We spent the day in Salt Lake City and were amazed by how many new businesses there were, how much construction is going on, and how diverse the population is now . All of it is nice to see, the city really is booming , but it was also obvious what the costs were – air pollution and filthy water.
The Capitol was closed and remodeled from 2004-2008 and it was beautiful from top to bottom . Literally the bottom – 265 base isolators were put in so the building will shift 24″ side to side when an earthquake hits . After the San Andreas fault, this area is the second worst in the USA. Who knew ?!
Our tour was excellent . Because we showed an interest, our guides took us to many areas that they usually don’t include.
I’ve taken dome pictures all over the USA, and Austin is still my favorite, but this one is pretty good ! The murals tell the history of Utah, of course , and if you look closely ,you may see the seagulls in the dome itself. Early on, the settlers crops were being eaten by locusts and the sea gulls came in to eat them up, hence saving the settlers . The marble is from Georgia and is cold to the touch .
We learned a ton about Utah today and I hope the kids have a little more knowledge about how the West was settled . None of us knew that mining was/Is so important . I was impressed that the Utah territory allowed women the right to vote until the guide said they weren’t allowed in as a state until they rescinded that right . Argh .
After a fun lunch at the fancy City Center downtown mall, we headed to the LDS Temple Square for a tour led by a young lady from the Phillipines, and another from Spain. This pic is in the Tabernacle, with the famous organ behind us . We heard the pin drop on stage and then came back later for the 2pm concert . Oh, I will never forget the look on Nate’s face when the music started. Pure pain. We have heard better organs , so maybe it was just an off day . We left early .
Our tour ended with a short movie that moved you through different rooms. The emphasis was on family, spending quality time together . Funny, I think we get that message already, we’re on this adventure together !
This 11′ marble statue of Jesus was in a round room at the end of the tour. The mural on the wall took 3 weeks to be painted . Pretty.
Dan and I had been here before, but this time it didn’t feel like we were pressured . The whole area was immaculate, with flowers in bloom and not one speck of litter . The only hard part was seeing the families with multiple children – as in 5, 6, 8 kids . Do they not know that the world’s tremendous population is causing global problems with our earth’s resources ? Seeing a man with 2 wives and 8 kids made me cringe , but was a good conversation starter with the kids.
All in all , another interesting, perfect day on the road with my family . Only 10 days and we’re home !