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My final stop in the Lower 48, before heading north, was a sheep farm in North East Washington about 50 miles from British Columbia. I wandered off the main road and as had happened before in remote places, the Garmin GPS map went blank. I blindly drove around dirt roads looking for the farm, finally spotting it on a hillside, their Yurt stood out. My friendly host came out to greet me, handing me a bag of salad greens. Sally showed me my Yurt, it was huge and brand new. It was nestled amongst various farm buildings on a bucolic hillside with sweeping views. My host sheepishly asked where Karen was ( I had booked months earlier). I think her and her husband felt sorry for the lone traveler, I ended up being invited to a wonderful dinner out on their patio overlooking grazing sheep, it was a special evening I won’t forget. Once again, I have found great pleasure in meeting new people in my Airbnb travels. As before, these farmers told tales of loosing livestock to Cougars and now wolves, they are constantly battling nature.

When I departed the next morning, after thanking them profusely, I told them I wish they were my neighbors in Vermont . America’s heartland is full of good people

Studying maps for my upcoming push north, I realized with a slight detour west before heading north, I could visit Bonneville. I jumped at the chance. I headed west out of Salt Lake City at sunrise . The drive along the Southern edge of the great Salt Lake was interesting, the vast salty sea stretches north to the horizon with no distant shore visible . At 75 miles in length, it’s like standing on the seashore of the Atlantic looking forward Europe. The extreme salt content of the water means there are no seagulls, no marsh grass, no signs of life along its barren shores. After a couple of hours of driving, I approached the western end of the lake where the water becomes very shallow. Morton Salt Company has a huge salt mining operation with mountain size piles of pure white Salt surrounded by cranes and rail cars. Eventually the shallow water disappears leaving vast stretches of salt flats,

I pulled off the highway at the sign marking the Speedway and followed a narrow paved road several miles through a empty landscape void of even a blade of grass. The signs indicated it was all BLM land open to the public. I saw no other vehicles.

I eventually saw a couple vehicles up ahead and as I approached I realized they were parked at the end of the pavement at a parking area on the edge of the vast salt flats. A sign warned of soft edges and requested people stay off the salt when wet conditions would damage the track. I got out of the truck and walked onto the salt, it seemed dry and hard. Several tire tracks led off into the vast white void. I hesitated, I envisioned me sinking my heavy truck into the salt…… clearly the other vehicles next to me were having the same thoughts. I got out my binoculars and scanned the distant flats, no vehicles. I sat in my truck bummed out that I couldn’t drive out there, just couldn’t risk it. I scanned the horizon once more with binoculars and spotted a black dot in the far distance. I watched for several minutes till it became clear what I was looking at, a bicycle heading towards me ! After what seemed like a long time ( probably 15 minutes) the bike approached the parking area and rode up off the salt. I got out a immediately asked what the flats were like. He told me he was returning from an overnight camping trip at a distant island. The surface was smooth and dry, conditions improved the further out you went. He said he had seen a couple trucks like mine out yesterday, He said go for it, don’t worry, I’d be fine.

I hesitated but decided what the heck. I started my truck and put it in 4 wheel drive. I crept out onto the salt, it reminded me of the first time I drove onto a frozen lake in Vermont, my imagination was running wild. I slowly inched my way further out, realizing the biker was right, I drove a couple of miles out and stopped. I got out of the truck and marveled at the strange vastness of this brilliant white, absolutely flat ancient lake bed. As I scanned the horizon, I thought I could actually see the curvature of the earth, probably an optical illusion but still breathtaking. Although the morning air was still cool, the intense UV reflection off the pure white surface was like being in a reflector oven, I could feel myself getting fried. I got a peach out of the camper and sat on my stool eating it, contemplating the alien sights around me. I tossed the peach pit out onto the salt. I then thought of the racers hitting over 400 mph here. I envisioned someone hitting my pit and crashing, I grabbed the pit and put it in the truck.

The Salt varies in thickness ( several feet thick ) but the incredibly smooth flat surface stretches to the horizon, almost 15 miles in one direction. Even driving at 5 mph, I coated my wheel wells with the pure white table salt. It stuck to my shoes. The hard gritty surface yielded no loose salt when I scuffed my feet. I grabbed a tool from the truck was able to retrieve a cup full of souvenir salt.

I heard a noise in the distance and saw 2 vehicles approaching, I guess they saw my black truck and decided to brave it. A minivan drove by at 60 mph, windows down, kids laughing and hooting. I scanned the distant parking and watched other cars arriving and immediately driving out. A Subaru drove by really fast, they waved as they sped by. I could see this could soon become a zoo. Time to go.

Put this unique, amazing place on your bucket list, a must see .

The first white settlers of Utah were the Mormons, members of the Church of The Latter Day Saints. Originally ignored and bypassed by settlers moving west, Brigham Young, the leader of the Church, recognized the value of the lands surrounding the Great Salt Lake. This fertile, isolated valley was perfect for colonization by the Mormons, seeking to be left alone in pursuing their beliefs. Salt Lake City has grown to be one of the major city in Western United States. We have stayed in several Mormon small towns and have gotten to know and understand the Mormons. Many of our Airbnb hosts have been Church members. The Mormons have had a profound impact on Utah and that influence continues today.

Early in the settlement of Utah, the Church decreed that all highways and streets were to be wide enough to turn a team of four oxen with a wagon around ( 132 ft ). Their foresight resulted in today’s wonderfully broad boulevards in every back street and city byway across the state. The towns and cities were all laid out in precise grids with streets numbered in the hundreds making everything easy to find.

Each town has a Temple built in a prominent location. These beautiful buildings are wonderfully maintained and are real showcases. The smaller Church pictured is in a small ranching community constructed in 1890, less than 50 years after the first settlers arrived. The larger one shown is Brigham Young’s masterpiece, the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple.

The LDS ( Later Day Saints) don’t allow non members to enter their churches. My impression was that, like the Catholic Church, the Believers practice a ritual rich religious life. I toured a store specializing in LDS items and was a bit baffled at the selection.

I was told that once a month the members fast and proceeds from food money not consumed is donated to international relief efforts, something the Church puts great effort into. The LDS coordinates with the American Red Cross and the Catholic Church to speed relief to disasters world wide.

The Church members do not use tobacco, caffeine, or alcohol. Utah makes it very difficult to obtain all types of alcohol. The tiny State liquor stores have very little on the shelves and the stores are open limited hours. Store locations are very widespread and the booze very expensive, many people drive 30 miles or more to find one. Wine and “full strength” beer are considered liquor and like whiskey etc, are strictly controlled by the state. You can purchase watered down 3.2 beer in some grocery stores.

The Mormon Church banded Polygamy in 1890, anyone practicing it was excommunicated. A splinter group split off and continues to practice polygamy today. This group, the FLDS, Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, are seen in many small towns in Southern a Utah. The women dress in similar 19th century style outfits that are typically gray or blue. The long dresses all have pleated shoulders and long sleeves , and appear nicely made and well fitted. The women stand out in public, their hair is carefully coifed in hairstyles reminiscent of the 1940’s. Children are rarely seen, the men appear to be more conventionally dressed. The husband is only legally married to one wife, thus avoiding legal issues. I found it odd that the women are willing to dress in a manor that immediately identifies them as Polygamists. The wives hang out together, shopping at Walmart just like the rest of us. Strange days indeed.

While in Salt Lake City, I visited Temple Square, the heart of the City and home of the Vatican like center of the Mormon Church. The impressive Temple sits amidst manicured gardens. Surrounding the MainTemple is the original first Church, various administrative offices and a palatial Visitors Center, all surrounded by a twelve foot stone wall with occasional beautiful iron gates. The visitors center’s vast 1st floor is lined with huge oil paintings depicting the pivotal moments in the blonde Jesus’s life. The paintings are quite well done and interesting. The upstairs is accessed by a huge sweeping circular staircase, actually a ramp. You approach the second floor amidst a flowing mammoth mural depicting the planets, flowing clouds, heaven like images, all backed up with beautiful celestial choir music singing, the kind of music I expect when I enter heaven . The beautiful heaven murals continue around amphitheater upstairs including the domed ceiling. A 15 foot marble statue of Jesus sits in the middle of the room, faced with 3 curved rows of cushioned benches set back on one side, a discreet viewing place. I sat there watching Chinese tourists line up in front of Jesus for Facebook photos. An odd scene. I later took a small group tour of the grounds provided by Volunteer Mormon Missionary young women completing their 18 month commitment. All very interesting.

Having stayed with many Mormons, on their ranches, at their Inns, in their homes, we found them to be open, kind, friendly, hardworking, generous and industrious people. Their towns are clean and organized, they never preached to us, they served us coffee, sold us wine, respected our differences. After a month living amongst them, we’ve developed a new respect for their way of life.

Our Airbnb host John was kind enough to offer us use of an ATV for our entire stay. These are used to access his irrigation systems and remote herds of cattle spread out across his huge land holdings. The ranch owns several sizes and types of these All Terrain Vehicles. We grabbed a backpack full of water and headed up into the mountains with Johns hand drawn map to guide us. We had previously scouted out some trails in our truck but found the going a bit unnerving in a big vehicle. The ATV was perfect.

The Ranch sits on a valley floor at almost 6000 feet with the mountains looming thousands of feet above. The temperature dropped 20 degrees as we climbed up the trail. We stopped by a trickling creek and hiked up a small canyon looking for wildlife. The creek side mud was full of deer tracks ( Elk?) and other creatures, the animals obviously were attracted to the water. I started to notice other large imprints and realized I was standing over a complete set of cougar tracts. The four tracks were perfectly lined up showing the animals pace length, this was a BIG cat. The Rancher has complained to me about Cougars killing his calf’s. He said his brother had lost almost 50 new born lambs to cougars but added that eagles had grabbed many of them .

As I stood there contemplating the cougar tracks, I noticed the canyon was getting narrower with more brush and tree cover. I’d

been warned the big cats are dangerous and unpredictable and my imagination started into overtime. Every shrub and tree now hid a lurking cougar. We turned around and got on the ATV.

We saw several big Mule deer including a buck with horns in velvet. We also saw what we later identified as a Marmot. All so different from Vermont.

We’ve been on the road almost 10 weeks and it was time for a break. We’ve now driven over 9000 miles and visited 17 states. We decided to stay on the Larson Ranch for a week to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

The Ranch has been in the family since 1853 when Great Great Grampa arrived with Brigham Young and the other Mormon pioneers. Our host John is a cattle rancher while his brother runs sheep on their shared, several thousand acres of farmland. They both own thousands of head. We are staying in the original remodeled homestead, John and his brother live elsewhere (?). Our house is surrounded by hundreds of corralled and pastured livestock, the constant mooing and bleating of young and old animals fills the air. The new born lambs often sound like distressed children ! There is constant farming activity from dawn to dusk. Like everything the Mormons do, the Ranch is neat and orderly.

This 50 mile long valley, surrounded by the snow capped Wasatch Mountains, is the least developed, best preserved, most productive ranch land we’ve seen in the West. A majority of it remains much as it was a hundred years ago, with all the original parcels and even fencing intact. Every evening before dinner we take a drive through a new section we haven’t seen, it’s like stepping back in time, viewing a rapidly vanishing way of life. It only survives due to its isolation. Somehow this valley should be preserved. a

We spent 4 days at Goblin Park in Utah, a small State Park near the center of the state. The unusual geology is found nowhere else on the planet. A unique combination of minerals, water, and wind have created a bizarre landscape of unearthly shapes that reminded me of mushrooms, the locals named them Goblins. We took a 1.5 mile hike down a slot canyon that looked like piles of heaped mud that was actually hard, weathered, ancient rock. The valley floor was littered with hundreds of Goblins, very weird yet beautiful scenery. We spent a couple of hours wondering around before hiking back up the “mud” canyon.

Utah State Parks are well run, super clean and carefully designed with nice hot showers, paved parking spots and covered picnic tables. With the park having only 20 camping sites, the small staff has to do a bit of everything. I bumped into the sole Park Ranger ( who checked us in at registration ) at the bathroom building , he was cleaning shower stall while wearing a gun strapped to his belt, an odd sight. This very remote park is off grid, powered by solar and a generator. We camped by another Vermont couple, only the second Vermonters we’ve seen on our trip. Camping was fun but an abrupt change from our long stretch of Airbnb’s. Camping is a lot of work . I think we’ve become spoiled.

We decided to cross the border and visit Grand Junction Colorado for a little shopping and dining, it was our first real town in weeks. I found a Casita ( cottage) on a ranch in Fruita, a small town just outside of Grand Junction. It turned out to be a wonderful visit, everything that makes Airbnb travel so rewarding. Our hosts were two retired Army helicopter pilots turned ranchers. Both husband and wife had completed a total of 14 combat deployments over long careers, including Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. They have owned this ranch for 2 years and are enjoying their new lives as farmers. Their Adobe ranch house had our attached Casita which was beautifully furnished and a pleasure to stay in. Their ranch is planted in hay on perfectly flat land laced with irrigation canals from the nearby Colorado River. The large valley is surrounded by distant snow capped peaks. This humble pair have found a new, much deserved, quiet life in a very bucolic spot. I consider them silent American heroes and felt honored to stay on their beautiful ranch. It was a great visit.

We’ve visited several Petroglyph sites all over the Southwest but none compare to Newspaper Rock in Southern Utah. Experts argue the meaning and significance of this chiseled rock art, some insist it’s nothing more than ancient graffiti while the Native Americans insist it’s both spiritual and territorial markings of their ancestors.

We’ve always found these Petroglyphs in remote Desert valleys where small mountain fed rivers create an oasis. These oasis’s are often lush green ways in an otherwise barren landscape. The ancients obviously considered these areas prime hunting and gathering and I believe they were simply marking their territory. The numerous animal symbols are perhaps good luck charms for the hunt.

Archeologists date the earliest images to be over 2000 years old. I’ve included one photo of the entire facade ( about 50 feet across) plus more detailed shots of each section. Many species of animals are shown that the Natives hunted. The later drawings depict riders on horses ( horses arrived with the Spanish in the 1600’s). The wheel also arrived with the white man. Although hard to see in my photos, white pioneers also added their names to the rock. I tried to imagine the ancients working on these pictures

with their stone chisels and hammers. The drawings range from 6″ high to over 2 feet. It was a fascinating place.

We later took a ” short cut ” over a precarious mountain pass one lane road . Our biggest fear was meeting another vehicle. Getting a tire over the edge would not have ended well.

We had the privilege of staying with Bob , a Paleontologist living in this fossil rich area of Southern Utah. We crossed over a 10,000 foot pass along an incredible serpentine road that snaked along the very peak of the Rockies. Arriving at his house, we were greeted by a long row of fossilized dinosaur teeth and armor lining his driveway . His property was littered with thousands of fossils he’s brought in from the desert over several decades. He spent hours giving us a tour explaining his finds. This soft spoken, fascinating man is one of our favorite hosts. He revealed much Desert wisdom , this land so alien to us Vermonters.

We visited more National Parks, the hiking was wonderful in the 70 degree spring weather. That’s Karen standing on top of that natural arch bridge. It was quite a climb up the tall Mesa to reach it.

This part of Utah ( and all of the Southwest) is experiencing an historic drought. The normally dry desert failed again to get winter snow and rain. The drought is entering its 10 th year. Bob told me he believes we are seeing the beginning of another cataclysmic drought similar to the one 900 years ago that decimated the Natives, forcing abandonment of the early Pueblos all over the Southwest. I hope he’s wrong.

Karen climbs down a ladder, one of three on this hike, down into a canyon . The 3 Mesas pictured above are in Monument Valley Navajo Reservation. I found this valley the most sublimely beautiful place in the Southwest, unforgettable! I had planned on driving out into the Desert valley on the road winding through the Mesas but after proceeding couple of miles of torturous, rutted , dusty traveling, we turned around and gave up. It was just too hard on the truck.

We arrived late in the day at our Southern Utah yurt, located in the Rockies at close to 8000 ft. It’s very early spring here. The yurt is essentially a tent covering a wooden frame. It’s snug and warm yet flaps a bit in the wind. Our host lives in a adjacent yurt. We have a hot plate, microwave, small frig, full bathroom and washer/ dryer.

We’ve visited 2 close by National Parks, Zion and Bryce Canyon, both were spectacular. It’s nice visiting these popular parks before the summer hordes arrive. We woke up the second morning to a couple inches of snow that quickly melted. Spring comes late at these high altitudes.

At our hosts recommendation, we drove 7 miles out into wilderness to hike what is called a slot canyon, you could almost touch both Canyon walls at the same time. A creek ran down the Canyon which we had to periodically jump over, a wonderful hike.

We immediately liked Utah, greener, cleaner air, fewer people, great scenery. The desert was nice but we love the mountains.