Pictures from the Drive to Salt Lake City
Driving from Grand Teton to Salt Lake City we saw the backcountry of the States. Nothing exciting, but good nature and a few farms. On the way to Utah we passed Idaho and Bear Lake. Compared to the drive there, Salt Lake City and surroundings is densely populated. About 80 percent of Utah´s population lives there. Most of them are Mormons, who believe in some weird rules. Brigham Young led the first settlers to Salt Lake City when he spoke out the words "This is the place". Since then the Mormones rule public life. Stores are closed on Sundays and alcohol is a little bit more restricted than elsewhere. Some extreme Mormons even have multiple wifes. They believe that man eventually will get their own world to rule, living like Adam, like a god.
Salt Lake City wasn´t really on our bucket list. It´s a special place for sure, but if it wasn´t for Rena Miller from Nebraska we would have never gone there. Rena´s brother in law Chuck Mix lives in Salt Lake City. I met him 2007 during a meat fondue dinner in Canada. We were so happy to meet and spend time with Rena´s sister Ramona and their children Jamie, Topher and Jana. They were great hosts. It was so funny that when we arrived we ate exactly the same dishes as we did with the Millers in Nebraska: Steaks, Vegetables and Potatoes. Both Families provided very rich food for us and we couldn´t tell which one was better. After that we had a huge ice cream. I mean huuuuge!
Salt Lake City wasn´t really on our bucket list. It´s a special place for sure, but if it wasn´t for Rena Miller from Nebraska we would have never gone there. Rena´s brother in law Chuck Mix lives in Salt Lake City. I met him 2007 during a meat fondue dinner in Canada. We were so happy to meet and spend time with Rena´s sister Ramona and their children Jamie, Topher and Jana. They were great hosts. It was so funny that when we arrived we ate exactly the same dishes as we did with the Millers in Nebraska: Steaks, Vegetables and Potatoes. Both Families provided very rich food for us and we couldn´t tell which one was better. After that we had a huge ice cream. I mean huuuuge!
We ended the night with a hike to the hill behind State Capitol. It was already around 10.30pm when we started, but the view from there was really nice. Up the hill Topher, who studies French and Spanish, gave us a linguistic lesson. We learned the words "to instill", "entrenched" and "conceded". Topher is a very good conversationalist (I made that up), we had lots of interesting talks on various topics. We also saw a bison that night, which we rode. |
The next morning Ramona made us pancakes with bacon and scrambled eggs. We told her the night before that Keith had made us excellent pancakes in Nebraska. Filled with energy for the day we started the day with a hike to Doughnut Falls. Utah´s nature is very pretty, it has lots to offer. Especially, if you drive down to South Utah there are several National Parks such as Bryce Canyon, Arches and Monument Valley, but we don´t have time for that on this trip. Doughnut Falls was a really cool experience. Chuck even took a day off from work to spend the day with us and to take us on this hike. It´s a mile to hike until you reach a waterfall that drops through a hole in the earth, which looks like a doughnut. You can enter a little cave and stand right beneath the waterfall to enjoy a shower. Brrr,... the water was freezing, really really cold. Too cold for Ferdi. To go in there with your feet is just enough to make you scream like a little girl.
Chuck saw a dear on that hike. He also showed us some cool aspen trees with engravings. Some of these engravings are decades old and still visible. I told Chuck about our custom to put up white aspen trees in front of girls´ houses. In Germany you do that in the night between 30th of April and 1st of May. In the States where Chuck is from they used to decorate baskets with flowers and hang them on the porches of their neighbors. Both customs are performed secretly and mustn´t be observed by any other party.
Chuck saw a dear on that hike. He also showed us some cool aspen trees with engravings. Some of these engravings are decades old and still visible. I told Chuck about our custom to put up white aspen trees in front of girls´ houses. In Germany you do that in the night between 30th of April and 1st of May. In the States where Chuck is from they used to decorate baskets with flowers and hang them on the porches of their neighbors. Both customs are performed secretly and mustn´t be observed by any other party.
In the afternoon we all drove to Antelope Island, which is located in the Salt Lake that gives the city its name. It´s huge and very salty. Not as salty as the dead sea, but salty enough so that nothing can live in it. Did I say nothing? I mean almost nothing. There is a small shrimp, it´s red and it can survive in this hostile environment. During our swim in the Salt Lake we saw tons of them. The red color in the shrimp is also the reason why Flamingos, who eat them, have pink feathers. The Salt Lake is very smelly and stinky, but how often do you get the chance to float in the water just like wood? It´s so funny. When you lay on your back almost half of your body is out of the water. It´s so strange. Also the feeling you get when you try to swim is really weird. It was so hot at the Lake that we were happy to drive back in the air-conditioned car. On the way back Ramona spent us slurpees and Beef Jerky. "Diet Coke, Beef Jerky and occasionally M&Ms" that´s what a man can live off. Chuck drinks enormous amounts of Diet Coke, which Ferdi and I did soon, too. The Mixes also gave us a food basket for our way to Colorado, for which we want to say thank you. We got like a pound of nuts, which we love and 2 bags full of Beef Jerky. Now, Beef Jerky is dried beef and featured with pepper or teriyaki. Very delicious and nutritious. Jana also gave me her cowboy hat, for which I am very thankful. I hope we can give some day back and say thanks for all the support we have received by the Mix and all our friends and family in Canada and the US.
In the evening we played Just Dance together with Jamie, Jenna and Angel. It was hilarious. I think we also have some pictures of it. Thanks to Ferdi who voluntarily decided not to play and who took the photos. It was a miracle how we could even dance after the rich diner Ramona cooked for us. She made an excellent and unbeatable cheesy ranch chicken sauce that tasted amazing together with rice. For desert we had water melon and peach cake. Ramona´s mother made it with peaches from the Mix´ garden.
Chuck also showed me his workshop and explained me the names of all the different tools he owns. His workshop was even more organized than Keith´s, which is hardly possible. Like Keith he fixes up houses and sells them afterwards. There is also a trash bin in the workshop filled with scrambled diet coke cans. You have to see how Chuck takes an empty can, perfectly squeezes it and makes one free throw after another. It´s like art. We had a lot of fun in Salt Lake City and ate very good food, Thank you so much Ramona. It was cool to hang out with Jamie, Topher and Jenna who are all our age. I think they are okay with it if I say we immediately became friends. I´m sure this won´t stay the only time we met each other.
Chuck also showed me his workshop and explained me the names of all the different tools he owns. His workshop was even more organized than Keith´s, which is hardly possible. Like Keith he fixes up houses and sells them afterwards. There is also a trash bin in the workshop filled with scrambled diet coke cans. You have to see how Chuck takes an empty can, perfectly squeezes it and makes one free throw after another. It´s like art. We had a lot of fun in Salt Lake City and ate very good food, Thank you so much Ramona. It was cool to hang out with Jamie, Topher and Jenna who are all our age. I think they are okay with it if I say we immediately became friends. I´m sure this won´t stay the only time we met each other.
And before we end this post we want to share something that Topher wrote for us. He learned German a few years back and can already say and understand a lot. He wrote this little text for us:
" Ok. Mein Deutsche ist Super schlecht, aber, ich werde versuchen. Freddy und Ferdinand sind so nett. Ich bin ganz herzlich den ich habe sie getroffen. In wahrer amerikanischer Weise, sie sind wie Familie für uns nach 2 Tagen zusammen. Ich habe für eine lange Zeit gesagt den ich will Deutsche studieren. Freddy und Ferdinand haben mich gelernt einige tolle Sätze, zum Beispiel: "Pack mich nicht an!" Und "Echt jetzt?" Diese sind starke, nicht war Freddy? xD Sie haben gesagt den ich kann sie im Deutschland oder im Nederland besuchen! Ich will das machen weil ich werde richtiger Deutsch sprechen! Aber jetzt ich habe eine neue Liebe für Deutsch ! Danke für alle das Spaß und ich will sie werden noch mal sehen! Viel Glück mit seinem Studium!"
Obvi your text is tots awesome and we are happy that we met you and we would be glad to welcome you in Germany/ Netherlands!
Best,
Erik and F-Dizzle
" Ok. Mein Deutsche ist Super schlecht, aber, ich werde versuchen. Freddy und Ferdinand sind so nett. Ich bin ganz herzlich den ich habe sie getroffen. In wahrer amerikanischer Weise, sie sind wie Familie für uns nach 2 Tagen zusammen. Ich habe für eine lange Zeit gesagt den ich will Deutsche studieren. Freddy und Ferdinand haben mich gelernt einige tolle Sätze, zum Beispiel: "Pack mich nicht an!" Und "Echt jetzt?" Diese sind starke, nicht war Freddy? xD Sie haben gesagt den ich kann sie im Deutschland oder im Nederland besuchen! Ich will das machen weil ich werde richtiger Deutsch sprechen! Aber jetzt ich habe eine neue Liebe für Deutsch ! Danke für alle das Spaß und ich will sie werden noch mal sehen! Viel Glück mit seinem Studium!"
Obvi your text is tots awesome and we are happy that we met you and we would be glad to welcome you in Germany/ Netherlands!
Best,
Erik and F-Dizzle