Monday morning August 11, we departed Camp Verde, Arizona for our first stop on the road, St George Utah. We arrived St George at 530P weary from a full days drive. Most of the territory had been covered before but the drive past the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was beautiful and our entry into this area of Utah gave us another view of that State.
Tuesday morning we were up early in readiness for what was to be a five hour trip to Provo. Once the RV was "bedded", we departed for a scenic view of Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon and then over the pass into Park City where we spent a skiing holiday with the children in the early 70's. Of course, nothing remains the same and just as growth and building has overtaken every city, town and State, Park City was a victim of progress. It was not at all as we remembered it. No surprise there.
From Park City we dropped down to Salt Lake City where we visited Temple Square and the Mormon compound located therein. During our walk through the Visitors Center, a friendly "sleuth" directed Ken to a flagpole" in the middle of the square for a free tour and history of the Mormon pilgrimage West to Utah. The tours, 30-minutes in duration are conducted every 10 minutes. Free tour? Of course, Ken was interested!
As we approached the area of the flagpole, we were welcomed by two personable young ladies whose job it was to make us comfortable, reassure us that our guides would be along momentarily and, I suspicion, keep us interested while we waited the few minutes until the next scheduled tour. Our guides, two young attractive college age, charismatic ladies appeared and introduced themselves by name (which I failed to note). One girl was from Oregon. The second one was from the Philippines and, of course, I didn't get her name either. They began their "pitch" by giving us some Biblical history according to their Mormon beliefs and provided some background on the building of the temple and the trek of pioneer Mormons from three Mid-western States from which they had been ostracized. (I remember Missouri and Illinois but my memory does not stretch to three). I will give you my impression of what they conveyed but I hasten to remind you that this is as I remember what they said, not necessarily what they said!
At each stop, an interesting "sermonizing" of the foundations of the Mormon faith was presented along with Church history and the development of the Temple, the Cathedral and the Meeting Place (Church in Protestant terms). Those of you who are familiar with my reluctance to be sermonized are no doubt wondering how I managed. It was one of my more indulgent moments. In the process, I learned that the Temple took eight years to build out of stone brought in by wagon from somewhere in Utah's outback; That the stones were very heavy, on occasion breaking the wagon beds on which they were carried; The Cathedral and Meeting Place were built in a much shorter time span; and the new Meeting Place was constructed from remnants of rock unsatisfactory for use in the Temple. The first Meeting Place is now used only for meetings, special occasions etc. I was particularly impressed with the commitment and devotion of those people who followed their leader, Brigham Young, from the mid-west through the rough rock strewn desert and mountainous terrain into Utah.
As the two young women did their "spiel" I could not help but applaud the devotion and loyalty that they and their peers seem to impart in both words and deed. Mormon I am not. However, many Mormons that I have personally known seem to be committed to their belief, practice what they preach, apply their convictions to everyday life and exhibit a devotion to the principles in which they believe. I know there are those who disagree with their belief, but it seems to me that tolerance is a key to survival of mankind and religious tolerance is a mandatory prerequisite. Certainly, there are those whose commitment to the ideals and principles espoused by the Church may be questioned. And, unquestionably, the Book of Mormon and the foundations of the Mormon belief can be open to debate and for many, is suspect. However, the Mormon Church, as well as Churches in general, is only as strong as the faith and the practices reflected through its members. From my viewpoint, it seems to be standing the test of time as well as any other. I know of no Religion that does not have its fair share of people whose convictions cannot be questioned.
I learned that the two "guides" are "missionaries" in the church. They serve for eighteen months and they pay their own way during their period of service. They apply for the mission field and the "hierarchy" of the Church (Governing Board of Bishops, elders or whatever) decides in what area of missions they will serve. They are assigned by the Board based on information provided in their application, education, background, interests and skills. Missionary candidates are dispatched throughout the world but their application is to serve at Temple Square. I understood them to say that once accepted and after their training, they may be dispatched anywhere in the World. I asked the young lady from Oregon what she would do upon completion of her mission and she said that she would probably return to college in Idaho, where she would finish her last year. I asked her what her major was and she said communications and public relations. I complemented her on what seemed to me a good choice in view of her warm personable manner.
In summary, I was very impressed with the number of young missionaries who could be seen walking through the courtyard to classes, meetings, assignments or whatever. The Mormon Church seems to have no problem enrolling its young people to its missions program and for that alone, they should be applauded. No smoke with a suspect odor was evident, all of the young lady "missionaries" were modestly dressed (not one single belly button was see n) hair was well groomed and not a single tatoo! The young men were clean shaven, their hair neat and well groomed, professionally dressed (suits and neckties) and they walked with purpose and apparent enthusiasm. As I viewed the buildings, listened to the history and observed the evidence of belief, I could not help but think that whatever else one may say about the Mormons, the way of life in which they believe and their commitment to their religious philosophy deserves our respect for it reflects principle, faith and hope. In my view, these are traits badly needed in our troubled society of today.
Wednesday was a day of travel with an overnight in Rexford Idaho, a beautiful sleepy farm/ranch town surrounded by the breathing room that few city dwellers ever experience. Rexford is less than 100 miles from Yellowstone where we will visit Old Faithful and observe first hand, up close and personal that phenomena of nature.
Thursday we did a "scenic" drive to view some spectacular waterfalls and beautiful country en route to our Yellowstone stop. The road was narrow but good with many steep grades. I complained strongly to the "pilot" of this rig and accused him of treating this 32 foot + coach with attached "towed" as a mini cruiser. I think that the next time he sees a scenic drive on a secondary road, he will think twice. At least, I hope so because if not, I am apt to express my dissatisfaction even more strongly! The drive was lovely and the scenery spectacular, but I would have enjoyed it more in our "towed".
Once ensconced in the RV Park of our choice, we were off to Yellowstone where the deer, the elk and the bison roam freely and old faithful and its many neighboring geysers spew forth with their steam, hot air and odors of sulphur. To every experience there must be some price! Once again I was appalled by the ravages of fire that remain to remind us of the perils of both lightening and man. This was my first trip to Yellowstone and it was, indeed, an awesome experience to see for the first time.
We entered Yellowstone at the West entrance and after pre programmed stops, proceeded to Jackson Wyoming where we spent the night. The next morning we entered Teton National Park and viewed the beautiful Tetons towering over us in silent majesty. In honor of Ken's birthday we did a raft float down the Snake River and much to my surprise, it was truly an enjoyable adventure. The river trip was beautiful with the Grand Tetons reinforcing my amazement at the grandeur of natures landscape. As my "pilot" navigated the roads in the park, I basked in the beauty of the Tetons, Yellowstone and the wild life that inhabits those wonderful treasures. Further, I was humbled by their silent reminder of how minuscule we humans really are in comparison to the marvels of nature and the earth on which we have been granted sanctuary.
There you have it, our second week on the road. We miss our friends who have returned to their busy world and home. We wish they could have joined us in our travels as we view the beautiful scenery and enjoy the wide open spaces. Tomorrow, Sunday we will continue on our high adventure into an area just outside of Glacier National Park where we will stop for a brief hello to Monica and Greg Held and their two children in Kalispell. Monica is a daughter of our friends, Bruce and Gwelda Haselman. We will say hello to the Helds and then proceed on into Canada missing Glacier National Park due to the forest fire that still plague the Park. Indeed, it seems that much of Montana is on fire. As I look out the windows of our coach, a dark cloud of smoke surrounds us. It is report that as many as 20 fires may be burning out of control throughout the State.
Don't forget to stay in touch and keep us in the loop in spite of our "gypsy" nature. I hope that you have all managed to avoid the latest computer virus. I am not sure that Terri has avoided it. We talked to Terri today and she expressed concern that she might be a victim. I surely hope not.
Mormon Temple
Old Faithful
Riding the Rapids
The Tetons
THERE YOU HAVE IT!
