precision. I was especially impressed with the width of the streets. I was told that when the city was planned and built the wide streets made it possible for horse wagons to turn corners without difficulty. Very interesting and a good use of common sense. I wish all roads were built with such consideration.
The next day was Sunday and we had planned to go the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We were told to arrive early due to the shortage of seats. When we arrived the court yard in front of the tabernacle was packed with people waiting to enter. Suddenly the doors opened and we all shuffled in and found seats. It was a beautiful place. Significantly smaller than I had imagined. Sometimes the TV lens plays tricks on you. The performance was magnificent. After the performance we were invited to a service in a modestly sized church across the courtyard. Following the service we were permitted entrance to a small section of the tabernacle. The experience was impressive. I wanted to know more. There were several Mormon representatives in the area who would guide you or answer questions. In the courtyard there were a group of young Mormon woman making short speeches about their respective countries of origin. Very nice touch.
When we left tabernacle we decided to do a bit of shopping. Using our GPS we found ourselves on the other side of town at one of three Costco stores located in Salt Lake City. We never travel without finding a Costco. Great way to kill some dead time. We love Costco and it gave us the opportunity to purchase some personal items.
After Costco we found the Greek Festival. We love Greek Food and this was terrific. The offerings were almost as varied and tasteful as what we usually get at the Geek Festival in Savannah nearby Hilton Head where we live. We were given the opportunity to tour the church next door and attend a service if we wished. One of the guides gave us a brief background of the Greek community in Salt Lake City. It appeared that it was quite large and had a lot to do with the growth of the city. We were told that although most of the city planning was done by the Mormons, the actual construction was performed by Greek immigrants. The Greeks certainly made their contribution to the community because the city is beautiful. Good job and thanks for the festival.
The following morning we headed out to Jackson Hole Wyoming. As we left Salt Lake City we passed the exit to Park City where my old High School buddy Dean V. lives. I wanted to stop off and say hello but time wasn’t in our favor. We were scheduled to move on to Jackson Hole where we secured reservations for two nights at over $500 per night. Are you kidding me? I could have lived without knowing that. Anyway, when we arrived we checked in and proceeded to find a restaurant for something some sustenance. We hoofed it and walked around the entire downtown area. We found a fabulous steak house type of restaurant. After a terrific dinner we strolled back to the hotel window shopping all the way. When we reached the hotel we noticed a bar across the street. Yup let’s have a couple of beers.
The next morning we woke early dressed and had breakfast. After eating we departed the hotel and found a van and driver waiting for us. We were on our way to Yellowstone Park. Along the way we received a gratis tour of Jackson Hole. We looked at various homes and the driver offered information about four of five of them including their value. Nice houses but nothing special. Definitely out of my league. We continued onward without making an offer.
The road out of Jackson Hole was beautiful. Shortly after heading out we arrived at the foot of the Grand Tetons. How beautiful and majestic. Just BEAUTIFUL. Another hour or so passed and we found ourselves in a traffic jam. The driver told us there were bears on the side of the road. We stopped and jumped out of the van and I found myself face to face with one of the black bears. I had my camera in hand when I realized I was less than ten feet away from him. Lucky for me he was more interest in munching down on berries than this chubby guy from Hilton Head, South Carolina. After a short pause we were on our way.
We finally arrived entered Yellowstone Park. What a special place. As we proceeded through the park there were bison, waterfalls, cliffs, bear, moose, birds and just about anything nature could throw at us. We came across an area where there were geysers and we found ourselves at the inn across the way from Old Faithful. Fortunately we were there when it had an eruption. Very, very, cool. At dusk we left Yellowstone. Great experience and well worth the trip. Back to the hotel and time to retire after a very long and rough day.
The next day we headed north with not very much in the way of must see destinations. Once we past the Yellowstone area there wasn’t much to see until we hit Cody, Wyoming. Home of Buffalo Bill Cody. Cody appeared to be a broken down end of the road place until we found a museum while breezing though. We decided to make a visit. The museum turned out to be fabulous. One of the best I can remember. It was set up in two parts. One about the area and the local Indians while the other about Buffalo Bill himself along with a collection weapons and guns from his era. The place looked like an armory. Extraordinarily interesting. We spent hours there and it is a must see if you are ever in the area.
Leaving the museum we found a Holiday Inn nea by and checked in for the night. Dinner was next. We chose a restaurant named The Irma Restaurant. Other than the museum we found it to be one of the most interesting and enjoyable places in town. It was founded as a gambling hall and restaurant by Buffalo Bill and was named in honor of his daughter Irma. The decor reminded me of an old saloon.The food was great and they also put on a fake gun fight in the street behind the restaurant after dinner. A real bonus.
The gun fight cast was comprised of employees of the Irma and it drew a large crowd. Truly a tourist attraction. The activity lasted for about an hour. It was kind of hokey but lots of fun and done well.
The next morning we headed north to Bozeman Montana. The roads though Montana had lots of rivers and creeks with an abundance of fly fisherman scattered throughout. Just beautiful country to pass through. Truly a sportsman’s paradise. When we arrived in Bozeman I was disappointed. I thought the town would be a bit larger and more sophisticated. We were surrounded by large pastures and hills but nowhere near my expectations. We chose a hotel on the main drag. Kind of new but very modest. Similar to a Comfort Inn. Not my taste but what the hell it’s only for one night. Yeah I’m a little bit of a snob. It’s Bozeman what do you expect. In the morning we headed out to the local museum on the grounds of a nearby college. The museum was nothing special but at least it was something. I didn’t care for Bozeman. Carole mentioned she wouldn’t mind living there. Obviously Bozeman spiked the water. Each to their own. Couldn’t even find a decent restaurant.
We said adios to Bozeman and decided to head to Idaho falls. Along the way on our left or to the east we could see miles of farmland with a background of the Grand Tetons. We were on the side of West Yellow Stone. Awesome views. Again there were tons of fly fisherman on the rivers and creeks. We stopped off at a general store. This place turned out to be one the most well equipped gun and sporting goods stores I have ever seen. Not only did they haves guns and pistols but they had depth of four or five each of popular models. Hmm, were they arming a brigade or some thing? Evidently guns have special meaning in that part of the country. The women’s boot department was well stocked. I treated Carole to a pair of sharp looking western style boots. We plodded on and found the area to be very artsy. Cluttered with small restaurants and shops. Also lots of pick up trucks everywhere. Seemed like a nice place to hang out though.
Finally we found our way to Idaho and then to Idaho Falls. The city was jammed with cars and people. What was going on? Well the crowd was there due to a upcoming football game between Brigham Young University and another college. I thought Brigham Young was in Utah. Should have know. Well we tried but could not get a hotel room. We decided to get back to Salt Lake City post haste. We ended up where we started at the Embassy Suites.
When we returned to Salt Lake we had a couple of days to kill. We decided to do some more sight seeing. The city had a free bus system so we traveled well without worrying about parking. We returned to the Tabernacle area. We found the Capital building. A beautiful structure styled as a duplicate of the national capital. It was constructed of stone imported from North Georgia. We visited the Mormon Museum. We took a ride up to Antelope Island where we could see the Great Salt Lake and the wild life, mostly menacing looking Bison that roamed around the island freely.
The next day we decided to take it easy so we started off at Costco and did a bit of shopping. While there we saw signs for the Utah State Fair and Rodeo. How could we resist. Yee Ha off we went. The fair was really something special and smelly from all of the animals. The rodeo was a very cool affair. Much better than the rodeos I remember from my childhood when would go to Madison Square Garden. It had skydivers and all the rodeo events. They missed nothing and we had great seats and a wonderful time. Believe me they really put on a terrific show.
When we left the rodeo we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. Carole made reservations for the Cheesesteak Factory downtown. We were early with nothing to do. I figured we would take a ride. We started to drive towards the University and passed fraternity row. Something was going on because ther were a large number of co eds milling around in the street, Boola Boola. We reached the top of the hill at the University of Utah Medical Center area smack dab in front of the Huntsman Cancer Research Center. I had always thought it was located out in the desert somewhere and I always wanted to visit this wonderful place and here I am smack at the front door. An other bucket list moment. We didn’t go inside because it was late and we had reservations. However, we did stop to enjoy the elevated view of Salt Lake City. What a wonderful place and the trip was so well worth our time. America is a beautiful country.
The next day was Sunday. Time to depart. We received a message that our flight was delayed. Oh no, here we go. I looked at my watch and I said to Carole let’s not just sit around, maybe we could see the choir again? She agreed. We jumped into the SUV and headed over to the tabernacle. We were late. Everybody was seat in the tabernacle. They were closing the doors. At the very last second we slipped in. An usher appeared and told us there weren’t any seats available and we would have to leave, no standing room. We turned and started to go when another usher tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to follow him. He escorted us down the center isle all the way to the second row where there were two opened seats on the left of the center aisle and motioned for us to sit there. I couldn’t believe it.
The presentation was the best and we had the best seats in the house. A double bucket list. By the way we are not of the Mormon faith. A pretty unusual gift and blessing for an outsider.
After the performance we rushed to the airport and made our connection home. Going out west was one of our best adventures. I have fallen in love with Salt Lake City. I would enjoy more visits to the area. Such a nice place and so much more to learn. Winters must be wonderful there.
Carole did a super job as our navigator and my co-pilot. She takes such good care of me and made sure we had a wonderful time.
I’m glad we decided to do the trip the way did. Driving without a tight schedule is the way to go. You get to see just about everything. The heck with an RV.
