Boise, ID & Salt Lake City, UT

Leaving Seattle, we drove through beautiful evergreen lined highways surrounded by snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes that mirrored the sky above. Entering Boise, we noticed that although the city is the capital of Idaho, it was quite small. It reminded us of Gordonsville or Culpeper in Virginia, with just a tad more to do. Small, but charming, with a homey feel to it. After a two night stay in Boise that included nothing more than just exploring downtown, and a quick look at the capital building, we headed toward Salt Lake City.


Mountain drive to Boise


Oregon evergreeens


Idaho State Capital

After a long drive and before we even checked into our hotel, we drove straight to the Great Salt Lake. The lake spans 1700 square miles and is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere. The high salt concentration allows people to float in the water much easier than in ocean water. Once we got here, we walked the 100-meter beach to the water's edge where we took in views of various species of birds and the surrounding area of mountains and snow. The beautiful colors beyond the lake and into the mountains appeared blue, purple, and grey. After taking in the scenery, we stopped off at the FYE Superstore where we picked up some rare DVD's for Dad and Aunt Linda, and headed to our hotel. The next day we explored downtown including Temple Square (symbolic heart of the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints), the state capital building, and the University of Utah and Olympic Park (home to the 2002 Winter Olympics). We regret that we didn't have time to travel 90 minutes away to the Bonneville Salt Flats State Park - the 30000 acre natural wonder where they test speed cars. But, we'll catch it on the next trip. All in all, we really enjoyed our time in Salt Lake City. Next stop, Cheyenne, WY and Denver, CO.


Snowy drive through Utah


The Great Salt Lake


Scenic views around the Great Salt Lake


Us cuddling to stay warm in the wind of the Lake


The Salt Lake at night


The Utah State Capital Building


Kim's favorite spot on this trip. She relaxes while Lorenzo drives.