First
vacation of 2016! Time to leave the daily grind of work and school for a week
and enjoy stunning nature. Time to exercise by walking, hiking, and jogging.
Time to learn more about wildlife, geysers, and history. My vacation was
perfect….even the weather cooperated and it didn’t rain a single day! What does
this mean? Time for my first blog of 2016!
Utah—Mormons, Bison, and Winter Olympics
Success
First,
we went to Salt Lake City. The city is steeped with Mormon history, and at the
city’s visitor center, there are some pretty cool exhibits on the history of
Mormonsim. The religion was begun by Joseph Smith, who allegedly had God offer
him instructions while he was chilling in a forest. Mormons started in New
York, then moved westward to Illinois, then to Ohio and Missouri. Their
neighbors usually did not treat them well and kicked them out. As a matter of
fact, a century before Hitler, the governor of Missouri at the time, Lillburn Burns,
issued “Executive Order 44”, also known as the “Extermination Order”, which
said: “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or
driven from the state”. After the death of Joseph Smith, several sects of
Mormons came about, based on which leader they chose to follow. The larges. Sect,
with around 12,000 followers followed Brigham Young, and moved to Salt Lake
City, Utah. Other sects are around Michigan Boston, and Philadelphia (Romney
family, why did you abandon Philly?) A couple of interesting facts about the
Mormons: they consider themselves as one of the lost tribes of Israel (which is
probably a reason why they have historically treated Jews so well), and they
are not allowed to drink caffeine or alcohol, smoke, gamble, or have premarital
sex. What do these people do for fun? Well, at one point, they had polygamy
(multiple wives), but that then died down as it is illegal in the States. SO I
guess now they just go skiing, watch the Jazz barely make the playoffs, and
follow the MLS’ Real Salt Lake (the ones in Utah, at least)?
The
Mormon temple is just beautiful, though. It kind of looks like a Dutch castle,
with water fountains springing up right across from the entrance. The church
itself is surrounded by neat little green gardens….very organized and detailed.
Downtown Salt Lake City also has neat houses…modern, large, and look comfy…I
would live there if it wasn’t freaking Salt Lake City!. The only other notable
site is Salt Lake is the Capitol, which kind of looks like DC’s capitol, just
significantly smaller. I was surprised by the lack of security…probably since
not that many people live in Utah.
Another
cool place to visit in Utah is the misnamed “Antelope Island”. Instead of
antelopes, there are herds of bison. Bison, also known as buffalo, were once
all over the US….according to some estimates, over 64 million. But then,
American settlers decided that bison meat is delicious (I can personally
confirm that it is), and these giant animals were hunted, until only 300 were
left at the turn of the 20th century. But buffalo are now making a
comeback…there are now 7,000 in the wild, in just 3 states: Utah, South Dakota,
and Wyoming. Buffalo look kind of bizarre…..furry at the top, almost naked at
the bottom. They seem slow and lazy, but watch out….piss one off, and you can
get tossed feet by the powerful horns, by a large animal that can run up to 35
mph. Anyways, back to Antelope Island; other than bison, there is also a giant
salt lake, but good luck swimming in it, as it’s filled with goo and has a
shoreline made of stones. Other than the salt lake and the bison, the area
actually looks pretty bleak and depressing, just a lot of sand and empty
valleys. I didn’t like it…but watching a buffalo run at full speed is funny!
Of
course, the 2002 Winter Olympic games were held in Park City, which is about a
40 minute drive to Salt Lake City. Today, the Olympics site has turned into a
museum. There’s Olympic history, exhibits, skiing simulations, and even an
obstacle course. Every weekend, there are ski jumping shows (the skiiers jump
into pools during the summer), which I was fortunate enough to witness. The
most fun part is riding in a bobsled. A professional driver actually took me on
the very same course as the bobsledders used during the Olympics! In the
winter, these go as fast as 88 mph; the Olympics record is 98 mph. But in the
summer, I only reached 71mph. A bobsled ride is thrilling! You have to sit in a
specific way, hold on to rope in a certain manner…even arch your back at a
certain angle. It’s fun to be a passenger, but I think I’ll stick to driving
cars at those speeds, rather than bobsleds! Boston could have done the same
thing with the summer Olympics….have the world’s biggest sport in a city with
the most passionate fans, then make money off the museums and activities,
creating hundreds of jobs. The pone thing not cool about Boston is that some of
us have this provincial, isolationist attitude about anything not Boston, and
we can certainly don better.
South Dakota—Hall of Fame for American Leaders
The
first stop on my itinerary at this state was Independence Rock. This is
basically a huge mountain, which served as the North Star on the Oregon Trail.
It is close to the halfway point of migrants travelling form St. Louis to Utah,
Oregon, and California. If travelers reached this destination before the 4th
of July, they had a good chance of reaching their final destination before the
first snows. If they survived the journey, that is. The most common deaths were
due to getting run over by wagon wheels (driven by oxen or horses), and getting
yourself shot with your own gun (LOL). Another common cause was dysentery,
where a perfectly healthy person could die within 24 hours form drinking
poisoned water. The dead were usually hastily buried in mass graves, wherever
they died. Learning about the Oregon Trail reminds me of this game I played in
elementary school “The Oregon Trail”, where you could hunt food, do other fun
things, and yes, die of dysentery.
Of
course, anyone visiting South Dakota must view Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Borklum
embarked on the project to carve the faces of 4 presidents. Originally conceived
during the Coolidge Administration, the carvings of faces of 4 American iconic
presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and
Abraham Lincoln (in that order, left to right) were finished during the FDR administration,
shortly before WWII. The faces were made by blasting away parts if the
mountains, and it was impossible to add anything back to the face post-blast ,
so the blasts required a lot of careful logistics and planning. At the entrance
of Mount Rushmore, there is a flag of every American state, plus Puerto Rico
and the US Virgin Islands, as well as the year that they joined the country.
Once you get past these flags, you can walk around for as long as you want,
snapping pictures from various angles. I got some good ones! Also, there is a
team that monitors geological changes, flagging potential threats to the
faces….so far there are none, but if there were, appropriate measures would
need to be taken!
After
Mount Rushmore, I also saw the head of the Native American leader, “Crazy
Horse”, of the Oglala Lakota tribe. This chief was one of the few leaders who
refused to sign a treaty with Americans settlers, giving his land away to them,
instead constantly fighting against them. His biggest victory was at the
:Battle of Bighorn” (also known as Custer’s Last Stand), and yes, I’ve also
visited the site! He stood up for his tribe’s interests, and for that he has my
outmost respect. Apparently, he also earned the respect of, Korczak Ziolkowski,
a Polish immigrant and student of, who, along with his wife, privately financed,
then built a huge head dedicated to Crazy Horse, carved out of mountain stone.
Today, the family is continuing its artwork, working on Crazy Horse’s horse.
The monument is larger than each Egyptian Pyramid, and each of the 4 faces at
Mount Rushmore, combined. It is pretty expensive to visit, though, and, unlike
Mount Rushmore, you can’t walk up to the mountain top by yourself, but must pay
for a bus to take you up to snap pictures, and yuu only get limited time and
angles to do so. Quite a ripoff, actually. And they say that private enterprise
is always more cost-effective and efficient (haha!)
Other
than mountains and carvings, there is not that much to do in South Dakota. Not
many people, at all. Driving is fun, though! I got to break my US driving
record of 115 mph, because there are so few cars (the speed limit is technically
80 mph, but there are practically no highway cops). The scariest part of
driving in South Dakota is passing cars. There is only one lane of traffic each
way, but you can pass on the opposite side of the road. Just make sure to leave
enough time to get back in your lane, before colliding with a car heading in
the opposite direction head-on….I’ve had a couple of close calls! Along the
drive, there are many beautiful red mountains; the red represent opportunities
to mine copper, which people have frequently done here. Other than thrill of driving, Custer State
Park is a cool place to check out, where there is this pretty lake, Sylvan
Lake, where you can go swimming. The water is warm, and I was able to
successfully swim across the lake (don’t try this by yourself, unless you’re a
decent swimmer, like me). Also, when I was in South Dakota, I saw a forest
fire, which is apparently normal and happens naturally, although fire crews
were working on putting this one out. A forest fire is an interesting, a bit
scary event to witness!
Wyoming—Wildlife, Wilderness, and the Wild
West
Every
person in the world, let alone the USA, should visit a national park. There is
this power of nature. It calms you. It makes you feel healthier, stronger, more
confident, more relaxed, at peace. It’s a way to wind down, to mediate, to
recover, to learn. In the words of Laurence Rockfeller, “In the midst of the
complexities of modern life, with all its pressures, the spirit of man needs to
refresh itself by communion with unspoiled nature. In such surroundings,
occasional as our visits may be, we can achieve the kind of physical and spiritual
renewal that comes alone from the wonder of the natural world." My escapes
form life were the Yellowsstone National Park and Grand Teton.
Yellowstone
National Park. is a couple hundred miles long, and is the home to bison, deer,
moose, bighorn sheep also known as rams),
both black and brown bears, and various species of birds, including eagles,
hawks, ravens, and owls. Driving in Yellowstone is scary….on a couple of
occasions, a buffalo was either walking on the road I was driving on, or on the
opposite side! These animals may seem slow and lazy, but piss one off, and you
are dead. So imagine driving, slowly, quietly, past a buffalo, just inches from
you, and making eye contact! I also saw blackhorn sheep, deer, falcons, and a
vulture. Yellowstone has a wildlife rule: stay at least 100 feet away from the
bears and bison, and at least 25 feet from all of the other wildlife….trust me,
a wise plan! Yellowstone, of course, offers more than just a home for wildlife.
There are a couple of neat waterfalls and a few lakes (one, Yellowstone, is
huuugeee); if you get lucky, you can catch moose or bears fishing
(unfortunately, I did not!) The lakes are freezing, though, swimming is
prohibited, and you need a ranger’s permit even to boat there.. The highlight
of Yellowstone are the numerous geysers, though. There are only 6 locations
with active geysers: New Zealand, Chile eastern Russia, the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean (random!) and Yellowstone National Park. A geyser forms when
there is heat, water, and an active volcano site, as well as a “reservoir” of
water. With some geysers over 200 degrees Celsius, they are scalding hot….someone
dumb enough to touch one could get injured and even killed! Geysers are dangerous,
but beautiful. They are like pools you can’t swim in, just more colorful…red,
orange, blue and green colors all mesh together as vapor fills the air. Truly a
unique site you should check out for yourself, but see my geyser photos in the
meantime!
The
other national park worth checking out in Wyoming is Grand Teton. This park has
some spectacular views of mountain tops. At first glance, you could be forgiven
if you mistake the white tips for snow; they are actually just sand. Some of
the lakes offer guided scenery tours, and I even swam and boated in one (String
Lake). Grand Teton is most known for its active bear population, both grizzlies
and black bears. I saw a black cub! There are signs all over the park warning
you to leave all food locked in “bear-proof” containers. Do you know how to
survive a bear attack? First you use bear spray, if the bear notices you. At the
same time, make a lot of noise, hopefully scaring the bear away. If the bear
still attacks, play dead. If the bear is still on you, as a last resort fight
back. Never run! This attracts the bear to you and tempts it to give chase. Me?
I would carry a knife. How does one “fight back” against a bear without any
weapons? Better yet, stay over 100 feet from the bear, and pray it does nto
notice you!
Of
course, no story on Wyoming would be complete without mentioning its 2 historic
towns, Jackson, and Cody. Jackson looks like it was taken right out of a late
1800s Wild West town, with similar architecture. The restaurants have live
entertainment, and the bars can get quite rowdy. So different from an East
Coast city, and so fun! Cody looks like a more modern city, and it was founded
by William Cody, who many know as “Buffalo Bill”. This outdoorsman and explorer
colonized much of Wyoming and other parts of the “Wild West’, eventually
starring in “road shows”, which took him to 47 states and 12 locations in
Europe, including a private viewing by the British Royal family. Cody once
killed fought, and bragged about killing, Native Americans, but later in his
life, as he got to know them better as part of the cast on his road shows, he
changed his views and became one of the fiercest advocates for their rights,
often criticizing how they were being treated by the American government, and
even supporting Native American citizenship/He built a museum in Cody, and it
was pretty awesome to elarn about his life, and the history of the city!
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