Day 5 - Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake

Day 5 - Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake

A beautiful day with more moderate temps - such a departure for this late May trip! Another pleasure was hot showers. Life is good.

Matthew is still struggling with a cold, the temps are still cool, and there was a chance of rain, so we nixed the plan to kayak in the Great Salt Lake. Instead, we chose to explore this state park island.

Cheryl is drawn to the Great Salt Lake because of a Life Magazine photo spread that featured smiling swimmers floating effortlessly on the water that she saw when she was still in elementary school. The first time we came to the lake, probably 20 years ago, we had a hard time finding where we could actually get access. We ended up at a southern point with a sad pavilion that still hinted at its former grandeur. We went swimming, but the smell was horrid and it wasn’t the experience Cheryl envisioned. Nonetheless, the allure was still there, perhaps fueled by the fact that Cheryl sinks rather than floats whenever she tries.

We started the day with a walk along the shoreline, which definitely smelled better than our last experience.

Crusting of salt and sand.

From there we explored the rest of the island, which is a nature sanctuary known for its bison herd.

Outside the visitor center.

Chukar at the birdfeeder outside the visitor center.

Driving and hiking around the island.

We did not see any herds but we did see a bunch of lone males.

 When Matthew was a child on a trip with his dad and brothers he found a hank of buffalo fur that he carefully packed in an envelope to take home. Somewhere along the way, it disappeared and Matthew was heartbroken. Lo and behold, his dad "found" it sometime later and proudly presented it to him. Matthew never let on that the "fur" in the envelope looked suspiciously like human hair, and was "found" shortly after the kids got haircuts.

Shortly after telling this story Cheryl spied a hank of bison fur that she scooped up and offered it up as an homage to youth.