RN: When we drove into Utah from Colorado, I was immediately awed by the incredible rock sculptures in the Moab area, which is home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks along with many other natural works of rock art in the city and state parks.  Utah is full of these wonders further south: Zion and Bryce National Parks as well as Bears Ears and Escalante National Monuments. We tourists can’t get enough of Mother Nature here.  There is no place on Earth like Utah.

FE: Before we leave Moab, we take a short walk over the Colorado River Bike Bridge at a city park near our hotel, experiencing the full power of the winds blowing down the canyon that are so strong that an old geezer has to walk his bike, but shows off for us (he tells us he is “76 and holding!”). The bike path goes up and past Arches National Park, what a ride. Beauty all around us, the sculptures on the bridge perfectly capture the spirit of the canyon, and folks play in the river, even on jet boats.

Shadows of the Colorado River bridge near Moab with shadow selfie of photographer

and here is the real thing

Geezer power on the windy bridge

and great sculptures on the bridge

their real power revealed at a different angle

much fun under the bridge in a jet boat

Moving on and charging at the John Wesley Powell (early white explorer of the Green and Colorado rivers) Museum on US 6 in Green River we found this sign:

Dropping down off the mountains near Provo, the ubiquitous wind turbines catch the strong winds funneling down the canyon

RN: As we approached Salt Lake City (SLC), we found ourselves driving up the I-15 corridor through a contiguous series of booming cities.  This larger metropolis combines SLC, Ogden and Provo and it stretches 120 miles along the front of the Wasatch Mountains, comprising a population of 2,746,164 (Wikipedia).  Wherever we looked, we saw new apartments and condos, new housing construction, and prospering corporate buildings.  The amount of growth in the past 10 years is simply astounding. Overshadowing the growth of this area is the relative lack of water and poor air quality.  The Great Salt Lake is drying up and leaving behind dust full of arsenic and the Salt Lake Basin creates huge air inversions that trap unhealthy air.  We had to wonder whether any of the urban growth in this area is balanced by efforts to conserve water and what will happen when the water runs out.  But ‘nuff said, as Felix always tells me, “Be POSITIVE.”

Here is an aerial view of the sprawling SLC, Ogden, Provo metro area, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Great view of the mountains from Midori and Alex’s house in SLC

When we arrived in SLC, we were very happy to have dinner with our daughter Midori and her husband Alex at a pub while we watched the NBA finals game, our Boston Celtics vs the Dallas Mavericks (yay Celtics!).  Midori and Alex are about to experience major changes in their lives as they move to Vermont, take on new jobs, and give birth to a son.  I know they are tough and will manage just fine!

FE: Here we are, reunited with Mimi and Alex, having a good time in a sports bar…..yay- go Celtics…notice dejected Luka Doncic on the screen behind Felix.