While Martin stayed back in Salt Lake City to catch up on some work, Gönül and I headed north of the city for the day. Our first stop was in Ogden for a quick look around.
The This Is the Place Monument marks the approximate spot where Brigham Young ended the long journey west for the Vanguard Company. He was thought to have said “This is the right place. Drive on.”
The Beehive House was the home and office of Brigham Young, the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first governor of Utah. It sits a block east of Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Temple Square is the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church. There are a lot of beautiful and important buildings open to visitors.
Is Fort Washakie, Wyoming, the resting place of the famed Shoshone guide who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition? The controversy surrounding the death of Sacajawea began in the early 1900s. She was thought to have died in 1812 of an unknown illness, but research through Shoshone oral tradition by suffragette Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard opened a new chapter in Sacajawea’s life with many unanswered questions.
In the middle of the Sweetwater Valley along Highway 220 in Wyoming, Independence Rock juts out of the ground. This rock stands 130 feet high, 1,900 feet long, and 850 feet wide. It was a landmark for emigrants heading west on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails.
Cheyenne is home to one of the greatest rodeo festivals in the world, Cheyenne Frontier Days. It takes place over ten days every year in July. It hosts parades, horse racing events, and the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. Nearly 200,000 people come from all over the world to attend the festival, which has been held annually since 1897.
Estes Park, Colorado, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and northern terminus of the Peak to Peak National Scenic Byway, is quite a contrast to the pristine nature that surrounds it. The small city has several hotels, restaurants, and shops to distract visitors from the natural beauty.
While neighboring Idaho Springs is famous for gold mines, Georgetown, Colorado, sprung up because of its silver mines. Today, this small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains preserves its original Victorian charm and offers plenty of opportunities for shopping, sightseeing, and recreational activities. It makes for a great day trip from the Denver area.