Utah Vacation: Salt Lake City

Our first goal of the day was set by Andrew. He wanted to get some drone time over Midway. To achieve this, we got up early and drove to a nearby park.

Early morning drone flight in Valais Park, near the condo

After a quick flight, we continued our first day adventure by heading to Salt Lake City. Our first stop was the Utah State Capitol. The capitol building is located on a hill that overlooks the city and the entire Salt Lake valley. It contains the house, senate, and ceremonial supreme court and is open to the public. We were very impressed with the beauty of the architecture. While on the grounds, we noticed that many signs had a picture of a beehive. I was curious, so I asked a guard what it meant. He told me that the beehive is the state symbol. Early settlers used the bee as a symbol of hard work and industriousness. Cool. The only thing that would have made the visit better is if we could have gone up into the dome. Before leaving the grounds, we had a picnic lunch out on the lawn.

Utah State Capitol

Our next stop was the Temple Square, home of the Mormon Temple and the Tabernacle Choir. We parked downtown and walked a few blocks to the entrance. The Temple is simply breathtaking. We stopped at the Visitor Center and talked to a guide, who told us about the Mormon traditions and the layout of the Temple. Only Mormon’s in good standing are allowed inside the Temple.

Mormon Temple

Then we walked to the giant, white building - that looks a little like a bounce house – where the Tabernacle Choir performs. On our way, we passed at least three wedding parties. Apparently, getting married in the Temple is a popular thing to do. I guess it was our lucky day because, soon after arriving, a man sat down at the organ and began to play.

By now, we were feeling hungry again and we wanted to ride the city train. We walked to City Creek Center, a two-level outdoor mall in the heart of downtown. We found a Johnny Rockets, ordered some burgers, and ate on the patio near the waterfall. After eating, we caught the train back to where we parked.

Downtown Salt Lake City

By this time, we’d had about enough of the big city and were ready to see something natural. We jumped in our car and headed North to Antelope Island State Park. The island is accessed by a long causeway. We were initially disappointed to see a sign that said drone flying was not allowed. Once on the island, we quickly realized that there was wildlife. We first saw a few Pronghorns (aka American Antelope), then we saw herds of Bison. But the wildlife I’ll never forget were the swarms of biting gnats! Every time we stopped to get out and take a picture, we were greeted by them. The swarms were clearly visible, like small dark clouds, along the sides of the road.

Bison in Antelope Island State Park

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