Salt Lake City

We decided to take an impromptu trip to Salt Lake City from Bryce Canyon.  The weather looked a little clearer, and we wanted a few days to dry out before heading back into the thunderstorms rolling through southern Utah. Plus, Matt had never seen the city, and I had only spent a few hours there with my mom on our cross country trip 11 years ago.

Our first stop was Temple Square, which we heard was a peaceful oasis of flowers amidst the bustle of downtown.  Temple Square is the 10-acre headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most of it is open to the public for tours or just strolling through on your own.  We opted to walk along the many beautiful gardens, stopping to smell the flowers and take in the tranquility of the place.  The grounds seemed to be buzzing with activity -- lots of business people walking from building to building, tourists, and families with small children posing for Spring portraits. On certain days you can even hear a free concert from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but sadly we weren't there on the right day.

Gardens and architecture at Temple Square

Quail sighting!

Beautiful and lush Spring flowers at Temple Square

From Temple Square, we headed for the City Library, which had some cool architecture as well as nice views of the city from the rooftop.  Then we headed on to lunch at a yummy vegan sandwich shop, then over to Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, part of the University of Utah.  It was starting to sprinkle a bit, but we still walked through many of the lush gardens and forests there.

City Library

Looking east from the library rooftop

Atrium inside the library

Red Butte Garden

Red Butte Garden

Our last stop was to see the Great Salt Lake.  We wanted to go over to Antelope Island, which is a wildlife refuge and state park, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time since it was about an hour from downtown SLC where we were staying.  Instead we went to a lookout point a little closer to the city.

The Great Salt Lake, as one visitor put it: "beautiful and fragrant"

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in SLC, and wished we could have stayed a little longer.  It seemed like everyone we met here was friendly and cheerful, there were tons of outdoor activities, hiking trails, and parks.  We also enjoyed some yummy meals at veggie-friendly restaurants like Oasis and Mazza, too, which was a nice break from making meals out of our camping cooler.

A few more photos from our stay in SLC are here.