Great Salt Lake, Without Pesky Flies or Pungent Smell
By Tom Wharton, The Salt Lake Tribune
May 29–ANTELOPE ISLAND — When couples think of something different to do on a Saturday night in northern Utah, a dinner cruise on the Great Salt Lake dinner often isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
After all, many Wasatch Front residents view the lake as a smelly place filled with flies.
But the four couples who took the Majestic Islander cruise from the Antelope Island marina on a recent Saturday evening came away pleased.
“It was a nice surprise,” said Tom Grant. “It was different from the dinner-and-movie thing. We did not realize it was so pretty. It was a perfect night.”
Indeed, Suzi Grant marveled at the sunset to the west and the full moon over the Wasatch Mountains to the east on an evening when the lake’s water was almost mirrorlike, the temperature in the high 70s and birds flew nearly everywhere.
That kind of reaction isn’t unusual.
Tour operator Gary Hamblin said a lifelong Davis County resident recently celebrated her 90th birthday by taking a dinner cruise, and like many experiencing the lake for the first time, was surprised by its beauty.
The Friday and Saturday dinner cruise or daily scenic boat tours of the lake are a benign way to experience one of Utah’s greatest natural wonders. While a few flies buzzed around on the dock, the cruise was virtually bug-free once the Majestic Islander left the marina. Some of the estimated 250 species of birds that use the lake and surrounding islands could be seen.
“There was no smell and no flies,” said Jennifer Ryan, who praised the staff of four on the boat for their courtesy. “It feels like you are in paradise.”
Hamblin is in his 15th year providing concessions on Antelope Island that, in addition to dinner cruises, include amphibious duck tours, wildlife safaris, and dinner and entertainment at Buffalo Point, an outcropping on the western side of Antelope Island.
Passengers enjoying a dinner cruise can either go up to the top deck and enjoy the sunset, visit the open area in the front of the boat, or stay inside where linen-covered tables are set for dinner — spinach salad, baked potato, choice of prime rib or chicken cordon bleu, fresh French bread, vegetables and cherry cheesecake.
During the course of the trip, Hamblin offers passengers tidbits about the natural history of the lake and answers questions about the island.
He and his staff have viewed many interesting and strange things while spending much of the summer on the Davis County island.
“The weirdest thing I saw was two weeks ago when there was a guy fishing off the dock,” said Hamblin, who tells his cruisers that only tiny brine shrimp can live in the lake’s salty waters. “If he caught one, I would have had a heart attack.”
Ken Bennion, who operates a World War II vintage “duck” amphibious vehicle for wildlife tours, said he sees lots of wildlife on the island. He once watched a young antelope chase a coyote. And he regularly sees foxes on the causeway that leads to the island.
Such stories give staff members plenty of fodder to share with the clients who often come to the Great Salt Lake with little knowledge about its ecosystems.
DINNER AND A CRUISE:
–Gary Hamblin operates dinner cruises on the Great Salt Lake on Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 888-878-8002. Cost is $55 per person plus tax and optional gratuity.
–Take the Antelope Drive exit off Interstate 15 and follow the signs driving west to Antelope Island. The marina is on the far north end of the island.
–Passengers can start boarding the boat at 6:30 p.m.; the approximately 90-minute tour starts at 7. Groups of 10 or more can also charter the craft any night, weather permitting.
–A less expensive alternative is a lunch or scenic cruise, which leaves at 2 p.m. from the marina on Friday and Saturday. Cost is $35.23 with lunch and $25 without. Kids 12 and younger get discounts on both.
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