Buffalo, Bugs, and the Great Salt Lake: Our Trip to Antelope Island

Trying to take advantage of my unemployment, Shane and I decided to take a drive up to Antelope Island on his day off!

Since we had never been to Utah before moving here, everything still feels new and exciting. I knew the Great Salt Lake would be large and salty, but driving out onto the island completely surprised me. For a moment, it honestly felt like I was back on the East Coast. The salty smell, the breeze off the water (well… lake breeze), and the seagulls everywhere made it feel strangely like the ocean. It was peaceful and oddly familiar.

Before this trip we had done very little research. We assumed there would be antelope on the island, but we didn’t really know what else to expect. It costs $10 per car to enter, and I would definitely recommend making sure you have plenty of gas so you can drive around and explore the whole island.

One thing that confused us right away was seeing a huge buffalo statue near the road leading onto the island. At the time we thought it was odd… buffalo on an island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake? Hmm…

Our first stop was Bridger Bay, where you can park and walk out to the beach. If you want to float in the Great Salt Lake, this is where they direct you on the island. Being the tourists that we are, we were ready for the experience—bathing suits and water shoes on. We were ready to float!

We walked down across the salty sand flats toward the water, and that’s when we noticed something strange. Every time the seagulls near the shoreline moved, a huge black cloud would puff up into the air.

As we got closer, we quickly realized what it was… millions of flies.

If you get within about five feet of the shoreline, you are guaranteed to be swarmed. Unfortunately we discovered this the hard way and ran back as fast as we could—holding our breath and plugging our noses the whole way. Other people walking down watched us sprint away and immediately turned around themselves after seeing the swarm.

You may notice in one of the photos that a family was already out in the water. My guess is that once you get past the flies, you’re fine. They probably floated around happily while we were running for our lives! But by that point we were no longer in the mood to float peacefully in the lake.

My recommendation: skip the walk to the shoreline and enjoy the lake views from a distance. There’s plenty more to see on the island.

Next we headed up to Buffalo Point, which offers an incredible view of the lake and makes for a great photo stop.

From there we continued exploring the island, driving along Antelope Island Road toward the other end.

Then something amazing happened.

At first we saw something in the distance…

“Buffalo? On an island right outside Salt Lake City? No way…”

Then suddenly—there they were.

My very first buffalo sighting! And not just one… hundreds of them.

And of course… we finally spotted the island’s namesake too—antelope.

I had no idea how incredible this day would turn out. I was absolutely in buffalo heaven.

After a few hours of driving around the island, a storm started rolling in and it was time for us to head home.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend visiting Antelope Island if you’re anywhere near the area. It makes for a fantastic day trip and offers some truly unique views and wildlife.

Just… maybe stay away from the flies.

A Day Trip to Park City

The boyfriend had the day off today, so we decided it was the perfect chance to knock a few things off our to-do list.

We started the morning bright and early and managed to get quite a bit done—new driver’s licenses, registrations, and license plates for Utah! Since we were feeling productive and had finished our checklist, we decided to reward ourselves with a little adventure.

We took the hour drive from Orem to Park City to visit my friend Erin and explore this amazing little ski town. The drive alone was worth it. The scenery between Orem and Park City is absolutely beautiful, and I have a feeling we’ll be making that trip many more times for weekend getaways.

When we arrived, the weather was perfect and the town was buzzing with charm. Park City has such a cool vibe—small mountain town meets artsy ski destination. One of the things that surprised me most was that Park City has free public transportation around town (on the bus… not the ski lift unfortunately!).

One of my favorite moments of the day was stumbling across a Banksy original—which absolutely made my day. After walking around and soaking in the town for a bit, we met up with Erin and grabbed pizza and tacos at Davanza’s, which was delicious and a perfect casual spot to catch up.

It was great being reunited with Erin, and we spent the afternoon wandering around town, checking out the ski slopes (which look very different without snow!), and enjoying the mountain views.

On the way home, the scenery kept getting better. We passed Deer Creek Reservoir and made a stop at Bridal Veil Falls, which was absolutely beautiful. The waterfall was the perfect way to end such a fun little day trip.

Days like this make me even more excited to explore Utah.

The Big Move : The Tucson Travelers Leave Tucson

Well folks, our life just took another crazy turn—this time in a fun and exciting direction!

For those who don’t know, Shane and I left Lowe’s back in 2012 to take an extended vacation (which is actually why I started this blog in the first place) and then pursue new careers. Shane eventually got a job as a part-time USPS carrier, and we really tried to make it work for about a year. Unfortunately, he was only getting about 8–16 hours a week, and a full-time position didn’t seem likely anytime soon.

So in 2014, we decided it was time to make some big changes to help create a better future for ourselves.

Shane made the decision to go back to Lowe’s and take the fast track back into management. After applying for several positions across the United States, he finally landed an interview with a store in Utah. Long story short—he absolutely nailed the interview, and within two and a half weeks we were saying goodbye to Tucson and hello to Orem, Utah!

This crazy move has definitely sparked my adventurous side. I’m so excited to explore our new home and everything around it. My goal is to create a checklist of destinations and share our experiences as we explore them.

Right now I’m unemployed, which has made getting started on this project a little easier. I will be getting a job soon though, so our adventures may slow down a bit—but I’ll still make a point to share them here whenever we get the chance.

Hopefully some of our experiences will be helpful for others looking to explore this area too. Stay tuned for fun updates and more checks off my adventure checklist!

For now, here’s a little photo story of what life has looked like over the past few weeks…

One of my new favorite websites/apps RoadTrippers.com

Our journey we took once with a U-Haul towing my car, and again with Shane's truck...

A farewell dinner with the family at our favorite Mexican restaurant. 

Shane's best friends helped us load the U-haul all day!! They are amazing

On the road. Oh did I mention we had two cats to travel with as well.. The first trip was a long 13+ hours.

Our first time checking out Shane's new store. Felt like it was worthy of a snapshot!

Weekend two... The drive back up in Shane's truck. I had my camera so I was able to take a few pictures from the road!

We weaved in and out of storms all the way up Arizona. On the bright side storms bring rainbows!

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We stayed the night in Page to break up the trip a little bit. View from our hotel.

Shane enjoying the view

Leaving Page

Welcome to Utah!

Loving the colors

I thought this looked like a fish

changing scenery

What we look like on a road trip!

We're here! We arrived with our last load of stuff on Shane's 30th birthday! Figured we would take a drive down to the lake and found a beach. Not sure if I am a fan of getting in this water but it sure looks pretty! 

Checking my first task off my list! I really wanted to ride the Front Runner so we took it into Salt Lake to pick up my car from the airport! The front runner was big, clean and a fun ride, but the green line (the one we had to transfer on to go east/west to the airport) was gross and smelly. I will try to avoid that one..