Temple Square - Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle, Conference Center, Downtown Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is a unique place. It has the Headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). It also has one of the biggest and most iconic temples of the LDS church. 

The Salt Lake Temple is made from solid granite which was quarried from the canyon about 20 miles away. It took 40 years to build and it was done all by hand. It is also the central point for the entire road system of the Salt Lake Valley, which is based on a grid system. 

4 photo panorama - Salt Lake Temple, Gray Sky (Taken Oct. 3, 2011)

The Salt Lake Temple is not the only thing to see in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. There is the entire Temple Square (including the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and well known Christus Statue in one of the Temple Square visitor centers), Conference Center, other LDS buildings, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the First Presbyterian Church, Saint Marks Episcopal Cathedral, and other churches. There are also malls like the Gateway and the new City Creek Center, theatres, museums, libraries, restaurants, Washington Square (and the Salt Lake City and County Building), and parks... Just to name a few.

LDS Salt Lake Temple after General Conference (October 2, 2011), Salt Lake City, Utah

LDS Conference Center after General Conference (October 2, 2011), Salt Lake City, Utah

Flowers at Temple Square (October 2, 2011), Salt Lake City, Utah

Flowers at Temple Square (October 2, 2011), Salt Lake City, Utah

LDS Conference Center Spire from atop the Conference Center (October 3, 2011), Slat Lake City, Utah

LDS Conference Center Spire from atop the Conference Center (October 3, 2011), Slat Lake City, Utah

The remainder of these photos were taken on April 11, 2012 

Flowers and LDS Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah

Tulip and Flowers, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

Leaves through window and the Beehive House, Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah State Capitol Building - Salt Lake City, Utah

8 photo panorama - Salt Lake City and University of Utah

11 photo panorama - Utah State Capitol Building, Salt Lake City, Utah

13 photo panorama - Temple Square (Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle, Conference Center) Salt Lake City, Utah

3 photo panorama - Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah

Window and glass fixture indie LDS Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Conference Center

7 photo panorama - LDS Conference Center interior

8 photo panorama - Salt Lake Temple view from atop Conference Center

8 photo panorama - Salt Lake Temple view from atop Conference Center

Monument Valley, Mexican Hat & Valley of the Gods

Monument Valley is a beautiful place. It is located on the Utah/Arizona border on the Navajo Reservation. The part we went to was the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. There are the Iconic buttes and there is a nice view from the visitor center. It is just five dollars to get in! We did not spend much of the day there but we were there long enough to take photos and look around a bit. I have been wanting to take photos in Monument Valley for a long time. Now I just have to do it on a morning just as the sun is coming up!

West Mitten Butte

Merrick Butte

West Mitten Butte

 You might notice that I am now saying how many photos it tool to make the panoramas. This is to help you realize how big these images can be. They really are huge!

12 photo panorama - Monument Valley looking South from US-163 in Utah looking South at the Utah/Arizona border.

17 photo panorama - Monument Valley with the West and East Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte just South of the Utah/Arizona border

4 photo panorama - Butte in Monument Valley

59 photo panorama - Monument Valley with the West and East Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte just South of the Utah/Arizona border

Wife and I

Good look at the rocky terrain 

Lines and Texture of desert in Monument Valley

Desert hills in Monument Valley

30 photo panorama - Monument Valley with the West and East Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte

 West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte framed in the visitor center windows

8 photo panorama - Monument Valley with the West and East Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte just South of the Utah/Arizona border

Mexican Hat got its name because it looks a mexican sombrero (hat) on a mexican al wrapped up in "Mexican" blankets. You can see this from the highway (US-163). Another cool thing that you see along this drive is a certain group of mountains. They have next to no vegetation on them so you can see all of the rock and its different colors. In some of the photos you can get a little glimpse of some of these mountains behind Mexican Hat. However, I would highly suggest seeing them in person.

Mexican Hat, UT

Mexican Hat, UT

Valley of the Gods is a place I want to go to some day... in a Jeep or other 4x4 vehicle. We did not get to see much of the Valley of the Gods except for what could be seen from the highway. We had had a long day and could only go to so many of all of the awesome places to see.

Small butte rock formation on the side of US-163 near Valley of the Gods

21 photo panorama - Valley of the Gods Panorama seen from US-163

The Moon was looking beautiful as the day was coming to an end. Speaking of the Moon... Tomorrow night the Moon is supposed to appear 14-16% larger and 30% brighter because it will be a little closer to Earth. The moon will come within 221,802 miles of Earth on Saturday night (May 5, 2012) ; technically at its closest at 9:34 p.m. MDT. So if you want to get a good sight of it head out tomorrow night!

Spring Tracks In Butler Wash

It is strange to think that the area you live in and are accustom to can be such a place of breathtaking beauty to someone who is visiting. One of those areas is Between Moab, UT and the Arizona border. I know some people who have their residence in the area. They have every chance and opportunity to see all the great and wondrous things there are to see down there. They have been to many places many times down there, but the biggest shock is comes to visitors. 

Continuing below are photos I took in the areas between Monticello and Bluff, UT. Some things you will see are ancient ruins, petroglyphs, ancient pottery and tool fragments, landscapes, rock formations, and lizards. All this we saw in one day, among other things and places. 

I can write more about all of it but I don't want to distract from the photos. If you have any questions ask in the comment section or email me. There are captions to the photos to give a little information,

Water fowl (I imagine goose) tracks on around Recapture Reservoir near Blanding, UT

Water of Recapture Reservoir from an outcropping of rock

Recapture Reservoir Panorama with Abajo Peak and West Mountain in the distance.

Recapture Reservoir shore

Recapture Reservoir, West Mountain, and my lovely wife.

A lizard we saw that was going to a pooled rain water for a drink.

Wife in a natural double-arch-cave-hole

From inside the natural double-arch-cave-hole looking out the hole-arch.

Ceiling from inside of the natural double-arch-cave-hole

Floor and wall from inside inside the natural double-arch-cave-hole

Wife looking at some ruins from inside the natural double-arch-cave-hole

Wife in the opening of the natural double-arch-cave-hole

Wife in the opening of the natural double-arch-cave-hole

Natural double-arch-cave-hole panorama

Ancient ruins near Butler Wash

Ancient ruins near Butler Wash

Blooming prickly pear cacti

Desert wild flowers

View of path over the natural double-arch-cave-hole

My beautiful wife crossing the natural double-arch-cave-hole (multiple images combined into one)

Ancient ruins near Bluff, UT

Looking at ancient ruins in canyon near Bluff, UT

Ancient petroglyphs near Bluff, UT

More ancient petroglyphs near Bluff, UT

More ancient petroglyphs near Bluff, UT

My wife taking video of ancient petroglyphs near Bluff, UT

More ancient petroglyphs near Bluff, UT

My wife climbing the crumbly dirt side of a canyon near Bluff, UT

Lizard texture!

Lizard glancing at me and my camera while sunbathing on a rock

A lizard sunbathing on a rock

Fun smaller rock formation

Same fun rock formation with a different lizard

Rock. Lizard.

Antelope/goat/deer-looking ancient petroglyph

My wife looking at some ancient ruins

My wife and I posing in front of ancient ruins

Doorway into ancient ruins

Shelf-like cubby in ancient ruins

Shelf-like cubby in ancient ruins

Shards of ancient pottery, tools, and other rocks that when found were placed on the ruins. Look, take photos, don't take them as souvenirs.

More shards of ancient pottery, tools, and other rocks

More shards of ancient pottery, tools, and other rocks

Close up of an ancient ruin

Ancient ruin

Ancient wall/shelf part of ancient ruins

Inside the canyon looking up where I took the previous photo

Looking up at the dirt my wife was climbing in a previous photo

Inside a desert canyon panorama

Panorama looking down in the same desert canyon

Panorama of mesa and desert in Utah

Panorama of mesa and desert in Utah - Tall

Panorama - desert, mesa, canyon, and Comb Ridge

Our car undercover in the desert. If you really know my car you know it looks nothing like this. I quickly changed it in photoshop for fun. Guess what the color actually is.