IS THIS JOURNEY
July 31, 2008
Just after leaving Reno, Nevada, heading east on Interstate 80, the first thing you see in the state of Utah are the Bonneville Salt Flats. They are the remnants of the ancient Lake Bonneville, the largest freshwater lake (75,000-7,250 B.C.) that occupied much of western Utah, and the largest west of the Great Salt Lake. The depth of the salt has been recorded at 6 feet in many areas. 
The Salt Flat’s uses, other than the harvesting of salt, was first recognized as a potential for a speed-testing ground in 1896 by W. D. Rishel while scouting for a location for a bicycle race course. In 1930's the area became internationally famous when Malcolm Campbell set numerous speed records, not to mention the naming of the legendary Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. The great salt flats stretch for more than 90 mile along Interstate 80 northeast toward Salt Lake City. The salt flats are perhaps most famous for their use as the Bonneville Speedway for high-speed race cars which have achieved speeds in excess of 600 miles per hour. The densely-packed salt pan, that is inhospitable to plant life, is extremely flat and aligned nearly perfectly with the shape of Earth, allowing you to see the curvature of the planet by producing an optical illusion that makes many of the mountains within the vicinity appear to be floating in the air.
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Doesn't your indoor cat also deserve a KITTY KAT KABANA for your RV?
Just as we approached the Great Salt Lake, even with the windows in the motor home closed, I could taste the salt on my lips. I found it fascinating that here in the desert, hundreds of miles from the Pacific Ocean, there could be this much salt in the air. Not only is this body of water salty, it’s five times saltier than the oceans and the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t go swimming but we watched others and it’s true what they say, the salt content in the lake makes you far more buoyant than the ocean.
In fact, 25% of your body is above the surface of the water. You can float forever, without using an ounce of energy. Then only downfall, however, is when you do get out and dry off, you are virtually white, but they do provide fresh water showers. Where does the lake, so far from the ocean, get its briny content? The lake receives water from numerous streams originating in the surrounding mountains, the most important of which are the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers. There are no outlets from the lake; therefore, the high salinity is an accumulation of minerals over thousands of years from the surrounding mountains after evaporation.
Within the Salt Lake there are 10 islands, with the largest being Antelope Island. From the mainland, this 28,022 acres island appears barren and deserted. But when you arrive, you can see clearly its home to a variety of native flora and fauna. However, the lake itself is far too salty for any life form other than brine shrimp, whose eggs are harvested, caned and shipped to Asia as food for Prawn farms. 
The island was without its namesake, “Antelope” for many years, but they were reintroduced in 1993. Big horn Sheep, Pronghorn and Mule Deer also call this island home. But the most famous are the American Bison, introduced to the island in 1893 and now numbering some 600 animals.
The next stop in Utah was Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City and the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This sprawling complex in the heart of Salt Lake City is situated on 35 acres.
After a walking tour of the grounds, we went to a live taping of their regular Sunday broadcast called Music & the Spoken Word. In this grand 21,000-seat auditorium, we sat motionless, as their celestial voices reiterated their love for God and his son Jesus. There was a slight pause in the program and in the audience; you could hear a pin drop, as the soft voice of Lloyd D. Newell; spoke as if on behalf of the Divine One, announcing their special guest: The following is taken in part from his introduction speech: “They have achieved something more important than stardom. They have kept their family strong. As they continue to entertain us, their love and support for each other show us true family solidarity. The eight sons and one daughter of George and Olive, along with scores of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are an endurance testament to the power of unity, the strength of faith, and the serenity of love in a family”. 
If you guessed he was referring to the Osmond Family, you would be absolutely right. It was a thrilling half hour, just listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and doubly thrilling to have the opportunity to hear the beautiful vocals of the Osmond Family.
From the auditorium, we completed our tour of Temple Square with just minutes to spare before the 2:p.m. organ recital at the Tabernacle. There, we listened to their world famous pipe organ, made by Joseph H. Ridges that contains 11,623 pipes carved from Utah timber. On a tour of the Tabernacle earlier in the day, we heard a demonstration of the buildings superior acoustics. As we sat in one of the seats at the rear of the building, the tour-guide dropped a pin near the podium and the sound rang clearly throughout the entire hall, without the aid of a microphone.
Then on to Bingham Canyon Mine outside Salt Lake City, or better know as “The Richest Hole on Earth”. This gigantic operation has yielded more than 17 million tons of copper metal, as well as vast quantities of gold and silver. It is the largest man-made excavation in the entire world. Since open-pit mining began in 1906, more than seven billion tons of material 
have been removed, creating a pit more than three quarters of a mile deep and two-and a- half miles wide. It is so large that it can be seen from outer-space.
How do you get to Heaven? Be generous; be kind, be forgiving, be God fearing or you can take the short cut, hop on Highway 20 from Idaho Falls, Idaho and as you enter Yellowstone, Wyoming, you’re there.
I guess even God has His bad days because as we drove through Heaven (Yellowstone National Park),
I had to pull over to the shoulder, in order to allow a fire truck to pass and as we sat there, in this 2 million acre treed paradise, I thought, this can’t be happening, this can’t be a real forest fire. It’s probably a fire drill or an overzealous camper with too big a fire going or maybe a little old lady’s cat got stranded up a tree and her husband has called in the fire brigade ‘cause there aint gona be no dinner in his trailer tonight, unless her “Little Princess” is rescued. 
We soon forgot about the fire truck though, as we proceeded to my campsite. However, soon after we set up camp at Fishing Bridge, we could see the white clouds turn red and dark grey above the trees. It was a little unnerving to be in the middle of something so potentially life threatening but the parks officials, guaranteed that everyone was safe. Even with the efforts of numerous firefighters and water bombers, in less than 12 hours, the fire had ravaged 600 acres of forest only 3 miles from our campground, jumped the road and the Yellowstone River and continued to burn on the campground side. By the time we left, the fire was still burning and probably would burn itself out. Most of the brigade had departed and the remaining ones were concentrating their efforts on keeping the buildings in the park safe.
This amazing place created billions of years ago and embellished over eons by Mother Nature herself, sprawls across volcanic plateaus, crystalline lakes, thundering waterfalls, panoramic vistas and steaming geysers, with the most impressive of them being “Old Faithful”. With an error of 10 minutes, Old Faithful will erupt 65 minutes after an eruption
lasting less than 2.5 minutes or 92 minutes after an eruption lasting more than 2.5 minutes. Over the years, the length of the interval has increased, which may be the result of earthquakes affecting subterranean water levels. 
This park was another, once in a lifetime experience.
The Park provides numerous photo ops of animals.
Stay tuned as we take you on the road in Montana and South Dakota
K&G, somewhere on the road
The Salt Flat’s uses, other than the harvesting of salt, was first recognized as a potential for a speed-testing ground in 1896 by W. D. Rishel while scouting for a location for a bicycle race course. In 1930's the area became internationally famous when Malcolm Campbell set numerous speed records, not to mention the naming of the legendary Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. The great salt flats stretch for more than 90 mile along Interstate 80 northeast toward Salt Lake City. The salt flats are perhaps most famous for their use as the Bonneville Speedway for high-speed race cars which have achieved speeds in excess of 600 miles per hour. The densely-packed salt pan, that is inhospitable to plant life, is extremely flat and aligned nearly perfectly with the shape of Earth, allowing you to see the curvature of the planet by producing an optical illusion that makes many of the mountains within the vicinity appear to be floating in the air..
Doesn't your indoor cat also deserve a KITTY KAT KABANA for your RV?
Just as we approached the Great Salt Lake, even with the windows in the motor home closed, I could taste the salt on my lips. I found it fascinating that here in the desert, hundreds of miles from the Pacific Ocean, there could be this much salt in the air. Not only is this body of water salty, it’s five times saltier than the oceans and the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t go swimming but we watched others and it’s true what they say, the salt content in the lake makes you far more buoyant than the ocean.
In fact, 25% of your body is above the surface of the water. You can float forever, without using an ounce of energy. Then only downfall, however, is when you do get out and dry off, you are virtually white, but they do provide fresh water showers. Where does the lake, so far from the ocean, get its briny content? The lake receives water from numerous streams originating in the surrounding mountains, the most important of which are the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers. There are no outlets from the lake; therefore, the high salinity is an accumulation of minerals over thousands of years from the surrounding mountains after evaporation.
Within the Salt Lake there are 10 islands, with the largest being Antelope Island. From the mainland, this 28,022 acres island appears barren and deserted. But when you arrive, you can see clearly its home to a variety of native flora and fauna. However, the lake itself is far too salty for any life form other than brine shrimp, whose eggs are harvested, caned and shipped to Asia as food for Prawn farms. 
The island was without its namesake, “Antelope” for many years, but they were reintroduced in 1993. Big horn Sheep, Pronghorn and Mule Deer also call this island home. But the most famous are the American Bison, introduced to the island in 1893 and now numbering some 600 animals.
The next stop in Utah was Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City and the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This sprawling complex in the heart of Salt Lake City is situated on 35 acres.
After a walking tour of the grounds, we went to a live taping of their regular Sunday broadcast called Music & the Spoken Word. In this grand 21,000-seat auditorium, we sat motionless, as their celestial voices reiterated their love for God and his son Jesus. There was a slight pause in the program and in the audience; you could hear a pin drop, as the soft voice of Lloyd D. Newell; spoke as if on behalf of the Divine One, announcing their special guest: The following is taken in part from his introduction speech: “They have achieved something more important than stardom. They have kept their family strong. As they continue to entertain us, their love and support for each other show us true family solidarity. The eight sons and one daughter of George and Olive, along with scores of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are an endurance testament to the power of unity, the strength of faith, and the serenity of love in a family”. 
If you guessed he was referring to the Osmond Family, you would be absolutely right. It was a thrilling half hour, just listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and doubly thrilling to have the opportunity to hear the beautiful vocals of the Osmond Family.
From the auditorium, we completed our tour of Temple Square with just minutes to spare before the 2:p.m. organ recital at the Tabernacle. There, we listened to their world famous pipe organ, made by Joseph H. Ridges that contains 11,623 pipes carved from Utah timber. On a tour of the Tabernacle earlier in the day, we heard a demonstration of the buildings superior acoustics. As we sat in one of the seats at the rear of the building, the tour-guide dropped a pin near the podium and the sound rang clearly throughout the entire hall, without the aid of a microphone.
Then on to Bingham Canyon Mine outside Salt Lake City, or better know as “The Richest Hole on Earth”. This gigantic operation has yielded more than 17 million tons of copper metal, as well as vast quantities of gold and silver. It is the largest man-made excavation in the entire world. Since open-pit mining began in 1906, more than seven billion tons of material 
have been removed, creating a pit more than three quarters of a mile deep and two-and a- half miles wide. It is so large that it can be seen from outer-space.How do you get to Heaven? Be generous; be kind, be forgiving, be God fearing or you can take the short cut, hop on Highway 20 from Idaho Falls, Idaho and as you enter Yellowstone, Wyoming, you’re there.
I guess even God has His bad days because as we drove through Heaven (Yellowstone National Park),
I had to pull over to the shoulder, in order to allow a fire truck to pass and as we sat there, in this 2 million acre treed paradise, I thought, this can’t be happening, this can’t be a real forest fire. It’s probably a fire drill or an overzealous camper with too big a fire going or maybe a little old lady’s cat got stranded up a tree and her husband has called in the fire brigade ‘cause there aint gona be no dinner in his trailer tonight, unless her “Little Princess” is rescued. 
We soon forgot about the fire truck though, as we proceeded to my campsite. However, soon after we set up camp at Fishing Bridge, we could see the white clouds turn red and dark grey above the trees. It was a little unnerving to be in the middle of something so potentially life threatening but the parks officials, guaranteed that everyone was safe. Even with the efforts of numerous firefighters and water bombers, in less than 12 hours, the fire had ravaged 600 acres of forest only 3 miles from our campground, jumped the road and the Yellowstone River and continued to burn on the campground side. By the time we left, the fire was still burning and probably would burn itself out. Most of the brigade had departed and the remaining ones were concentrating their efforts on keeping the buildings in the park safe.
This amazing place created billions of years ago and embellished over eons by Mother Nature herself, sprawls across volcanic plateaus, crystalline lakes, thundering waterfalls, panoramic vistas and steaming geysers, with the most impressive of them being “Old Faithful”. With an error of 10 minutes, Old Faithful will erupt 65 minutes after an eruption
lasting less than 2.5 minutes or 92 minutes after an eruption lasting more than 2.5 minutes. Over the years, the length of the interval has increased, which may be the result of earthquakes affecting subterranean water levels. 
This park was another, once in a lifetime experience.The Park provides numerous photo ops of animals.
Stay tuned as we take you on the road in Montana and South Dakota
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