Utah Highlights

Salt Lake City, Park City, Wallsburg – Utah is Gorgeous and Welcoming State

It seems I put my writing on hold for a big chunk of my time in Utah and, of course, everything has been on hold since I fell. Let me catch you up – and if I there are typos, I blame one-handed typing!

A quick note on my recovery – surgery went well, Sue was able to stay with me until Wednesday morning and it was terrific to spend some time, even if I wasn’t fully conscious for a chunk of it. We were able to go to Arches Nat’l Park after she flew in on Monday – what a treat that was! We only did the hike to Windows, but there is lots to see from the many pullout viewpoints. It’s now Sunday and after being in a hotel for six days (so glad I had the World Series for enjoyment and distraction), I was ready to get out in nature again. I’ll camp at Canyonlands until Saturday, then go back to Moab and camp until my follow-up appointment on Wednesday. If all goes as planned, I’ll hit highway 191 immediately after the appointment and start making my way to Phoenix taking about three days so I can make a few stops on the way – Goosenecks State Park, Antelope Canyon and Flagstaff.

After Ketchum I stopped in Twin Falls and Kimberly, two towns in Idaho, for a quick visit with my high school friend, Jackie. I didn’t realize how close I was to her house until she replied to a post on FB; we were able to find a time to spend a few hours catching up. What a treat! It’s meaningful to reconnect with people in my life who knew me way back when. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what our lives looked like then, who we were and how we’ve changed…or stayed the same…and who the people and events were that are a part of us today. It was a really nice visit and I hit the road with fondness for my history and friendship with Jackie.

My first destination in Utah was Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake, recommended by my union brother and AFT Utah president, Brad. I wrote about it in an earlier post so I’ll jump right to Salt Lake City. My first priority was to go to the RV park where my new fridge had been delivered. I’m happy to say that everything worked out perfectly on that front. I had other maintenance tasks to take care of and it was time to use my brand new telescoping ladder to climb up on the roof to assess the seal on my fan and clean the solar panels. After getting stuck on the roof, I learned an important detail about using my very cool telescoping ladder…the base should be placed about 35 degrees from the van to avoid it swaying away from the van on the way down. Since it tool 25 minutes or so before someone came around and adjusted my ladder it became stupidly hilarious…I waved at people driving by to try and get them to stop, but they just waved back. I played some games on my phone, caught up on the news, thought about asking one of the kids to get a parent…that seemed a little too weird, though. It all worked out and I did get to clean my panels.

The RV Park was similar to where I stayed in Elko, NV and in Shoshone, ID, where people both camped and lived there. The couple next door spent half the year in UT and half the year in FL as they had kids and grandkids in both places. While I was chatting with them when one of the kids who lives at the park swooped in on her bike, asking if the grandie would be coming over soon. Although I didn’t see many adults out and about, it seemed the kids were creating their community of friends and kept themselves busy playing all day long the two days I was there. I wondered why the kids weren’t in school and discovered Utah provides a two day Fall Break in October.

I had decided to try out Harvest Hosts, a subscription service that allows me to connect with people who offer a place to park on their property for a night, with the possibility of additional nights at a cost. I booked a spot in SLC within a mile of downtown, meaning I’d be able to easily ride my bike to the No King’s Day rally, the SLC Film Society and anywhere else I might like to visit in town. The site offered no visual appeal, being outside a single story long building of small businesses in a gravel parking lot but it workout great and I stayed a second night ($30) for the convenience.

I have to give a huge shout out to SLC for it’s terrific biking infrastructure. I followed the 13+ mile Cycle the City route (https://www.slc.gov/transportation/bike/cycle-the-city/), adding a couple of miles when I lost track of the trail. A couple of times. It took me into downtown and the several blocks of the Latter Day Saints complex as well as the shopping district, up and through a canyon next to the state capitol, and through several neighborhoods and a number of city parks. I rode along the Jordan river and eventually ended up back at my starting point.

After that I went to the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, viewing a variety of media – sculptures, paintings of sculptures, found objects and textile constructions, and computer generated works. This was a terrific exhibit – a nice variety of art and relatively small in scale so as not to overwhelm.

My next stop was Park City, where I enjoyed a fairly quick trip through the Olympic Park and quite a few art galleries. The Olympic Park was well done with a good deal of history of the people, equipment, and fanfare. I paid a few bucks for a simulated bobsled ride and ski-sailing…not a “must-do” by any stretch but a fun diversion.

My last stop before heading to Moab was another Harvest Host spot, this time a family ranch in Wallsburg. The people were terrific, one an artist and one a retired teacher, now a school bus driver. They had horses, goats, chickens and cows while also providing winter parking for RVs. It was quite an operation and expanded my thinking about the creative methods people devise for making money. I bought a set of note cards (western characters…not my usual style, but that was the artist’s style) and some honey in lieu of paying to park. Before joining HH at least one of the reviews noted that it isn’t necessarily a way to save money since the expectation is you’ll buy something. I think that’s an important thing for folks to know before signing up. I find the opportunity to meet and talk to locals and the wide range of options make it worthwhile.

I’m off grid the next few days but will post again as I make my way to Poenix.U