Conclusion

Brigham Young's Promised Land bike tour was 791 miles (1265 km) with 17 travel days and 2 rest days. The weather was cooler than expected, but still pleasant. I prefer cool over hot when in the desert with no shade.

I think the route was a good match for my abilities. The first 5 days were the most difficult. Fortunately the final 2/3 of the route has less steep climbing. 19 days is kind of long for me. Wear and tear takes its toll.

The tour was mostly problem-free. I lost a water bottle on day 11. It pulled out of the cage when the bike fell over. I had 2 flat tires that were easy to repair, both from thorns. No other problems with the bike. No illness or injury. Just the usual tiredness and occasional muscle soreness.

I ate at many restaurants, but tried to be distanced from other people. I carried COVID tests but never used them and never had any symptoms. Utah has a respectable vaccination rate. The LDS church is strongly pro vaccine.

I was pleased with both the scenery and the unique cultural attractions. It was a very successful religious/cultural theme. Many times it really did seem like I was traveling in a foreign country.

The Theme

I think the journal accurately documents the attitude of this tour. I was relatively successful at suspending disbelief during the tour and when writing about it afterwards. I encountered a wide variety of crazy Mormon beliefs and practices, and did my best to write about the beliefs and practices without mocking or judging them. I was only judgemental about massacres, which I think are wrong no matter the circumstance.

During the tour I was quite successful at staying focused on the here and now. Terrain, weather, scenery, historic sites, etc. I almost never thought about theological details during the tour, but before the tour I did some "opposition research" to be more informed about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Kelly Iniguez was my main consultant. She spent her early years as a gentile in a Mormon farm town. Her insights were valuable. Kelly recommended the book Leaving the Saints which is a harrowing account of abuse by a Mormon "blue blood" who earnestly tried to be a good Mormon, but was overwhelmed by the church's indifference to abuse and rigid adherence to proven lies.

This book gives an un-flattering inside look at LDS society.

Same as all other authoritarian churches, the LDS church's number one priority is to defend institutions, even if it comes at the cost of causing grave harm to church members.

Do I think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a cult? Yes. I think all authoritarian churches are cults.

I also think Mormons are an important part of the diverse fabric of American history and culture. Mormons played a big role in the North American Manifest Destiny project of the 19th century, fulfilling what settlers believed to be God's will to bring Christian white supremacy to the entire continent.

In 1847 Mormons created a new alternate universe in the wilderness. Even now it's surely the largest, fastest growing, and most successful alternate universe in North America. One doesn't have to like or agree with everything to find that it's a fascinating place with a truly unique history.

I want to thank readers for all the thoughtful and interesting comments. Your opinions and insights contributed to a successful theme.

Things I like about Brigham Young's Promised Land

Everything is neat and tidy.
No trash, graffiti, broken glass, or homeless camps.
People are extremely polite, civil, and accommodating.
Modern history is well documented and preserved.
It's freakishly different from most of the U.S.
Urban and suburban areas have excellent bicycle infrastructure.
Cities, the state, and the LDS church promote healthy lifestyles.

Things I don't like about Brigham Young's Promised Land

Far too much green grass in the desert.
No good IPA beer because alcohol limit is 5%.
A general lack of cultural diversity.
Houses all look alike. Shades of brown.
People mostly look alike. No tattoos, piercings, hipster facial hair.
Convenience stores are rare.
Most restaurants are closed on Sunday.

More of Brigham Young's Promised Land in 2023

The first 8 days of my next bike tour are an extension of the Brigham Young's Promised Land tour. The route passes LDS temples in Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Rexburg and goes through the campus of Brigham Young University-Idaho. More details can be found here.

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George (Buddy) HallCongratulations on completing a very interesting tour! You did a great job in documenting things. I was very surprised some years ago on a business trip to Oahu to discover that the Mormon church was very influential there - I don't seem to have the ability to post a link now for some reason, so I'll try to just copy/paste a wiki article; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Hawaii So you may need to tour in Hawaii to complete the Mormon theme.
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2 years ago

Wayne EstesI have done two bike tours in Hawaii, a long time ago. I never visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, but knew it was owned by the LDS church. Didn't know the LDS church spread to Hawaii in the 1850's with the consent of the King. That's not long after it spread to Utah. Interesting story.
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauGreat job on this very interesting journal. The Mormons sure build some grand temples. I saw their temple in Nauvoo, IL while on my New Orleans to Lake Superior tour and was quite fascinated by the architecture and by the comings and goings of the Mormon visitors. (Non-Mormons aren't allowed inside, of course.) I also found it interesting that the visitor center on the grounds of Joseph Smith's home made no mention of any of his many wives other than his first one.

My only other Mormon encounter occured a couple years ago. It was snowing like crazy outside and here was a knock at my front door. When I opened it up, I saw two well-dressed young men and my first thought was, "oh no, not another group of Jehovah's Witnesses."

They asked if I was familiar with the Latter Day Saints, and before they could get too deep into their spiel, I politely told them I wasn't really interested. Then came the part I'll never forget: They asked if I'd like them to shovel my driveway. I said "no thanks, I'll shovel it all when it stops snowing." I know they were sincere in their offer, because a short time later I saw them shoveling a couple inches of snow off a driveway up the street while in their suits and dress shoes.
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2 years ago

Mathieu Van RijswickHi, I found this journal a few days ago and read through most of it. I share your fascination with the Mormon culture. I cycled through parts of Utah and Idaho a few times and saw several of the Temples and landscapes that feature on your excellent pictures. I was rather disappointed by your insides in the LSD culture. Even from a ‘neutral’ viewpoint, there is a lot of amazing history and accomplishments that would be interesting to read. How did they integrate so many different European immigrants? Why are all buildings highly symmetrical? Why was their architecture so much influenced by the French Empire style, whereas the Mormons are said to be rather inward-looking? As you noticed rightly, they built huge and beautiful temples while settling in new and harsh territory. Brigham Young must have been a highly inspiring leader. Etc. Probably Covid limited your contacts, but I would have loved to read about views from local people.
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5 months ago

Wayne EstesTo Mathieu Van RijswickMatthiew, I'm glad you found my journal interesting and informative. I am a very solitary person, and don't seek out long conversations during my tours. I agree that it would have been insightful to have more conversations with real people, instead of just reading all the signs.
The only long conversation I had was with the woman who grew up in a polygamist family. Part of what made it interesting was that she mentioned so many contradictions that I didn't know what was genuinely true.
Before the tour I was aware that the Mormon church attracted many immigrants from England and Scotland. But I didn't learn much about the foreign emigrant experience. I was aware of the handcart emigrants and the wide range of opinion about the success and wisdom of that project. I never thought about why certain architectural styles were chosen. Probably I just assumed the style simply fulfilled their visual fantasy of a Godly kingdom on Earth.
It was only after the tour, when reading the Jon Krakauer book, that I learned about the huge differences between Joseph Smith the charismatic founder, and Brigham Young the brilliant manager.
Maybe somebody who is more sociable than me should do a follow up tour with many interviews.
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5 months ago

Mathieu Van RijswickHi Wayne, thanks for the quick reply and the explanations. When I travelled through parts of Utah, I read a biography of Brigham Young. It was not the Krakauer book, that I didn’t know and does interest me, and not one written by an LDS admirer. It was probably written by John G. Turner. It gave me a much better understanding of the epic Mormon Trail trek and the colossal pioneer years in the Promised Land. The immigrants not only came from England and Scotland, but also from Scandinavia and continental Europe. As I understood it, they were offered a package deal: free cross-Atlantic transport and a plot of land with a conversion to an ‘American’ gospel, the Book of Mormon.

I didn’t know that there are still people around who grew up in a polygamist family. I thought that practise was outlawed with Utah’s admission as a US state in 1896
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5 months ago