June 20: SW Road Trip Day 42: Temple Square

We greet the day. It is warm and sunny. We visit the breakfast buffet, then pack the car. Our immediate goal is Temple Square in Salt Lake City. We intend to arrive before noon and eat lunch somewhere downtown.

We drive north on US Hwy 6 and head over Soldier Summit, turning west. This is beautiful country.

View North from US 6

We drive down from the pass. The going is slow because of road construction. But we have plenty of time. We turn north near Provo and turn onto I-15. We approach Sandy and I remember what I saw from the Interstate when we passed through here driving south so many weeks ago. We exit I-15 and drive on surface streets to Rio Tinto Stadium. It is a lovely structure.

We park in the lot and go inside to ask if we can see the inside of the stadium. The team is training today and we are told the pitch is closed. We exit the building and find a point to take some pictures. I sort-of look into the stadium trying to figure out what kind of training the team can do in this heat. I see nobody on the pitch.

Rio Tinto Stadium

Interesting note: Parking lots for workers are all covered and those covers are loaded with Solar Arrays. We head back to the car and hit the road. Next stop, Temple Square. We easily find some parking near the square and underneath a shopping area. We exit the garage, cross the street and find ourselves in the wonder that is Temple Square. This place has crazy architecture!

Well dressed and smiling people are everywhere. The grounds are immaculate. We stumble upon the Tabernacle at the perfect time to hear the daily organ concert. We figure it is probably air conditioned inside, so we attend the concert.

The Tabernacle Organ

(The color of the light behind the organ pipes gradually changes!)

The concert is performed by one of the main organists for the temple. It begins with the Toccata by Bach and proceeds to less secular music. The organ is magnificent, but I feel the organist is a bit off today, the playing is uneven.

We both feel very strange after leaving Temple Square. Helpful people are available at several spots in the square. These helpful people seem a lot more diverse than I would expect in this very white state. We are given a lot of opportunity to ask about the LDS Church and find out more about true paths and whatnot. We resist.

We return to the shopping center below which we parked and consider our lunch options. We choose the Nordstrom Grille. I have Tomato Soup and a Salad. Amy has a Salad with Chicken.

Well fed, we return to the car and head north to stop in Brigham City. Our hotel is in the governmental center of town: City Hall, the County Courthouse, the Police Station are all nearby. 

Leaving the car, I immediately begin to melt. It must be at least 100 degrees. We check into the hotel and take a rest. After the rest, we walk a couple of short blocks to eat dinner at Corbin’s Grille. Amy and I share the Deep Fried Raviolis and the New York Strip Steak. Dinner is wonderful, but it has been a long, hot day. We return to our room to rest up for tomorrow’s drive.