Yes, I will be attending RootsTech 2013 next week! I’ve never been to Salt Lake City, which is
the absolute Mecca for genealogists. The
Family History Library there is the largest genealogy library in the world. Hubby and I will be setting aside at least
one whole day to explore the library, and maybe two.
I carefully followed the directions of the genealogists and
bloggers I know who attended RootsTech in 2011 and 2012. We booked the Plaza Hotel, which is the
closest to the library, but not the closest to the Salt Palace convention
center. I followed all the tweets and
Facebook comments from last year about using the library, and I think I’m
prepared. I've made up lists of things
to look up while we are there, and downloaded the latest information to family
trees accessible to our mobile devices. Since we only have one real day to do
research, I want to make sure I’m prepared to make the most of it.
One big problem seems to be the lack of WiFi access in the
Salt Palace Center, so I just ordered a new iPad mini with 3G phone internet
service. My iPhone runs on 3G, too, so I
have backup. I’m hoping to live blog
from the keynotes and other scheduled events, just like I did at the 2011 SCGS
Jamboree. I don’t get to many
conferences, but I’m prepared to keep my readers informed on the latest and
greatest technology for genealogists while I’m at RootsTech 2013! The RootsTech app is installed, and I've gone
over the schedule a zillion times to try to pick events (it’s a good thing the
two of us will be there, so we can use the “divide and conquer” technique if
needed!)
We are also setting aside one day to explore Utah. From what I’ve been researching we are four
hours from Bryce Canyon and five hours from Yellowstone National Park. These are very tempting to me, but I think I’ll
save them for a time when I don’t have to rush and see them in just a few
hours. There are other interesting
historical and natural parks closer to Salt Lake City, so we will probably pick
one of them to visit before the RootsTech events get underway. Stay tuned…
Several other New England genealogists and bloggers will be
in attendance. I hope to meet up withLaura Prescott, Dick Eastman, David Lambert and other staff from NEHGS, and
others with Boston connections like D. Joshua Taylor and Michael J.Leclerc. Sonia Meza, who I just missed seeing the last
time we were in Madrid, will be here from Spain as a presenter. There will also be lots of other bloggers I
met at Jamboree, and of course, the Genealogy Ninja, Thomas MacEntee. Seeing all these folks will be a highlight of
the trip.
The RootsTech 2013 website http://rootstech.org/
Family Search Library, Salt Lake City https://familysearch.org/locations/saltlakecity-library
Historic Temple Square, Salt Lake City http://www.visittemplesquare.com/
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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Heather,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post, I actually live in Utah and I'm going to be at RootsTech with BillionGraves! I'm pretty excited! You should stop by our booth and say hello, I'd love to meet you!
What other places are you looking into visiting around the Salt Lake area? I could probably tell you which ones are worth taking time out of your busy schedule to go to. Like going up Little Cottonwood Canyon would be nice drive (even if you're not a skier) or even Park City is great too!
I will definitely stop at your booth, Lisa! Thanks for your comment, and for the tourist ideas. We want to spend at least two days being tourists since we have never been to Utah before!
DeleteSounds exciting! You will be in an area with many beautiful sites to choose from, too. Out west is astoundingly different from New England!
ReplyDeleteGreat! I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI sure wish you could go to Southern Utah. It is absolutely beautiful down there with all the red rock mountains and canyons. Zions is absolutely amazing and Arches National Park and Moab are iconic. Too bad they're so far away from Salt Lake...