The Logan Temple was dedicated in 1884...a really long time ago. It is another monument to people whose lives weren't that easy, yet knew that they needed the blessings of this edifice, so they sacrificed to construct it. I've been inside a couple of times, for weddings and sealings of relatives. It's obviously a very old structure when you're inside. But, like the older temple in Southern Utah, it is clearly their very finest effort. I read an article about a family who honored one of their relatives who worked on this temple and lived in Brigham City. Their ancestor hiked over the hill to work on the temple, so the family reunion included the 27 mile hike.
Well, now, those people who live in Brigham City don't need to hike, bike or drive up over a pass (elevation: 5868 ft.) and through a series of canyons in order to go to the Logan Temple. They are getting their very own temple in September. The open house is August 18 through September 15. My aunt and uncle lived in Brigham City for about 40 years, so I've been there, and traveled on that canyon road in the winter. It's a really treacherous drive. I'm so excited that people don't have make that trip for the temple this winter. They can just go to this site now.
It looks enormous, but it isn't really. It's a rather small design, only 26, 000 sq. ft. The Oquirrh Mountain temple is 60,000. But it is very lovely and looks terrific. I'm so happy for the people of Brigham City and the whole area.
Then, I drove south on I-15 toward Salt Lake City. I couldn't see the Odgen Temple from the freeway. They are remodeling it, and when you go to various websites, you can see how it looks now. As I continued on my trek, I knew the next temple I'd see from the freeway was the Bountiful Temple. It is a striking sight, too, perched high up on the "bench" that forms the lower part of the Wasatch Range along that section. These benches are portions of the shoreline of ancient Lake Bonneville. The settlers named their town Bountiful in 1855, and it lived up to its name because it was planted with orchards for many years and was an agriculture center. It's a very nice town, still, and during my drive around, while I hunted down the location of the temple, I was impressed by the obvious prosperity. Fewer orchards, more really nice houses.
This temple is perched on the bench and built down the slopes. The parking areas are on different levels, the view from everywhere is SPECTACULAR. You can see all across the valley that includes the entire Great Salt Lake. It's simply breathtaking. I'm really impressed at the engineering that got this building on this site. I also wonder how the patrons drive up there in the nasty weather that winter can bring. Especially during the "lake effect" storms that pick up the moisture off the lake to the west and dump many feet of snow on the east side. I guess this is the purpose of snow tires and four-wheel drive, huh?
Well, next summer, I will have completed my endless master's degree studies (crossing my fingers) and so I will not have to attend classes in June. My friend and I have been planning a trip and we'll have to finally take it: the I-15 Temple Tour. Or possibly the I-5 Temple Tour. Either way, we're going to have a great time. The plan is to take an interstate, and attend each temple that is near it, from border to border. Although, now...there's a temple in Vancouver, B.C. so that will entail a border crossing. Cool. I'll keep you posted. In a few years, we could start in Tijuana...hmm. Maybe we'll have to do the I-15 trek first.
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