We left Yellowstone via the South Entrance on Monday morning and just a few miles down the road is the boundary of Grand Teton National Park. It was definitely our shortest travelling day by far - less than sixty miles! Grand Teton National Park is about as far different from Yellowstone as is possible. It is not a geothermal area nor does it have great canyons. Instead there are lakes and mountains - a continuation of the Rocky Mountains. There are twelve glacier carved summits in addition to Grand Teton itself which is 13,770 feet tall. Unfortunately for us we didn't see the mountains at their best. There is a large wild fire burning far out to the east of the park and there was significant smoke haze. The fire has been burning for weeks and only about 20% has been contained. Many hundreds of fire workers are fighting the fire and we read where the cost to the country has been fourteen million dollars so far. We booked into the Colter Bay Village campground. We had not pre booked so we were lucky to get a site. It was perfect - in typical National Park style it was a large site, with lots of privacy with mature trees, a separate tent space, fire pit and outdoor table and again we were able to cook our dinner over the open fire. We were enroute to Salt Lake City where we had a pre booked warranty service for the caravan so we were only able to stay one night. Colter Bay Village is on the shore of Jackson Lake and the village serviced the marina, general store, visitors centre etc. it was a busy village scene. With only an afternoon available, after setting up camp we continued on to see the much smaller but popular Jenny Lake which allowed us to stop off at the various mountain lookouts. Fortunately the park is not huge. With visibility quite difficult our photos were disappointing. One of the lookouts is called Cathedral Group where Grand Teton Mountain and a couple of other mountains form an almost gothic cluster. Sadly, like Glacier National Park, the glaciers here are fast disappearing. The park is very popular in winter for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The Google definition for snowshoeing is "a flat device resembling a racket that is attached to the sole of a boot and used for walking on snow". At Jenny Lake we completed one of the shorter trails to give us a great view of the lake and the Mountains opposite. There are over 200 miles of trails but the smoke affected Peter's breathing somewhat so we gave a miss completing anything longer. We also visited the historic Catholic Church which is still in use. Grand Teton National Park is bear country but true to form, no bears came anywhere near us even to have their photograph taken. Next morning as we drove through the park heading south the smoke haze was a little better and the views of the mountains gave us a peep of what they would normally be like. A little snow, but amazing peaks. We passed through Jackson Hole, where our son Cam and a friend had spent a few days last Christmas. Jackson Hole is a trendy town with a permanent population of around 8500 (with a median age of just 32) and is a popular outdoor enthusiasts destination so this swells considerably. It was really busy as we passed through with lots of people about, restaurants, cafes, outdoor specialists etc. It was easy to see why it was so popular - known as posh and popular! We continued south and before too long we left Wyoming behind and crossed into the state of Idaho for a few miles and then into Utah. We overnighted in Evanston, a small city, then continued on to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is built in a basin surrounded by mountains - you can definitely see the circular formation all around you. It has a population of around 200,000 in the city and is the Mormon equivalent of the Vatican City. We understand that 60% of the population of the State of Utah profess to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but only 42% are active practising members. Rural areas are apparently overwhelmingly Mormon so we expected to see lots of churches! Mormons do not drink alcohol, coffee or tea! No wonder there were water fountains freely available to all. We spent three full days here as we had the caravan serviced for it's initial warranty checks. Once in the centre city the sky line is dominated by two things - the Utah State Building (built is a smaller edition of the state building in Washington DC) which is high on a hill and down the hill is Temple Square in downtown. Temple Square is 35 acres of landscaped gardens with sixteen buildings all related to the church. Other than the actual temple all the buildings are open to the public and there is no cost. As you enter each building you are met with an offer to help show you around. Only on two occasions were we asked our surname but we were never asked for our address or contact details. We had heard all sorts of myths about follow up by local Mormons to our home but this is unlikely to happen. Over the two and a half days we visited downtown Salt Lake City we visited most of the buildings and although we couldn't go inside the temple we were able to walk around it and saw a 3D display of the inside of the temple. Summer is a very popular time for weddings in the temple and we saw a number of wedding parties. We understand that not just being a Mormon allows access into the temple but a person must be assessed and approved by church elders before admission is possible. We attended a midday organ recital in the Tabernacle (but,t between 1864 and 1867) which was absolutely amazing. At the beginning of the recital the organist gave a demonstration of the Tabernacle acoustics. He turned off the loud speakers and dropped three pins and then a nail. These could clearly be heard and the difference in sound was incredible. Peter could remember his fare talking of this demonstration when he visited the Tabernacle some 40 years ago. We also attended a two hour rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and orchestra on the Thursday night. The rehearsal is open to the public and it is held in the 21,000 conference facility during the summer months to allow many to attend the rehearsals. During the winter the rehearsals are held in the Tabernacle. We completed an escorted tour of the conference centre including the four acre natural garden on the roof with a five level waterfall. From here and also the observation deck on top of the administration building gave us beautiful aerial views of the city. There was originally a church owned hotel within the temple square but as the church ran out of office space this has been converted back to office space and restaurants which are open to the public. It was palatial. Again we were shown through and even taken through the back of a wedding reception area so that we could see the top level view. The bride was so gracious and when asked willingly agreed that we should be shown the view as she entered the reception meal. As many will know, over the last 2-3 years I have worked on researching Peter and my family trees. I had reached a couple of brick walls so decided to visit the Latter Day Saints family research centre while in the area. It was here that I had to give my email address to be able to log into the family search site. As usual we were greeted on arrival and escorted to the British section on one of the lower floors and here we were greeted by my assistant for the day. Elder someone sat with us and together we researched my two family members. We were able to confirm that I was on the right family line for my paternal grandfather who I had very scant information concerning. As far as Peter's maternal great grandfather sadly I made no further progress. A hyphenated surname and an alias of John Smith certainly doesn't help. I spent a number of hours in the research centre searching microfilm as well as computer records and my helper (who was an older man on 'missionary' service from Georgia) was very helpful. Although I didn't return the next day we were invited to do so and assistance would have been available to me. Every member of the church, and we met quite a few, were always very polite and welcoming. Church members were easily recognised on the street, guys with suits or dark trousers and white shirts, and women also beautifully but conservatively dressed. The children were also dressed similarly. There was certainly nothing casual about their appearance. During one of Peter's walks while I was at the family search centre he was even offered assistance when he opened the bonnet of the car to check the oil. They were not pushy concerning their beliefs nor offering invitations to attend services etc. Our many preconceived ideas of the Mormon people were not realised however we are certainly not converts. So other than a short visit to the State Capital Building and also meals in a couple of restaurants, and a wander through the new Mormon owned downtown shopping centre opposite Temple Square, our visit to Salt Lake City primarily centred around the temple. However SLC is a vibrant city with many bars, restaurants and facilities for visitors. It has free public transport in the city centre and the airport is within 20 minutes of downtown with direct light train service for just $2.50. SLC is surrounded by eleven ski resorts so is a very popular winter destination however when we were there temperatures were a very pleasant mid 80's. There are also many oil refineries very close to the city as well as in rural Utah. So we continued our travels south west and overnighted in Cedar City. It was my NZ time birthday when we were in Cedar City so we enjoyed dinner out at a restaurant. Next morning, my US birthday, we had an early start to drive the 60 kilometres to the main entrance of Zion National Park. The South Campground here is a no advance reservation facility so it was a matter of joining the queue and waiting for campers to depart. We were about sixteenth in Li e when we arrived at about 8.30 am and after nearly two hours we were successful and we were allocated a campsite. We will now spend the next red nights here in Zion.