Today we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was one of Betty Jo's places to visit. Two very devout Mormon "sisters" gave us a tour. One girl was from Korea and one was from southern California. This is their mission for two years, just like the Mormon boy from my hometown who is gone away for two years on a mission. All Mormon youth are required to do this, from what we could gather. We toured the visitor center and saw some beautiful mural size paintings of the life of Christ and a huge statue of Christ on the top level. The girls took us into a chapel and ended our tour by singing together "We are Children of God." If the visit had ended there, things would not have been too bad, but unfortunately, we left rather angry. Betty Jo asked one of the ladies at the Visitor Center desk why they claim to be Christians but they don't allow other Christians who are not Mormons to enter the Tabernacle. We allow anyone to enter our church, no matter their religious background. She told Betty Jo she was not "worthy." Well, they were "fightin' words" to Jane, who quite quickly told the woman that Betty Jo was as worthy as any or all of the Mormons in Salt Lake City, and I suggested that now might be a good time to leave!
Kristee wanted to swing by Park City, Utah, home of the winter Olympics in 2002. We took some pictures of the ski runs and bobsled tracks and bought some postcards. We drove through part of Idaho on our way to Yellowstone. We pulled off the road at a gas station for about 35-40 minutes to wait out a terrible thunderstorm. It was raining so hard and visibility was so bad, we just chilled for a while. We definitely depended on the tom-tom a great deal after we left the interstate.
We had made reservations at a Best Western Flying Saddles in Alpine, Wyoming, which is not too far from Jackson Hole. The hotel restaurant was closed because of a private party, so we ate across the street at a place called Nordic Inn. The bartender was a very entertaining gay man whose partner is the chef and a former professional pianist. They close up shop here in September and leave in November for New Zealand, where they stay until April. Not a bad life, huh? He had pictures of his partner performing onstage, and all sorts of fascinating stories to tell. It was really a pleasant evening, even the Norah Jones CD playing in the background was soothing and added just the right touch to my two cocktails.
This is definitely cowboy country. We have seen road signs all afternoon that say "Watch for stock" and "Open Range." Pictures of cows are on yellow road signs like we have pictures of deer at home. Our hotel rooms are nice, but not worth the $149 price tag. I ran the bathtub full of water and turned on the jacuzzi, only to find that it was broken. When I called the front desk, I was told none of the jacuzzis work, and they had not advertised them as working. The hotel lobby is filled with bear, moose, elk, and bighorn sheep decor. I took pictures of Jane and Betty Jo on some "flying saddle" bar stools after breakfast the next morning. They were so cute!
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