Surprises

Layton, UT

I was all ready to write a post about Salt Lake City, and what happens when I visit a city with no particular plans just to say I've been there.  It was going to be about how I wander and see the usual tourist sites and am disappointed with what I end up doing.  And then this morning I ended up stumbling across a really good time, so that post is going to have to wait.

After I woke up, packed up my tent, and hiked down the gigantic hill I camped on top of last night, I went to a brewpub called Squatters this morning to get some food and try their beer.

View from where I camped. This really doesn't quite capture how high I had to climb, or how steep it was.

I had driven around downtown a bit, stopped in front of the Tabernacle, etc.  I was about ready to leave town because I wasn't sure what else to see, but had just driven by the brewpub and decided to stop.  So I stopped in and had some beer and breakfast. (Hey, one of the beers was an Oatmeal Stout, that's almost breakfast, right?)

I ended up asking the bartender if there was anything a tourist should see while they're in town, and he mentioned the Tabernacle but said it's not really worth going in, but then mentioned the Utah Arts Festival.  It turned out it was only a few blocks away and only $10 to go in, so I headed over.

Unfortunately, none of the bands were playing until later in the day, so I didn't get to see any of the music they had on the five stages, but I browsed some pretty cool art booths, saw a guy who helped kids use his glass blowing stuff to make their own, saw a guy playing the Chapman Stick, and ate some awesome chocolate covered strawberries and bananas.  It ended up being an awesome morning (even if it was extremely hot), and exactly what I was looking for - a unique experience that I wouldn't have elsewhere, and that not many other people would get when visiting Salt Lake City.

I gotta get back on the road so I can get up to Idaho Falls again, but here's a few pictures from the Festival.  (P.S. you can click on the pictures to see bigger versions.)

There were a ton of cool metal sculptures

This guy was... interesting.

Guy with the Chapman Stick

This guy had a whole bunch of these, all made out of layered paper.

Coolest wine bottle holder ever.

DELICIOUS