Trails across Utah

After Colorado National Monument we headed into Utah as we continued to the west.  We were heading towards Salt Lake City for our first night of camping on our trip.  Both of the previous nights we'd stayed with friends--and the night after Utah we would be at my sister Cheryl's house in Idaho.

Utah was drier than the mountains had been, but there was quite a bit of beautiful scenery.  Though it seemed to take forever for the scenery to pass as we drove across central Utah.  There were some sights like the rock formations in the picture at left, but nothing as nice as the National Parks to the south (Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc...).  I'd like to go back to those parks someday--perhaps along with a trip to the Grand Canyon, though a season other than winter or summer would be best.

Partway through the seemingly interminable hot drive we came across a rest area at long last.  It was the Tie Fork Rest Area along Route Six.  Behind the restroom building was another building that showcased information about trains and Utah tourism.

I do think it is interesting that Utah Lake is in Utah Valley in Utah County in the state of Utah.  Quite original naming, ;-).

In the parking lot Amy spotted a Maersk truck and recognized it because of the Lego Maersk blue color bricks (which are quite rare and popular as there have only been a few Maersk sets).

After this stop we headed straight into the Salt Lake City area.  Thankfully it was a Sunday, so we didn't have too much traffic to deal with.  We ended up stopping for dinner in the city at a place that Amy had never been to.  It was a nice relaxing time.  I didn't want to cook dinner since it was so hot and we didn't have anything we could easily fix without cooking, so eating out seemed to be the best thing to do.  We went to Panda Express.  If you've never been there it is basically Chinese fast food.  I really like their orange chicken!

The chain started in Southern California:

The Panda Restaurant story began when Andrew Cherng, a young man from the picturesque Yangzhou region of China, came to the United States to pursue his American dream. With little money but a lot of heart, Andrew and his father Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng started the first Panda Inn restaurant in Pasadena, Calif. The fine dining restaurant introduced the robust flavors of Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine to Southern California and became the inspiration and standard for the Panda Express restaurants that are loved across the world today. With the help and support of his wife Peggy, Andrew knew that quality meals made with fresh and premium ingredients served fast and hot would win over the hearts and stomachs of hungry guests. Today, Andrew and Peggy's vision and passion continue to guide the growth of Panda Express across the United States and abroad.

To get to the restaurant though we had to make at least one U-Turn, and those turns are a bit strange in Salt Lake City.  We found that there were special traffic lights, lanes, and marking on the roads for U-Turns.  The only thing I can figure is that the engineers in charge of road construction in the area wanted to avoid left turns across traffic and thus put in several U-Turns around the intersection near which Panda Express was located.  I suppose it works, but it was quite confusing when we didn't know that it was coming.  Hmm, according to an article that I just found the practice apparently originated in Michigan, but the DOT claims that it increases traffic flow by quite a bit:

The Utah Department of Transportation says the new State Street intersection will improve traffic flow by 80 percent. 

The new design requires drivers making left turns to continue through the intersection for about 500 feet and double back making a U-turn.
--from ABC-4, Salt Lake City

When we filled our tank up I did appreciate a sticker (I'm not sure who placed it there whether by law, gas station policy, or just random person) which illustrated which taxes were included in the price of each gallon.

We finally go to the campground that Amy had found on-line.  It looked really neat, was inexpensive, and even had teepees for the same price as tent sites--this sounded quite nice.  The campground was tucked back in behind a town off of a minor road, but it was a beautiful place covered by cottonwood trees.

Unfortunately the campground was full due to a local music festival.  We headed north after one of the staff members gave us directions to some other campgrounds.  We ended up heading to the local KOA.  It was a bit pricer, but I knew that it would be a good place.  Once we checked in I realized that I recognized the place as my parents and I had stayed at the Brigham City KOA several times when I was a kid and we traveled every summer.

Amy is getting used to camping and does a great job helping to set up the tent (plus she looks really cute while she does it!).

I did have Amy take a humorous picture of me next to the bear statue next to the campground building. I barely managed to get away from him!

We got to bed somewhat early, though we did use the wi-fi for just a bit.  The next morning we planned to get up early so that we could get to Promontory Summit National Historic Site before it opened.

~Matt