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Family trip to Utah in November

Really? I just LOVED the cathedral in Helena. It's like someone teleported a building from Brussels into the middle on nowhere Montana. We've never been that far southwest in Montana to have visited Butte. I just looked up the Uptown Cafe and some Butte motels on Booking.com.

And I would love some potatoes, but unfortunately, that's the first thing they ask about at the border. Well, that and Kinder Eggs. Once, I had a Kinder Bueno bar, which is perfectly legal in the US, but the border guard then asked me if I had Kinder Eggs in the kind of way someone asks you if you have a kilo of cocaine in the trunk by any chance.

If you liked Helena, you'll love Butte.

It's not very European, but it is a cool historical place. Just don't drink the water.
 
There are a bunch of Museums in SLC. The only one I really like it the Natural History Museum. The rest are okay. There are LDS museums and the LDS temple grounds stuff. I think if you are from out of town and remotely interested in Mormon history you should check it out, its kind of interesting but you will be talked to by Mormon Missionaries, I dont mind but some people do.

Haha. I was at my local temple last night to use their Family History Centre to find my friend's Ukrainian great-grandfather's birth record and some very young missionaries chatted me up. I told them I was going to Utah in a month and I chatted to them about Church history and state history and they could scarcely believe I wasn't LDS. When they ask me how I knew so much I just casually said jazzfanz.com and they were very confused as they had never heard of this particular Church website. Not one of the four was a Utahn, fwiw.

Not the first time this had happened. I remember once walking from school to my frat house across a temple parking lot and missionaries wanting to talk to me and me asking them to explain to me the Adam-God doctrine and whether they believed Joseph Smith or Brigham Young came up with it. They got very flustered and offered to give me a bishop's contact info.
 
In SLC

[video=youtube_share;t44OmAoLre4]https://youtu.be/t44OmAoLre4

Well there's a few things that are a little odd anyway
 
Really? I just LOVED the cathedral in Helena. It's like someone teleported a building from Brussels into the middle on nowhere Montana. We've never been that far southwest in Montana to have visited Butte. I just looked up the Uptown Cafe and some Butte motels on Booking.com.

And I would love some potatoes, but unfortunately, that's the first thing they ask about at the border. Well, that and Kinder Eggs. Once, I had a Kinder Bueno bar, which is perfectly legal in the US, but the border guard then asked me if I had Kinder Eggs in the kind of way someone asks you if you have a kilo of cocaine in the trunk by any chance.

Don't listen to JTT. Butte is just a little hick town built around an open pit mine. Nothing special. These Montana boys just have a local rivalry where they argue over who's piece of dirt is the best. Helena probably just kicked Butte's *** in football while hantlers was in high school, and he's never gotten over it.
 
So after noticing my excitement about our team throughout the preseason and after having to hear all about Donovan Mitchell and his once-and-future-kingness, my wife has decided that it's high time I attended a Jazz game. Since anyone who's ever listened to a Springsteen song knows driving is for men and flying for *******, we'll be driving down. Likely stopping for the night in Helena or Butte, but if I'm feeling like it, maybe just driving straight.

We will likely be catching 2 out of the 3 games between the 10th and the 13th of November. My wife wants to see some national parks further south and I want to see where the Duke was meting out his tough brand of justice to Injuns and other outlaws so by Tuesday of that week, we'll likely head somewhere south.

Any advice from those of you who are local? Should I drive to the Arena? Is there parking? Are your museums any good? Are there liquor stores in SLC? Do they sell Manischewitz? Is staying in Moab a good idea if we want to see some of the parks around there? We don't ski so what other fun stuff is there to do in November around SLC? Which motel chains are murder/hooker ones?

And of course, any of you wanna meet up at any of the games?

The new natural history museum by the U of U is great. The Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum just south of SLC is excellent. The Cleveland-Loyd dinosaur quarry on the way to Moab from SLC is a real dino dig site that is pretty trippy.

Moab is fantastic. It's only 3.5 hours from SLC and will blow your mind. Drive to nearby Dead Horse Point State Park for a Grand Canyon-esque view. Corona Arch and Negro Bill Canyon are great short hikes right near town. Fiery Furnace is a wicked not too strenuous hike within Arches National Park just outside of Moab. Delicate Arch is a popular hike in Arches NP(hey, it's on our license plates). You can go on a side x side tour or rent your own(mega highly recommended). Make sure you go to the rock shop in Moab! The drive to Chicken Rock is very cool and easy as long as you're not afraid of heights. If you have a truck the Potash road to Shafer trail in Canyonlands National Park is awesome and super scary for those afraid of heights, but easy. The drive up Castle Valley is cool and paved and easy. Any of the dirt roads down there could become impassable in rain so be prepared and do your research. Doing Hell's Revenge and/or Fins and Things on a side x side or in a jeep is incredible, and can be done as a tour. If you mountain bike there are way too many options to list, including the all-time classic Slickrock Trail.
 
There is a hotel called the Raddison that is 1/2 a block from the arena. That is where I always stay when I go to games. Their beds are great. There is also a great outdoor mall and various restaurants and a dueling piano bar nearby called Keys On Main.

As for National Parks. How far south are you going? Bryce Canyon and Zions are in southern Utah and are a good 4 hours away fromt he SLC area but are beautiful. Angel's Landing in Zion is an amazing hike.
 
As for National Parks. How far south are you going? Bryce Canyon and Zions are in southern Utah and are a good 4 hours away fromt he SLC area but are beautiful. Angel's Landing in Zion is an amazing hike.

We're going as far south as possible, really. Monument Valley is on the border, so after the initial weekend of basketball, we're just planning on driving south and setting up camp at a hotel or B&B down south. Moab or even St. George area. Then exploring for a few days. I love driving, and I especially loved driving in northern Arizona so I figured I'd love driving around southern Utah as well.
 
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