Happy Winter Solstice!

During this busy time take a few minutes each day to enjoy the lights, peace, love, and regenerative spirit of the season.

Here's the main Mormon temple that is in the center of town. It had lots of holiday lights around it that looked especially nice in the snow. Not knowing much about the Mormon faith, it was interesting to walk around and read the plaques under the statues and monuments. It's hard to believe how recently the religion was concocted. Unfortunately the place is overstaffed with Mormon volunteers who ask you at every turn whether you need help finding anything. There was no proselytizing, but it made it impossible to enjoyably walk around and soak it in. I had to leave quite quickly.

Scenes of the ski jumps and luge track outside of Park City. A majority of the Olympic events were hosted in and immediately around Park City. There are some great urban renewal projects going on in Salt Lake City, but I wonder how they are faring years after the Olympic rush has departed. Also shown is a shot of historic Main St. in Park City. It would be prettier when snow is falling and the streets are full of boisterous skiiers.

Scenes from Provo, Utah. Can you imagine your little town butting up against mountains like this? These clouds were hints of the snow clouds that were to come later in the week. And doesn't that tree look a little out of place? I've heard of those cell towers in disguise...I'm not impressed.

every bit helps...

Some of my family say I take weird pictures. This one may may provide evidence of that. It's a high pressure water tank that sits inside the water reservoir. It cuts down on water use while providing enough pressure to get the job done. I think it's a fantastic idea for dryer (all) areas. But I have to say I give it mixed reviews on performance. At least it's a start.

Views from the hotel room before and after the snow.

More pics of SLC

It was interesting to see that the mountaintops were in an alpine zone. But really there were very few trees, especially on the sunnier slopes.

The Great Salt Lake

The flatness of the GSL surrounded by 11,000 foot mountains is stunning. There was snow on the mountaintops when I arrived. These pics are from Antelope Island State Park, which allows one to see the fascinating geologic history of the mountains, GSL, and the GSL basin.

The shoreline and beaches are surprisingly sandy. Well, I guess it is a desert after all. On average, the water level fluctuates by two feet during the year. Most water comes from snow melt.
A seven-mile causeway takes you out to Antelope Island State Park, which is on the largest island in the lake. The island was settled in the mid 1800's by Mormons to be used as ranch land.
A view of the park from across the lake. The lake is about 10 miles by 70 miles with an average depth of 13 feet. The deepest parts are less than 40 feet.

Really there are beautiful views from anywhere on the island. These are scenes from the ranch. It was in use until 1981.