Goldilocks (6/20/24)

 Sitting in the camper with the air conditioner running literally all day is not our idea of fun (its very noisy) so for our next move we looked for some place cooler. And boy, did we find it. Moving north towards Salt Lake City is our game plan and since we loved Cedar Breaks National Monument when we were there, we headed that way again.

There is dispersed camping just outside the national monument, and we picked out a really nice spot. Being at 10,000 feet, the weather is totally different than Vegas.. It was sunny, but a little too windy and cool to sit outside. There were even pockets of snow near our campsite. Our intent the following day was to do a hike, but the wind was still whipping, and it was Cold! 

We elected to drive some back roads in the Bronco instead. That night the furnace ran a lot, and we realized the temperature had dipped into the 20s.

I felt like Goldilocks at this point. First it was waaaaaay too hot, then it was waaaaaay too cold. Time to move on, again.

Our next stop was Provo Utah, where we met up with our friends Liz and Randy, who were staying at the Elks lodge. Since they were busy entertaining their granddaughter, we took off for the nearby mountains to explore.

We had two goals- one was to hike and another was to drive the scenic road, looking for potential places to camp in the camper. But first we stopped at the visitor center for Timpanogos Cave National Monument.  Before we even got inside we were approached by someone who asked if we were doing a cave tour. Of course, we had no idea that there even IS a cave tour. He explained what it was and offered us free tickets because he had overbought for his family reunion. That changed our plans, but that’s ok too.

The cave tour begins with a 1.5 mile hike up a paved trail. There is 1100 feet of gain, so they give you an hour and a half to do it. 

It was pretty warm that day so by the time we got to the top, we were ready for the 45 degree cave. 

It is actually three caves, which have been connected with tunnels. We have been in many caves so this one was just ok for us, but the price was right.

One of the people we met in the RV park told us about a nearby museum (Richard W Erickson Foundation Antique and Classic Power Museum) that they thought was pretty awesome, so we decided to check it out. When we arrived, the place looked closed, but we parked the Bronco and walked around. It was acres of open air, and lots of buildings.

A few minutes later we ran into the owner, who had seen our car and was looking for us. Turns out the museum is really only open a few times a year for special events, or by appointment, which we didn’t have. She was gracious enough to show us around for an hour or so.  Her dad had owned the property and started collecting vehicles of all sorts, many years ago. 

He left a trust hefty enough to take care of the property. There were probably a dozen buildings, each holding a particular kind of nostalgia…one building is bicycles, one is race cars, etc. After a couple of hours we said goodbye to Pam, with the promise of sending her a few things we think she needed from our collection of stuff in the garage.

Before leaving the area we reached out to one of Paul’s (second? first cousin once removed?) cousins on his mom’s side.  We had an awesome dinner with Lori and her husband Rick, but of course, I took no pictures.  Paul wanted to pass along to Lori all the memorabilia he had about the cabin in West Yellowstone that has been in the family for generations.  Lori and her family still spend time at the cabin every summer.

The main reason for our visit to Salt Lake City, was to fulfill Paul’s parents last wishes.

Once they both passed, they wanted their ashes to be buried together in their plot in Salt Lake City.

Paul’s grandparents and great grandparents are also buried here.

They wanted no service of any sort, so it was just Paul and I, doing what they asked.

Our last afternoon was spent at a house on Murphy’s Lane in Salt Lake City. We have visited this house before, with Paul’s mom, but that time, there was no one home. This time there was.

The house used to belong to Paul’s great aunt and uncle, Alla and Tom Mulhall. At that time there was a house and a cottage. The cottage is now gone but the house has been restored very meticulously.   During World War II Paul’s mother and grandmother lived in the cottage while Paul’s grandfather, James Vegene Laird, was away fighting for his country.

Built in 1848, the original owner of the home was Robert Gardner. He and his brother also started the first saw mill in Salt Lake City. In 1928 the house was sold to Paul’s great uncle and aunt, but in 2012 the Gardner family regained possession of it, and decided to restore the house. It is now the oldest house in Utah that sits on its original foundation.

We met Sherril, a member of the Gardner family, because she happened to be staying at the house. Paul had brought whatever documentation he had regarding the house and his family’s part in its ownership, and he gave all of it to Sherril. She, in turn, happily showed us around the property, showing us the restoration that was done.

Our visit to Salt Lake concluded, we continued on our Goldilocks journey, seeking higher (and cooler) ground, in a national forest.

Fun with Family (01-05-14)

The last week or so has been mostly spent enjoying time with family.  Here are a few pictures of what we've all  been up to lately:

    The oldest and the youngest- Great Grandma Gerry, (GGG) Paul’s mom, reads to her great-grandson, William.

Jess and Shad (Paul’s nephew) have a dance competition.

Paul and I strolled through Old Town San Diego with Jess and Gerry, and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

We invited everyone over for lunch at our place.









 

William enjoyed being pushed on the swing by nana (Sue1) while mom, Amy, looked on.

We partied hard New Years Eve, with Paul’s brother Tom and Sue1.

The weather has been so awesome that Jess, Paul and I went paddle boarding in Mission Bay.

It was a better work out than you’d think.  At least, that’s what my muscles were telling me the next day.

 

I do feel a little guilty, enjoying all this beautiful warm sunshine when I think about other parts of the country that have been enduring record cold and major snow storms.

We’ll be here for another week or so before heading to Quartzsite Arizona to meet up with our friends.

SLC and LDS (06-05-12)

We had a dual purpose for visiting Salt Lake City. The first was to do our usual exploring, but Paul's mom wanted to visit the city where she spent her teenage years, so she flew in the day after we got there.

Having never seen Great Salt Lake (me, that is), which is surprisingly the largest lake west of the Mississippi river, one of our first outings was to Antelope Island. The views of the lake from the island were excellent, and we spent a few hours thoroughly enjoying the wildlife.

There were quite a few antelope, as well as Pelicans and assorted other birds, but the really fascinating viewing was the bison.

As we drove the scenic loop on the island, we saw quite a few solitary bison and were quite happy with that, but then we came across the whole herd!

We watched as hundreds of Bison came down the nearby hills and headed for the lakefront. Some sauntered, and some literally ran down the hill.  Most of them were cows with their calves, with lots of adolescent males following them. The older bulls are more solitary and tend to keep to themselves. Some of the herd crossed the road right in front of us, allowing us to get a good look at them.

It was a unique experience to be able to watch them for quite a while, in their own element, just “doing their own thing.”

Bison were re-introduced to the island many years ago and the herd has grown to the point that every year, when they round them all up in the spring for their inoculations, they sell off some of the bison to manage the herd size.

  

Temple Square is where you can find out about all things Mormon- or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). I was extremely impressed with everything about this place. The church provides free shuttle service, innumerable free tours, free access to libraries, the trolley system, museums, the tabernacle, musical programs etc.  There are many missionaries available to answer any and all questions you may have.They give tours in about 20 languages.  And no, no one tried to “convert” us or hassled us in any way at all.  Everyone was smiling and helpful. Wow. It was very clear that they are very willing to teach visitors about who they are and the history of their church.

The gardens in the square are beautiful and make for great place to stroll. There are tons of interesting sculptures.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the gold “Angel Moroni” at the top of the Temple, was sculpted by Cyrus E. Dallin. I am familiar with Dallin’s work because he lived in Arlington, the town I grew up in, and several of his sculptures are showcased throughout the town- there is also a library and a school named after him.  I did not know that he also lived in Utah at one time.

Of course, no visit to SLC would be complete without hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Our only (slight) disappointment was when we learned the short service, called The Spoken Word, would take place in the Conference Center, due to the crowds that attend in the summer time. Still, the service, and the music, was beyond amazing.

The service takes place on Sunday morning.  The doors open at least an hour before the service, during which time we could listen to the choir practice, and take any pictures we wanted.  Once the service, which is broadcast live on the radio, starts, no more pictures are allowed. 

We actually did still get to see the Tabernacle, and hear the 11,000 pipe organ, when we attended the 2 pm organ recital.

Only church members are allowed in the Temple itself, which is used for religious and enrichment programs.

We headed to “This is the Place” Heritage Park, where we enjoyed the monuments and the small visitor’s center/museum that tells the story about the arrival of the Mormons in Salt Lake City in the mid 1800s.

In the 1840s, the Mormons living in the mid west were persecuted to the point that they began a mass exodus from the state of Illinois and other nearby states. Led by spiritual leader Brigham Young, who had researched potential areas to settle, they took handcarts full of their belongings and headed west. After 1300 miles and over 3 months of traveling, they crested the hill overlooking Salt Lake valley, and Brigham Young declared “This is the right place”.  Over the next 22 years, over 70,000 Mormons made the trek to the Salt Lake area in the largest exodus of a single group in American history.

Paul’s family has been in the Salt Lake area since the early days of Mormon settlement. The medallion on this grave signifies that the person buried there (Paul’s great-great-great Grandfather) was one of the original Mormon pioneers to come across the country.

Driving around Salt Lake City visiting the old family home and gravesites gave us all the genealogy bug. We spent quite a bit of time researching in the Family History Library.  This is an incredibly well run library. As first time researchers, we were shown a movie about what the library has to offer, then we were handed forms to use for the information we found, and were escorted to computers so we could get to work! Paul and his mom worked on their family, with the help of a woman missionary.   I was curious about my dad’s family because  I didn’t know that much about them. I also had someone helping me for the first hour or so. I discovered that after my great-grandfather died, my great-grandmother remarried.  I had no idea! (If you get the bug, familysearch.org is a good place to start)

Before leaving the area, we met up with some of Paul and Gerry’s family for dinner.  Everyone had stories and pictures to share, and we all had a great time!