It’s been a few weeks since I’ve added to my blog. You may remember that in September, Hubby and I had traveled to Arches National Park and then on to Salt Lake City. It was about 10 days following the tragic death of Charlie Kirk.
Despite the extensive news and social media coverage of the assassination, I hadn’t put it together that we’d be traveling through the same town where it happened.
The 2-hour road trip was beautiful with fall colors and dramatic terrain. Hubby had put Provo’s Bridal Falls into the GPS. We parked at a trailhead just a few minutes from the town and walked a flat, paved walkway to the spectacular falls.
After sauntering up and down the riverwalk, we decided to shop for a while. Hubby found a promising shop nearby. Heirloom Art Co. proved to be one of the most beautiful shops we’ve visited. The whole outdoor shopping center is truly lovely; however, I noted that the atmosphere seemed sober and it was nearly deserted.
We decided to pick up our pace and head into Salt Lake City. From Provo, we drove through Orem, an equally sedate little town. It wasn’t until we got back to Mississippi and read an article about the site of the tragedy that I realized why those towns felt so oppressed. My heart breaks for them and for the USA.
We checked in to the Grand American Hotel in downtown SLC. It was very grand indeed! I was mostly impressed with the view of downtown from our balcony and the hotel’s toy store!
The next morning, we strode through groups of homeless folk, some of whom were aggressive, on the blocks surrounding the Grand American to Eva’s Bakery. The Parisian-style bakery was about a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
While the rest of the city and its visitors gathered for a University Utes versus Texas Tech Red Raiders football game at the stadium downtown, Hubby and I ventured to the botanical garden at the foot of the mountains.
We hiked the side of a hill there and paused from time to time to listen to the echo of the crowd below as they cheered for teams.
Perhaps we didn’t spend enough time in SLC to really appreciate all it has to offer, but Hubby and I were content to get back to Mississippi the next day—Hubby to a very busy medical practice and me to a new project, helping to re-vamp our church’s Sunday School department.
Now, more than ever, we and our children need to get to know the one true living God!
