We feel the urge to see the Great Salt Lake. It measures 92 miles north to south and 48 miles east to west. We drive northward about 30 miles to reach Antelope Island, the largest of the lake's 10 islands.

Flocks of gulls feed on the brine shrimp; colonies are so profuse that the water looks pink. Sixty springs create wetlands that serve migrating birds as well as resident animals, such as bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep and pronghorn. We see an antelope at White Rock Bay, one of about 700 that live on the island.

From Buffalo Point overlook, we scan the immense lake and a landscape of dry vegetation and jutting rocks. Green bands mark locations of springs. We slather on sunblock and begin a hike at Bridger Bay. Life leaps everywhere. Jack rabbits, snakes and salamanders scatter into the scrub. The scent of sage perfumes the air.

Bison herds congregate at springs en route to the Fielding Garr Ranch. Now a historic site, the ranch is a testament of pioneer endurance. The Garr family set up a homestead in 1848. The isolated ranch grew into an operation with 10,000 sheep.

Schoolchildren scurry through the barn asking the hosts about implements and the horses in the corral. I poke my head inside the sheepherder's wagon. It's plain and simple. Blue enamelware rests neatly on the counter; a bed wears a brown coverlet.

Before we return to Salt Lake City, we extend our excursion to Brigham City and the Golden Spike National Historic Site. On May 10, 1869, the locomotives from the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads met for the first time. Officials celebrated with much fanfare the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Replica locomotives sit on tracks, and a small museum explains the national importance of the rail link.

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Contact travel editor Linda Lange of The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee at www.knoxnews.com.