Coulter Bay Campground to Salt Lake City

We had the most beautiful drive through the mountains to Salt Lake area today. We took US 89 all the way from Jackson, Wyoming to Brigham, Utah where we hopped on 15 and drove another hour to Provo, and are now camped for the night.

This morning we woke to a cold, damp rain with fog obscuring the mountains. My outdoor thermometer had gotten wet and the batteries aren't working, so I don't know what the outside temperature was, but our heater, set at 55, kicked on about 5:00 AM. By the time we were prepared to leave, I was cold to the bone. My feet were wet and they never warmed up until I got into a hot shower this evening! After some consideration, we opted to head more or less due south on 89 into Utah, rather than drive 60 miles northwest to Idaho Falls and pick up 15 there. A great decision, as the trip through the mountains along the Snake and Star Rivers was well worth the extra time it took.

There was heavy fog in the Tetons and we could see snow on the mountain tops that peeked through the clouds. The hills around Jackson were dusted with snow. As we wound through the Snake, then Star (where it was 39 degrees at noon, and NPR kept predicting 70), then Bear valleys, up and down the mountains, the snow accumulation increased, though the roads were fine. There was snow until out final descent into Brigham City and there is snow on the tips of the Wasatch Range.

Despite the snow, the trip was easy, pretty, and cozy. The mountains were beautiful and there was a terrific program on NPR about the history of folk music in the US in the 40's through the early 60's. We listened to the Weavers, Pete Seeger, and Arlo Guthrie songs and interesting commentary. Did you know that the Weaver's recording of O-we-ma-way (I'm sure that's not the spelling, but you know the song??? The Lion sleeps tonight???) was an African folk song about a people who had been defeated but would ultimately prevail? The Weavers used it as a metaphor for the HUAC hearings and how hey destroyed the Weavers. There was a recording of Pete Seeger's testimony. There was also an old clip of Arlo Guthrie explaining that Pete believed that people who can sing together listen to each other. If they can sing together they can learn to do other things together. How simple if it were true. Anyway, the program is available for download at www.NPR.org or www.PeteSeeger.org.

By the time we got settled in our campsite, it was after six. We grilled some pork chops (A-1 sauce makes a terrific barbecued pork chop), microwaved some TJ pilaf, tossed a simple salad and had dinner. Then a hot shower and it's suddenly 10:00 PM! Off to Vegas tomorrow. I'm sure there isn't any snow there!

And by the way...I called Doug. They didn't climb this weekend due to the weather. They've postponed a week.