Travel Biography - Week 13, extra pics.

 A Quote from a Backpacker's Bible?

I believe that most churchgoers are familiar with what Jesus said about Worry, recorded in Matthew 6:25-34. But if I were to quote from a Traveller's Bible, I may read words such as these:

Consider the Arctic Tern. He doesn't need passports or visas, and nor does he buy airline tickets or carry a rucksack on his back. Neither does it need a camera, as he knows every area of his convoluted route. Yet, each year, he flies from Pole to Pole, crossing the Equator as he does so. In a single year, he's able to cover up to 44,100 miles or 70,900 km. Yet, your Heavenly Father feeds and guides him. If he's so concerned about the birds in the air, how much more is he concerned about you, oh ye of little faith? 

The Arctic Tern. Stock Photo.

Perhaps, we Homo Sapiens need to learn a thing or two from this fascinating bird. Why is such a humble bird able to fly around the globe so freely whilst I tend to tie myself up in knots in an attempt just to fly across the Atlantic Ocean at a fraction of the distance? Especially where visas are concerned. As I have already noted, whilst waiting in line, I watched a man dressed in a business suit storm out of the American Embassy in London with his passport in his hand and a look of frustration on his face. I didn't have to make any effort to realise that his application for a visa was refused for reasons only he knew.

Meanwhile, the Arctic Tern flies overhead, and if his instincts lead him to make a pit stop in the States whilst on its way to Antarctica, then not a single human would even notice, let alone take any action! I suppose this scenario makes me wonder just how accurate evolutionists are when they say that we Homo Sapiens are the most advanced in Evolution, especially for the white race of Nazi understanding. 

A bird can fly multiple thousands of miles - and land at the precise spot where he was the previous year. Yet, among the human race, there is, on one end of the scale, the mentally retarded who can't leave the house on his own without supervision. On the other end of the human spectrum is the high-ranking scientist whose research may call for business world travel. Yet, not even he has the global navigation powers of this fascinating bird. Instead, he has to depend on the skills of a trained pilot.

As for me, I have considered myself very fortunate to find myself travelling Westwards from Chicago to Salt Lake City, and like the scientist, I too had to depend on someone else for navigation - first the airline pilot, and then the bus driver. The Greyhound Americruiser is a long-distance bus whose network covers the whole of the United States and also the Canadian Highway. Not to be confused with escorted coach tours. With the Greyhound Ameripass, I have enjoyed as much independence travelling on my own as if I hired a car. Indeed, the FlyDrive scheme became very popular among British tourists visiting the States, especially throughout the nineties.

But, due to not holding a Driving Licence, I couldn't hire a car whilst I was in the States. Not that I wanted to, either. One of the conditions of hiring a car is the Collision Waiver Fee, an extra expense for which without this extra payment, the user would be responsible for the cost of the vehicle, either repairs or even a replacement, should a collision occur. Such a heavy responsibility I don't need whilst on my travels. The Greyhound Americruiser was ideal for me. However, there were disadvantages.  

This included missing out on various national parks such as Yellowstone with its Old Faithfull geyser, Yosemite, Crater Lake, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park - and the Grand Canyon National Park - the one I felt was the most important attraction. Greyhound Buses linked city to city and as far as I was aware, those buses did not call at these national parks. Hence the big advantage of hiring a car, and that despite the heavy responsibility of looking after it, along with all the paperwork attached.

Another example was the big difference between downtown Chicago and the Old City of Jerusalem, both across eight time zones apart. Such a cultural difference between the compact, pedestrian-only Medieval streets in the Middle East where pedestrians stroll at a leisurely pace accompanied by Eastern music, and that of a modern bustling city where a police officer had to direct busy traffic filling the wide street with constant car-engine noise and horn blasts. Maybe this was why I didn't book a hotel in Chicago. Instead, after several hours spent in the city, I decided to move on.

View from the Willis Tower, Chicago.

City Rapid Transit, Chicago.

At Chicago Fountain

Near the shore of L. Michigan, Chicago.

The bus journey from Chicago to Salt Lake City took about 22 hours, including at least two major stops, each an hour long. These were service stops, first at Omaha in Nebraska, and then at Cheyenne in Wyoming. The purpose of these stops was refuelling, oil check, tyre pressure gauging, and general maintenance of the bus to avoid any possibility of breakdowns. It was during these stops that I ate in the terminal cafeteria, including breakfast at Omaha during daybreak, along with a quick exploration of the town itself. Shorter breaks, those lasting only twenty minutes, were for refreshments. These included Des Moines in Iowa and Rock Springs which is also in Wyoming. After a journey of nearly 1,400 miles, the bus eventually pulled into the Salt Lake City terminal in Utah for an hour's stop before proceeding to Los Angeles. At Salt Lake City, I alighted to look for a hotel, as I planned to spend a few days here.

I have gained another hour as I was already in Mountain Time Zone, seven hours behind BST. I saw a reasonably priced hotel not far from the bus station. After checking in at the reception, I climbed the stairs into my assigned room, slumped onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.

I must have slept for up to three hours, as it was already evening when I woke up. I had a stroll around the streets and inquired about a reliable venue where I can board a bus to see the Great Salt Lake for myself.

The next morning, I arose, had breakfast at the Greyhound terminal cafeteria, and then made my way to the pick-up point to board a local bus (for which I had to pay the fare - the Ameripass wasn't valid for local buses.) To my surprise, there was a crowd of people all waiting to board the same bus. I got by word of mouth that they wanted to see the open-cast copper mines, and the Great Salt Lake was a stop on the journey.

We all boarded the bus. The driver then gave a commentary on the journey ahead. The final destination was Kennecott Copper Mines, west of Great Salt Lake, which is open to the public. Then the driver asked,

Does anyone here wish to alight at the lake itself?

I raised my hand as if this was a school trip. Much to my surprise, mine was the only hand that went up amongst the people filling the bus. But as the driver tried to start the engine, all it gave was an unhealthy whine and the vehicle refused to move. Further attempts to start the bus also failed, and we all had to alight as the driver phoned for help.

Shortly afterwards, another bus arrived from the same depot and we all boarded. Then the driver called me over to his cab for a briefing, instructing me on when and where to wait for its return to take me back to the city.

Having a high saline content, the Great Salt Lake can be compared to the Dead Sea in the Middle East, but the Salt Sea's salination wasn't nearly as intense. Furthermore, while the Dead Sea was a totally lifeless lake some 430 metres below sea level, the Great Salt Lake had an average of 1,283 metres above sea level, although this varies slightly due to the intensity or lack of rainfall. At this moment, drought, along with the use of snowmelt, is causing the lake to shrink further, and there is a future threat of the lake drying out completely. Also, unlike the Dead Sea, this lake supports countless numbers of brine shrimp.

In a way, I felt sad that this was once part of a much larger body of water which covered much of Western Utah, also covering a little of Idaho and the eastern fringe of Nevada. This was Lake Bonneville, formed during the melting of the last Ice Age. However, it's believed by geologists that an earthquake had breached a dam containing the lake, and the water escaped through Red Rock Pass in Idaho, resulting in the Bonneville Flood, eventually leaving the present salt lake as a remnant.

Having stripped down to my bathing trunks, I managed to wade into the lake. The beach sloped very gradually into the water as the shrimp swarmed around my feet without touching the skin itself, and I was far out before I managed to float. Eventually, a few other people arrived by car to enjoy the lake.

Posing on the beach of the Great Salt Lake, Utah.

View of Salt Lake City from Twin Peaks.

The next day, I decided to climb the western slopes of Twin Peaks, on the eastern side of the city, for a splendid panoramic view. Although I never realised it back then, where the city is located, it would have been underwater of that once great lake with the mountain forming the east coast.

The last two days in Salt Lake City I spent in the city itself, which to me, has a very interesting historical legacy. It's what I call, "The Vatican of the Mormon Faith." Although not a follower of Mormonism, nevertheless, its headquarters has a history that contrasts sharply with the headquarters of the Watchtower Society - the latter just a large block of offices and printing press - that once stood in Brooklyn, New York. Here in Salt Lake City, the main building is the Temple, the original and the oldest Temple of its kind in the world, but not open to the public. Nearby, the Visitor's Center is a museum of Mormon history, with many exhibits displaying Bible verses (and hardly any from the Book of Mormon) along with short films on its history and its theology.

I liked the place, and it has a relaxing atmosphere where I can just sit and meditate, although it was very unlikely that I'll end up as a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. However, I was intrigued by how they take the Story of Joseph Smith, the founder of their faith, so seriously and as a historical fact of finding a pile of golden plates buried on a hill outside New York City, and with the text written in "Reformed Egyptian", he was able to translate the text into English using oversized spectacles named Urim and Thummim, to produce The Book of Mormon, before the plates were supernaturally taken up to heaven.

And so, this city was built on a story that was, I believe, borrowed from a fiction novel, yet taken seriously as essential to the faith of every Mormon. Yet, on arrival at the Center, I was obliged to give my name and address, as all visitors had to, to give them a huge master list for future proselyting.

And indeed, a few weeks after arriving home to my apartment, there was a knock on the door.

Going back to Salt Lake City, on the next day, I vacated my hotel room to continue the journey further west to Los Angeles.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Week: Arrival in LA and I head straight to Disneyland.