In search of the New Jerusalem...

A good and productive weekend with work on the bathroom floor at Idahome plus time with Dad and Mom.  Then up at 5 and back to Provo for a church day starting at 10 and ending at 6.  Wonderful Italian dinner at the Hunters and home anticipating a good night's sleep and up at 5 for cycle camp.  BUT...about 4, I awoke with one of those headaches and achy feelings that signaled flu coming on.  I took some Ibuprofen and decided right then that sleep was the best cure and shut off the alarm. At 8, I emailed work I was sick and was taking the day off and went back to bed.  When I woke up (at 12:30!) I felt great--no more flu feeling! So, I took down the Christmas lights (they've been turned off for weeks) and pondered what to do with a sunny afternoon.....then it dawned on me....Go find the new Jerusalem!  

I sent out an email a while back on the fact that the LDS Motion Picture Studio is building a model replica of the ancient city of Jerusalem...somewhere near Goshen.  The air was still and temperature in the 40s.  Perfect flying weather. So I headed to the airport, put in the recharged battery and the engine popped right off after a thorough pre-flight.  Radio worked fine and I was cleared for takeoff to the south.  

Utah lake is frozen over with a spider web of gray ice cracks spreading all over the lake.  I climbed to the south west and skirted around West Mountain.  Ahead of me...the Church dairy; the Church pig farm; Elberta and ...Goshen.  Near Goshen was the reported site of the new Jerusalem so I flew south, then east along the ring of mountains, then back west, then north and back south.  No sign from the air.  Maybe it's hidden by the snow.  Maybe it's tucked in a canyon.  Maybe it's only visible to the spiritually enlightened...or maybe it's not there! 

So...I flew south to the city of Nephi and on the way, caught this shot of Mount Nebo in the afternoon sun.  A smooth landing. Takeoff and flight back north over the west mountains of Goshen...still nothing.  By now, it was getting late so headed back to the airport for a quick "niner echo whisky cleared to land" and touch down in still air on smooth runway....glad because there were two planes behind me watching and one was a jet. 

So...my mystical quest is left for another day.