The Spiral Jetty is among the world's most famous pieces of "land art." It is located in a remote spot on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake near the Golden Spike National Historic Monument. It is another 20 miles on a rough dirt road to get to the Spiral Jetty, and the last mile is best walked because of the large boulders on each side of and in the road. At certain times of the year, the algae in the water is a rose color, which is what gives the pink tint in the pictures. The construction of the Jetty is black basalt, but the rock is now coated with white salt. It is a very tranquil place, and the reflection off the white salt and water can be almost blinding on a sunny day.
These are the best pictures (click to enlarge):
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They were doing a re-enactment of the driving of the Golden Spike the day we visited. (There were actually four spikes representing four states surrounding Utah Territory and involved with the railroads represented, two golden (California and Colorado), one silver (Nevada), and one combination silver and copper (Arizona). The re-enactors were elderly people from a small town nearby who do this as a volunteer project on weekends during the peak season for visitors, and they were a little thin on their turnout, so they recruited members of the audience to fill in. While not the finest theatrical presentation, it was a good way to stuff some history in us while we were not looking. Matthew was doing a report for school on Golden Spike, so he got some good information without even trying.
