Salt Lake Culture

Before cooling off in Colorado, Henry and I took to the city of Salt Lake.  The first on his list was the Family History Library.  We opened the doors to what one man phrased as the “Disneyland of Genealogy”.  Large screens with links to your personal heritage, meanings of your name, mile markers for your birth year, your ancestral migration.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember many names or dates, so our tour ended fruitless, at least in the short run.

We walked the streets, admiring the public art.  Henry experimented with the camera, a bit more, playing with angles, composition, and light.

After lunch, we drove to the University of Utah to explore the newly renovated Natural History Museum of Utah.  Everything about his museum was remarkable, and Henry was thriving.  He was no longer in survival mode.  He ran from one exhibit to the next, slowing down to really take in the questions and interactions.

In the paleontology room, Henry marveled at the prehistoric fossils.  In the regional area, he read about local botany and animals.  And in the life sciences, he counted out RNA strands taking in subtle differences between humans and other primates.

I felt like this was the first time in our trip since the Redwood National Forest, that he was coming alive and excited again.

So, we decided to stay one more night at the quintessential Americana campsite, Pony Express.  Henry met other children, swam in the pool, and played in the rec room.  I was able to wash laundry, shower, and even roast a chicken… wow, now we were feeling spoiled!

With the heat surging in Salt Lake, we were definitely headed for the mountains.