The Great Great Salt Lake

When Brigham Young and other Mormon Pioneers first arrived at the Great Salt Lake, they declared that the place was the land God promised them and guided them to. Young claimed that the Mormon's migration to the west itself was both a fulfillment of prophecy and a destiny God chose for them during the time when people and the government out in the East were busily and ferociously persecuting members of the Mormon Church. Young told his fellow Mormons that somewhere out in the west, in a valley with a huge lake, there would be a place God has reserved for the Mormons to settle and live peacefully. This migration, in many ways described by Brigham Young as the American version of the Exodus,  inadvertently yet inevitably created the state of Utah we know today

The Antelope Island

When I arrived at the Great Salt Lake, I was brought down to my knees, like the how many of the Mormon Pioneers were when they first saw what was in front of them: The vast lake was more like an ocean where strong breeze blowing directly from the center with the smell of salt in the air.  Under the sunny sky, when I looked across the water, I could see the lightening striking and hear the thunder roaring on the other side of the lake. The mountains surrounding the area, which some of them stood underneath the blue sky while some others were covered by the dark, grey cloud, had made a seemingly plain lake a perfect setting for some surreal paintings. 

The Great Salt Lake

The Antelope Island

The Wild Flowers of the Great Salt Lake

To give you an idea how salty the Great Salt Lake is, when I first walked towards the shore, I could feel all the salts coming into my eyes and caused them to hurt. The Great Salt Lake is about 7 times more saltier than the ocean, which means if you were to swim in there, you can actually float on the lake.

People swimming in the Great Salt Lake, where is known for one of the places where people can "float" due to high concentration of salt in the water

The Great Salt Lake during a thunder shower

Driving on the lake's Antelope Island made me feel like I was driving along a coastline rather than some gigantic inland lake. Ragged mountains stood more like the ones you see in places like Ireland or Scotland. Because of the desert climate, grass is the main vegetation you can find on the Antelope Island. Lack of sizable trees offered visitors a great view of the sceneries that are far and wide. Even the hiking trails aren't as clearly marked in compare to those elsewhere, which provided a great opportunity for an epic"DIY adventure" for everybody.

The Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake

Mountains on the Antelope Island

Mountains on the Antelope Island

Surrounded by utter wilderness, the Great Salt Lake is blessed with wildlives. Wild flowers bloomed along the two lane road that seemed to lead to no where. If you pay close attention, you will spot Buffalo herds hiding in the tall grasses. Thousands of birds, without the disturbance of interstate highways and industrial chimneys, roaming tranquilly in the area like they've been doing so for thousands or even millions of years. 

The Great Salt Lake is home to the largest Wilson's phalarope population in the world

Buffaloes grazing near the Great Salt Lake

At almost the tip of the Antelope Island, the road was cut off. There was a ranch where people once lived and worked until 1981 presenting how the life was like as a farmer near the Great Salt Lake.Today the farm is an attraction maintained by the State government, telling the story at a place you are most unexpectedly to hear it. 

The Fielding Garr Ranch

Horses in the Fielding Garr Ranch

A "Rusty Ole Truck" in the ranch

It wasn't hard to notice that part of the lake was completely dried and all other parts had as much water as the ocean does. The water level of the Great Salt Lake fluctuates all year round due to the fact that it's a terminal lake. During the winter months the lake area will reach its maximum level due to the plenty of rainfall the area receives, and during the summer months some parts of the lake will become arid as water evaporates under the desert sun. As a result of, sandstorms, mostly made of salt clays, forms and are visible from as far as Downtown Salt Lake City.

Sandstorms made of salt can be easily spotted throughout the region in summer months

Salt Lake City from the Lake where the city derived its name from

The Great Salt Lake has always been a very popular destination historically, and it continues to draw millions of visitors to its vast shoreline every single year. On the southern edge of the lake sits the Saltair Pavillion.  There were 3 different Saltairs in history, which the first two were popular resorts destroyed by fire. The current Saltair is the third Saltair ever built. However, unlike the other two, Saltair III never became a resort like the previous two as when it was first built, the lake flooded. When it was repaired later, the lake water retreated and left the pavilion high and dry. Today the Saltair Pavillion is a concert venue, as well as a monument showing humans that no matter how hard they try, they shall never beat the mother nature. 

The Saltair Pavilion

Inside the Saltair Pavilion

The Great Salt Lake's amazing biodiversity and jaw dropping sceneries are not the only reasons why people can't resist to go back again and again. It's bold, wild, and unpretentious and undecorated. It'sa  place where every person can be bold, wild, and unpretentious and undecorated, without pressures from the society and the others.  Together with all the natural phenomenons, the region is just like a stage for the great nature to put on a show you just can't find anywhere else.