I-15 (Mormon Alley)

I have had back-to-back weeks of training, which has meant back-to-back weeks of travel. I had a few days of R&R before flying out to Salt Lake City and immediately driving north along I-15 to Blackfoot, ID.

Good evening, Pocatello!

I really can't say much about Blackfoot. A morning jog relieved some lovely parks, a surplus of old tanks, and a severe shortage of coffee shops. 

Training went fairly smoothly, so Tuesday afternoon I continued north to Rexburg to visit M's brother, Michael. On the way, I stopped in Idaho Falls... because in that desert, falls are a big deal!

Is it just me, or is the LDS temple photo-bombing the Falls?

One of the unique things about that particular part of the country is that you can hardly take a photo without spotting a white LDS (latter-day saints) church steeple. Rexburg is no different. Like WSU, BYU Idaho sits on a hill in the rolling wheat fields. It's full of dorms and students and crowned by a manicured campus. I suppose you could say Rexburg is to Mormons what Pullman is to frat boys. I would have felt right at home in the windy wheat fields, but that each of the dorms announced that they were "BYU Approved," meaning completely segregated (no co-ed buildings, let alone apartments) and having an enforced curfew. Maybe BYU Idaho is a little more like summer camp than college.

I  got my second dose of LDS culture when I got to SLC a little earlier than expected Wednesday afternoon. My first destination was the state capitol, sitting up on a hill with a commanding view over downtown and the Wasatch Range.

Coming back down the hill, I couldn't miss Temple Square. This manicured complex houses the Mormon temple, the Joseph Smith building, the huge "church offices" building, and the conference center. I don't know how to describe the people there, other than vanilla. Suits, long skirts, white skin, the same phrases over and over. My Starbucks cup made me unique.

The perfect mormon mom

 I was surprised to see that many of the "missionaries" staffing the center were girls from all over the world, not the "black suit, white shirt" boys I'm used to seeing at M's parents house and around town. I suppose it makes sense on two fronts. First, it brings women from satellites to the epicenter for appropriate brainwashing er, training. Second, modestly dressed girls with big smiles are the perfect welcoming committee for visitors.
I had a great conversation with girls from France and Malawi about why women aren't granted the priesthood, why Paul says he wishes all could remain unmarried as he is (isn't that weird, if marriage is a requirement of the highest level of heaven?), and how people with the same evidence can come to different conclusions (the role of faith in filtering facts). When we started talking about translation and intention vs. precision, my new acquaintances didn't know about (or what to make of) the 3000+ changes that have been made to the BoM since its first publication.

Every hour there seemed to be a different couple here

 I was the last person into the conference center for a tour. My guide showed me the 20,000 seat auditorium with its immense organ, although I was distracted by the king truss supporting the roof and cantelievered balconies. She then took me through a gallery with paintings illustrating the book of Mormon: Nephi building his ships, Jesus's arrival in North America, the battles of the Nephites and Lamanites (what, there were iron weapons in pre-colonized America! ;)), and Mormon recording his book. There was another gallery with the discovery and translation of the Book of Mormon (no stone-in-a-hat illustrations here), and a final gallery with the church leadership. The best part, though, was certainly the rooftop garden and sunset view over the Great Salt Lake!

Not my photo... but it gives you an idea of how the roof looks!