Thursday, August 24

It was not until I stopped driving that I noticed how exhausted I was and that my body and legs ached from the hours of sitting behind the wheel so I booked a third night at my Salt Lake City palace.

Since I was determined not to get in the car I limited myself to walking around the Mormon Temple complex, visiting the Family History Library, a bit of shopping and a relaxing lunch with a couple of beers. Even though Utah limits beer to a max of 4% alcohol there are some pretty good craft brews available here. I also planned an itinerary and reserved hotels for the next 10 days as well as figuring out how much the trip was costing me and paying my monthly bills 🙁

Temple Square contains the Salt Lake Temple (completed in 1893), The Salt Lake Tabernacle (1867) and the Salt Lake Assembly Hall (1896). It is very compact and is embellished with beautiful gardens and trees which makes taking ground-level photos a challenge.
This is the Assembly Hall and Seagull Monument,
Exterior and interior of the Tabernacle.
The Salt Lake Temple

Friday, August 25

I have decided to spend a while in southern Utah and northern Arizona visiting some new places and many favorites that I have not visited for six years or more. Today I utilized three scenic byways that I had never driven on the way to Cedar City, UT.

Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway is just east of Salt Lake City and is another amazing drive in this beautiful state. Like most scenic canyons there are very few places to stop for photos but the road video reveals the experience well. Guardsman Pass Road, another great road to drive, links Cottonwood Canyon to Provo Canyon Scenic Byway, another attractive canyon that is largely missing from the video because I accidentally hit the wrong button on the tablet and stopped recording before getting to the best part. It was only when I stopped for gas in Provo that I realised my mistake.

After driving a little further south on I15 I deviated to follow the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway which is a mountain drive, rather than a canyon. The road rises to about 9,300 feet and there are numerous turnouts with some nice views but, after Alaska, I am hard to impress.

After rejoining I15 it was a long, fast shot south to Cedar City. To follow all of this you will probably need to look at the map (zoom in on the north end of the route) and you can check out the video as well by clicking here.

Guardsman Pass Road is not an official scenic byway but was still fun to drive.

Nebo Loop had plenty of turnouts and plenty of good views. This is a typical panorama (click to see full size).
Sometimes you could see the I15 valley. This overlooks Utah Lake.
Devils Kitchen on the Nebo Loop is a mini version of Bryce Canyon.