Nomad Life - Day 137

Today was the day when my stay at Hill Air Force Base was supposed to end.  During the week, I'd been considering extending by an additional day but hadn't yet pulled the trigger.  When I got up at 0500 (without alarm), I decided not only to extend for one more day but that I would only work a half day.  This allowed me time in the early AM for reading and Duolingo exercises.  As a result of the delay, I didn't start my telework day at 0530.  I took a break for breakfast in the lobby of the Air Force Inns - the food was barely adequate for a meal.  While I was there, the building had some unsettling (due to the extreme cold outside; 20 F brrrrrr) power fluctuations.  I renewed my room for an additional night before heading outside again.  As I walked back to my CBQ room, I marveled at the clearest day and best views of Wasatch Mountains to the east that I'd gotten for the whole week.  Before resuming my telework, I had to clear off car again because it had snowed again overnight).  Inside my cozy room, I continued working (with a short break to complete my planning to meet up with Rich V, a colleague from work in DC, in Salt Lake City).  Ultimately, I finished my telework day at 1130 and, almost immediately, left Hill AFB.  Using I-15 and US-89, I drove south to Salt Lake City.  Like I'd noticed earlier, I was treated to spectacular views of the mountain ranges on both sides of the road (those on the west were visible across the Great Salt Lake).  Meanwhile, I had to contend with crazy drivers - perhaps the California folks have taken a fancy to Utah too...  One really great thing that happened while I was driving is that the temps had time to rise into the mid 30s - I also was blessed with a clear blue sky.  The route also took me very close to the Utah State Capitol Building.  Upon arrival at my intended destination, the City Creek Parking Garage (located at the corner of South Temple Street and State Street) at 1200.  In what later was a significant decision, I parked in the East lot- fortunately it had a very high clearance.  Another nice feature: the garage offered little cards to remind people where they'd left their vehicles.  I took an elevator to street level and found myself in a very fancy Mall.  From there, I walked across the light rail tracks.  Just then, an older man (LDS Elder?) confronted me, pointing out that I was jaywalking.  I thanked him...  I then continued west and south, in a zig zag pattern, towards the restaurant (Slackwater Pizzeria) where I'd agreed to meet Rich.  The overall distance was about 1.5 miles but the going was slow because of crosswalks and lots of traffic.  Along the way, I passed Squatter's Pub (another place that Rich had suggested; it looked good).  Eventually, I was within sight of Slackwater Pizzeria but I couldn't reach it because there were too many roadblocks (I was at an exit for the Interstate).  Instead, I had to turn east and walk all the way down to the next block (over 100 yards).  Once I'd crossed the busy road, I backtracked on the other side of the street.  I arrived at the restaurant by 1245 and got a table.  After sitting down, I ordered a local beer and appetizer (hummus plate) - Rich V arrived about 10 minutes later.  We spent hours talking and catching up on our old project, our old company and his retirement life.  Rich said he had been eagerly following my Nomad Life (I should point out that he was the one who had suggested this meet-up after seeing my most recent Nomad Life Summary on FB).  Along the way, we ordered another beer and one of the specialty pizzas for which the establishment was famous (I got "This is Sparta", a Greek inspired pizza).  When we finished our visit (1530), Rich took me back to the Temple Square area (arrived at 1545).  For the next few hours, I made my way around the Temple Square area on foot.  Hoping to refresh my memories (I'd last been there in 2011), I stopped inside the Mormon Tabernacle and watched an organist practicing (with a small audience) on the massive organ.  Back outside, I wandered around nearby, passing many interesting statues (where they all here the last time I visited?).  The Temple building itself was under renovation (along with other nearby historical buildings) and I learned that there was going to be some kind of Jubilee Celebration during the next two years.  Along the way, I encountered lots of LDS people - they were all friendly but seemed to be trying to corner me wherever I went.  As my visit was ending, I looked inside the Family Search Library - this place, more than any of the others, had obvious changes since I spent nearly a week conducting genealogy research there in 2011.  On the way back to the parking garage, I stopped in to visit the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum.  It was free and the man working there had a ton of questions for me.  I only had one for him: "where is Steve Young's picture" - he replied that is what everyone asks...  After that, I had trouble finding my car because there was a West Garage and I couldn't recall where I'd exited from the East Garage.  After several elevator and escalator detours, I finally located my Subaru and successfully exited the garage (1715).  I should point out that, by then, I'd reached my step goal for the day).  Google Maps tried to send me on some nonsensical routes when I was on State Street (one way).  Ignoring this guidance, I finally got going in the correct direction (I returned to the area near the Capitol Building, which was visible from several points) and accessed US-89.  When I finally reached I-15, I had to deal with annoying "one car at a time" metering lights - ugh...  After that, though, my drive on the Interstate went very well; when I got off the highway, I followed Google Maps through a new route (which approached South Gate from the south) and arrived at my Air Force Inns building by 1800.  I spent the rest of the evening coordinating with Joy and Shannon (for Denver on Sunday), doing laundry (I had to walk outside to another part of the building to access it), blogging and organizing (felt much better about how thigs are place in my car).  With all the other tasks, i never ended up watching any movies - that's a first for while!  Finally went to bed at 2300.  It was a great day of visiting and exploring - hope I can return to SLC again before another 15ish years pass...