We arrived at the KOA by late afternoon and set up. Our site was asphalt, but a bit unlevel, so we had to use a leveling block under the front, driver’s side wheel (Pat had purchased this leveling block at the RV Show in Tampa). Our RV site had a picnic table, but no grill or fire pit.
After setting up, we did some laundry and Tim ordered Chinese (Wonton Soup and Cashew Chicken) on Uber Eats from a restaurant called New Golden Dragon, which Tim thought was decent but not as good as New York City Chinese food.
We were finally in warmer weather in Salt Lake City, which allowed us to wear shorts again. The RV sites at KOA were covered by trees that shed catkins (we aren’t totally sure what type of tree it was). In addition to being messy, the catkin's pollen wreaked havoc with our allergies.
The day after we arrived in Salt Lake City, we took the TRAX (Salt Lake City light rail) downtown to see the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints complex, Temple Square. There was a TRAX stop almost directly in front of the KOA campground, and the day pass cost $5 each. We waited about 15 minutes for the train and the ride downtown took approximately 23 minutes on the Green Line. 
We exited the train at the Temple Square Station and walked approximately 6 minutes to the Mormon Tabernacle, which didn’t look as big or as beautiful inside as it does on television (in our opinion). We couldn’t see the Temple because it was undergoing refurbishing and was completely covered in scaffolding, so that was a bit disappointing; however, we were able to visit the Church History Museum, which had a written history (and film) describing Joseph Smith’s supposed visions and his founding of the Mormon church. After leaving the Museum, we walked about 12 minutes (uphill) to a memorial park with the graves of Brigham Young, three of his 55 wives (Lucy Ann Decker, Emmeline Free, and Eliza Snow) and two of his 56 children (Joseph and Alice).
Next, we took a bus to the Utah State Capitol Building. One of the things we wanted to do during our full-time RV traveling was to visit state capitol buildings. Although we have visited many state capitol buildings together and separately, this was the first one we have visited since we started full-time RV travel. The bus trip was free as our $5 daily pass also covered buses. The bus trip up the hill to the Utah State Capitol Building took approximately 15 minutes and we exited the bus at the Visitor’s Entrance to the capitol. Once inside, we were allowed to walk freely through the building. We visited an exhibit on the Capitol Building and viewed the chambers of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. Afterward, we wandered the grounds outside of the Capitol Building, then took a bus to the TRAX station and rode the TRAX train back to the KOA Campground. 
Pat had picked up a rental car earlier in the day for errands and airport transportation (where are the Bla-Mos flying??) while we were in Salt Lake City. So, when we returned to the KOA Campground from downtown Salt Lake City, Pat drove Tim to the salon at which he had made a haircut appointment: The Salt Lake Barber Company Westside. Tim enjoyed chatting with his barber, whose name was Drew, and thought Drew did a decent job with his haircut. After Tim’s haircut, Tim dropped Pat off at Sports Clips so Pat could get a haircut (Pat thinks he doesn’t need a fancy barber for his hair), and Tim drove to Walmart for some grocery shopping. When we arrived home, we packed for our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to celebrate Tim’s 60th birthday!
The next morning, we drove the RV to Echo State Park in Coalville, Utah, where we would be leaving the RV plugged into electrical while we were in Puerto Vallarta. We weren’t at Echo State Park very long, but we had a lasting memory from the swarms of giant flies that were in the park, many of which found their way into the RV (and when we returned after our trip to Puerto Vallarta, we found dozens of dead giant flies IN the RV).
After getting the RV plugged into electrical, we drove back to Salt Lake City in the rental car, which we dropped off near the airport. We stayed overnight in a hotel near the airport with a shuttle because our flight to Puerto Vallarta was leaving at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
We will not write about our trip to Puerto Vallarta in the blog since the blog is reserved for our RV travels. To see pictures from our fantastic stay in Puerto Vallarta for Tim’s 60th birthday, please visit our Facebook pages.
Review of Salt Lake City KOA Holiday
Other amenities at the Salt Lake City KOA include a general store with grocery basics and RV supplies; pool; hot tub; and very nice laundry/restroom facilities. Additionally, the KOA offers an arcade and a playground for the kids; basketball court; and media center. Campers can also buy propane at the campground. Uniquely, this KOA has a car/RV wash. There is also a small restaurant called “Nico’s Mexican American Café” located nearby.
One of the great things about the Salt Lake City KOA is that the city’s light rail system (Trax) has a stop conveniently located a block from the KOA and the campground is located approximately 14 blocks from downtown. This makes it convenient and easy to get around town.
Despite our allergy issues from the catkins, we really loved the amenities and the convenience of the Trax station located nearby. We would definitely consider staying at the Salt Lake City KOA Holiday if we were ever in the area again, although we have probably seen all that we want to see in Salt Lake City.
Review of Echo State Park in Coalville, Utah
The RV sites are large enough to also accommodate a car and are cement with a covered picnic area that includes a fire pit (no grill). The campground also has 5 cabins (they call them cottages) for rent. The campground is located adjacent to the lake (Echo Reservoir) at which you can swim, boat (ramps available), or fish. The campground also has bathroom/shower facilities and a large picnic area. Additionally, there is an area available for bike riding or hiking.
The campground was apparently very popular on the weekends, although there weren’t many other campers around when we were there to drop off and pick up the RV on weekdays. The campground was rather isolated; so, it is great if you want to take advantage of the swimming, boating, or fishing at the campground but not so great for other activities unless you have a car to travel. We likely would not stay at Echo State Park again due to the limited amenities (even if we had a car) AND THE FLIES.
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