Monday, May 30, 2016

BYU Museums

        
  We visited three of the four free museums located on the BYU campus. They’re so small that it’s easy to view all of them in one afternoon.
             Bean Life Science Museum   40.25389, -111.64707
   As much as the exhibits in this museum focus on conservation and habitat restoration it’s impossible to ignore the fact that most of the  mounted animals are obviously trophy kills. Since the animals are the main attraction and viewing them is sad and painful, we spent very little time in the museum. Everything is accessible.

          Museum of Peoples and Cultures    40.26307, -111.65689
  Two small rooms make up the whole museum so even though the exhibits are interesting it only takes about 1/2 hour to see all of it. Everything is accessible.

                 Museum of Paleontology    40.2561, -111.65689
This is the largest of the three with the most displays which include dinosaur bones, fossilized fish and fossilized plants, all collected by Dr. James A. Jensen and his crews. Jensen was an interesting man of many talents. He was a high school dropout, an artist, sculptor, house framer, machinist, welder, and paleontologist who worked at BYU for 23 years. He was granted an honorary doctorate in 1971.

  RVs are not permitted in the campus visitor parking lots but each of the museums has a dedicated lot with enough room for RVs. There’s also a large lot behind the Museum of Paleontology where RV parking is allowed. It’s about 1/2 mile to each of the other museums from this lot. We did not visit the Museum of Art because of road construction.
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8 comments:

  1. Yeah, dislike the "trophy kills" museums, too. Are you still boondocking? If so, how do you cope with the heat?We're in Illinois now and need electric for A/C because of the heat/humidity.

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    1. Yes, we're still boondocking. Actually blacktopping in a Cabelas lot in Lehi, Utah. We decided to hang out here over the weekend and it's the nicest Cabelas with a huge lot, pretty views and free water and dump.

      Our RV was built without air conditioning because we're hardly ever plugged in so we try to stay out of the heat. Of course that doesn't always work and we spend a few weeks every year way too hot. The weather's been great here but it's supposed to get into the 90s later this week so we'll be inside museums in the hottest part of the day and searching for shade the rest of the time.

      I'm really enjoying your cross country adventures!

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    2. Thanks. It's gotten so humid and warm that we need to A/C during the heat of the day. Today we turned on the A/C when we got to the Ohio c/g and then visited the USAF museum all afternoon. Nice in here now!

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    3. Well, the heat wave has come to Salt Lake and we hardly notice it. Low humidity makes such a difference!

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  2. Just caught up on your blog...and there you are at my old alma mater. BYU USE to have a school for Librarians, shut it down in the early '90s though, after I got my MILS (Master in Information and Library Science). If you go up to Heber/Park City, the temps will be more friendly...although it doesn't look very bad for you as it is. Be sure to honk your horn at my daughter in SLC if you go that way. lol

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    1. It seems that we're here at a good time of year. Snow is still on the mountain peaks and everything is spring green in the valleys - very pretty. We just have to make it through the few hot days coming up. We're planning on going to SLC (we'll honk at your daughter so let her know to listen for us!) and then north a bit and through Nevada on I-80 eventually ending up in Seattle.

      It looks like you're having a great trip!

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  3. In love with the butterflies!!!! Keep following the cooler temps...we're finding out what GA summers are like...ecks!

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    1. Yeah, the humidity in the deep south is awful. Stay cool as best as you can!

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