Antelope Island State Park, The Great Salt Lake

Across the salt flat, a thin ribbon of water looked inviting but its high salt content held no true promise. Further the Wasatch Front stood and you could see the development as over two million people live along its flanks, yet here we were able to feel the first quiet in our week long stay.

To the west the Great Salt lake stood and we could see Fremont Island and the far distant mountains. Even though we were on the top of Buffalo Point we were still below the level of water that was held by the prehistoric Lake Bonneville and you wondered if the water will ever rise again and fill the basin? Small lizards were everywhere and we were both glad we had made the steep but short hike up Buffalo Point Trail.

We ate lunch at the Buffalo Island Grill and day use area and watched as families parked and walked to the distant waters edge. It was really pretty neat to remember last years travels to Mono Lake and Death Valley.
Large flocks of eared grebes and the largest flock of avocets we have ever seen fed greedily on brine shrimp and the egg cysts that floated on the waters surface. The avocets swung their heads back and forth as if in a feeding frenzy and it was a feeding motion we had never seen anywhere else. Shovelers and California gulls rounded out the bird list and we looked but didn't see the chuckers, even though they were said to be plentiful.

The road to the Fielding-Garr ranch was about ten miles long and as we drove along it I wondered at the families that had settled here and worked such a harsh environment. You could see the springs and their lush greenery that made ranching a possibility but it still had to be such a hard life and a long winter. A large herd of buffalo dominated the landscape although we did see a small herd of antelope and even a wandering coyote.
Driving back down the causeway we stopped at the marina and read the monument to the soldiers who had died here in a tragic helicopter accident. A group of young people from California took turns posing for pictures and they acted like it was a photo shoot for some skin magazine. It seemed so inappropriate for people to act in such a way near such a tragic site.
It had been a really nice drive and we decided that from now on we would rather dry camp at Antelope Island then stay at the rv park in Salt Lake City. Even though there were no facilities or hookups the solitude and  stars would make it possible for us to find the peace we both have searched for during our travels......Clear skies..