Off to the USA once more

In a few weeks time I will be off with my wife to visit the USA once again, this time to Utah and the county seat, Provo, where I will be meeting up with a bunch of students who are studying Welsh at Brigham Young University. This semester they are working on a project to translate some of my hymns into Welsh.


I'm looking forward to the trip, which will be my first visit to that part of the United States, and also looking forward to meeting the students to discuss the project with them.

Provo is a city in Utah and the county seat of Utah County, located about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. It lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south. It is perhaps best-known as home of Brigham Young University. Because of its close proximity to the mountains, Utah Lake, and rivers, Provo residents have many recreational outlets. In winter, alpine and cross-country skiing, ice skating, and other winter sports are available within minutes. In summer, hiking, camping, fishing, and boating are equally accessible.

Today, Provo is a thriving community of 105,000 (2000 census). The city's downtown heart is no larger the centre of Utah Valley commerce, having lost that honour to large suburban shopping malls. Provo's once proud train depot was recently demolished, a symbol of the declining importance of passenger rail transportation in the West. Provo's downtown area remains, however, the focal point of Utah Valley political life, and nearby Brigham Young University remains the education centre of the area. Provo has grown from a quiet, small Mormon city to a substantial modern metropolitan area. Some of its traditional quaintness is gone, but its heart and soul continue to thrive.