Sunday, July 13, 2014

Salt Lake City Run / Fisher Mansion / International Peace Gardens

Today I had to drop the mother in law off at the airport at 8:30.  Her plane wasn't expected to leave until 10:15-ish so Shari had the duty of taking care of her at the airport until her flight took off.

I could've dropped her off and went back home (and come back in an hour or so), but I opted to head back out a few miles and check out a section of the bike trail that I had stopped at before.  Normally, on my 20 mile runs, I make it to about California Avenue (about a mile east of the 215) before heading back.  This time, I parked my car in the area and continued heading north.  I always love exploring a new area... the miles go by so quickly.

It wasn't the prettiest section of the bike trail I've been on.  It seemed like a lot of the parks in the area had seen better days.  Just lots of not-cared-for landscaping -- brown, knee high grass, the occasional homeless person, or what not.  The trail was also rough in spots, with broken asphalt.  In some ways, it was just sort of "sketchy".  I suppose as with any large city, Salt Lake has it's more rustic parts.  Still I felt safe and I wonder how many runners utilize this on a more busy day (Sundays are notoriously absent of runners)

Overgrown brush along the Jordan River


I did run about 3 miles north and then back given the amount of time I had.  I did find a good bathroom as well as some drinking fountains.  It was sort of late in the morning to be running and it was warm (low 80's and blazing sun).  I am still stiff from my half marathon on Friday night, so my pace was at a slow plod, if anything.

Also, the bike trail does abruptly stop 200 S at the Fisher Mansion. There are some signs that direct you to the bike trail, which picks back up behind the mansion.  However, it was another mile of running.  My time was dwindling and the fact that I got stopped by a freight train on the way around prevented me from going further.

Fisher Mansion in Salt Lake City

You can see downtown pretty clearly

Freight Train that stopped me. You can see the capital building in the distant background

Running under I-80

Running under I-80

I did manage to hit a park I've been meaning to check out.  The International Peace Gardens was just a beautiful area that was similar to a finely kept up botanical garden.  I stopped here and took a few pictures.  From what I could tell, the several acre garden is divided up into various sections with a country or nationality represented in each lot.  The monuments, walls, or structures in the area were representative of each country's culture. Props to the people who maintain this garden as it was a real treat.  Best of all, it was free and had drinking fountains!

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens - China

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens


The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens - Gandhi Statue


The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens - Canada Section

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens - Viet Nam

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens - Africa

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens

The Gardens at the International Peace Gardens


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