Last night I had a call from a Dukie who lives near Sacramento, California. Tim S-L (M 90) very kindly asked me to come stay with him and his family where we'll hopefully get to do some snowboarding. So today I've got to try and make arrangements to get there for the weekend.
I went out to explore in a snow covered Salt Lake City. I expected a very sterile and frigid place, with mormons everywhere trying to convert me and get me to marry each of their 12 daughters. What I got was a city that is very much the same as every other american city, but much cleaner and far quieter. There also appear to be plenty of places selling alcohol, but there are obvious religious overtones everywhere. I'm not sure you'd realise the religious connertations unless you'd heard what people say about Utah. I don't think that any place in the US has been as I expected, whether better or worse and that's another reason that I'm glad I've come.
The city has basically been built up since the 2002 Winter Olympic games and unlike Atlanta you can see the benefit that it brought to the city. It has new buildings everywhere including the funkiest library ever. You can catch free public transport around downtown, but really you should walk as it's all so close. Having said that I'm glad for my new waterproof boots. The main roads are clear, but the paths aren't. I'm spending most of my time knee deep in snow and that's the shallow bit. If I trod on some paths you wouldn't see me till spring.
Took a bus out to the student area of town. Always a sure fire way to find a STA Travel, so I booked my flight to Sacramento and arranged to fly to Maui straight after I arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii on the 31st January. I then walked the 21 blocks north and 11 blocks west back to downtown. How do I know this? Well Salt Lake numbers its streets as to how many blocks they are away from the Mormon Temple.
Dinner. I've discovered a new cheap way to eat. Chinese take aways. You get a main dish, fried rice and wontons for $5.80. Good huh. You even get a fortune cookie.
'Focus on the journey, not the destination.' I think even I get that one.
