Last Call: SLC

It was rather easy to leave LV.  While I definitely found lots of things troubling about the city, I knew I would return. In fact, as soon as we arrived, I knew I would return to see the city again.


The drive back to SLC was a great one.  We made good time, enjoyed the scenery, and even saw more weird things to add to our ever-growing list of oddities in the mountain states. En route to the baseball game in Orem, we passed several super long trucks carrying what looked like flag poles on steroids.  Our tagline for the trip had been "everything's bigger in the mountain states" because we thought that maps didn't do justice to how far apart things are. However, we quickly learned that this tagline could be applied to many things, especially in the world of trucks and the things they carry.  In particular, we were amazed by how many multi-hitched trucks we saw throughout the region.  But these lethal weapons were nothing compared to the flag pole things.  Transported on trucks with extended beds, the 4 or 5 of these long, pointy poles were rather scary. On our final drive back to SLC we saw another over-sized creation that made us wonder what the hell is going on in Utah.This time we saw tires that were bigger than life (see picture below).

   We couldn't imagine what on earth these tires could transport, but being good science fiction/conspiracy theory fans, we came up with a couple of ideas. 

The Brady Bunch Biker Gang?

Finally back in the safety of SLC, we decided to go out for a late dinner and a couple of drinks at a local place we couldn't fit in the first time we were there.  The backstory to this anecdote is that when we were first in SLC, my counterpart was a little weirded out by the number of cyclists present in the city.  Since SLC is really trendy on a couple of fronts, I dismissed his observation as part of the city's culture.  That is until our last night in the city. En route to the restaurant, we encountered what we can only describe as the Brady Bunch Biker Gang.  Who were they? A group of 30+ teens on bikes merrily peddling on the sidewalks of the city.  We think there was two gangs, but it's hard to tell because it was late at night and they were spread out as they marked their turf.  When we first past them, my counterpart observed that the girl at the end of the group was smiling madly. Since I was driving, I couldn't get a good look at her... until we got closer.  And what do you know! She was smiling madly. As was the dude in front of her... and all of the others in this biker gang!  It was like something from the Brady Bunch or the Partridge Family and all we could think of was what music should be playing.  I would like to say that seeing these kids biking along happily should feel warm and fuzzy... but it was scary.  Like Stepford teens scary.  It was 10:30 at night and these kids were roaming the streets on their bikes.  Weird wholesome fun, I suppose. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd prefer to have my teens half naked and with spray paint.

The Bayou

 Somehow we survived our encounter with the bikers and made it safely to our destination: The Bayou.  A beer bar with over 240 types of beer and great Cajun food,  we were very excited for our dinner.  We opened the door and were transported to a land far, far away from SLC.  There was a four-piece jazz band heating things up in a corner, the bar was overrun with enthusiastic patrons, and almost all of the tables had people in fully enjoying the great beer list.  And to complete the fact that his place doesn't belong in Mormon Country as we have imagined it, there were some of the funkiest people I've ever seen in this place.  The waitresses were dressed in all sorts of indie rocker clothes and covered in tattoos.... Maybe this is why the Brady Bikers were circling outside, to protect us from the sinners that were filling up the Bayou!

The Bayou was worth the wait. My counterpart was particularly pleased by the fact that the menu was an actual book complete with the many varieties of beer sorted into categories.  To complete the ridiculousness of this menu, they had beers that were actually $40 each. And I don't mean for a big bottle.  Nope, the $40 prices were for pint servings.  Worry not, we are reasonable folks and didn't buy anything that fancy. In fact, I was rather lame and enjoyed an organic hard cider that was very yummy.  I'd recount what my counterpart enjoyed, but that would require me to have paid attention to details that all sound the same.  He enjoyed some Mikkeller experiment.  Apparently, a true connoisseur would drink the series of beer and it would demonstrate some brewing nuances.  I guess this is how he feels when I ask him to choose between two shades of purple nail polish.  Nonetheless, the food, drinks, and atmosphere were awesome and we can now add yet another place we love to our list.  

After dinner, we were fully sated and totally giddy. The bikers were still milling about, but somehow we made it safely back to the hotel. It was a long day, but filled with good food and good cheer.  What a nice way to finish our trip!