Our first stop in Utah was the Great Salt Lake.  Unfortunately it was a bit of a disaster.  We went to antelope island since it was recommended as a good place to try swimming in the salty, smelly lake.  Geneveve was psyched to try swimming in water this salty since we told her she’d float better than anywhere else she’s ever been.  We drove to the coast and saw the beach was probably over 1/4 mile out since so much of the lake is evaporated at this point in the summer.  So we hiked through the sand and across the somewhat smelly dried up shore out to where the water was.  We got sunblock on and walked through the clouds of flies that line the beach and finally we got in the water…  And then Geneveve started screaming bloody murder that she was itchy all over.  It seems she has extra sensitive skin and the salt water irritated it.  So I carried her on my shoulders screaming most of the way the 1/4 mile back through the sand to where there were shower facilities and rinsed her off while she screamed about being cold.  Phew.

Kim, Xena and Ubu actually got to float a for a little bit before they came back.  I never made it past my knees, but I’ve floated before in the lake.  I really would have liked to watch Ubu swim though.  Kim said she looked pretty happy that she hardly had to paddle to stay afloat.  I saw Xena float a little since she plopped herself right in the water before Geneveve even started screaming.

With that must do item out of the way, we checked into a hotel for a couple nights.  It’s been 10 nights since the trip began, and only 1 of them has been in a hotel so far, so I feel pretty good about taking a few nights to recover in a room with beds and a shower.  The only hotel we could find that allowed dogs and I could use points for was a ways outside the downtown, but low and behold, there was a small water park in the hotel.  We were just at a water park the previous day so this will make 3 days of water play time for the kids.

After a night’s rest we decided we’d see Salt Lake City.  We went straight to Temple Square to see all the Mormon buildings.  It was interesting to see, but it still boggles my mind that this whole region, almost whole state, is predominantly Mormon.  It’s like a theocratic state, but one where everyone is so well mannered and pleasant.  Anyway, Geneveve liked listening to the big organ.  We brought Ubu into the square initially, but later was told by a security guard (who apologized to me 3 times and said he was sure she was a good dog) that dogs weren’t allowed.  So we didn’t hang out for a very long time to see a lot of other stuff other than the outsides of the buildings.

We did find a vegetarian sandwich shop called Buds that’s the best, most foodie place we’ve eaten on this trip.  The veggie sandwiches are on par with my favorite sandwich food cart in Portland, DC Vegetarian.  The jack fruit as a pork substitute is pretty unique, and everything else was delicious.  We got a couple extra sandwiches to take with us for the road today.

In the afternoon Kim took the kids to the children’s museum so I got some time alone to explore the city.  I rented one of those city share bikes and pedaled around for awhile.  Then I just wandered with Ubu.  It’s definitely awesome to be off work for so long, but getting time alone when traveling with the family is even more difficult than it was when working, and something I also need, even if just to wander aimlessly.

Geneveve had her 5th birthday while we were here, and her exciting new development at 5 is she has started swimming!  She’s kinda doggy paddling half way across the width of a pool.  She barely keeps her head above water the whole time, but she’s doing it and very excited.  She slept soundly last night after over and hour of repeatedly swimming off the steps as far as she could.

We’re just about to leave the hotel and head to Dixie National Forest.  It’s supposed to be comparable in some ways to Zion and Bryce National Parks, but since it’s a national forest Ubu will be able to actually do more than sit in the car.