I'm in Salt Lake City tonight, and my my, does it feel good! I've been lamenting leaving the outdoor life behind, but when I found myself navigating 5 lanes of traffic with Aerosmith coming in clearly on the radio, I almost wept with happiness. I like my time in the woods (or wilderness--out here the terms aren't interchangeable), but I also like coming back to "cement & steel & flashing lights". SLC has its share of rustling trees, too, and my explorations tonight were quite satisfying.
I defied my principles and didn't hike in Capitol Reef today--more on that later--which turned out to be an excellent decision as it gave me time for a city hike--I think I did about 2 1/2 miles from the hostel to Temple Square & the State Capitol and back. Both the hostel itself and the city in general look impossibly seedy at first glance. Passing pawn shops, tattoo parlors, and the baseball stadium on the way in made me wonder what I'd signed up for. But the place is really friendly, the facilities are more than adequate, and I have the women's dorm all to myself tonight. Spike, the neighborhood cat, came to greet me as soon as he heard I was here. So I got settled, picked up a sandwich from a nearby shop (with a Michael Jackson and Obama obsessed 2-year-old running around the place--he told me Michael Jackson has an owie, then did a rendition of Beat It), and hoofed past all the car dealers and check cashers to central downtown. Temple Square is, without question, the main attraction. It was just 9 when I got there, and they were shooing people out of the Tabernacle, but I was able to watch the organist through a window for a bit--it's just the place that's pictured on the cover of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas album, strangely enough! The whole squeaky clean complex, with its flowers and fountains, and turreted meringuey Temple put me powerfully in mind of Disneyland. Even the teenagers by the reflecting pool stopped their horseplay when they saw me fumbling with my little tripod and offered to take a picture for me.
I may go back in the morning, once I figure out whether I can spare the time. I left Lumphy in the car because I wanted to travel light, but a photo of him with the beehive sculptures at the Capitol would be super. I guess I've really missed city life. Despite my long-held ambitions of seeing Glacier, what I really feel like doing is hightailing it to Seattle and veging there for as long as I can. I haven't slept in a real bed since I was at the Osbornes' in June. I hope doing so tonight doesn't ruin me for the week ahead. Pulling into town, I was thinking longingly of Chicago and Springfield, where a long day on the road ends with a warm welcome and familiar comfort.
I've grown tired of saying it, but the landscapes I drove through today were really weird. I tried photographing each one, but I'm not sure I got them all. Spires, canyons, buttes, desert, and every combination thereof, plus a full palette of colors. Throw in a couple of rivers as well. Then, near Hanksville, the buttes started looking like the condenser units on tall buildings. Hanksville itself was surreal, surrounded by these ashen condensers and looking itself like it was built as an Old West movie set. Capitol Reef National Park was quite impressive and scenic, but by the time I got there I had rock ennui. After intensely appreciating rocks for 2 months, and all day to boot, I just didn't have that much excitement left. Especially when it's 95 degrees and I'm in a state where shade is outlawed (Salt Lake City being an exception to this). I took photos, I stopped at pulloffs, I did the scenic drive (at twice the recommended speed), and--this was the cool part, even though it lasted all of 3o seconds--I picked some apples in the historic orchard the Mormons had a century ago. Then I drove 4 hours to SLC without stopping once.
Contributing to the rock ennui was also the fact that I camped in Valley of the Gods last night. I wanted to go there because I was enthralled with the area when I passed by a couple times in June. I'm also a fan of free camping, which can be done on most BLM land. I'm not sure I camped in a totally acceptable spot, but with no threat of rain or cold, I was able to leave the rain fly off the tent, and it sure was nice. I could open the "windows", so I had the Big Dipper perfectly framed in one and the Milky Way in the other. I noticed moonrise through the walls of the tent, it was so bright.
This morning, I made a pig's ear of breakfast. After I'd rigged up the JetBoil, I noticed some mud in the cup, so I turned it upside down. Bad idea. The ground wasn't the only place I spilled precious fuel--when I pressed the ignition button, there was a flash fireball. I brushed the black flecks off my arm and realized that they were my singed arm hairs. Wonder how long it'll take to grow back. The 17-mile Valley of the Gods drive was unfortunately even less enjoyable. When I wasn't fretting over the climbing temperature gauge, I was worrying about how much damage the extreme washboarding of the road was doing. There were some nifty formations, and I knew I was saying goodbye to the Utah I've known, but by the end, I was counting down the miles.
The parks were full of French people today. I wonder if that trend will continue. Golden spike and Craters of the Moon tomorrow, then Tetons and Yellowstone Thursday. Can't complain.
No comments:
Post a Comment