Day 13: Salt Lake City to Bountiful

May 20, 2022

Today is short and strenuous, with a lot of diversity. The easy day gives me time to spend in downtown Salt Lake City. I enjoyed the view from my hotel room looking southwest towards the Oquirrh mountains.

Morning view looking southwest from my hotel room. Concert hall below.

The concert hall is across the road from my hotel, adjacent to the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Subtle graffiti in downtown Salt Lake City. My room is 3rd from top, 3rd from right.

Interesting but not at all attractive art at the entrance to Salt Palace Convention Center. Board or Ski is the best question. ;-)

I walked around the open portion of Temple Square one more time.

I can sort of see the temple through the scaffold. Ubiquitous Mormons waiting to talk to strangers.

Morning has a better sun angle for the front of the Assembly Hall. I visited Temple Square on two previous trips, but this was the first time I went into the Assembly Hall.

Entrance to the Assembly Hall. 6-pointed Star of David in the upper window.

In the Assembly Hall I spoke to a young missionary woman from Window Rock, Arizona which is the capital city of the Navajo Nation. I have heard about Navajo, Hopi, and Paiute Mormons, but this was my first time to meet one. She said she misses the red canyons of home. I said that Utah also has nice canyons. Then she explained that she's not allowed to travel more than 20 miles from her missionary assignment at Temple Square.

Inside the Assembly Hall. My first time to go inside.

Morning light gives the best view of the Handcart Pioneer Memorial. The handcart emigrant story is one of the most fascinating parts of Mormon Pioneer history. The first Mormon emigrants came in wagon trains. They were comparatively prosperous. Later immigrants were too poor to afford a wagon and oxen. They walked to Utah hauling supplies in a handcart. The church supplied provisions along the route because it wasn't possible to haul months of supplies in a handcart, and the handcart emigrants were too poor to buy provisions. Handcart emigrants had to trust the church to keep them alive for a months-long walk in the wilderness. The high-risk project was successful. Most of the handcart emigrants did get to Utah.

I never noticed the Nauvoo Bell during previous visits to Temple Square. It's the only major relic that was saved from the Nauvoo, Illinois temple that was built in 1836, then sold under duress in 1848 as the Mormons fled to Utah to escape persecution.

The Nauvoo Bell is the only artifact saved from the Nauvoo, Illinois temple.

On my way out of Temple Square I stopped to take a picture of the ugly LDS Office Building. As I wrote in 2013, the Brutalist architecture "screams 27 floors of secrecy-obsessed bureaucracy".

Ugly LDS office building. The beautiful plaza in front has been completely torn out. Joseph Smith statue gone for now.

I didn't leave Temple Square until 11 AM. By then the temperature had warmed to 50F. I left Temple Square going northeast, upstream along City Creek. It's a very nice park.

I exited downtown Salt Lake City in City Creek Park.

About 3 miles up City Creek I turned hard left onto the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Unfortunately, I got to a bicycle-proof labyrinth gate 500 feet ahead. I had to turn around and go back to downtown.

500 feet ahead is a bicycle-proof labyrinth gate and a sign saying bikes are prohibited.

On my way through downtown I stopped to look at the Pioneer Memorial Museum which a sign proclaims is the International Headquarters of Daughters of Utah Pioneers. No state is more obsessed about Pioneer history.

International Headquarters of Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

I had an early lunch in the industrial northern part of Salt Lake City, an area where 4 story condos are replacing old industrial buildings. It was the first and only place I saw in Utah that acknowledged the existence of gay people. They even acknowledge Queer Food which I didn't even know existed.

Bulletin board at my lunch stop in the industrial north side of Salt Lake City. I didn't know Queer Food existed.

One reason I wanted to pedal the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is to avoid the industrial zone north of Salt Lake City. Blowing sand is terrible because of the quarries and vast numbers of gravel trucks. The refineries, tank farm, and I-15 are minor annoyances in comparison.

Get your fresh gravel direct from the source.

I saw proof that Utah has at least one topless bar. Salt Lake City is relatively diverse, less than 50% Mormon.

I don't understand why a building called Southern Exposure has no windows. ;-)

In the city of North Salt Lake I turned onto Eagle Ridge Drive and climbed all the way up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. 1100 foot climb. I pushed the bike about half the distance because it was 11% grade. The entire climb was past new and very upscale homes. It seems odd to me because the luxury homes are close to a giant quarry. The dust must not blow their direction very often.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail wasn't quite so steep. I pedaled a couple miles uphill on the trail to the first partial view of downtown Salt Lake City 1100 feet below. I didn't have the energy to continue up to the radio towers and beyond.

Climbing on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from the North Salt Lake side.

The trail has views of pastoral mountains to the east and a dystopian industrial wasteland to the west. Bonneville Shoreline Trail has the only views of the distant Great Salt Lake during the tour. I have never been close to the Great Salt Lake during a bike tour.

Looking down on the quarry with Great Salt Lake in the distance.

My turnaround point on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Not enough time or energy to go to the radio towers.

At my turnaround point I could see last night's hotel, the Tabernacle, and the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The Temple would normally be highly visible, but not now.

Telephoto partial view of downtown Salt Lake City from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

My route to the Bountiful Temple stays very high above the valley in the uppermost parts of North Salt Lake and Bountiful. The uppermost parts of Mormon towns are always the wealthiest. I saw a lot of 4 car garages. A rare opportunity to see the rich neighborhoods. I don't normally travel anywhere near that high in the hills.

Descending the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Below are quarries and refineries.

The highest houses look like they belong to dot com billionaires or maybe Huntsman grand kids.

The wealthy upper part of Bountiful, Utah.

Another gazillionaire house in upper Bountiful.

The route from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to Bountiful Temple stays about a thousand feet above the valley, but has large rolling hills. It was quite strenuous.

Bountiful Temple has a commanding view looking down on the city of Bountiful. I entered the temple grounds going into a huge 2-level parking garage. It was the only temple I visited that has a big public parking garage.

Bountiful Temple. View from the upper level of the parking garage.

Bountiful Temple was dedicated in 1995. The architecture is pretty much 100% traditional, unlike the semi-modern 1981 Jordan River Temple that I saw yesterday.

Bountiful Temple has beautifully landscaped grounds with commanding views of the Salt Lake valley below.

Landscaping at Bountiful Temple with a spectacular view of the valley below.

From Bountiful Temple I went straight downhill to the valley, braking continuously. Tonight's home is Country Inn and Suites. It's the most expensive lodging of the tour but not the nicest.

Today was the coldest day of the tour. High of 52F/11C. Fortunately there was some hazy sunshine and the northwest wind was surprisingly mild. I never felt cold.

Of course I'm unhappy that I couldn't bike a thru route on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The portion I did see was more work, with fewer good views.

Distance: 24.7 mi. (39.5 km)
Average Speed: 7.1 mph (13.4 km/h)
Ascent/Descent: +2047/-14 ft. (+624/-645 m)
Miles 442-466 on the route map

Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 528 miles (850 km)

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