Trip to Lake Powell: Getting There

11 March 1984

In early March, wanting a change from snow and cold weather, we headed south.  Our destination was Lake Powell, located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  We took a roundabout way to get there, driving to St  George, in southern Utah, and cutting through Zion National Park.  This route added 80 miles (128 km) to our drive, but it was worth it to get a quick glimpse of one of the nation’s premier national parks.

We covered 880 miles (1408 km) on this trip.

After overnighting (I think) in St George, we dallied just long enough the next morning to take photographs of the first LDS (Mormon) temple that was built in Utah.  Constructed between 1869-1877, it cost $1,000,000.  I don't want to even try to calculate what that would be in current-day dollars, but the white-plastered building was stunning against the deep blue sky.  (Click here for more information.)

Zion National Park (ZNP) is the result of millions of years of upheaval and the erosive forces of wind, rain, frost, and the Virgin River, which combined to cut through the layers of Navajo sandstone.  The 2,000 feet (610 m) deep canyon is one of the spectacular features of the park.  Our first visit to ZNP, which was named Mukutuweap until the name was changed to Zion in 1918, was necessarily brief.  We drove in through the East Entrance and went out through the South Entrance.  We made a few stops along the way to enjoy the towering cliffs, but that was pretty much all that we had time to do.

TEMPLES AND TOWERS OF THE VIRGIN
(1) West Temple; (2) Sundial; (3) Altar of Sacrifice

“There is an eloquence to these forms which stirs the imagination with a
singular power, and kindles in the mind a glowing response … Nothing
can exceed the wondrous beauty of Zion Valley” — Clarence E. Dutton, 1882

Court of Patriarchs

Weeping Rock

Mud deposited in lowland streams millions of years ago was covered with
windblown sand.  Centuries of pressure squeezed the mud into thin shale
layers and the sand into thick sandstone.  Water passes easily through
sandstone but not shale.  The moisture soaks into the sandstone and when it reaches
the shale, it moves sideways to emerge onto the face of the cliff as a spring.

Hoodoos are eroded surfaces of Navajo sandstone.
The rock formation near the trees on the right is a hoodoo in the making.

the checkers (or biscuits) that groove the surface of Checkerboard Mesa
are formed by weathering of horizontal bedding planes and vertical cracks.

The quick drive through ZNP whetted our appetite for exploring the park.  Subsequent years found us returning to do just that.

Temple Square: Festival of Lights

17 December 1983

During the Christmas holiday season, Salt Lake City’s Temple Square is transformed into a magical world of twinkling lights — 215,000 lights to be precise.  Bundled up against the nighttime cold, we went to check out the festival of lights.  Our Saturday night visit included a concert performed by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It was a memorable evening.

Temple Square: the Symbolic Heart of the LDS

9 April 1983

Utah, the Beehive State, was founded by the Latter Day Saints (LDS, or more commonly, the Mormons).  When they first arrived in the region in 1847, under the leadership of Brigham Young, they named it Deseret, meaning honeybee in the Book of Mormon, and representing industry and hard work.  (The name was changed to Utah when it became a territory in 1850.)

Our day of sightseeing took us to Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City (SLC).  The square is considered to be the symbolic heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It is completely enclosed by a 15-foot (4.5 m) high wall that surrounds the imposing granite Temple, domed Tabernacle with its great organ, Assembly Hall, Sea Gull Monument, two visitor centers, and the log remains of Salt Lake Valley’s oldest standing home.  (For more information about the Mormon Church and Temple Square, click here.)

Aerial view of Temple Square.
[scanned from a postcard]

We started our visit at the Meridian Marker, which is located outside the wall.  It was placed in 1847 to define the boundaries of Temple Square.  The marker also serves as the point of origination for the numbering system for the streets of SLC, which are laid out in a well-planned grid.

The Meridian Marker is placed at
Latitude 40°46’04” and Longitude 111°54’00”.

Inside the walls, we stopped to see various points of interest, starting with the Nauvoo Bell, which originally hung in the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois.  The bell was removed by the Saints in 1846 when they were forced to leave Illinois.  It was brought to the Salt Lake Valley by the second company of pioneers that made the cross-country trip.

Next, we stopped to view the Gothic-style Assembly Hall, which was constructed between 1877 and 1882.  We found the Sea Gull Monument in front of this building.  Why a monument to sea gulls?  You see, in the spring of 1848 the Mormon pioneers planted crops in the valley.  As these crops ripened, they were attacked by crickets.  The Saints fought a losing battle against the crickets until, like a deliverance, their prayers were answered and thousands of sea gulls showed up to feast on the pesky bugs.

Left: the Nauvoo Bell
Right: the Assembly Hall and the Sea Gull Monument

Of all the buildings in Temple Square, the one that is probably second only to the temple itself is the oval-shaped Tabernacle.  The idea for it came from Brigham Young.  It was built between 1863-67 by a bridge builder named Henry Grow.  Virtually no nails were used in the construction, and the building is held together with wooden pegs and rawhide strips.  The Saints liked marble and oak, neither of which was available, so they used pine for the benches and pillars and then painted them to resemble their favored medium.  The Tabernacle’s most striking feature is the great organ, built by an Austrian convert.  Made of white pine, the organ has 11,000 parts.  The world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs regularly (more information here).

The acoustics are so perfect that from the back you can
hear a pin that is dropped on the stage at the front.

Of course, at the heart of square is the majestic, six-spired Temple.  It is not open to the general public and we were told that only “good” Mormons can enter through the doors.  Begun in 1853, construction was completed 40 years later.  It is built of granite, which was hauled 23 miles (37 km) by ox-drawn carts.  The 9-foot (2.7 m) thick walls at ground level narrow to 6 feet (1.8 m) at the top.  The center tower is 210 feet (64 m) high and is topped with a gold statue of the Angel Moroni heralding the restoration to earth the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days.

The temple is used by church members for weddings and other
sacred ordinances designed to strengthen family ties,
both now and for eternity.

This was the first of many visits we made to Temple Square during the eight years we lived in Utah.  Yes, each time we went there, we were approached by missionaries who wanted to educate us about the Saints and their church.  They were always polite; never insistent — a quick thanks, but no thanks; and we were left to wander around on our own.