A Week In Utah

Typically, this time of year we start our journey back home.  I guess we will always call Elkhart, IN home.  Friends and family are waiting to see us, and doctor's appointments must be kept.  Since our northwest trip was shortened, we decided to take Interstate 80 east rather than the far north route on Route 2.  We knew if we took the northern route, we would never back it back in time since we would want to stay in new places and explore.  So 80 it was with one stop to visit friends, Jim and Sandy Paas, in Salt Lake City, UT.  They live in Eagle Mountain, UT just out of Salt Lake City.  When we first drove to their house, my initial reaction was "Wow!"  Their house was tucked in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges.  We spent the afternoon and evening getting settled and enjoyed the back deck overlooking the valley, lights of houses twinkling and almost a full moon.

No wonder Sandy and Jim love Utah!

During the time we were at Jim and Sandy's we were able to spend time touring and hiding in one of the many parks in the area.  We drove through one mountainous area on a Saturday and saw that many others in the area take full advantage of the hiking and camping available.  We also spent some time hiking.  We also experienced a lack of acclimation to the higher altitude.  We were at a little over 6,000 feet with 90+ temperatures.  It was slow going as breathing was difficult even at that altitude.

We were also able to spend some time in Salt Lake City at the new Mormon Conference Center.  To say the least, the building is an architectural masterpiece.  The center takes up four city blocks and was built to house 21,000 people at one time.  The amphitheater is constructed with three levels of seating and no pillars.  The upper levels are cantilevered.  All of this is so no person has a blocked view.  At the time of our visit, many were preparing for a concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

We were able to visit the second and third floors of the building before heading to the roof which is the real masterpiece.  The original designers knew this structure would be much shorter than others in Salt Lake, and they didn't want people to look down at an ugly roof.  The idea was developed to design the roof to represent the bounty of Utah...  mountains, streams, water falls, meadows.  Four acres of roof represent all of that.  We wandered paths of granite with meadow areas sectioned with granite and pools of water.  In the center of the roof, are several skylights shaped like prisms.  The skylights are over the ceiling of the amphitheater.  This day they were covered with large canvas covers so the theater could be readied for  the conference.  I would have loved to have seen those crystal skylights!  The ultimate waterfall was the one toward the front of the building.  The waterfall originates from the roof and falls to a large pool by the street level entrance to the building.  On the second floor of the conference center, a large window provides a view of the back of the waterfall from that level.

View of the Tabernacle from the roof of the conference center

The roof top waterfall

One example of the use of prisms of light - from roof to first floor

Massive pipes that power the conference center organ

Roof top skylights - covered

Etched mural depicting peoples of the world

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One of many pools and fountains on the conference center roof top

There were many parts of this visit that were cause for reflection.  One in particular was the mural shown above.  The mural is etched on a stone surface.  If you move close to the mural and look at the length of the surface, the images appear to be negatives on film.  The stone surface is shiny so another key feature of the structure is that you see your own reflection as part of the diverse group of people. 

We completed our visit to Salt Lake City with a visit to the Mormon visitor center, also a multi-level center depicting the history of the Mormon faith.