May 29-June 7, 2013
At this point, we knew we had only one more week before we headed home. We could have gone east on I 70 over Eisenhower Pass to Denver, then straight to Elkhart, Indiana, where we had an appointment to get some trailer damage fixed (early in the trip, I didn't turn wide enough and dinged the trailer stairs and aluminum skirt). However, we'd already driven that route, and spectacular as it is, we wanted to go somewhere new, so we decided on Provo, Utah. In part, this was because the biggest recumbent trike dealer in the world was located nearby, and I wanted Leah to try one of their recumbent trikes. Also, Utah Lake State Park was on a lake, and we'd heard good things about it from a couple we'd camped next to at Red Canyon. We knew it couldn't compare with the places we'd been for scenery, so, thinking the scenic part of our trip was over, we headed out on June 5th for the 200 or so mile drive to Utah Lake.
Well, I think we made the right decision. We arrived at our usual time: about sunset.
...so much for the scenic part of our trip being over...
Campsite at Utah Lake State Park
One day I was inside the trailer, and I noticed a small bird trying to land on our porch light. He kept trying for perhaps 15 minutes before I grabbed my camera and went outside. It seemed like he wanted to say Hello, but I'm sure it was just the colour of the porch light. Maybe he thought it was a flower or something. Anyway, I got a few shots of him trying to land...then he was gone.
...or so I thought. But he came back a while later and lighted on the roof of the campsite gazebo-shelter long enough for me to get a shot:
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Persistent visitor
Below: Unlike Mr. Persistent, above, this yellow-headed blackbird (below) was elusive; I had to stalk him for nearly an hour before I got close enough for a shot.
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Utah Trikes
Our reason for coming to Provo was to visit Utah Trikes in Payson, about 30 minutes from our campground. Even though Leah still had some dizziness and weird feelings, she was up for it. We told them she wanted to test ride the Cat Trike Trail. And they had one on the floor, but the boom was too long, so they cut it short enough to fit Leah. Since I wanted to go with her, they offered me the use of a Catrike Expedition, one step up from the Trail. Once everything was adjusted properly, we rode around the streets of Payson. I had fun on the Expedition, which seemed quite responsive even though we started out uphill. However, the headrest would take some getting used to, though it was necessary because the Expedition features a more reclined position than the Trail. Fun was not how Leah described her ride, though. The Trail rode quite roughly on the bumpy streets of Payson, and by the time we returned the trikes, she had a headache. Oh, and it didn't help that in trying to adjust her headrest, I accidentally hit her in the back of the head with it! Not such a good experience, but Leah did say she had enjoyed riding a similar trike at Bicycleman in Alfred Station, New York. She allowed that her general feeling of malaise (and her husband's clumsiness) may have spoiled this test ride. Sorry, no photos.
While in the Provo area, we tried several restaurants...and found two favourites, one inexpensive, the other very expensive:
1. El Azteca Authentic Mexican Food in Provo:
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| Carlos, owner of El Azteca Authentic Mexican Food, Provo, Utah |
This place looks like another fast food joint--and it is, but the food is fresh and delicious. We could tell it was a work of love, even before we met the owner, Carlos, a 40-something former advertising guy and lifelong foodie who'd moved back to Provo after many years writing ads in Los Angeles. Seems his parents opened the restaurant in Provo when he was very young. He grew up in the restaurant, then left for an advertising job in LA for a while, but returned to do what he loved: cook. He's added some new flavours and recipes to the old standbys, and the results are heavenly. He came over to our table to chat (mostly with Leah, a fellow foodie) every time we ate there (at least 4 times). Really nice guy--and great food!
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Salsa Bar (right half)
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Salsa Bar (left half)
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Full Salsa Bar
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Leah at the Salsa Bar, a big hit!
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Our booth at El Azteca
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Best of State Combo: Potato Tacquito with sour cream at one end and guacamole at the other, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice, a Cheese Enchilada with a fusion mole that Carlos invented and a salmon taco (pictured below).
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Richard's Huevos Rancheros
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Salmon Taco
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2. The Foundry Grill in Sundance, Utah, home of Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival.
We went for Sunday brunch:
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Desserts
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Hot Entrees Table: Roast Beef, Chicken, Bacon, Ham, etc.
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Omelette Station
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Park City, Utah
We also visited this popular ski area with a fancy, touristy downtown.
No photos of the downtown itself--just shots that appealed to me:
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Facade of the Egyptian Theater
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Detail of Egyptian Theater facade
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2nd Floor of a bar/restaurant
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Another bar/restaurant patio
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Temple Square, Salt Lake City
Since Utah Lake State Park is less than an hour from Salt Lake City, we felt we really should see Temple Square, the headquarters of the Mormon Empire, in downtown SLC. The whole downtown was dominated by two things: The Temple and the State Capital building. Both were beautiful architecturally, but what most impressed us was the neatness, the orderliness in evidence everywhere, from the lush, green, neatly trimmed lawns to the spotless streets and sidewalks, to polished brass drinking fountains. The Temple was part of a complex that included the Mormon Tabernacle Choir building plus several others, including the Family History Library and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Smith was the founder of the Latter Day Saints movement. Read the history of Mormonism
here.
We walked through one or two of the buildings in the Temple complex, though not the Temple itself. At the entrance and exit of every building, and throughout the complex, both inside and out, were men and women Mormons, young and old, from all over the world, who were almost creepily friendly and helpful. In the hour or so we were there, we personally met women from Calgary and the Philippines, and heard Mormon guides who sounded German and Asian (Korean?). The cleanliness and order were almost too much.
Again, these photos are not record shots, but rather images that appealed to me:
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Temple is on the right in the reflection
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Orderliness extended to the tree bark on the Temple grounds!
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Lovely water fountain/pool
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Not sure which building this was...not the Temple
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Homeward Bound
We knew it was time to head for home--or rather for Elkhart, Indiana to get the trailer fixed. That meant 4 days of steady driving without much time to explore or take pictures. However, while we were staying at a Super 8 in Elkhart, we had some severe weather. Which sent Jazzy into hiding...here:
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Hiding from a storm in Elkhart, Indiana
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I'd better back up a bit: When we arrived in Elkhart at Mastertech RV, we set up camp at one of their free electrical and water sites. Great! ...or so we thought. Unfortunately, the only site left was right next to their entry door--and these guys worked from 6 AM til midnight! Consequently, it was noisy a lot of the time. As well, the weather was hot and sticky, so we ran the air quite a bit--which was fine. But that also meant we were inside the trailer quite a bit, and my walking around caused the trailer to bounce and sway, not good for Leah's dizziness. Since it looked like we were going to have to stay longer than anticipated, we checked into a Super 8; that way we were on solid ground--no swaying or bouncing for Leah.
Interestingly, after a couple of days, Leah's dizziness had lessened markedly. After 2 nights and 2 full days at the Super 8, we left Elkhart and drove straight through all the way home, about 490 miles. And as I write this on July14th, Leah's dizziness has disappeared entirely. We think the new memory foam mattress we bought in Prescott, Arizona may have been gassing off, and may have caused Leah's symptoms. She began having symptoms a day after we bought the mattress, and they disappeared within 2 days of being out of the trailer. I'm not sure about the mattress being the cause, but I think we'll air mattress out some more here at home. Hopefully, her dizziness is gone for good.
Anyway...that's it: last entry in our 2013 blog. See you next year...
