Colorado/Utah Trip- Chapter 8-Salt Lake City, July 21

After a lovely stay at the Days Inn in Delta, an interesting dinner at the local restaurant and breakfast with a lovely family who were visiting Delta for a family reunion, (they were utterly amazed that anyone would purposely stay in Delta) we continued on our National Parks quest.  But our next stop did not include a national park.  Instead we soaked up the history of a persecuted religious group that came west to find their "Promised Land".  Salt Lake is a beautiful city that is a tribute to the perseverance of the Mormon religion. We spent the day around Temple Square and were treated to the noon organ recital in the Tabernacle.

The acoustics are amazing here.  It is even more amazing that the architect was a builder of bridges.

The concert included:Now Let Us Rejoice, Come, Come Ye Saints and Toccata from Symphony no.5

We spent most of the day exploring Temple Square and the various building there before seeking out a suitable place for a late lunch. We ended up at the food court of a very upscale mall nearby.

The Temple
Only open to Mormons, for ceremonies or services such as weddings ect.

The "Christus"

The Assembly Hall made from stone left over from the Temple

The Sea Gull monument.  Sea Gulls saved the first crops of the Mormons by ingesting a plague of grasshoppers.

Inside Assembly Hall

After lunch we drove to see the Great Salt Lake.  Very big, very salty and very smelly!

California gull on left and a Laughing gull front center

The highlight of our Salt Lake City visit for me was attending a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  As luck would have it the choir rehearses on Thursday evenings.  Barb, Barb and I walked to the train and despite the fact that we hopped on the wrong one we soon realized our mistake and made it to the rehearsal.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the choir was accompanied by the symphony so it was an evening of heavenly enjoyment.  It was certainly the highlight of my day!

The choir and symphony in the Convention Center

Assembly Hall at night