Salt Lake City, Utah to Reno, Nevada

To my surprise SLC was pretty amazing. Before rolling through all I had heard or seen are stories of how nutty the Mormons are and entertained by the HBO show Big Love. After a quick Whole Foods stop in Park City to grab a healthy bite to eat and a decent cup of coffee we headed towards the business loop of Salt Lake City. Our first stop in the land of Latter-day saints was the historic Wheeler Family Farm. From what I could gather the 75 acre farm was run by a husband, wife, and their six children back in the late 1800’s. I’m thinking yeah so…… what makes this farm so special I’ve heard that story a zillion times and even read the Little House on the Prairie series. County of  Salt Lake bought the farm in 1969 and converted it into a place for visitors, scouting, education, and birthdays. From what I saw it was a major hang-out for young pregnant Mormon moms to get together and have time away from the other wives. I’m telling you, I have never seen so many pregnant stroller pushing sinless beauties in all my days. Not one dad in sight, and the one other guy I saw was from out of town. I asked him if he knew where the main temple was located. Another thing about the farm that was a little bizarre was the clerk running the country store. At first I didn’t notice but when I went to purchase my 2 small jars of crystallized unlabeled honey and asked about the origin I was shocked. He was dressed in a kilt, not only the tartan but the whole Celtic get-up. All of which he made himself, even his Scottish sandals. He was the world’s first Mormon Celtic homesteader.
The farm was doing one thing right, bees. In my whole trip West the Historic  Wheeler Farm had the most bees. The vegetation was amazing, one whole section was put together by the Master Gardeners of Salt Lake County. It was a palooza of pollinators around a bed of lavender, catnip, and sage. The interesting thing was when I inquired about why with such  wonderful gardens and grounds there was no mention of bees. The head gardener first told me he had not thought about it but later changed his story to being concerned about a Latter-day lawsuit if someone were to get stung.
My experience with bees in SLC didn’t end at the Wheeler Farm.
The Beehive House is the older of Brigham Young's two Salt Lake City residences. Designed by temple architect Truman Angell and built in 1854, it stands today as a museum offering tours of what life was like for the Young family back in 1855. The amazing attention to detail captivated me with the  skep beehive logo on the banister, the door knobs, and chairbacks. Strong work ethic and the value of industriousness give the Beehive House its motif, as the image of beehive sits atop the house. The name of the mansion is drawn from this theme, the beehive being a symbol of diligence and productivity. In fact, the beehive is a prominent symbol throughout Utah today, reminding residents of the pioneer legacy that Brigham Young helped to establish. I explained that I was a beekeeper from Napa, California to the Book of Mormon toting Stepford docents. Not sure if they were impressed with my beehive excitement of just wanted me the hell out of there but two young ladies, they always roll in pairs, gathered up their notes and gave me a personal tour showing me all the bee ornamentation. It was like a Christian Easter egg hunt walking through the playroom, the family store, the fairy castle, and the gracious sitting room looking for the symbol of industry and work ethic according to Brigham Young. I can only imagine after spending time in the Beehive House an evening the where Young family exhibited their talents and sang, prayed, and practiced polygamy together. It was difficult for me to tear from the honey comb hide-out but we still had to make it to Reno before dark. Salt Lake City is an amazing place that I highly suggest everyone visits at least once in their lifetime.

You know when you're getting close to Salt Lake City:

Bees in Salt Lake:

Bees in flight Salt Lake:

Beehive House

 

Comments

[Searock and Gator]

Yo Bob we miss you...happy trails..Let us know when you get home...party in the trailer!