Day 22 July 18

It is hard to believe we left Anchorage three weeks ago today. I was looking back over the pictures and we have done and seen so much. Midway was a beautiful spot and well worth returning to again. We drove into SLC and went to Tabernacle Square. What an incredible place. There were 6-8 weddings taking place that day, so there were brides, in white gowns, and grooms , in tuxedos, everywhere. There were obviously the best places to take pictures, because there were raised pedestals in various places, which gave different views of the church and gardens in the background. The brides and grooms were marching from one place to another, with the camera man following behind. On top of that it was in the mid 90s. We Alaskans could not take it, so we took a few pictures and ducked into the air conditioned bookstore. We then went looking for the Salt Lake state park, in hopes of being able to experience swimming in the lake. What a disappointment. The lake had receded so far from the shore that the people looked like tiny specs in the distance. We walked out to the shore line in the scorching heat. The stench of dead birds and fish was overwhelming. The shore was covered with small flies, which engulfed your feet and ankles when you walked by. There was no place to put down your towel--the shore was the consistency of wet scoopable kitty litter. Cody refused to even wade in --he said it was an evil dead place. Renee slipped off her shoes and waded into knees. We drove down to a marina, which dredged a deep boat basin. They had pay showers, but you had to pay the ranger who was out to lunch. We decided it wasn't worth the wait. I still want to try swimming in the lake, but I would like to find a better place. There were a lot of people walking out through all the death and smell. I would think someone could make some money by creating a nice park--dredge an area close to a park area, with grass, trees, and picnic tables; plus provide pay showers and bathrooms. Something less depressing. We just got on the freeway and drove to St. George. This is a very nice place! Cody cracked me up. First, he was complaining that it was still very hot out when the sun went down. Then when he came back from swimming, he complained that the air conditioning was to cold--he joked about having to go outside to warm up. He and I sat on the balcony and watched a heat storm over the mountains. He said you could see the clouds "charging" up by the flashes of light in the clouds. Then there would be a huge flash and the lightening would flash to the ground. I great ending to the day.