KOA
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| The Tree of Life is an 87-foot-tall sculpture that was created by the Swedish artist Karl Momen in1986. It's made mostly of concrete and natural minerals native to Utah. |
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| A view of the Salt Flats going towards Salt Lake City. The top left shows our kayak on its new rack. |
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| Our campsite at the SLC KOA, #724. |
The Family... We don't usually stay in private campgrounds, but this KOA in Salt Lake City is too convenient for doing genealogy at the Family History Center to pass up. It's pricey (to us) at $42 for FHU. There is a free shuttle to the History Center, it's very near some great food and has a light rail right in front of the park with a nice bike path near the river behind it. The park has lots of shade, a couple of pools and is very clean. There is a train track nearby, but it's not loud or heavily used. I've continued to strike out on getting back to Scotland on my husbands side, but did find some proof of NY residency (and a possible marriage) on my Italian side.
The Mormon Temple is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth taking the time to stroll around the grounds as well as the downtown area. Like the rest of the city, it is spotlessly clean and beautifully decorated. Here are a few facts about the temple:
- It opened in 1893
- It took 40 years to build
- The quartz used was quarried from nearby Little Cottonwood Canyon
- The walls at the bottom are 9 ft thick
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| Our friends John & Tina that stayed with us while they were picking up their new trailer. |
The Food... We had read on RVillage a suggestion to eat at The Red Iguana if you want "killer" food. They have a great selection of some typical recipes, some yummy specials and very unique Mexican dishes. I've not really been a mole fan, but they have several that they make themselves that can really set off the dish. They bring a complementary plate so you can sample them. On one of the classic dishes I had, the Punta de Filete a la Nortena, was top sirloin tips sautéed with bacon, jalapeno strips, onions and fresh tomatoes. I could choose 2 different mole sauces. I chose one and let our waiter recommend the other. He was right on. Steve had the Cochinita Pibil. It was a pork loin rubbed with achiote, vinegar, lime juice, paprika, salt then shredded, slow roasted and simmered in its own roasting juices. The food was so good, when our friends, John & Tina, came to visit we went again! They were very happy with their Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos and a special stuffed Poblano chili with rice, ground beef, cheese, raisins, apples, peaches deep fried and covered with a wonderful sauce. Very subtle but wonderful flavors. On the second night, Steve had some tacos that were a favorite of Guy Fieri.
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| An interesting front door with lots of stickers and decals. |
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| 8 Different kinds of mole sauce. |
The Friends... John & Tina just happen to be here the same time as us to pick up their new (to them) trailer. We had a nice time visiting and walking around downtown. John makes a great homemade sauce, so one night we had grilled Italian Suasages, pasta, bread, salad and they even shared their last bottle of Classico Chianti from Verrazanno Winery they brought back from Italy! Tina suggested a great salted chocolate gelato to finish it off with. What a meal!
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| John & Tina's new trailer. |
One last gorgeous picture of the temple all lit up at night from the 10th floor of the hotel.
You got really gorgeous pictures of the temple. I wondered what the KOA was like there. We've avoided it because of the cost but I'd really like to spend some time in SLC. I lived there back in the 60's. Was it hard to get to with all the traffic?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim & Sandie, the KOA park was VERY easy to get to. It's only a couple of miles, if that, to get to Temple Square. Lots of grocery, gas, stores around the area too. We would've like to stay at the state park on the lake, but it was just to far to do the genealogy I wanted to do.
DeleteThanks for the tip on the KOA. We may be going that way next spring as we make our way back to the Midwest. Was at Temple Square may years ago on our way to Las Vegas to see Glenda's sister. It is beautiful. I guess you two DO like Mexican food. Curt
ReplyDeleteWe would've loved to stay at Antelope Island State Park, but it was just too far from town where I wanted to do lots of genealogy. The price is high at the KOA, but great central location, easy in/out and a very nice park.
DeleteGreat pics of the temple. Bill always talks about how SLC is the cleanest city he's ever been in and your reference sounds like it still is. Good to know about that KOA. Sometimes access to something is worth the extra cost - what a great idea to stop and do some genealogy searches! Their records are such a gift.
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice time there. Funny I don't remember SLC being so hot. It was upper 90s. Now, in ID, it has mostly rained the last 3 days and is much cooler. Kind of nice, but looking forward to clearer skies.
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures of the temple. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks, that's just on my iPhone. I don't have a "real" camera yet. You just feel drawn to it. It is really beautiful. I can only imagine what the inside must look like!
DeleteNot sure why but I couldn't pull up your new blog post - the one where you're in Rexburg. I went to college there back in 1967-1968. It's changed a whole lot since then. If you're coming through Helena when you're in Montana, be sure to get in touch.
ReplyDeleteOh that's because I hit post instead of save as draft, lol. I wasn't quite finished with it yet. Wow, I'll bet Rexburg was different then. It's a nice quiet town. Too bad it's been raining all week we hoped to get out on our bikes.
DeleteWe'll be in Bozeman for a bit, maybe we can meet in 3 Forks?
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