In-N-Out of Utah

There were only a few times on the trip when we looked over at each other and knew we needed a shower. The stench of our unwashed Hawaiian t-shirts was strongly outmatched by our re-worn socks. Going from a desert campsite with no running water to a hike in 90 degree weather to another desert campsite with no shower facilities does not bode well for a long car ride. But, it did give us a common goal: get to a motel with a shower and washer/dryer.

With our Zion hike taking us into the late afternoon, we picked a town on the map about three hours north called Nephi, where we could spend the night. Our next "destination" was Boise, Idaho, so we took Highway 89, which paralleled I-15 and came across the slices of Americana had grown accustomed to.

We were not hungry at this time but this would have been our spot, Mom's Cafe in Salina, Utah. Shout-out to the moms. 

Centerfield, Utah en route to our resting spot of Nephi, Utah. Back-to-back shout-outs - this one to our man Fogerty.

Boxcar Wolfie.

Highway 89.

J.C. Mickelson's: Nephi. 

At this point the crustiness was catching up with us. It could have been the explanation for why the server sat us in an empty room away from the other customers. Peter enjoyed his bleu cheese salad almost as much as the flies. 

The Yelp rating of 2.5/5 stars was questionable. We figured the trains gave them the 2 star boost above their deserving rating... While our server texted, we admired the them go round and round.

Wolf thought about pursuing a career in photography after this trip.

When you're in a town with absolutely nothing to do, you buy some beer and hit the motel room to catch up on sports and blog work.

1950's milk man.

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

Well-rested with clean clothes and a fresh scent, we left Nephi for Provo and Salt Lake City. We figured this may be the last time we would be in Central Utah, so we wanted to check out BYU in Provo and The Salt Lake Temple. We decided not to stop at the BYU campus in Provo, but we did make a quick stop at Chase Bank for Peter. After a couple great conversations with employees inside about where we were from and our religious affiliations, we drove to Salt Lake City. 

Provo City Library. Quite impressive.

We passed under Eagle Gate which was erected in 1859 to commemorate the entrance to Brigham Young's property. We made it to Salt Lake City - the capital city of Utah and the Mormon religion.

The Salt Lake Temple. Couples lined the outside of the temple eager to get married. By our quick count, there were at least 25. 

Inside the Salt Lake Temple. The lady in white called this the largest organ west of the Mississippi.

Stunning skyscraper in the background of Assembly Hall. 

Best Mormon statues we'd seen since Bluff.

We went to In-N-Out to help digest the Mormon Temple.

So good.

On our way out of Salt Lake City, we listened to University of Utah sports talk radio for as long as we could before getting static. The big news was that they just opened a new athletic facility that would attempt to "compete with Oregon's." Nice try. Onward to Idaho.

Doobie Brothers - "Jesus Is Just Alright"