National Parks Tour- On The Road In Utah

Traveling through Utah is a thrilling experience. The landscapes are beautiful! The sky is big!! The colors are extraordinary.  At home, how far do I look? Next door? Down the street? Out west, your eye sees for miles and miles.  Really spectacular views!! And this isn't national parks!

Salt Lake City- State Capitol Building

State House of Representatives Chambers

State Senate Chambers

Supreme Court

The Utah State Capitol  houses the chambers and offices of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, the State Auditor and their staffs. The capitol is the main building of the Utah State Capitol Complex, which is located on Capitol Hill, overlooking downtown Salt Lake City.

The Neoclasscial revival, Corinthian style, building was designed by architect Richard K.A. Kletting, and built between 1912 and 1916. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Beginning in 2004, the capitol underwent a major restoration and renovation project. The project added two new buildings to the complex, while restoring many of the capitol's public spaces to their original appearance. One of the largest projects during the renovation was the addition of a base isolation system which will allow the building to survive as much as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. After completion of the renovations, the building was rededicated and resumed normal operation in January 2008.

It is very grand- marble everywhere, stately rooms- very impressive. I figure the mining companies must pay lots of taxes to afford such a grand building. As someone on my tour said this is the American version of a palace.

Salt Lake City- Mormon Tabernacle

Temple Square

Mormon Tabernacle

Inside the Mormon Tabernacle- Famous Organ

Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847 by a group of pioneers led by Brigham Young. These pioneers, who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to Utah to have a place where they could freely practice their religion. A few days after arrival they began drawing plans for the city, starting from a single point and fanning out into a grid system of 10-acre blocks. Today’s Temple Square was the city center on the corner of South Temple and Main Street.

We heard part of the Morman Tabernacle Organ Recital. Beautiful!

National Parks Tour- On The Road To Salt Lake City

Not only are the parks gorgeous but the countryside getting around from park to park is amazing. We actually cut through the southeast corner of Idaho on our way to Utah.

Yellowstone National Park- Mammouth Hot Springs

Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs, created from calcium carbonate deposited from the spring water. This is the largest carbonate spring in the world. With a lot of historic sites and the springs themselves, there is a lot to hike for and see in the area.

Yellowstone National Park- Lower Falls

Yes, that's right. Yellowstone has its own Grand Canyon. It might not be as big as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but it is just as breathtaking, if not better. The Lower Falls of Yellowstone are one of the most photographed places in the whole park.

This is so gorgeous and hard to capture in a photo!

Yellowstone National Park- Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park is the first national park in the world. Yellowstone is a designated World Heritage Site and designated Biosphere Reserve. With an area of  2,219,791 acres (3,472 square miles or 8,987 square km) there is a lot to see.

Situated in the Upper Geyser Basin the Old Faithful is one of the most iconic attractions in Yellowstone National Park. The name comes from the fact that the geyser erupts 20 times per day in 60-110 minute intervals. But don't worry, there are posted prediction times all around the Old Faithful area. Old Faithful is a colossal geyser with eruption height varying from 100-180 feet and lasting 1.5 - 5 minutes. One eruption can expel 8,500 gallons of water. This is something you do not want to miss.

What a thrill to see Old Faithful in person! There were thousands of people there waiting for the eruption, and when it was over, thousands left to see other parts of the park and more people came to see the next eruption, So cool!!