Read Almost Trailside: A True Story for Free Online Page A

larger than we had imagined. We were surprised at how smelly the huge lake was. There were a lot of flies so we didn’t stay outside of the station wagon for long. We noticed a lone sailboat on the lake in the distance but no other activity on the lake or around the shore. The deep blue Salt Lake was pretty in an eerie sort of way, but the surrounding shoreline was mysteriously barren, lacking trees and greenery. The terrain looked volcanic peaking my curiosity about its history.

    S
alt Lake City is the capital of Utah and the largest urban area in the Intermountain West with a population of 2 million people. Salt Lake City was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and several other Mormon followers. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 on the north side of town. The city historically was named “The Crossroads of the West”. Currently Salt Lake City is the industrial banking center of the United States. Tourism is a top industry year-round with world class ski resorts in the surrounding picturesque Wasatch Mountains, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, and scenic driving
.
    T
emple Square is a 10 acre complex located in the center of Salt lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church), and is home to the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Attracting 3 million to 5 million visitors a year, Temple Square, is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah
.
    T
he Great Salt Lake is located in the northern part of Utah and is the largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere. The lake covers an average of about 1,700 square miles and is the largest lake in the United States that is not part of the Great Lakes region. The lake has a very high salinity, far saltier than sea water. Known as “America’s Dead Sea”, the lake provides habitat for millions of native birds, brine shrimp, shorebirds, and waterfowl including the largest population of Wilsons Phalarope (a unique dainty shorebird) in the world
.

    We continued on Interstate 80 toward Reno, Nevada. After leaving the Salt Lake City area, there were very few towns along the Interstate. The highway was straight and long and definitely desert. No real trees to speak of and not even any tall cactus, just small scruffy looking little dessert bushes all over the valley and sand for as far as you could see.
    As it grew late, hours past the beautiful desert sunset, it became clear that we weren’t going to make Reno that night. We knew we had to stop somewhere for the night, but we didn’t know where.
    Finally, we saw a campground sign along the Interstate, the only one we ever saw, and decided to follow it. It was far off the highway, down a gully and up a steep hill. The narrow dirt road was dark, bumpy, and desolate. It was midnight by the time we knocked on the campground manager’s door. The campground was full, but the nice manager offered his front yard. It was an easy decision. We were too tired to drive any further.
    When we woke in the morning, sunlight revealed that we were camping on a wet muddy dirt area. It was real close to being a swamp. We all tracked a huge amount of mud into the little travel trailer last night but we were so tired and it was so dark that we didn’t even notice. I spent the morning cleaning the dried mud off of all of our shoes and mopping the little trailer’s floor. What a mess it was! There was no way any of us could step outside.
    Tommy carried Buffy out across the mud to a small dry weedy area so she could go potty. He carried the boys, one at a time, from the little trailer to the station wagon. Then he carried me to the station wagon. Hewas the only one with mud packed shoes, which he took off and drove in only his sox. When we got back out onto Interstate 80, he pulled over and changed into a clean pair of shoes.
    We were rested and more than anxious to leave the dirt and mud behind.
    Reno, here we come!

Chapter IV

    N ot far from Reno, at a hot little desert