From the mountains to the salt lake: From Wyoming to Utah

12.06. / Sunday / Jackson-Salt Lake City

It's raining and the clouds are almost touching the ground as we roll out of the hotel parking lot at 8:30 am. Today, our road is Highway 89 towards the south. The journey to Salt Lake City is quite long, about 270 miles (430 km). We drive through wide valleys along the wild Snake River, which has overflowed its banks everywhere. Then we enter the mountains again and pass through small towns named Montpelier, Bern, and Paris, each with only a few inhabitants. The road winds higher again, and here the Salt Lake River has plenty of velocity. We watch some kayakers in the rapids. We cross over from the southeastern corner of Idaho to Utah.

Once the area becomes flatter, large areas of pasture and meadows are flooded. It continues to rain, and we still haven't reached more than 49°F (9°C). We pass by Bear Lake, a holiday paradise when the sun shines. Now we can only imagine the beauty of the lake against the mountains.

The Logan Canyon that we cross with US89 before we get on the highway in Logan is impressively high and narrow. Behind it, a huge, wide valley unfolds, framed on both sides by mountains: the Bear River Mountains and the Wasatch Mountains, which are almost 3,500 meters high and covered in snow on their peaks. After another 70 miles, we reach Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City

We find an amazingly cheap Comfort Inn for around $65 per night including breakfast (hairdryer and internet included). The weather is actually quite friendly, but after the long drive, we are not in the mood for sightseeing, so we go to a shopping center to do some shopping. In the late afternoon light, we find ourselves at the state capitol, where we have a great view of the city, the mountain ridges on the left and right, and the sparkling salt lake in the distance.

The city seems extremely quiet, empty, and almost sterile. It's Sunday, and we are in Mormon country, so that may be one of the reasons. But there are hardly any cars on the road, and Salt Lake City is actually the only metropolis for miles around.

Sunday in Salt Lake City

We go to a brewery for dinner after passing by a few restaurants where no one was sitting. At least there is some activity here. Since breakfast at the apartment yesterday morning, we haven't had anything to eat except for an ice cream cone and a few crackers in the car.