Road Trip - Antelope Island

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah

Our original plan after the Grand Teton National Park was Canyonlands National Park which would have taken us about 10 hours to drive there. Justin suggested to break up the journey and have a stopover at Salt Lake City instead to make the drive more manageable. He suggested visiting the Antelope Island, where he had been previously on a separate business trip, and experience the absolute silent on the island. He said when he visited the island, it was so silent that there was a ringing in his ear! I was skeptical and think it was an insect that was making the sound instead ;P

Salt Lake City, Utah to Antelope Island, Utah

Antelope Island is located within the Great Salt Lake, America's Dead Sea. "Water flows into the Great Salt Lake via four rivers with no outlet so the evaporation leaves high concentrations of minerals. The lake is generally five times saltier than the ocean. With the high level of salinity, you can easily float in the salty waters. Only brine shrimp, brine flies and several types of algae can survive in the lake waters." - extracted from Antelope Island brochure.

Great Salt Lake, Utah

When we drove onto the causeway leading to the Antelope Island, the surrounding areas looked hazy, foggy, almost dreamlike. The water in the lake was very still and it mirrored the surrounding landscape. From certain angles, it was hard to tell where was the horizon.

Great Salt Lake, Utah

Great Salt Lake, Utah

We bought A&W (not from the island, of course) and had lunch under one of the shelters by the Bridger Bay Beach.

Bridger Bay Beach, Antelope Island, Utah

We had originally planned to have a swim in the lake (we already had our swimming gear on!) but the weather was just too hot for Sonya and Clara to be out under the sun. Sonya was excited to go to the beach, especially after the fun she had at Revere Beach a few weeks ago, and she was quite disappointed when we didn't go in the end.

Bridger Bay Beach, Antelope Island, Utah

We found another bird nest under the shelter.

Bridger Bay Beach, Antelope Island, Utah

Bridger Bay Beach, Antelope Island, Utah

In the end, it was another auto tour of the island. We saw antelopes and more bisons.

Antelopes

Antelopes

Antelopes

Antelopes

Antelope

There were many many seagulls in the lake water. I guess they must love the brine shrimps there. I almost forgot to mention about the terrible smell that immediately hit us when we got on the causeway. We wondered if it was from the bird's poopie or stale water or decaying shrimps or something else.

Seagull

Seagulls

Then we saw another type of bird that we had never seen before. Not sure what it is though.

(not sure what bird it is)

We walked up to Buffalo Point Overlook. See the kids glowing from the sunscreen that we applied on them :)

Buffalo Point Overlook, Antelope Island, Utah

Buffalo Point Overlook, Antelope Island, Utah

Buffalo Point Overlook, Antelope Island, Utah

Buffalo Point Overlook, Antelope Island, Utah

Antelope Island, Utah

Great Salt Lake, Utah

Great Salt Lake, Utah

Antelope Island, Utah

Antelope Island, Utah

Antelope Island, Utah

Justin said that the whitish stuff that is by the shore is not sand but salt/mineral deposits. He was going to taste it initially but changed his mind :)

Antelope Island, Utah