Day 12 - Salt Lake City, UT - Enjoying Salt Lake with a touch of #adulting mixed in

Today was destined to be a good day!  We’ve got a bit of an easy day and are starting and ending our day in Salt Lake City.  Amy had to stop by the DMV because while we have a vehicle, we’re supposed to get it registered at home, we won’t be there for over 45 days.  So, Carmax said that we needed to visit with the DMV.  

Amazingly, the Utah DMV was organized and efficient.  Within 15 minutes of her appointment, Amy had her answer.  Unfortunately, the answer was that Carmax needed to issue the extended temporary plates.  Sigh.  I guess we’ll go back to talk to Carmax.

While Amy was at the DMV, the boys and I enjoyed the pool.  They had been complaining that they weren’t going to be able to enjoy the pool like they would at home so this was a treat we could offer them.  They bounced between the pool and the hot tub and eventually they decided that they wanted to imitate some Monty Python sketches.  Here’s a quick glimpse of their output.

When Amy got back we headed out to see the Salt Lake City Zoo.  It’s a very nice zoo and we enjoyed exploring.  Many of the animals were fairly active which made it extra fun.  The polar bear appeared to be doing laps and just kept going back and forth over and over.  Maybe he’s just doing a morning workout?  Whatever the reason, it was fascinating to watch as his fur rippled in the water as he swam.  There was plenty of other fun to be had as well.

After the zoo, we headed back to pick up Dover.  We had a picnic lunch at the picnic tables in the parking garage and then headed off to the site that was recommended for us by a few folks - Antelope Island.

Unfortunately, we arrived at Antelope Island at the WRONG time of the year.  There are biting gnats (no-see-ems) that had in the late spring and we were there for PRIME season.  As a result, nearly anything outside was not anything near fun.

We kept largely to inside activities which included a driving tour of the island to hopefully see some wildlife.  We spotted a few bison (aka furry tanks) and then the following conversation occured.

Me:  “It says here that we should be on the lookout for burrowing owls”

Mom: “I don’t think we’ll actually see a burrowing owl”

        Sebastian: “Like that one?”

Needless to say, we consider this a successful nature hike.  But we did venture outside the car for a bit so that we could say that we touched the Great Salt Lake.  I was the only one to actually get into the lake because the insect pressure was so high.  Plus, when we got down near the lake, which was a LONG way from where the lake level normally would be, the decaying algae smell and marsh flies were enough pressure to push nearly anybody out of the area.  However, once I was about knee deep in the lake, all the insect pressure continued, though the smell was still similar to a flamingo exhibit at the zoo.  P. U.  

Once back at camp, we visited with our neighbor who was walking their dogs to find out that in addition to the gnats, we were going to potentially be treated to some intense winds/storms.  We’ll see.  For now, it was time for bed.

Total miles travelled - 3,043 miles (46,892) - over 3,000 miles!

# States (Provinces) - 10