8-29-2016 Susanville, California

After breakfast we drove south on a winding road to Virginia City, Nevada.

We made a pilgrimage to the basement of Sandie's General Store in a building constructed in 1863...

...that housed the Virginia City Enterprise, the newspaper where a young Samuel Clemens discovered his writing talent and adopted the pen name of Mark Twain.  Although much of the building itself was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt, the Enterprise offices in the basement were spared, including the press.

Further west we drove around Lake Tahoe, which is surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas.  We drove around the lake on terrifying, narrow mountain roads, many with no shoulders or guardrails, but with spectacular views.

In Roughing It, Mark Twain wrote about Lake Tahoe: “The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? — it is the same the angels breathe.”

On our way north to Susanville, California, we encountered the Hallelujah Junction shoe tree...

...and...

For the next two days, we'll be in a remote location that may not have wi-fi.

TRAVEL TEASE:  Mudpots, fumeroles and volcanoes

8-28-2016 Reno, Nevada

We drove all day through the mountains of Nevada on I-80 following the Humboldt and Truckee Rivers, the route taken by emigrants to California in the mid 1800s.

As we approached Reno we got our first glimpse of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

We arrived in...

...checked in at...

...and hit the casino...

...where Anne realized a 55 percent profit on her stake.

TRAVEL TEASE:  Where Samuel Clemens became Mark Twain
 

8-27-2016 Elko, Nevada

We left Salt Lake City and drove a seven-mile causeway across part of the Great Salt Lake....

...to Antelope Island, home to bison...

...and very small, long-bodied brine flies.

We had hoped to take a dip in the lake at Bridger Bay Beach, but the water level is so low we would have had to walk about half a mile through sand, salt and water to get far enough into the lake to swim.

After leaving the Great Salt Lake, we headed across the Great Salt Lake Desert.

In all this desolate beauty, the Swedish artist Karl Momen erected an 87-foot tall concrete sculpture, Metaphor: The Tree of Life.  The spheres on the tree are coated with natural rock and minerals native to Utah.

The Bonneville Salt Flats, the bed of the ancient Bonneville Lake.

TRAVEL TEASE:  Ka-ching.

8-26-2016 Salt Lake City, Utah

We drove into Salt Lake City and parked at City Creek Center, a huge downtown mall, where we saw this unusual fountain.

On our way to the Visitor's Information Center, this guy fell out of the sky.

Mormons believe that the angel Moroni appeared to church founder Joseph Smith in 1823 and gave him several golden tablets.  Smith's translation of these tablets became the foundation of the Book of Mormon.  This 22-carat gold-plated representation of the angel sits atop the Temple in Salt Lake City.

The Mormon Temple, topped by the statue of Moroni.



The Mormon Tabernacle

We were fortunate to attend an organ recital in the Tabernacle.  The acoustics and organ are incredible.

A statue near the Temple that commemorates those Mormon pioneers who could not afford a wagon and oxen, so made the 1,300 mile trek from Nauvoo, Illinois, pulling a hand cart.

A view of the Utah state capitol from the top of the church office building.

The beehive is an important symbol of the Utah state motto, "Industry."

We found this guy roaming the grounds near the state capitol.

The City Library--the Salt Lake City Public Library.



The interior atrium of the library, lined by shops and cafes, including a library store.

The facade of the library, which faces a large public plaza with fountains...

...and a six-story ramp leading to the roof garden.

 

View of the Wasatch Mountains from the roof garden.

TRAVEL WARNING:  

TRAVEL TEASE:  Salt

8-25-2016 Salt Lake City, Utah

Today was a driving, shopping and laundry day.  We stopped for gas in Duchesne, Utah, and found the Duchesne County Library nearby.

We drove through the Uinta and Wasatch mountains on our way to Salt Lake City.