My Life Trvel and Adventure: Samantha, Cierra and Salt Lake City

Continental Express flew me from New York to Cleveland

Westward Bound
I rose early on Friday morning and was greeted with air so laden with humidity that I could see patches of fog from my bedroom window. The temperature was already a sticky 72 degrees. After a quick shower and shave I hauled the balance of the 50 plus packages I packed late into the previous night, to the Branford Post office. Exiting the Post Office I concluded that my shop work was done and my summer vacation could officially begin.

I headed home, picked up my bags, stopped to bid Mother good-bye and caught a cab to the New Haven Limousine terminal. A few short hours later I boarded a Continental Express jet that flew me from LaGuardia to Cleveland. For security reasons, the ticket agent in New York would not allow me take a picture of the jet. I asked again when we landed and was allowed to snap one from the terminal in rainy Cleveland.

While in Cleveland and on the way to Salt Lake City I read William J. Bennet's book Why We Fight. In this small volume William Bennet discussed the tragedy of 9/11 and how different people reacted to it. He focused on patriotism and the moral basis for going to war. I found his prose revealing and his arguments persuasive.
Shortly before 6 PM our pilot brought us to a smooth landing in sunny, dry and beautiful Salt Lake City International Airport. I admired the large collection of artistic photographs that neatly hung on the terminal's walls as I meandered to the baggage claim area. I picked up my bag, headed off to the car rental building and then drove to the Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake City. Like the airport terminal, the streets in Salt Lake City are wide, clean and often unhurried. Driving was pleasurable and my hotel was easy to find.

Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City

Downtown Salt Lake City

I first met Samantha in the spring of 1991 when our mutual friend, Laurel, introduced her to me. Samantha and I became friends quickly and shared many pleasant experiences. We often went for long walks and then topped them off with frozen yogurt or ice cream. Later that year Samantha moved to Virginia and then Salt Lake City where her older brother lived. Twice before I visited Samantha in Salt Lake City and had a wonderful time. Once we went digging for crystals in Cottonwood Canyon with her daughter Cierra. Another time we dined luxuriously at the Chart House in downtown Salt Lake City.
This time we agreed to meet at 10 AM at Samantha's apartment which was about 2 miles from my hotel. I decided to walk so I rose early. Along the way I photographed a few of Salt Lake City's stunning skyscrapers in the early morning light. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Starbucks in a city built by Mormons. There I ate a delicious maple nut muffin and washed it down with a frothy cappuccino. A little further down the street I found a store that had lovely, fresh cut flowers. I purchased a beautiful bouquet and continued my trek to Samantha's home.

Outdoor Mall and Olympic Fountain

Samantha will graduate with a Masters degree from the University of Utah in May. Her and Cierra live in a quiet, residential neighborhood close to the University's School of Social Work where Samantha works and studies. I arrived early and a bit warm from my two mile hike. I waited outside and read a few more pages from William Bennet. In just a few minutes Samantha and Cierra walked down the stairs from their second floor apartment and greeted me. I gave Samantha a hug and was surprised at how tall Cierra had grown. She was only 4 when I last saw her.
Samantha gave me a tour of her home. Photographs of her extended family adorned the living room. A large sea life mural created by Cierra hung on the kitchen wall. Along the hallway were more, skillfully composed crayon drawings by Cierra. Soon, all three of us, sat down in the living room and played several rounds of Cooties and Don't Break The Ice. The latter was my favorite but I managed to win one game of Cooties.

As the morning progressed we wandered downtown and walked along the desert hued pink and tan mall that surrounds the Olympic fountain. Every half hour jets of water and clouds of steam shoot from the pavement in perfect synchronization with symphony music. After the performance the fountains continue to shoot forth gentle streams of cool water while children dash and dance across the open patio. Cierra joined the other children while we watched from a dry distance. If Peter The Great were alive today, I think that he be pleased to add this magnificent fountain to the elaborate gardens of his home in Saint Petersburg.

We shared fresh baked pretzels and continued exploring downtown Salt Lake city. Our next stop was the captivating, Clark Planetarium. We purchased tickets for the Cassini To Saturn show at 1:30. During the next 30 minutes we toured the hands on exhibits and learned about the phases of the moon, perpetual motion with a pendulum, saw a moon rock, walked on replica surfaces of Mars and our moon, saw a slide show on the Hubble telescope and a film on the Apollo missions to our moon. The planetarium show was even more spectacular than the enlightening exhibits. Shown on the wide concave planetarium dome the movie surrounded and carried us to Saturn. We rode on board the spaceship Cassini to Venus, Mars, Jupiter and finally Saturn. We glided through Saturn's brilliant, rocky rings, visited several of her moons and then landed safely in Titan's ethylene sea on the Cassini-Huygen Titan probe.

Samantha and Cierra walk on the moon.

Saturn, Neptune and Uranus

Later that afternoon Samantha showed me the School of Social Work at the University of Utah. An approaching thunder storm darkened the western sky as we headed home. We ordered a delicious pizza and then the three of us retired to the living room to watch one of Samantha's favorite movies, The Dead Poet's Society starring Robin Williams.
Dusk was still a few hours off so upon Cierra's suggestion we decided to toast marshmallows over a campfire in Mill Creek canyon. Lazily we passed away the twilight hours around the warm fire until Cierra's bedtime was approaching. Then we doused the flames and headed back to the city. Samantha dropped me off at the Hotel Monaco and gave me a warm hug. I said good night to her and Cierra. As I slowly walked to my room thoughts of the wonderful day we shared danced in my head.


"Soft Landing of an Asteroid" sculpture	The Wells Fargo building


My room at the Hotel Monaco	Hotel Monaco's lobby