Day Ten: The Mind-Blowing Aspect of Salt Lake City

For all of you who already think that our family's couchsurfing is an odd way to travel, here is something that will boggle your minds:  We are staying in the home of a some couchsurfing hosts who are NOT HOME.

Yes, you read that right:  We are in the home of total strangers who -- sight unseen -- have graciously allowed us to stay overnight.  We are in the Cottonwood section of SLC, which appears to be a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood in the northeast section of the city.  (Read:  Not a crystal meth flop house.)

We were welcomed to the home by the host's octogenarian parents who had already unlocked the door and turned on the swamp pump.  (Yeah, we had never heard of this contraption before today either.)  The swamp pump is a popular alternative to air conditioning in the parts of the USA where "dry heat" predominates.  The swamp pump pumps water through two panels which turn the water into mist, which is then pumped into the house.  Because it is so very dry here, the moisture cools the air quickly and efficiently.

Anyhow, the host's parents invited us to "pick whatever" we would like from the host's backyard garden and pear tree and to make ourselves at home.  Their bidding was then reinforced by the hand-written note, left on the counter, encouraging us to "poke around the cabinets."

In response to our sharing that we are going on a tour of a candy factory tomorrow morning followed by a trip to the Great Salt Lake, our temporary tour guides chimed in.  They suggested that we avoid the Great Salt Lake, which "smells like dead fish -- though it is not fish -- it's brine shrimp which crawl up on the beach and die" and to instead consider "the world's largest and deepest open pit mine which is as deep as the Empire State Building."(We're still going to Sweet's Candy Factory in the morning but will likely pass on the Lake -- based on the stench -- and the pit -- based on our children's propensity to pushing one another.)

After a few more minutes of small talk, they left.  We were alone in their daughter's house.  Total strangers to them and they to us.

As I sit now typing the daily blog entry having been left the access to the WiFi on the bedroom door of the room in which we are sleeping ("We" = Jenna and Rob, as the children have two bedrooms to share among themselves.) with Rob "poking around" for a beer in the fridge and the dryer finishing the last of two full loads of laundry, I cannot help but believe that kindness and generosity can be found quite easily.  It just takes an open mind and trusting heart.