Utah: Golden Spike and the Great Salt Lake

Well after leaving Pocatello, Idaho I had a fairly quick drive to the Golden Spike National Monument. This is where the two railroads from different coasts met and thereby settled the West. I was a bit slow in getting there because I ended up behind a massive line of motorcycles. Turns out it was some benefit and all the bikers lined up in front of the trains and got their pictures taken. It was actually good timing because as soon as I arrived they were doing a reenactment of the ceremony. I thought it would be a lame place because it's in the middle of nowhere Utah but seeing it brought to life really showed how important this place really is to American History. They also moved the trains back and forth along the tracks which was neat. I looked at a few exhibits but there really wasn't much else to do there so I headed out. As I was driving down the road back to the interstate there were rockets being launched from the ATK missile testing sight.

I got to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake around 3pm. I headed right to the "beach". Everyone talks about the Great Salt Lake so you assume it's famous for a reason other than being able to be seen from space. Well nobody says it is a massive, disgusting, cesspool of death. The "beach" is near a parking lot where you have to walk about a quarter mile down to the water over hot sand with sharp rocks in it. Then the entire shoreline is infested by sand fleas/gnats who buzz around in a hovering mass. The lake is actually warm and very shallow (33 feet is the deepest it gets) but it's filled with brine shrimp and the entire lake looks like someone threw tons of fish food in it and it's just floating around. The surface is covered in more brine flies. It is cool to just bob around due to the salt content but it really is disgusting. I got out after a bit and hurried to shower because the salt was starting to bug me. Since the Lake has inlets only in a few parts and no outlet, the water only leaves through evaporation therefore leaving the stench of salt and minerals behind. In the farthest reaches of the Lake salt is piled 3-4 foot deep on the bottom. I stayed at the campground on the island and it was a roasting pit. There was no running water or shade but it did have a lovely view of the lake. It was almost 100 degrees so I set up my tent and sat beneath the awning at a picnic table trying to cool down. There was a beautiful sunset and I stayed warm throughout the night which was a first.

Well this Internet is really slow so there's no pictures for this blog