We left Cheyenne, WY early Saturday morning and spent the day on interstate 80 traveling west 450 miles to Salt Lake City, UT. I have never in my life experienced more straight-line winds. The treacherous highway often becomes impassable in the winter months due to snow drifts. Winds come sweeping across the wide plateaus and whip up through the canyons. To call it scary would be an understatement. Gust of 40 mph shook us to the core. Our faithful mini-van held its own though. Weighed down by our sound system and camping gear, the Yoder-home never lost traction. And Wyoming is not what you would call "heavily populated" either. For long stretches of time you could look across the arid land straight out to the horizon - on either side. Not a trace of civilization in sight. Desert as far as the eye could see. No power lines, no fences, no barns or homes. And you can forget about gas stations. The trip requires a certain amount of planning to avoid being stranded in the middle of the desert. As we neared Utah, the terrain transformed from low bluffs and plateaus to rising foothills and finally the mountains. Interstate 80 takes you straight through the mountains, winding through deep canyons of slanted sandstone until suddenly you reach the beautiful valley of Salt Lake. Surrounded on three sides by mountains, the city felt like a mecca midst the wilderness. Perhaps that is why Joseph Smith decided to settle there. Utah is most definitely underrated.
We found last minute accommodations via our friends Todd and Emily Marriot of the ah-mazing Battle Victorious. When they heard we were looking for a place to lay our weary heads in Todd's hometown, Emily vowed to call "everyone she knew!" Stepping up to the bat: Tom and Erica Power and their lively family - 3 year old Ryan, 5 month old Abby and 5 year old Jasmine - their 130lb Great Dane. All three were waiting outside to greet us as we pulled into the driveway, the dog however was the only one that stood tall enough to stick her head in the window to say hello. Jasmine was monstrous - on her hind legs she stood taller than Corey - but so gentle and loved to cuddle! The Power family became instant friends. We connected on our common love of hiking and the outdoors and they coached us on the sights and hikes we should check out during our stay.
We had the pleasure of joining them the next morning for church, which was actually our first church service since the wedding! It was so nice to be able to soak in the word and take time to worship. The message focused on know-it alls. We laughed out loud when we saw it in the bulletin… You see - we sit on opposite sides of the know-it-all coin. Corey likes to make quick decisions. I like to do a lot of research - a LOT of research. It drives Corey crazy. Before I can make a decision I have to know every outcome of every possibility, weigh the pros and cons and make an informed choice. It takes me 45 min to order a sandwich. You can see the potential for conflict. The pastor focused on being open to God's direction and seeking wisdom from those who know a little more than you. Encouraging us that we will never exceed our current abilities without begin open to wisdom. Both of us were able to glean from the message. We left the service inspired and ready for adventure. However we weren't exactly sure what to do with ourselves.
I'd like to say we were excited to arrive in Salt Lake City but we couldn't help but wonder what exactly we were doing there. Coming down off our Rock Mountain high, it was hard to imagine what else the Lord could have in store. We didn't know anyone in the city - no fan base what-so-ever and communication with our venue was spotty at best. Booking is an exhausting beast. You may send out 500 emails, make 40 phone calls, leave just as many messages and receive but one response. We had received that one response from Sugar House Coffee - an eclectic coffee house in the trendy up and coming Sugar House district. Though the day was confirmed, the time was not…. We weren't sure that they were even expecting us, but we committed to showing up anyway.
We arrived at Sugar House and sure enough, the barista didn't know we were supposed to play that night. She welcomed us in anyway though and directed us where to set up. The coffeehouse was crowded for a Sunday night and we were enthusiastically received. After the show we were approached by some folks who were interested in having us play at their harvest music festival next year. As we got to talking we found out the they had only stopped by to clean up after their festival from the day before, but they heard our music and decided to hang out and listen instead. The festival - by the way - was held in the Sugar House Coffee parking lot! "There's no reason you guys shouldn't have been on stage yesterday!" They started offering us loads and loads of wisdom in booking and promotion - and we were all ears. Remembering the message from the church service that morning. Corey and I would love to exceed our own ability in the booking realm, so we listened intently to the concert promoter and entrepreneur who filled our minds with creative ways to succeed in the music business. We ended up talking with them for hours until closing time and made plans to hang out the next day as well. All of us were blown away at our chance meeting and thankful for our new friends. The Lord never ceases to amaze me.
On our last day in Salt Lake City we set out to summit Fraggy Peak at the top of Antelope Island. Antelope island is located 7 miles off the mainland, in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The desert island is laden with low lying shrubs and jagged rocks that cut through the earth abruptly. Surrounded by the hazy lake, it made for an unworldly scene. Corey believed we were climbing to Mordor. And climb we did, 2,100 feet in 3 miles - a steep and strenuous hike. It took us 2 hours to reach the peak - and the last half mile was more rock climbing the hiking - following the ridge line to the top. It was our first summit hike and we felt like kings.
Reaching a new high on our journey, we left Salt Lake eager to see what the Lord had in store for us next. And to think we had doubted Him... How often we resemble the Israelites. Though God freed them from their captors, split the Red Sea, made water flow from rocks in the desert and provided manna like dew every morning, the Israelites balked at every new challenge on their journey to the Promised Land. Give us faith Lord, to see past the desert, to your purpose.
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