Okay, so I was driving into Utah, and since we weren't sure what else we wanted to do (cause hello, pit stop), we programmed the GPS to take us straight to the Temple Square in Salt Lake City. I'm happily driving along through progressively larger centres, and more and more lanes of traffic are getting thrown into the mix. Three lanes, then four lanes, then five, and finally six lanes of traffic each way.
Now, we typically drive about 2 or 3 miles over the speed limit (I'm paranoid about going faster than that, as I'm convinced that they'll ticket the foreigners first - we saw Texas getting ticketed in Idaho. Thank you, Texas, for getting caught instead of us). However, as we're approaching Salt Lake City, I find that I'm doing 68 in a 65 mph zone, and I'm still being passed by a lot of vehicles. Eventually, I gave up on moderation and just joined the crowd. Twice, we saw traffic cops on the side of the road, but as everyone blew past them at 75 mph, I have no idea what the cops were enforcing. They definitely didn't seem worried about the rampant speeding. On the other hand, it would be an exercise in futility: so many speeders, not enough cops.
Anyway, I missed my turnoff - couldn't hear what the GPS said at first, and then when I realized I should be in the far right lane, I managed to get across three lanes of traffic, but couldn't get across the fourth and final lane to the exit (unless I'd pulled one of those Hollywood screechy tire slide things). No biggie. The GPS helpfully recalculated, and we took another exit several miles later.
So, it is stifling hot in Salt Lake City, and we're driving through the Temple area downtown, bemoaning the fact that the GPS can't find parking spaces. We noticed a visitor information sign, and drove several blocks up a very steep hill to find ourselves a parking spot just outside Utah's state capital building. The visitor center is closed on weekends (?!?), so we wandered up to look at the capital building. Typical domed government building. But with lions! (Stone lions, of course.) According to the plaques, the lions were added in 2009, and they're named Patience, Honour and Intestinal Fortitude. Oh wait, those last two lions were named Integrity and Fortitude. My mistake. (Must be the atomic burger settling in my stomach.) ;-)
There were quite a few gardens and statuary around the Capital building. And it was freaking hot on the terrace overlooking the city; the sun just seemed to be beating off the white stone. Stephen's not sure of the accuracy of his car thermometer, but it read 37C. In any case, it feels very hot.
We decided to leave our vehicle at the top of the hill, and we hoofed it back down to the Temple area. Lots of flowers, lots of fountains. Really lovely gardens. It was already after 6 p.m., so the sun was behind the Temple; otherwise, I'm sure it would be a blinding white. The white stone makes it pretty, but it's a very simple style, actually, just quite monumental in scale. A minimum of decoration, no stained glass windows, but again, very nice gardens.
Tourists are free to walk around the grounds, but are not allowed to go inside. Apparently, you can only get in with a recommend from a Mormon? Anyway, we're on a schedule, and Salt Lake is just a pit stop, so we decided against conversion. :-)
Eventually, after wandering along several streets and looking at the historic looking buildings, we started back up the hill in the heat, to the GPS. Take us to 7-11, GPS! A coke slurpee was waiting for us there, as well as some Limey! Yay, Limey! It's cheaper when you don't have to pay the deposit.
As our mini-Mormon experience was the only sightseeing we had planned for Salt Lake City, we decided it was probably best to head for the south end of the city to find a place to stay.
Stephen was driving, we got onto the Interstate, the sun was right down there in the west, and we again missed our turnoff. This is one of those big elevated freeways, where the six lanes of traffic suddenly branches off into multiple cloverleafs and flyovers and diversions all in the same area. From the air, it must look like a giant gordian knot. Anyway, we're speeding along in the wrong direction. Eventually, the GPS gets us to exit, then turn around and start heading in the right direction. We see our first road sign for Las Vegas - not heading there just yet, but it's fun to see it on a road sign!
Now that we were back on the Interstate, it was starting to get dark, and Stephen noted that there were no street lights on the roadway. I figured they didn't bother because there's always so much traffic. With that many headlights, who needs additional illumination? If you're ever the only person driving on the Interstate, it means there has been a Zombie Apocalypse. (In which case, you'd better gas up, get some guns, and keep going.)
By the way, there's a lot of supposed construction going on. By which I mean, they have lots of barricades, and they've closed off some lanes. But traffic is always allowed through, and while it may slow down slightly, it keeps moving. I doubt we drove less than 80km in any construction zones. compare that to Winnipeg, who throttled everyone into single lane washboard for 60km (while restricting us to 50kph), or Saskatoon, who just shuts down entire roadways. No, you can't drive on Idylwyld. Sorry, we've closed University Drive - find some other way. Hey, you bicycles - get out of here!
Anyway, we exited in Provo, which is the southern outskirts of Salt Lake City's metropolitan area. Decided on an Econolodge which was one block off the Interstate and next to a Quik-E-Mart. (Who needs the Quik-E-Mart? I doooo....) We bought strange American food: Pibb Xtra, Milky Way chocolate bars, and Funnyions.
Now, we typically drive about 2 or 3 miles over the speed limit (I'm paranoid about going faster than that, as I'm convinced that they'll ticket the foreigners first - we saw Texas getting ticketed in Idaho. Thank you, Texas, for getting caught instead of us). However, as we're approaching Salt Lake City, I find that I'm doing 68 in a 65 mph zone, and I'm still being passed by a lot of vehicles. Eventually, I gave up on moderation and just joined the crowd. Twice, we saw traffic cops on the side of the road, but as everyone blew past them at 75 mph, I have no idea what the cops were enforcing. They definitely didn't seem worried about the rampant speeding. On the other hand, it would be an exercise in futility: so many speeders, not enough cops.
Anyway, I missed my turnoff - couldn't hear what the GPS said at first, and then when I realized I should be in the far right lane, I managed to get across three lanes of traffic, but couldn't get across the fourth and final lane to the exit (unless I'd pulled one of those Hollywood screechy tire slide things). No biggie. The GPS helpfully recalculated, and we took another exit several miles later.
So, it is stifling hot in Salt Lake City, and we're driving through the Temple area downtown, bemoaning the fact that the GPS can't find parking spaces. We noticed a visitor information sign, and drove several blocks up a very steep hill to find ourselves a parking spot just outside Utah's state capital building. The visitor center is closed on weekends (?!?), so we wandered up to look at the capital building. Typical domed government building. But with lions! (Stone lions, of course.) According to the plaques, the lions were added in 2009, and they're named Patience, Honour and Intestinal Fortitude. Oh wait, those last two lions were named Integrity and Fortitude. My mistake. (Must be the atomic burger settling in my stomach.) ;-)
There were quite a few gardens and statuary around the Capital building. And it was freaking hot on the terrace overlooking the city; the sun just seemed to be beating off the white stone. Stephen's not sure of the accuracy of his car thermometer, but it read 37C. In any case, it feels very hot.
We decided to leave our vehicle at the top of the hill, and we hoofed it back down to the Temple area. Lots of flowers, lots of fountains. Really lovely gardens. It was already after 6 p.m., so the sun was behind the Temple; otherwise, I'm sure it would be a blinding white. The white stone makes it pretty, but it's a very simple style, actually, just quite monumental in scale. A minimum of decoration, no stained glass windows, but again, very nice gardens.
Tourists are free to walk around the grounds, but are not allowed to go inside. Apparently, you can only get in with a recommend from a Mormon? Anyway, we're on a schedule, and Salt Lake is just a pit stop, so we decided against conversion. :-)
Eventually, after wandering along several streets and looking at the historic looking buildings, we started back up the hill in the heat, to the GPS. Take us to 7-11, GPS! A coke slurpee was waiting for us there, as well as some Limey! Yay, Limey! It's cheaper when you don't have to pay the deposit.
As our mini-Mormon experience was the only sightseeing we had planned for Salt Lake City, we decided it was probably best to head for the south end of the city to find a place to stay.
Stephen was driving, we got onto the Interstate, the sun was right down there in the west, and we again missed our turnoff. This is one of those big elevated freeways, where the six lanes of traffic suddenly branches off into multiple cloverleafs and flyovers and diversions all in the same area. From the air, it must look like a giant gordian knot. Anyway, we're speeding along in the wrong direction. Eventually, the GPS gets us to exit, then turn around and start heading in the right direction. We see our first road sign for Las Vegas - not heading there just yet, but it's fun to see it on a road sign!
Now that we were back on the Interstate, it was starting to get dark, and Stephen noted that there were no street lights on the roadway. I figured they didn't bother because there's always so much traffic. With that many headlights, who needs additional illumination? If you're ever the only person driving on the Interstate, it means there has been a Zombie Apocalypse. (In which case, you'd better gas up, get some guns, and keep going.)
By the way, there's a lot of supposed construction going on. By which I mean, they have lots of barricades, and they've closed off some lanes. But traffic is always allowed through, and while it may slow down slightly, it keeps moving. I doubt we drove less than 80km in any construction zones. compare that to Winnipeg, who throttled everyone into single lane washboard for 60km (while restricting us to 50kph), or Saskatoon, who just shuts down entire roadways. No, you can't drive on Idylwyld. Sorry, we've closed University Drive - find some other way. Hey, you bicycles - get out of here!
Anyway, we exited in Provo, which is the southern outskirts of Salt Lake City's metropolitan area. Decided on an Econolodge which was one block off the Interstate and next to a Quik-E-Mart. (Who needs the Quik-E-Mart? I doooo....) We bought strange American food: Pibb Xtra, Milky Way chocolate bars, and Funnyions.
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