Road Trips : US Tour 1997 : SLC 1
Wednesday 3 September 1997:
Boy, is Nevada a boring state to drive across. I'd forgotten just how monotonous it actually is. The scenery is really interesting for the first fifteen minutes. And then it never changes. Fortunately the speed limit's 75, and there are some interesting towns to drive through if you leave the freeway.
Winnemucca was as exciting as ever. Lunch in Battle Mountain was a
joy; imagine eating at McDonald's not because you want to or because
you're trying to save money, but because THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THERE!
All this scenery and solitude and flat-out boredom gave me time to ponder
many of my life's mysteries and challenges, but discussion of that will
have to wait.
As if to serve as a warning about the repression inherent to Utah, the
speed limit inexplicably drops to 55 at the state line, and continues
at this glacial pace for about ten miles of nonexistent road construction.
A mild gas trauma greeted me as I hit Salt Lake City; I've never seen
any city with so few gas stations on the outskirts. I was near panic,
but I survived.
Once in the city, though, and once settled at Eric's place, I began
feeling more comfortable with the surroundings. This was a pretty big
relief, as this was the first of many nights to come sleeping in the
home of someone I've never met. Points to Eric for pulling off a potentially
uncomfortable scenario and making me feel right at home.
Dinner at Bill and Nada's Diner -- a truly wonderful place with chicken-fried
steak, chocolate cream pie and individual juke boxes at each table --
was followed by a tour of neon Salt Lake by night and a couple of beers
at the Deer Hunter, where disco never died.
Thursday 4 September 1997
This morning brought a daylight version of the tour, with stops by the Deseret Industries Thrift Store, Sam Weller's Book Store, and the Utah State Fair (two hours before it opened). Then I was treated to a look at the surprisingly cruisy parks in Sugar House and Memory Grove. Lunch at Hire's Big H, with carhop and tray.
I could go into more detail about Salt Lake City and the "Mormon
factor" and all, and I will...later...Right now I'm fantasizing
about Beck on MTV and trying not to think about tomorrow's horrendous
drive to Denver.
Thursday night in Salt Lake brought a trip to Brick's, the happenin' bar in town. The scenery was nice, if untouchable; it was all-age rave children night. Nice bar...they serve double-size Rolling Rocks. I'm not sure if this is a good thing.
A few more random notes on Salt Lake City:
It was similarly unnerving to note the similarities between Eric (my host) and myself. That's another story entirely.
Salt Lake is a definite cute boy magnet. Maybe that caffeine-avoidance and all that clean living have some benefits. Everyone looks really healthy here.
It's frightening how much this place reminds me of North Carolina. Substitute "Southern Baptist" for "LDS" and you immediately understand both the religion and the politics, not to mention the oppression. Also, Greensboro and Salt Lake are physically similar in a number of ways; both are about the same size and both seem to have a huge preoccupation with making sure that everything is pretty and inoffensive and appears free of any type of conflict.
All in all, I had a strangely good time in Salt Lake City. My good experience here made me somewhat less apprehensive about the mysteries of the remainder of the trip.
