Mountains From the Air and Salt Lake City

We had some amazing views of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest from the plane on our way back from Portland to Charlotte (via Salt Lake City).  Shortly after take off, Colin pointed out the mountain peaks we could see looking north out the window. We basically flew right over Mt. Hood, which is only 60-65 miles from Portland and we could easily see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams in Washington.

Mt. Hood in the forefront and Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, 

and Mt Adams from left to right in the distance

Flying over Mt. Hood

The skies remained clear during the 2 hour flight from Portland to Salt Lake City, so we had more great views of the city and the lake during our arrival into and departure from the city.  Rather than sit in the airport for 4 hours, we decided to go into the city to grab some lunch and explore a bit.  Since it was a holiday (Labor Day), the free shuttles were not running from the airport to downtown, but we were able to share a cab with a traveling musician who also had some time to kill before his show.  

Our view of Salt Lake City from the plane on our way in

One of the things that surprised me was how wide the streets and city blocks were.  All of the streets lined up in perfect squares and the roads were about 6-8 lanes wide.  And, walking 5 city blocks, with a backpack filled with 2 weeks worth of gear, in the middle part of a hot summer day felt very difficult.  The other surprise was seeing the mountains pop out from the end of the roads.  The landscape reminded me of Las Vegas - but oh how different the city is!

Wide city streets and blocks and mountains in the distance

We came across some cute city plazas and parks downtown as we made our way to Temple Square.  Just before arriving there, we stopped to take a break in a very cute outdoor mall.

A plaza in downtown Salt Lake City

I had never seen any pictures or images of Temple Square before our arrival, so I didn't know what to expect.  Thankfully, there were some informational boards in the square that shared information about what we were looking at.  Coming from the south, it was hard to miss the massive, 420ft, 28 story, Church Office Building. This building towered over almost all buildings in Salt Lake City.  As we entered the square we were also surrounded by beautifully manicured lawns, flowers, fountains, and walking paths.  Once in the square, the prominent 222ft Salt Lake Temple took center stage.

The Church Office Building in Temple Square

The perfectly manicured lawn in Temple Square

Salt Lake Temple

We didn't have enough time to do a lot of exploring on the grounds or in the buildings. Being a holiday, I'm not sure if any were open. But, I later found out you can go to an observation deck on the 26th floor of the Church Office Building and see amazing views of the surrounding landscape.  I'm not sure we could have gotten much better views than from a plane though!

Instead of exploring Temple Square, we decided to get lunch. Using our trusted Yelp.com app, we made our way to The Copper Onion, a highly rated "foodie" restaurant with a NYC chef.  Colin ordered the steak salad and I ordered the portobello mushroom salad with the side of chickpeas.  As is our routine, we shared each our our plates and is difficult to say which was better. They were both delicious and well worth leaving the airport to experience.

Steak Salad at The Copper Onion in Salt Lake City

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich and Chickpeas

With an hour and a half until our plane's scheduled departure, we called a cab from the restaurant and made our way back to the airport.  I tried to get a better picture of the mountains "hugging" the city from the cab.  

Looking west at downtown Salt Lake City

We were back in the airport with plenty of time to get back through security to our gate.  In fact, we ended up waiting at the gate for over an hour because our plane left a little late.  I was so glad we didn't sit in the airport for over four hours, breathing that stuffy air and eating over-priced, crappy food.  Going into downtown, walking around (even in the heat), and getting a good meal made the long day of travel so much more bearable.

On our departure from Salt Lake City, we had more clear views of the surrounding landscape and the Great Salt Lake itself. 

 

The Great Salt Lake, Utah

The 3.5 hour flight to Charlotte was mostly smooth and relaxing and we actually arrived in Charlotte 30 minutes early.  Unfortunately, because the Democratic National Convention was getting ready to begin, the airport was crowded and the gate was not ready for us to arrive.  So, we sat on the plane for 45 minutes and ended up arriving 15 minutes late.  Between our long layover in Salt Lake City and flying to eastern standard time, it was after 11pm in Charlotte when we reached our car.  We could have stayed the night and drove back to Raleigh in the morning, but still being on Pacific Time meant we were awake and alert.  The 3 hour drive home wasn't too bad, but it was difficult to get up early for work the rest of the week.

Overall, I would say the trip was a tremendous success.  The highlights for me were Crate Lake, Mt. Rainier, and Napa Valley - all places where we had lots of sun and fairly warm weather.  I was a little disappointed in the cities - the homelessness in Portland and the dreariness of Vancouver especially. For me, Seattle was okay, but I didn't find it to be overly exciting or impressive in any way.  It was actually very funny that Colin and I listened to an NPR podcast on the drive from Charlotte to Raleigh where the discussion centered around moving to, and living in, Seattle. The main speaker shared a comparison between NYC and Seattle. She indicated that both cities contain people that are aloof and like to "do their own thing." The difference however, is that in NYC, people dress up in suits and skirts, while in Seattle, most people wear "grungy" clothes. The podcast was amusing because Colin seems to love Seattle and those that know him know how much he loves NYC. But, he would much rather wear jeans and t-shirt every day instead of having to wear a suit.  Maybe that is why he is so drawn to the city!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip to the Pacific Northwest as much as I've enjoyed recalling the details about it.  Over the past two months, as I've blogged about the trip, we have had additional adventures here in North Carolina.  I can't wait to tell you about staying in the Grove Park Inn for a conference in Asheville, and camping on the beach in Wilmington.  Stay tuned for those posts.

What did we miss out on in Salt Lake City?

What amazing views have you experienced from a plane?