Many GACAA members are arriving at Salt Lake City and attending the 102nd Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement conference of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. I arrived in Utah Friday afternoon and have enjoyed some of the sites before the meeting started.
The first thing I noticed about Utah is that it is hot! Buts is a “dry heat” as they say. Be sure to keep your self hydrated while you are here this week. Between the heat and the 4,262 feet elevation above sea level, you need to drink lots of water. Also, if you venture out, be sure to where sunscreen and a hat.
On Saturday, my husband Henry Dorough, Alabama Extension agent, and my self had the opportunity to go to Temple Square. https://www.templesquare.com/ This is the home and headquarters of the Mormon religion. You can tour the Tabernacle, the visitors center, the grounds, and the Beehive house at no charge. Tours are available as well. Be sure to go to the Tabernacle at 12:00 pm each day to hear the organ recital. This morning, we had the chance to attend the Mormon Tabernacle choir. They perform every Sunday morning at 9:30 am.
On Saturday night, we attended the VIP dinner as Henry is a NACAA past president. Our two tour busses headed for the mountains and escaped the heat for a few hours. We had a bbq supper at Spruces campground located at Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountain Range. https://www.visitsaltlake.com/listings/Big-Cottonwood-Canyon/55175/ We then drove up to Silver Lake and had a easy hike around the lake. We enjoyed seeing wildflowers, mule deer, and moose. We happened upon a young bull moose eating right on the trail and then a cow and young bull grazing on the other side of the lake. They were very use to seeing people and totally ignored the tourists getting up close and taking their pictures. Beautiful, pristine mountains and cool fresh air was enjoyed by the whole group.
Today, the meeting kicks off with a welcome to Utah dinner and opening ceremonies with our Georgia state flag being walked across the stage. Also tonight is the first of two nights of hospitality rooms where we get to meet those who are running for NACAA office and see who can out do who in food and drinks they offer. We have two candidates for secretary and treasurer this year. Those positions will be voted on Tuesday at the Delegate session.
I will blog again tomorrow with more updates of what we are experiencing in Utah. If you are in Utah, please email me if you are presenting, displaying a poster, getting an award, etc. so I can be sure to include it in upcoming blogs this week while in Utah. mailto:pjburke@uga.edu
