It was so nice on Thursday to not have to be up at the crack of dawn to get on the road to our next destination, as we had one more day in St. George, Utah. We were able to spend a lazy morning fixing breakfast, doing emails and a crossword puzzle. We then began a mission to find replacement windshield wipers for the RV. With a Camping World right in town, we thought this would take about 15 minutes. No such luck. We spent several hours in our search, both driving to places and on the phone. Never did find the correct kind.
The rest of the beautiful afternoon (sunny and mid 80’s) took us to downtown St. George. What a lovely area! St. George is like most mid-sized towns – it has an actual downtown area and then, just outside of town is a mall and the requisite “big box” stores. St. George is home to Dixie State College, which is right in town. That and being a tourist destination probably contribute to the downtown area being able to thrive. We parked the car and strolled the streets. We started at the St. George Temple of Latter Day Saints, a white stucco structure that dominates the downtown skyline. That old saying of, “You learn something new every day” certainly applied to us on this visit. Most towns have a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But not many cities have a Temple. Because we were not members of this religion, we were not allowed into the Temple. They had a very nice Visitor’s Center that displayed pictures of the inside of the Temple. Latter Day Saints celebrate their “ordinances” in a temple – marriages, baptisms, etc. Their temples are considered holy places patterned after The Temple in Jerusalem. Another claim to “the oldest. . . “ – the St. George Temple is the oldest surviving Temple. The construction of the temple in Salt Lake was started before this one, but St. George’s temple was completed and dedicated first. Our next stop was the St. George Tabernacle. We were allowed inside this building, and this is where I asked the difference between a tabernacle and a temple. The tabernacle was used as a place to worship but also by the whole community for civic meetings and gatherings. It is still used today for concerts and other functions. There is a little Michigan connection with this tabernacle. Miles Romney, Gov. George Romney’s grandfather (Mitt’s great-grandfather) was the construction manager and he built the two spiral staircases leading to the loft area. Along with these two buildings, we saw at least 3 “regular” LDS churches around St. George where most people attend services.
One downtown block had a fun, outdoor green space. Here we saw kids laughing and playing in an area where water shoots up at random out of the ground. That connected to an area with permanent tables and chairs with families having picnics. Beyond this was a large grassy area for impromptu games of touch football or soccer or just plain running. For those of you who have been there, it reminded us of the marina area in Ludington.
Another block was called Ancestors Square. This was a square of shops and restaurants (we ate here) that surround a serene courtyard. Things were being set up for a free musical performance, which happens several nights a week.
Two blocks further was the winter home of Brigham Young. Upon traveling from Salt Lake to oversee the construction of the temple in St. George, Young found the climate good for his health and built a home here. Besides being the second president of the Mormons, Brigham Young was governor of the Territory of Utah (an area that covered much of California also) before it became a state.
The temple, the tabernacle and the Young home are all maintained by the LDS church. There was no entrance charge at any of the locations. We knew that young adult Mormons must serve as missionaries. We did not know that senior members of the church also perform mission work. Both at the tabernacle and the Young home, our tour guides were senior citizens, doing their mission work. Our guide at the temple visitor’s center was a lovely young woman from Missouri and one from France. At the Young home, a young woman from Ireland was leading another group. All were warm and kind and engaging.
Our day ended with a bike ride and then getting everything ready to leave this morning. We left St. George at 8:45 am (Utah time), continuing west to California. Our destination today is a campground about 35 miles outside of Los Angeles. The GPS says it is a 7-hour drive, but will be at least 8 as we stop at rest areas to stretch our legs and fix lunch.
In fact, we just stopped at the first rest area after crossing into California. Some rest areas are boring and some are interesting. This one was a good one – with lots of visual displays explaining the Mojave Desert, which was in front of us.
Since we really have no other time restrictions until the end of June, we will pick spots, set up camp and do day trips to whatever suits our fancy. Sometimes, my fancy isn’t exactly Mike’s fancy. Then we will go by Mike’s 2 Rules For Life:
1- We’ll compromise and do it her way; or
2- She’ll either get over it or she won’t.
Let’s hope it will be more of the former rather than the latter!
Pictures today are: the St. George Temple; the Romney-built stairway; a portrait of Brigham Young in his living room; the outside of the Young winter home; how can you resist a picket fence, especially with the “Life is Good” saying? ; a unique breadstick and unique presentation. The dough is twisted around a wooden rod and baked – Yummy!; an example of whimsical sculptures all around downtown St. George that help make the area so appealing. The sign on the other side says “The Lookout”, the name of the sculpture; the St. George Tabernacle; and one last look at the beautiful scenery around St. George
No comments:
Post a Comment