The Midnight Hour

Last week I spent a few days near Salt Lake City, Utah. I had never been to this part of the country before. I was amazed by many things, but most notably the landscape. The mountains are breathtaking. Not only are they taller than other mountains I’ve seen in California (and certainly the molehills that are referred to as mountains in north Alabama), but they are steeper and sometimes jut out of the ground seemingly from nowhere. Below is a picture of me from the steps of the Utah State Capitol.

Speaking of the capitol, it was pretty impressive as well. Murals of scenes from Utah’s history adorn the inside, specifically the inside of the dome, and the top of the dome is painted to resemble seagulls (the state bird) flying across a cloudy blue sky. I learned the history of the seagull as the state bird from a monument inside temple square.

The most impressive piece of architecture in Salt Lake City is undoubtedly the Mormon temple. It took 40 years to complete (1853-1893). It was constructed of granite brought from a quarry 20 miles from the construction site. Before construction of the railroad, stones were carried from the quarry by teams of 6-8 oxen. This trip sometimes took four four days. Here is a picture of the temple from the capitol to give you an idea of its size. It’s the building in the center that looks like a castle.

Here’s a closer picture to take a look at the detail and craftsmanship:

Inside the south temple visitor’s center you can learn about how the temple was built. Replica tools and equipment are on display:

The north temple visitor’s center has information about Jesus Christ to include many paintings and a scale model of Jerusalem during the time of Christ. The locations of significant Biblical events light up on the model when you press corresponding buttons.

Perhaps the strangest landmark I saw was “Stinky Springs.” North of the Great Salt Lake geothermal activity heats groundwater to create hot springs. The high concentration of sulfur in the water does two things:

1. Gives the water healing and relaxing properties for soaking (so sayeth the locals)

2. Makes the immediate area smell like a baby diaper full of Indian food. (so sayeth the movie “Anchorman”)

The land has been deeded to the county for public use, so nobody really cares for the area. However, somebody did pour concrete “soaking stations” and set up a running water system in and out of the tubs. Lots of algae have grown in the tubs and in the stream that feeds them. I didn’t desire a bath, but I did dip my hand in the water to sample the temperature. It’s not as hot as a shower or bath water, but it was much warmer than the 20F ambient air.

I also saw much wildlife that is not native to my backyard including mule deer, chuckar partridges, jackrabbits, and an eagle. I couldn’t discern the species of the eagle. It wasn’t a bald eagle, and I don’t think it was a golden eagle. It looked to have black and white splotches of color on its neck and head. Any ideas?