The Great Salt Lake is the saltiest body of water on Earth, with the exception of the Dead Sea. The salinity varies from 15 to 25%, six times saltier than the ocean. The lake gets its extreme saltiness from the mineral-laden freshwater streams that feed into it and find no outlet. The evaporation of the streams waters leaves so much salt behind that the lake will buoy a human body. Andy and I did not try to float, but we did wade in it. We noticed that the water trapped near the shores leaves inches of almost pure salt. We did not taste the water to see if it was indeed salty, I could feel in burn my fresh shaven legs! Antelope Island is one of the eight major islands in the lake. We spent the afternoon there hiking and looking for wildlife. We found a large herd of bison and an antelope. The bison are not native to the area but twelve were introduced to the island in 1893. The herd today is over 500.
We were lucky enough to be able to sit in on a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir tonight. This choir started as a small group of pioneers who were asked to sing when they arrived in 1847. Today, it is a 360 member choir plus a full symphony orchestra, all unpaid volunteers. These amazing singers and musicians are know as one of the great choirs in the world. They have received both Grammy and Emmy awards. Andy called his mom during the performance so she could listen in on this once in a life time experience.
Leaving Utah in the morning and continuing to head east. No definite plans on our next stop as of this writing.
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