Most bye weeks or open dates for Texas Tech Football are usually met with some form optimism with the upcoming conference slate of games or a respite from the futility known as Texas Tech Football. This season’s open date has the added ingredients of a coaching search and the usual message board mania complete with rumors of which coach was interviewed or who passed out at Thirty-One Flavors.
This past weekend there was little interest for me in the college games around the country. The Utah Utes played late Friday night and dismantled a once proud Stanford program on the road 52-7 while the other local teams BYU and Utah State played Idaho State and New Mexico State respectively and that’s a no go for me. Open dates show me and really every college football observer that you should diversify those weekends of football that stir your affections for the world around you.
What was there to do in Salt Lake City on a beautiful fall day with no Tech Football?
First, I ventured out with the family in tow for the immersive Vincent Van Gogh traveling exhibit. While getting to see the actual paintings of Van Gogh would be one of those amazing experiences you only have once, this digitally immersive experience is a great consolation prize. Getting to experience the beautiful countryside paintings of Van Gogh with the digital projections against the wall and floor gave me a sense of being inside the painting itself. Getting to experience this with young children is even better with the awe and wonder they have.
Next, I found an honest to God Mexican Restaurant that was worth a damn north of the Red River and it was delightful. Red Iguana in downtown Salt Lake City started to win over my heart by seating us with an order of chips and salsa. This is a rarity outside of Tex-Mex and New Mexican restaurants. I ordered the chile relleno while the rest of the table ordered chile verde burritos and quesadillas. It was as Tex-Mex as you can get with the food in quality and tastiness.
Finally, we ventured out on Sunday with a nice little five-mile hike to a local waterfall by Provo. The fall season going into the winter in North Central Utah has the beautiful dichotomy of dying vegetation with the evergreen trees awaiting the waves of snow on an almost daily basis. Few things complete a hike more than an ice cold beer after you arrive back at the trailhead.
All that said, remember that #HiredMcGuire is happening.
Allen Corbin is a rabble-rouser from Lubbock living in Utah, looking for great food and hikes. And Football….
