Salt Lake City, Utah

The drive leading into Salt Lake City.

Once you come through these hills, you see the city surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately the sun was right in our faces so I couldn't get a good picture of that.

The Wasatch Mountain Range - you can see it from almost anywhere in Salt Lake City. Beautiful.

The Great Salt Lake - twice as salty as the ocean. No, you do not float in it forever.

Wyoming

The drive out of the Rockies, in Colorado.

On the way out of the Rockies

And into Wyoming.

See those structures over there? Those were some of the 2-3 human-related dwellings we saw in the state of Wyoming. We literally drove for 100 miles without seeing a single man-made structure, animal, farm or anything. The entire state population of Wyoming is 568,158. The population of San Fransisco is 800K.

Beautiful wind-made rock structures.

A cargo-train that was so long I think it must have started in San Francisco and finished in Chicago. It doesn't move they just transfer goods by hand from one crate to another :)

I simply couldn't resist. Please note that with this purchase, you get a MONTH's supple of soda. ONE MONTH. Not a day, not a week, but you can literally walk into this fast food place and get as much soda you want for the entire month of July. University of Chicago can keep on studying the role of genetics, enzymes and molecules in the formation of obesity. I will watch them waste their money as I drink my Coke from this Limited Edition Cowboy Boot Mug.

Arrival

Alhamdulillah, last night at around 9pm. We arrived safely in Fremont, California to a warm family welcome from Tariq, Sana, Duha and Rahma. Alhamdulillah.

Sorry for the lack of pictures - things became rather busy (and tiring!) in the last couple days. But I will now put up all the picture I took along the way!

Alhamdulillahir Rabbil Alameen

Current Location: Reno, Nevada

Alhamdulillah.

I have a lot of pictures. Insha Allah they'll go up in the morning.

Oh How I Love Thee

Chicken korma and rice from Zabiha Gill in Salt Lake City

Current Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Oh boy this is getting tiring. Alhamdulillah.

Salt Lake City area is gorgeous. Will post pictures of Utah and Salt Lake later insha Allah.

Scenes from a Western Road

Wyoming.

The Rockies

"Had We sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of Allah. And those examples, We strike them for people that they may reflect. He is Allah, there is no god but He. He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible. He is the All-Merciful, the Compassionate. He is Allah, there is no god but He. He is the King, the Holy, the Peace, the Faithful, the Sovereign, the Eminent, the Compeller, the Proud. Transcendent is Allah beyond what they associate. He is Allah, the Creator, the Fashioner, the Shaper. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. All that is in the heavens and earth magnifies Him. He is the August, the Wise." 

59:21-24

Later in the day we took a self-drive boat ride on Estes Lake. We stayed in a town called Estes Park, at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park, from which the above pictures were taken. The town is a cute town with lots of mom and pop stores, coffee places, etc. Reminded us of Evanston. The people were very friendly. And why shouldn't they be? Their town is literally surrounded by gorgeous mountains. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Another ho-hum day in paradise. Estes Park".

It rains every afternoon for about twenty minutes. Afterwards we saw this beautiful rainbow. In the presence of the immense majesty of God as you walk among the mountains, this surreal creation manifests. God didn't need to create a RAINBOW, you know?! Nor anything else for that matter, but a rainbow? An arch of the colors that shoots through the sky for all to see, which serves really no purpose other than that people see it! People who are able to recognize God's signs look at it and marvel: If this is the majesty and beauty of the created thing, what then of the Majesty and Beauty of the One Who created it?

Scenes from the town. 

 Where we had lunch. Nepali food. Which was basically desi food. Delicious.

Breakfast at Kind Coffee, Estes Park, CO

Allah's Majesty and Beauty

SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar.

Current Location: Estes Park, Colorado

Alhamdulillah we reached our next scheduled destination. I cannot show you because the camera is not strong enough but when I got out of the car and looked up at the night sky I was filled with awe, wonder, happiness and sadness. I could not remember the last time I had seen so many stars fill the sky. Should it not be every human being's birthright to be able to gaze upon the same stars that Ibrahim alayhis salam did when he was told by His Lord to look at the night sky and try to see how innumerable his progeny would be? You do not realize the impact of that verse when you can go out and count 15 stars.

But here, I can't count them :) alhamdulillah.

The Road through Nebraska

Some scenes from the drive today. Currently about 40 minutes from the Colorado border. Another four hours after that to Estes Park, Colorado - in the Rockies, insha Allah.

The Sign

Bismillah... On the road again!

We reached our hotel last night after a late start (left Chicago around 445pm) - and go to the border of Iowa and Nebraska at approximately 230am. Slept, had breakfast and played in the pool (had it all to ourselves) and now back on the road.

In the morning we opened our curtains and saw this river. It defines the border between Nevraska and Iowa for many miles (Nebraska on the other side). It feeds off Lewis and Clark Lake northwest of it.

Our car is packed but there is still room in the back alhamdulillah. Insha Allah I will take a nap now - the incredible virtues of having a minivan :).