Sunday, June 10, 2018
NOTE: Unknown to us we discovered that there was no internet accessibility at our motel, Jacob Lake Inn. Located about 30 miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon it is the closest place to stay place other than inside the park itself.
The B&B ( Inn on the Hill) we stayed in last night was lovely, but we discovered that in addition to regular shades the windows also had blackout shades, something we didn’t uncover until we tried falling asleep in a room lit up by bright porch lights. In addition, for some reason we never figured out, the traffic noise from what was a residential street was extremely loud for most of the night. All was forgiven in the morning when we enjoyed our gourmet breakfasts of chicken sausage, waffles, eggs, fruit, veggies, potatoes and English muffins. The staff also showed us the Max Parrish stained glass window that was original to the house. The window was colorful but small picture of a locomotive. The view from this Inn was great since it is on a hill. The doctor that built the house was a physician for railroad. (NOTE: While it is a haunted house, we did not meet any ghosts. Oh well, we can’t have everything.)
One discovery we made by finally reading what our tour book had to say about Salt Lake City, was that on Sunday mornings a service that features the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir is open to the public. Directly after breakfast we walked over and took our seats about 60 minutes before the 9:30 AM start time. Good thing we arrived early because the place was entirely full by 9:00 am.
For 89 years the service has been broadcast nationally. Today’s broadcast went out to over 2,000 television/radio stations. We actually heard the service twice. The first time was a rehearsal to make sure they fit the service into the allotted broadcast time, and the second time was the official broadcast. The service was primarily musical. The choir was the largest choir we have ever seen. Our guess was that there were over 200 people in the choir. They were accompanied by a full orchestra and organ. The choir sang 6 songs, and only two of them were religious in nature. One of the religious songs was a psalm from the Old Testament. For example, the choir sang Deep River (a spiritual), This Little Light of Mine, and the Battle of Jericho. Overall it was inspiring in its beauty. Even the brief sermon was relevant to all people with no mention of Jesus. The sermon was about the ‘heliotropic effect’ of light, meaning that things are attracted to the light/good. Even the building itself was devoid of any religious symbolism, although the size the choir, sound system, and lighting made it all very dramatic.
After our religious service we went to see the State Capitol building just up the hill from our B&B. Then it was time for our next long drive. Downtown Salt Lake City itself didn’t appear that large to us but driving out of town made us aware of how expansive the city has spread. Much of the territory we drove through in Utah was flat and dry with mountains as a backdrop. It wasn’t until we started to approach Zion National Park that the scenery started to become more interesting. To be honest we didn’t even know we would be driving through the Zion until we got to the entrance. The ride from that point on was spectacular. Maybe even more spectacular than the spectacular we ‘ve been seeing over the past few weeks. I must admit that we are suffering from spectacular overload.
Between our GPS, maps, and the road signs this part of the trip was the most confusing for us. Signage in Utah did not tell you what was coming up in Arizona, the GPS wasn’t always taking us the best route, and the map of the area was difficult to read. Fortunately, we made all the right decisions and arrived at Jacob Lake Inn by 6:00 PM. The Jacob Lake Inn is all that there is in Jacob Lake. We had dinner at the Inn’s diner-like restaurant but it also has a nicer dining room available. It is known for its baked cookies and milkshakes. The cookies were delicious, as for the milkshakes that will have to wait until tomorrow after we’ve visited the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon.
BY THE WAY WITH WENDY & DAN 