Last day in SLC

I had had very little time in the city apart from walking a few blocks on the first night to find a grocers, so although I was tired and would have liked a rest I had to get out there and discover!  Decided to start with Temple Square just next to my hotel. But first I had to find the Post Office as I found Dawn's keys in my bag! That done I strolled back up the hill to the Temple.

The tabernacle where the famous Mormon tabernacle choir practise and give concerts on Sundays

This is the statue commemorating the pioneers who moved their belongings to the valley on carts.

Flowers are everywhere in the main area of the city as well as in Temple

Square. The Mormons have nurseries to grow their own.

I had to wait for the cleaner to finish cleaning the pool, everywhere was immaculate, even at 10 in the morning it was in the 80's.

 I was happy strolling and taking photographs of the many statues and gardens but it was hot and although I had decided I wasn't going to go into the visitor centres I did just go and sit in the South one and watched some videos of people from all over the world giving their take on what it means to be a Morman. Again food for thought.

This is some of the Book of Mormon because although they follow the bible this is their own addition.

It was pleasant to just sit and surprisingly peaceful given that it's in the middle of the city.

Back on the street again 

These two are of the Main Street, the roads don't look as wide as they really are!

Lunch time and as I had been told about the Lion House that's where I went.

This is Brigham Young's House which is now an excellent Morman restaurant.

Fed and watered I crossed the road to have a wander around Creek City, a Shopping Mall.

It's a very classy shopping mall, Tiffanys, Macy's, and all the designer shops. A big Deseret book shop. (Mormon)

Nordstrom, also a big department store in all the cities also. Pricey shop! Went in there in Seattle to get a nightie as I left mine hanging on the hotel  bathroom door in Vancouver. Wasn't persuaded to spend £90 on one though.

 I sat having a coffee by the fountains watching the little ones playing in their water fountain and I was debating wether I should take shots of them or not and of course I missed a great picture. He was really loving them and then when they died down he put his head right down over the hole and it came up straight in his face!  I thought he would cry but he didn't.

The creek

I haven't been tempted to go into the shops really because I'm not going to buy things. My luggage is heavy enough to pull around as it is. But I  thought I might just have a look in Macy's.  Of course they had a sale on so ended up buying a pair of denims!

I had dinner with the lady I met in the shuttle bus. We had met at various times in the hotel. She was waiting for her friend to join her from Nebraska later that evening. She was supposed to have arrived the day before but had got her days mixed up!  Can't believe that really, Julie had travelled from Texas to meet her so now had an extra day on her own. She was loving the weather at a mere 90 degrees because it had been 104 in Texas.  They, as many other people, come to SLC just to do their genealogy. The main Family Search ( Morman) records office is right next to the Plaza. I didn't intend doing any while I was there but was going to have a look at it but didn't get the time but  I had to take 

time off from the packing to stroll up to the temple and take a picture of it lit up.

When I got I to the lift a woman spoke to me who I thought was English but turned out to be Irish. We had a quick conversation going from L to floor 6 and she got out at 6 with me and carried talking!  She had also come with two friends to do some genealogy and it turned out that she came from just outside of Chicago. She was going home on Saturday and insisted on giving me her phone number in case I needed any help in when I was there and also said she would come and pick me up if I fancied going out anywhere!  Thanks Maureen.

On checking my flight details for the next day ( must admit I hadn't read them thoroughly, only how much weight I could carry) I found out I had to pay $20 for a case in the hold and $30 for a carry on bag.  If I checked in at the airport I had to pay $5 more on each.  The airline is a bit like Ryanair I think, it was $100 cheaper but they charge for everything.  What an outrage! I couldn't print my boarding cards from my ipad. I tried putting everything in the suitcase but when it came to putting my camera in I couldn't bring myself to do that and I had a fair bit of other stuff I didn't want to be with out if the case went missing. I would probably have been overweight anyway and I was still dollars in.

But .....thats  the joy of staying in a decent hotel. Decided I would ask the reception staff if they would do it for me but there were two computers and a printer in the lobby so job done.

On my travels I have seen many people dressed up in comic costumes... It's Comic Con....in Vancouver it was a Japanese one.  Portland had one also and for the past three days I've been in the lift with all sorts of weird people, some of them I haven' t a clue who they are meant to be but the costumes are wonderful. It's been between 80 and 90 and still they wear them.

Thought I was doing this discreetly but they waved at me!

These two lovely ladies posed for me, the one in red is suppose to be a dragon from Lord of the Rings.

Don't know who the other is supposed to be but they looked good.

So...... As for Salt Lake City....beautiful city to be in. Has it's share of beggars same as everywhere else but I felt very safe there.

To the mountains!

Wednesday dawned and time to meet the second cousin Renee, daughter of Luther. We were to meet in the North Visitor Centre in Temple Square by the city of Jerusalem where the Christus is. Had an hour to spare and again huge, huge, buildings.

This is the Christus, 11 feet tall. There was a group of Japanese having a guided tour with an  interpreter and I was amazed (don't know why) that when she had finished speaking they switched the English interpretation that was being played, to Japanese. As in the Temple everywhere was very comfortable.

The city of Jerusalem was in the middle of that display!

There is a South Visitor Centre as well in the square. But that was for another day.

Renee turned up in her pink sweater and as promised off we went to the mountains. She had asked me what I wanted to do and I chose the mountains.  It was an beautiful drive out of the city and as we climbed upto Snowbird Ski resort in the canyon.  Now I had looked up information on the resort and I knew what was there! There were sheer drops on the side we drove up and Renee drives quite speedily!  Anyway we arrived safely and I was told we were going on the tram!  Great I don't mind trams but couldn't see one,all I could see where those huge pylons with wires between them. 

 Yeah that's it she said and I said well I don't really like them, Oh you will be fine she said. no I won't I thought but hey oh I don't think you argue with Renee.  How long will it take I asked the ticket lad. About 10 mins. Oh Lord. When I looked up I thought well it must go slowly because that's not far. Little did I know that that was only the first mountain top. I couldn't look as we started off and clung onto the metal pole. You don't get seats on them. Joy oh Joy we reached the first top and I should have realised because there was no docking station there. So on we went steeper and steeper and as I had a quick glance SLC was miles below us.  Well 5,000 Feet actually, when we reached the top we were at 11,000 feet. All there was at the top of Hidden Peak were diggers and other machinery as they are starting to build up there.  I didn't want to get out and when I did the platform rocked I felt quite panicky.  I managed to get myself off the platform and onto terra firma but every time they drilled vibrations underfoot sent me into a panic. Now anyone who isn't  afraid of heights won't understand this but it is terrifying.

We will catch the next one down she said which was in about 20 mins.. Yes we absolutely will..The scenery was amazing and I'm glad that I did it but don't wont to do it again anytime soon.

The strange thing is and I have no idea why, but once I get in and come down I absolutely love it and managed to get some shots.

These were all taken through dirty glass so not as clear as I would like. The downward journey went too quickly!

Now I could eat our picnic lunch!  We sat in the sun at the resort and there was lots of chat that covered religion, family, and politics.  It was quite enlightening and I was very comfortable in her company.  

Back down the mountain we went again, beautiful and the smell of the pines is divine. Would I like to look at the waterfall, it's only a ten minute hike through some trees. No!  Well we got out the car in a lay by and it was simply a hole in the trees off the road with rocks etc. it was going to be a climb! Have you got snakes here I asked. Oh yeah but I haven't seen one in a while. What are they I asked. Oh we got all sorts, rattlers....... Don't think I can do this Renee. Oh you don't bother she said shrugging her shoulders. Well I'm really out of my comfort zone here. Ok do you want to go... Yes please I said and jumped in the car pretty smartish.

Bless her she tried so hard to please me and she did, we went to another viewpoint of the mountains and SLC way below. It was beautiful but there was a  bit of a pollution haze over the city.

I didn't have long enough to sort out which were which but the ranges that look over the Valley are called the Wasatch,Oquirrh,Kennacott, which has a working copper mine.

Dinner was planned, we were going to Mimis ( a New Orleans Restaurant) with Rebecca her daughter who returned from a year in England in January. Believe it or not she lived in Kettering. She desperately wants to be English! She was overjoyed to hear my horrible Northamptonshire accent.

I had good old American meat loaf! 

Was really sad to say goodbye to them when we eventually got back to the hotel but I know we will keep in touch!

Another lovely day!

The new relatives continued......

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the temple, it was 3/4 stories high. Everything has been made to the highest order, beautiful furniture and fabrics.

 On the bottom floor is the desk where Mormans have to show their card that they have earned by righteous living. After this has been verified by the clerk they have to change their outdoor clothes for white clothes before they enter the Temple proper.

 It had I think 6 sealing rooms, where the marriages take place and children are sealed to their parents. It is believed that you are married to each other in this life and the next.

Splendid plush rooms where the bride gets ready, plush waiting rooms for wedding guests.  

It had lifts, drinking water fountains and many many other rooms.

An ordinance room where the Latter Day Saints are taught Gods plan for his children. Not only in this life but the next where they believe that family will be reunited. 

On the 2nd  floor there is a baptismal font where  Mormons, often young people over the age of 12, will be baptised in the name of people who didn't have the chance to be baptised in life. They believe that the spirit of the dead can accept this or refuse. The font is held on the backs of 12 oxen who represent the 12 tribes of ancient Israel. 

The top floor is the celestial room, very ornate with big chandeliers. The celestial room is one of the most sacred rooms in the Temple. It has an ethereal brightness that's meant to evoke images of heaven. 

We were not in there long and I didn't feel it right to even ask to take photographs. There was a lot to take in and it has given me a lot to think about. 

The gardens all around the Temple are beautiful 

 For some reason these horses were to be seen all over the city.

The plan was to go to lunch and then visit another cousin. However we got side tracked by a visit to the Antelope Island. A truly beautiful place where the Great Salt Lake is, 75 miles long and 28 miles wide.  I am so grateful to DeLene and Jay for taking me there to dip my foot in the Salt Lake..it is a 7 mile drive along the causeway to get to the Island. But a birders paradise! the Lake was full of California gulls, avocets, and stilts

Would have loved to have seen one of these but I didn't.

A yellow headed blackbird. There were also supposed to be tufted puffins but I didn't see them either. 

I was in the car so it was a bit difficult.

However, I did see these little darlings flying almost in a murmuration around the visitor centre.

These were nesting just by the door.

It has been a very dry summer so I guess that was why so much of it looked like salt plains.

It would have been lovely to have say I dipped my foot in the lake but I didn't because it was 

so far out to walk. We went to the marina but it looked slimy with thousands of tiny brine flies on it and I couldn't quite bring myself to do it!  Had we had time, there is a beach where I could have swam,or rather floated. It's five times saltier than the sea.

They also have coyote on the island but I didn't see any of them thank goodness. 

We didn't leave there until the time we should have been at Luther's, another cousin,so the planned visit to Delene's favourite eating place had to be scrapped and we had a quick burger.

Luther and his brother Bud have been doing the family history and it was a privilege to be able to look at his records. Aunt Harriet was his grandmother. I found out such a lot about her and her family. Not only that but he had a striking resemblance to my grandfather.  We had a lovely hug when I left which I must admit moved me to tears.

 I took a lovely photo of him but don't think I should put it on the blog without asking.

However, I will put this one on. How about this after nearly 52 years of marriage. Great ain't it!

Lovely DeLene and Jay. 

 

 

The new relatives!

As I'm writing this I am sitting in the hotel restaurant having just had breakfast and enjoying my coffee. Also trying to plan my day. I have had two brilliant days with the new found cousins and we have been out and about so I haven't seen the city properly. It's going to be a busy day I think.

On Tuesday I must admit to being a bit nervous. DeLene was meeting me in the hotel lobby at 9. Would we recognise each other? By 9.20 I was wondering if I had got the time wrong and went back to my room to check the last email I had had.  

When I came back down there she was at the desk. I recognised her immediately and after a hug 

I was whisked off with her and husband Jay. They had driven 50 miles into the city and had hit bad traffic.

DeLene and Jay and all the family members in Salt Lake Valley are of the Morman faith. This was going to be a very educational and interesting few days for me! DeLene is my third cousin,so I'm told by third cousin Barbara in Australia.  Anyway, as Renee, another third cousin said it doesn't matter we are family! How great is that.

So out of busy SLC and down the motorway to Ogden. Ogden is where a new Morman Temple has just been refurbished and has its open days until Friday. On the open days anyone can go and have a look. After Friday it will be dedicated and only Mormans of 'standing' will be allowed to enter. 

The building is so huge I would have had to go way over the road to get it all in.

This is the entrance to the tabernacle where we had an introductory film. Again this was a very large building with many rooms and an auditorium that held about 500. Meetings, concerts etc are held there.   

The outside of the church had also been refurbished with a gold statue of Moroni on top. All the new temples have this now.

We were taken over to the church and shoe covers were put on us by young people sitting in rows outside the church

The three tenors at Newport

Newport is a very busy fishing town as I said before and I knew there was an area down at the harbour that would be interesting. To find it was another matter. I did find it by just driving around and was lucky enough to fine a parking space. It did smell like a harbour and there was a lot of honking going on!  

It was these fellows sitting on the rocks and looking for any scraps. Was a bit disappointed that they were so far away I couldn't get some close ups.

I walked along the boardwalk where the boat owners were gutting and selling their fish straight off their boats.

An original way of finding work . Hope one of the people who tore one of his tickets off gave him a job!

Someone pulled Into my parking place almost before I had pulled out and I cursed because as soon as I had got along the road a bit I realised that I hadn't yet found the busiest part of town! But luck was in and there was another free parking place. So I nipped in there (progress....I could nip into parking places now)  Following the noise again I found the real stars of the harbour..

The three tenors !!

There were dozens of them but these three were really putting on a show.

I've been in some restrooms in my time and wondered which was which but the one in the restaurant I went to really had me stumped.  Barleys or Hops!  I was dithering outside until a man came out of the Hops! It has to said that the restaurant was owned by Rogues who are a brewery but I still can't think how anyone one know.

So time to leave Oregon. I had loved my time there, my B&B was excellent and the weather was wonderful and the state doesn't add taxes onto everything!

My flight was at 4.15 and I had to drive to Portland airport to drop the car off.  So as I was ready early I left straight away (9.30) planning to have lunch nearer Portland. It was the last day of holidays so was going to be busy. Decided to avoid Salem and off I went. Everything was fine until Portland where it was really busy. Everything was going so well, I had managed to switch 3 busy freeways and Interstates until I came off a slip road too soon at Portland which threw me straight onto a spaghetti junction! I can't believe how I did it but I managed to get back on the I84 going towards Dalles. Phew! All I had to do was get to Exit 8 and on to the 251N to take me into the airport and it was only 11.45.  Then traffic jam and it took 45mins to go a mile. No panic I had loads of time I was at exit 4. A notice then came up saying the I84 was closed 10 miles on. That was ok I only had 5 miles to go.  On we moved slowly and then we started to speed up...great nearly at exit 6 and then...there were the police sending us off at exit 6.   Panic!  How do I get to the airport I shouted to the police officer...you gotta get off here and get on the 251N. Easy for him he knows the road but......as everything it seems out here, things work out. I drove up the side of the 251S and over the bridge and got on the 251N the other side which led into the airport. Now how to find Hertz. No problem...big signs up directing to rental cars. Finally got checked in at 2.00 so plenty of time to have a meal before boarding. But so glad I decided to leave early.   Oh ... When I got to Hertz I was telling the girl about the jam and she said did I know why the I84 was closed? No, well it was because there was an armed man causing trouble, don't know the outcome of that but glad I was where I was.

By 6.00 I was in Salt Lake City. Shuttle in 5 mins and now I have a very posh room at the Plaza with a microwave and fridge.  Didn't take too much notice of the city as I was talking to another woman on the shuttle but walked a few blocks and I am next to the huge Temple and Temple Square. The streets are so wide that when the go button bleeps for a couple of seconds and then counts down from 20 it's still really hard to get across in that time. First impressions..it is going to be a very different city to any I've been in.

It is a beautiful building.

Coastline

I was going to put these on the blog last night but I was so tired I decided to leave them until today.

This is Workman cemetery that I was looking for. A tiny cemetery, well looked after by the people in the White House ( no not them!). If they didn't it would be grown over by whatever grows there because Harrisburg council don't look after it. It's about 7 miles outside of Harrisburg so maybe over the years it has been left out of the towns jurisdictions.

When I stepped out of the car I couldn't believe I really was here, this was one of the reasons I had travelled all this way. I trod the rows methodically but couldn't find it first time then I saw saw metal pegs under a tree. I remembered DeLene, my cousin, telling me that was all she found when visiting in the 1900s.

She and her husband Jay decided,when they got back to Salt Lake City, that they would like to have a headstone made. They contacted a local stonemason who was a little bemused that they would bother to do this after all these years. He even brought his wife with him when the stone was laid. Harriet was DeLene 's G Grandmother.

Oregon is a very beautiful state. In the west where I was it has mountains, lots of roads completely flanked by the tallest pines and of course the coast. I drove down through the Cascade mountain range. A busy road but still a great ride. As I drove into Lincoln CIty the fog was over the mountains, it was very busy with the holiday traffic. It was Labour Day week-end and I was hungry. I hadn't stopped to eat because I knew Dawn and Braden were expecting me and I was a bit late so very pleased to have dinner with them. I knew I would like it here. Their house is a beige wooden single storey building with lots of space. It has a deck and a small but lovely garden. As I sat at the table I could see the  beach and the sea when the fog cleared.

I hadn't realised I had booked myself into a probable tsunami area!  The literature in the bedroom contained a fair amount about what to do if you feel a tremor.....run for the hills. You don't have very long, minutes if it's a local quake and possibly a couple of hours if it's one a long way away. People are  asked to keep emergency food and water just in case. Dawn said probably best if you don't read it! 

The following morning wasn't any better weather wise but the company was good and I didn't feel like rushing about . Dawn had had her car back window smashed when she was out hiking in the mountains a couple of days ago so we went shopping in my car. I had breakfast provided but had to find my other food. I had use of the kitchen if I needed it.

I soon got restless and even with it being misty still went out to explore.

This is a Roads end, North Lincoln City where I was staying, at 1.30 in the afternoon.

Five miles down the road and it was clear and the sun was coming out. I drove down the pacific road with the sea by my side all of the way with many view points along the way. This is Schooner Bay.

 I pulled in at Beaver Creek and drove up the bypass to the highways. This was a single way high climb upto Cape Foulweather 500 feet above the Pacific and it was just beautiful.

Named by Captain Cook after a rough journey around the Cape.

The photographs just don't do it justice, I didn't like being near the edge!

I had intended going onto Newport but the arm was still very painful so decided to start driving back. Called in at Defoe Bay which boasts of having the smallest harbour in the world. It didn't seem that small to me. Boats were coming in and out, some with fisherman and some were whale watching boats. They go out to see the four grey sharks that stay there all year around. That's probably on the list for tomorrow. Somehow I have lost my photographs of there and the Yaquina lighthouse I went to on Sunday. 

I decided I would get down the coast on Sunday, it was a hot sunny day, very busy through Lincoln City but once on the freeway good driving although quite slow. Max speed is usually 55 but changes often, you have to be looking for signs all of the time. There are areas of safe corridor driving where lights on is recommended and double speeding fines apply. However, mostly these rules are not adhered too.

Yaquina Head is a narrow coastal headland extending a mile into the Pacific. The lighthouse is there of course along with whales, seals and many birds. (So they say but I didn't see any) a lady told me she had seen a whale spouting twice a short time before. However, the view from up there is spectacular.

From the viewing platform you can go down to Cobble beach which is made up of lava cobbles.

The lighthouse was first lit in 1873 and had two keepers until 1966 when it became fully automated.

It was very busy there and people could be seen swishing their arms about and slapping various parts of their bodies! Why.. The flies were horrible. It was very hot but I had to put my cardi on, I couldn't stand them on my arms.

Onwards to Newport, I gave up on the whale watching. The boats looked so small I think there would have been a lot of jostling and I couldn't face having my arm knocked. I was looking for the harbour with the sea lions and didn't see any easy way to get to it so decided to go onto Ona beach which Braden had recommended. To get there I had to go across this lovely bridge

The Yaquina Bay Bridge. The views from this, the harbour to the left and out to sea on the right. It is quite high.

Ona beach has white sands and it was about 5 when I got there so not too busy. I did have a paddle. In Oregon they say don't turn your back on the waves... This is what happens you get caught out!

It had got up the 80' s by now so I didn't take long to dry out. Had a very nice half hour there watching this lad ...I was a bit worried that he was going out when the tide was going out but he obviously knew what he was doing.

Oregon, I'll be back.

What a fabulous three days R&R in Oregon.

 After getting the car on the road I couldn't decide if I was going to go straight to Lincoln city or go to visit the aunt's grave. Calculating the mileage I decided to power on to Harrisburg and then go over to lincoln city. Nice straight road, quite nice scenery and then into the pretty area near H. Surprisingly I found the graveyard easily. I had had instructions of how it looked from a cousin in Salt Lake City although it's been some years since she was there.  The gravestone is in front of a White House! I had also got my own directions and knew it was on the left after I had turned into Powerline road.  Didn't know how far but  that was good enough, I found it eventually, the road stretches for some miles. 

A young lady who I think was a type of council worker stopped when she saw I was parked and we had quite a conversation and she was quite moved that I had come all the way over from England to visit a grave.. Her ancestors came from Ireland. 

I spotted a tiny graveyard on the left with very old monuments. It was very well kept, not by any authorities, but by the people who live in the big White House behind it. My cousin thought they were Quakers. I knocked on their door when I left, to thank them for looking after it, but no one as at home.

I found the stone under a tree quite near the river.  I had seen pictures of it but wasn't quite prepared for how I felt when I got there.  

In 1879 my Uncle Charles, his wife and Aunt Harriet emigrated to South Dakota. The details of all that I'm hoping to find out in SLC. I knew they had land and were successful farmers.  Aunt Elizabeth emigrated in 1891 after her parents had died. She took with her two teenage nieces who had lost their parents. She joined the others in SD.  In the early 1900's they all moved over to Oregon where they died.

So... I left Powerline road very happy that I had made the visit.  Now I had to find my way back to the I5 and back to Salem and pick up the 22 and 18 down to Lincoln City. Simples! Well if I tell you I know 

Salem intimately you should realise that it wasn't simple at all! It was a case of getting onto the 22, that was easy and then suddenly as I was going through the town, which was very busy, I realised I hadn't seen any 22 signs for a while but one for Albany and remembered that I had passed Albany on the I5 so....thought  I had  better check it out so I pulled into a smoothie booth and no you need to go back into town and over the bridge. Well the strawberry smoothie was lovely and gave me the mental power to pull out the park and decide how I was going to cross over the 2 lanes and go in the opposite direction. Luckily the car in front was doing that so I followed him.  No sign of the bridge but found 22 signs again and then lost them.  Next stop Chinese restaurant (didn't realise it was) they were all shouting in Chinese at each other and all chipping in with instructions to the girl I was speaking to. She drew me a map which was pretty good because I couldn't understand her!  Absolutely no chance I thought but followed the map and there suddenly was the bridge, what a lovely girl, I take back all the negative thoughts. After that it was plain sailing and a fantastically beautiful ride through the mountains to Lincoln City. I arrived at Dawn and Braden's home just in time for dinner!  A lovely beige wooden single storey home by the beach. The only downside was I couldn't see the sea as the fog was in and it was quite a few degrees colder than I was used to. They invited me to dinner and I gratefully accepted. I had fresh salmon, a kale,onion,garlic mash and potatoes with good conversation after. I knew I was going to like it here and was looking forward to a restful couple of days. I had driven over 200 miles.