I left Twin Falls, Idaho this morning, after snapping one last photo of Shoshone Falls:


Pretty place.

Then I made the LONG drive into Utah. Unfortunately, there really wasn't any way for me to avoid passing Salt Lake City. I'm sure that the city itself is fine, but MAN the whole Salt Lake area is butt-ugly. (Now please understand, that is just my OPINION, based on the fact that I have eyes and can see that it is butt-ugly.)

And here's a surprising bit of trivia: did you know that the state of Utah has ANOTHER lake, which is not salty?

You did? Liar. No you didn't.

It's in the area south of Salt Lake City, in the creatively-named "Utah Valley" region. In another fit of creativity, they named this huge lake "Lake Utah". Here is proof that this non-salty lake exists:





After the post-apocalyptic barren wasteland that is the Great Salt Lake, this Utah Valley region is strikingly pretty. As the guidebook says, "Adventure Awaits!" I haven't found out which TYPE of adventure is awaiting me, but I'm staying here for a couple of days to find out! I'm in Provo, Utah tonight. I want to explore this city and the city of Orem, just a few miles north, tomorrow. "Orem: Gateway to Lehi!"

Oh...and speaking of Mormons, I found out that Brigham Young University...the alma mater of my hero, 49ers QB Steve Young...is right here in Provo! I guess I assumed it, like everything else in Utah, was in Salt Lake City. Wrong! It's right up the road from my hotel. Here's proof:





As I was taking these photos, the Dean of Admissions came up to me and asked if I was a student there. I said no, but would it be possible to admit my dogs? He looked thoughtfully at both of them and decided that it would be okay if my WHITE dog attended...