UTAH! SALT LAKE CITY AND PARK CITY & COTTONWOOD CANYON... ANTELOPE ISLAND STATE PARK

 

MANY PEOPLE HAD POO POO'D THE IDEA OF OUR VISITING SALT LAKE CITY BUT WE CORRECTLY ENVISIONED THE AREA AS ONE WORTH SPENDING SOME TIME AROUND. SURE WE DID SOME ODD THINGS... LIKE VISITING THE HOUSE WHERE ELIZABETH SMART WAS ABDUCTED FROM (GAINING NATIONWIDE PUBLICITY), AND ALSO DID SOME 'FROM THE STREET" VIEWING OF THE MANY OUTLANDISH LDS (LATTER DAY SAINTS, AKA MORMONS) BUILDINGS 0 OF WHICH THERE WERE MANY AND THESE WERE OFTEN QUITE LARGE... BUT OVERALL SALT LAKE CITY WAS MESMERIZING  IN IT LAYOUT, SPARKLE, CLEANLINESS AND UNIQUENESS.  PLACE WAS VERY MODERN IN MANY RESPECTS, YET STILL HAD A TON OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS HAPPENING WHICH CAUSED GREAT CONFLICTS BETWEEN OUR PHONE GOOGLE MAPS AND GARMIN GPS.  ABOVE PICTURE IS OF COTTONWOOD CANYON ON OUR WAY BACK FROM TRIPPIN' FOR A DAY IN PARK CITY AND KAMAS, UTAH.  BELOW IS AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT WE MISTAKENLY THOUGHT WAS THE ONE JIMMY KIMMEL HAD BOUGHT RECENTLY.  DUH.

 BELOW IS THE MAP TO ANTELOPE ISLAND STATE PARK- AND THIS PLACE WAS STUNNING!  LESS THAN AN HOUR DRIVE NORTH FROM SALT LAKE, ONCE YOU ARRIVE, IT TAKES A FEW HOURS TO DRIVE AROUND AND TAKE THINGS IN.  

 HECKLE & JECKLE WERE THE RESIDENT RAVENS  WHO WERE TASKED WITH GREETING US BEFORE SUNRISE....

SOME VIEWS WITHIN THE ANTELOPE ISLAND PARK WERE, LET SAY, "GRAND CANYONESQUE."

 

 

 

IN THE STATE PARK ACTUALLY SITS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUSLY OPERATED RANCH IN ALL OF THE USA.... SINCE THE MID 1800'S!! BELOW IS A REMNANT COVERED WAGON WHICH WAS MODERN FOR THAT DAY BACK IN TIME.

 

HAVING SPENT 3 MONTHS IN ALASKA YEARS AGO, AND ALSO HAVING VISITED YELLOWSTONE 3X, WE WERE QUITE SURPRISED TO ENCOUNTERED MANY MORE BISON ON THIS ISLAND THAN ANYWHERE ELSE WE'D BEEN!  THERE IS SUPPOSEDLY A RESIDENT BISON POPULATION OF 600-700, AND WE THING WE SAW EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM CROSS THE ROAD AND DIFFERENT POINTS IN OUR JOURNEY TODAY.

TWIN FALLS IDAHO

 SITE OF EVEL KNIEVEL'S ACTUAL FAILED  ROCKET MOTORCYCLE JUMP IN THE 1970'S

 

 

BELOW IS COULEE FALLS NEAR CENTENNIAL PARK IN TWIN FALLS.  YOU COULD ACTUALLY WALK BEHIND THESE FALLS!

 

ABOVE IS THE PERRINE BRIDGE ABOVE SNAKE RIVER... NEAR THE PLACE THAT EVEL KNIEVEL ATTEMPTED HIS JUMP.

 

BELOW IS OUR KAYAK ADVENTURE AT BLUE HEART SPRINGS, IDAHO .... LOTS OF SASQUATCHY &  BIG FOOT-ISH  BEINGS LIVE IN THIS AREA!!!

 

 

NICE GATHERING OF WHITE PELICANS!!
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4th of July in BOISE IDAHO.... but first, a word from our BROKEN DOWN NEEDS A TOW RV!

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 BEFORE LEAVING UMATILLA, OREGON, (THE NICE CAMPGROUND PICTURED ABOVE) WE STOPPED AT A PLACE CALLED "HAT ROCK STATE PARK"... DOESNT ILEA ROCK THAT 'HAT' ABOVE HER HEAD? YOU WON'T BE SMILING SOON KIDDO....

 

 

 

UH OH!! WE NEED A TOW.  ABOUT HALF WAY BETWEEN UMATILLA AND NEXT STOP , BOISE (1/2 HOUR WEST OF BAKER CITY) I SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I HAD ANY POWER STEERING IN THE RV!   QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER TO INVESTIGATE AND SURE ENOUGH APPARENTLY ONE OF THE POWER STEERING HYDRAULIC HOSES INSTANTANEOUSLY HEMMORAGED OUT ALL ITS FLUID- ALL OVER THE REAR ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND ALSO ONTO THE POOR INNOCENT CRV WE TOW!

TOOK ABOUT 3 HOURS TO GET THE ACTUAL TOWING ROLLING ALONG- BUT HURRAY FOR US, WE HAVE BOTH AAA AND GOOD SAM SO WERE COVERED FOR THE TOW... RIGHT?  RIGHT???????   RIGHT ??????????????? OH BOY, WE ARE ONLY COVERED FOR THE FIRST $500....... AND THIS TOW COST US AS EXTRA $900 OUT OF POCKET UNFORTUNATLY.  NOW WE ARE MINDFUL THIS DAY IS JULY 1ST AND WE ARE GOING INTO THE SHOP AROUND 2PM ON WEDNESDAY.  FRIDAY EVERYTHING IS CLOSED FOR THE 3 DAY 250TH CELEBRATIONS.  YIKES- NOT GOOD!!!  IF WE DON'T GET SOMEONE ON THIS IMMEDIATELY, WE'D LIKELY BE MAROONED  FOR THE ENTIRE HOLIDAY WEEKEND (LOSING MONEY SPENT FOR CAMPING AT BOISE KOA, AND HAVING TO PAY OUT FOR NEW ACCOMMODATIONS.  LUCKY FOR US, I FOUND 'GRUMPYS', A HIGHLY RATED TRUCK PLACE WHO WITH A LITTLE PERSUASION AGREED TO WORK ON IT  THIS VERY DAY (EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE BOOKED A FEW WEEKS OUT).... BUT, THIS WORK WOULD NEED TO BE DONE AT AN HOURLY RATE EQUAL TO THE  EMERGENCY SERVICE RATE.  4 HOURS LATER WITH YET ANOTHER FEW GRAND LESS IN THE BANK ACCOUNT, WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO BOISE.

 

 BOISE FOR THE 4TH OF JULY AT A LOCAL PARK WITH AN EAGLE/FLAG SCULPTURE.

BOISE IS THE CAPITOL CITY IN IDAHO, AND THE PICTURE BELOW IS SHOT FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAPITOL LOOKING OUT ACROSS THE STREET- THROUGH THE FLAG HANGING OUTSIDE ON THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAPITOL BUILDING..

 

BELOW AT THE CAPITOL BUILDING, IT APPEARS THAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS STATE DO TAKE PRIDE IN THEY'RE BEING CONNECTED TO THE POTATO!!! 

ILEA LOOKING GOOD IN THE CAPITOL...

 

 

BILL IS THRILLED THAT THIS CITY ACTUALLY HAS LAWS THAT REQUIRE ONE TO BACK INTO THEIR PARKING SPACE!!!!!!   WHOOOO HOOO!!!! 

 

 

BOISE WAS VERY IMPRESSED YEARS AGO BY A TRAVELING EXHIBITION FOR THE HOLOCAUST WHICH INCLUDED SCULPTURES OF ANNE FRANK.  SO MUCH WERE THEY IMPRESSED THAT THEY WENT AND CREATED THEIR OWN ANNE FRANK MEMORIAL... WHICH WAS A TOUCHING TRIBUTE.  ESPECIALLY SO NOWADAYS WHEN IDIOTS LIKE THE PROUD BOYS MARCH AROUND OUR COUNTRY DISSING JEWS AND OTHER MINORITIES.

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA/CANADA & SEATTLE WASHINGTON....

 

 

FIRST STOP IN VANCOUVER- THE AQUABUS.  CUTE EFFICIENT SYSTEM OF BOATS THAT TAKES ONE BACK AND FORTH ALL OVER THE HARBOR.  THERE WERE A SLEW OF COOL MODERN BUILDINGS- BUT THE BEST THING WE SAW WAS A HUGE OLD SAILING SHIP MOORED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER THAT HAD A BIG OLD USA FLAG HANGING UPSIDE DOWN, WITH "F%#K TRUMP"  AND "NO 51ST STATE!"  IN REFERENCE TO THE IMBECILE'S COMMENTS ABOUT MAKING CANADA THE 51ST STATE.  BELOW, EVIDENCE OF THE FIFA GAMES INSANITY SHOWED UP IN THESE UNIQUE SOCCER TABLE GAMES.

 

BELOW- NEAT PRESENTATION OF VIETNAMESE FOOD WITH A TRIPOD OF HUGE SHRIMP OVER MY MANGO-DAIKON SALAD.

 

ABOVE- AN ORCA MADE OF LEGOS... ALTHOUGH IT DOES LOOK LIKE A PICTURE THAT HAS BLURRED OUT THE ORCA DUE TO WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM OR PERHAPS TO HIDE ITS PRIVATE PARTS.   BELOW IS JUST PART OF WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN AIRPORT FOR SEAPLANES IN THE HARBOR.  THERE WERE SO MANY SEAPLANES IN THE WATER AND COMING AND GOING AS WE WATCHED.

  

 

THE AMAZING MOVIE ON NETFLIX WITH SALLY FIELD-  REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES HAD FILMING DONE IN VANCOUVER AT THEIR AQUARIUM AND ALSO AT A PLACE CALLED 'DEEP COVE'.  WE VISITED BOTH LOCATIONS, AND THE DOCK BELOW IS THE ACTUAL DOCK IN THE MOVIE.  IT IS WHERE THE OCTOPUS MARCELLUS IS FINALLY FREED BY FIELDS.  THE KAYAK BUSINESS PICTURED IS ALSO THE ONE IN THE MOVIE.

 

 

AT THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM OCTOPUS TANK...
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BELOW IS A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE OUT ONTO THE LYNN CANYON SUSPENSION BRIDGE.  SADLY MANY PEOPLE MAKE THIS THEIR 'FINAL WALK'  PRIOR TO GIVING INTO THE REALITY OF THE GRIP OF GRAVITY.

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BELOW WE RECREATED THE SCENE FROM SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE AT THE FISH MARKET WHERE BILLY CRYSTAL ASKS ROB RIENER "SO HOWS MY BUTT?".

 

 

 

AGAIN- IN SEATTLE WHERE THE FIFA GAMES LOOM LARGE, THEIR TROLL IS DECKED OUT WITH A SOCCER BALL . WHILE IT IS KNOWN SEATTLE TRAFFIC DOES NORMALLY SUCK- IT WAS AT A NEW LEVEL OF "UUUUUHG" DURING OUR STAY HERE WITH THE FIFA FRENZY.

 

 HAVING NOT MISSED A SINGLE EPISODE OF 'GREYS ANATOMY' OVER THE YEARS, I FELT COMPELLED TO VISIT SEATTLE KERRY PARK- WHERE THERE HAD BEEN MANY SCENES SHOT FOR THE SERIES.... OH, MEREDITH.....(WE HAD A FRIEND WHO KNEW ELLEN POMPEO.)

 

SEATTLE ACTUALLY HAS A CEMENT FLOATING BRIDGE. THAT IS CORRECT- A CEMENT BRIDGE THAT FLOATS!  APPARENTLY THEY MAKE CEMENT BOXES LARGE ENOUGH TO INVERT UPSIDEDOWN (TO HOLD AIR IN THE POCKET OF THE BOX) INCREDIBLE!