Saying "goodbye"
to Jackson was hard....such a beautiful area of the country with SOOO much to do and see. We feel like we only scratched the surface here! I will say, tho', that the unseasonably warm temperatures we have been enjoying...well, they left! As we left this area, we drove through snow-dusted trees....glad Zach is driving this coach, and not me! But we really did enjoy the beauty of the newly fallen snow on the landscapes around us.
(DISCLAIMER...the above photos were all taken from the side window of the coach....lots of glare and a lack of good focus...but you get the idea!)
For our "rest" stop this morning we stopped in the little town of Afton, Wyoming....a booming metropolis (?!) with its own unique sign....an arch spanning the street comprised of three thousand and ONE (3,001) elkhorns. I guess they had to go over 3,000 to be the largest!
Afton is also home to Star Chocolates, where they make their own chocolates and truffles....we all enjoyed our time there....and the chocolates!
The scenery as we continued our trip was breathtaking...
We were driving through parts of the country that had been settled largely by Mormons and their influence was seen everywhere....
...but the natural beauty definitely dominates!
We made a quick stop at Bear Lake Overlook....but it was so windy and cold, that I only got off the coach long enough to snap a couple of shots...
We made our way into Salt Lake City...Utah's capital.
View from the capital building...
Learned something new....Utah is the Beehive State!
As I said earlier, the Mormon influence was seen everywhere....
Reflections as we drove through downtown....
We opted for the Temple Square tour....a beautiful place in the middle of the city....
Famed organ in the auditorium where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs...
Pretties everywhere.....
The pipe organ in the Meeting Hall...
After listening to our guides...two young ladies from the Phillipines...for awhile, we decided to head outside into the sunshine and the gardens...
We strolled around the remainder of Temple Square...
...and boarded the bus for a short ride to our hotel. Upon arrival, tho, we experienced a little twist, ...made it up to our room with no problem, but when we got inside, the luggage in the room was not ours! While we were in the process of contacting the front desk, another couple from our tour came strolling into the room. Hmmm....it was THEIR luggage! They did offer to share the room with us...after all, there were two double beds, but we declined. Figured we'd do better in the room with our luggage...wherever it was! The hotel quickly rectified the error and we were reunited with our belongings and were soon on our way to supper at "The Top Floor", a restaurant on the top floor of the Joseph F. Smith Memorial Building. And, oh, my....what a dinner we had....gourmet buffet all the way! And the view was pretty good, too...the Capitol Building out one set of windows...
...and pretty soon a view of the setting sun on the other side....
As we made our way back down to the coach, we stopped to appreciate some of the architecture in the lobby....
...and learned that these columns that look like marble...well, they are actually made out of wood and painted to look like marble!
The morning will see us leaving Salt Lake City and heading to Bryce Canyon National Park....have heard from others that it is absolutely stunning, and we can't wait to see for ourselves!
to Jackson was hard....such a beautiful area of the country with SOOO much to do and see. We feel like we only scratched the surface here! I will say, tho', that the unseasonably warm temperatures we have been enjoying...well, they left! As we left this area, we drove through snow-dusted trees....glad Zach is driving this coach, and not me! But we really did enjoy the beauty of the newly fallen snow on the landscapes around us.
