St. George, Utah - May 2010

(Yes, this posting is quite late, but better late than never!)  :-)

In May of 2009 we made a trip to the Southwest and traveled through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. Once we got down there, we stayed at St. George in Utah,  Payson in Arizona., Moab in Utah, then Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs in Colorado.  We only spent three days in St. George, but we liked it so much – we decided it would be well worth a return trip. But this time we wanted to go back and spend more time and get a feel for it as though we were residents, rather than just staying in a hotel. Teri did the research and found a house to rent for a week. Oh, and living in the desert wouldn't be complete without a pool right?  :)  It was a 3 bedroom 2 bath home with a private pool on a dead end street in the Green Valley area of St. George.  Before we booked the house, Teri asked our friend Eric, who lives there, about the area and he reported that it was a good area. Lots of retired people, quiet, and low crime - and that actually, there really isn't much crime in St. George at all, so that was nice to hear.

Our route

Saturday May 15, 2010

We'll be on the road all day.  Packed up the truck. Left house at 7:58am PT. Odd, it was a nice morning. Usually it’s raining.

Not as much snow on Snoqualmie Pass as previous years

Made good time over Snoqualmie Pass and got gas in Kennewick. Our final destination for day one was Boise Idaho.

Poor Sadie had scratched her eye just a few days before we left and was wearing a plastic cone around her head and needed drops every 3 hours so we made sure to stop during our drive to do that and stretch our legs. While we drove along, she sat up and rocked back and forth in her kennel mostly comatose while Joey was out like a light.  Pulled into Boise and the Oxford Suites about 6pm MT.  Once we got to the hotel, and got settled she was out like a light too. Had a dinner of baked chicken and potato salad that we had prepared in advance and brought with us in the cooler. The hotel was very quiet. No road noise from the freeway nearby either.

 I'm not an alien, it's just me, Sadie, wearing The Cone of Shame

We are both pretty tired. Joey was a very good pup. He only let out a low growl once when he heard people talking outside our door in the hallway! No barks.  Tomorrow we continue to St. George!


Sunday May 16th

Up and packed and did the hotel hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, a splash of salsa, bacon, OJ, Coffee, English Muffins, Honeydew and Cantaloupe melon squares. Good eats.  Checked out, topped off gas in the truck and we were on the road again by 8:15 a.m. Mountain Time.

Salt Lake City area

Wasatch Mountains

Nice travel day. We boogied pretty much non stop until Ogden where we made a quick stop for gas, then continued South through the various construction zones on I-15 until the town of Scipio for a puppy break. This was about 2pm and after six hours of driving, and we were both fading a little. Grabbed a couple chicken legs from the cooler for lunch and pressed on.  We hit an 80 mph zone and the miles clicked off quickly for awhile.  At the end of the zone there were a few Utah State Patrol cars strategically positioned just to remind everyone to throttle back.

St. George is a long drive….

Arrived just before 6pm. Hit the code on the front door of the house and were able to enter.  Nice!  We opened the garage door, pulled the truck inside where it was cooler, closed the garage door and unloaded. Built a barrier area for the pups to keep them off the carpet and rustled up some of Teri’s delicious baked chicken and potato salad after feeding the pups. Sadie immediately crashed in her bed that we had put on the kitchen floor next to us. Then we heard the combo lock on the front door activate and in walked the owner Joanne – “Oops! Didn’t think you were here yet!  -So sorry!"  Joey barked a few times as if to say, Excuuuuuuse me!  We took the unexpected opportunity to chat for a bit.  She showed us how the pool cover and heater worked, then picked up some earrings her daughter had left while doing the last minute prep of the house, and bid us adieu.  Sadie lay snoring in her bed the whole time and missed the excitement…

We finished dinner and completed the unpacking. Then it was time to relax in our new digs. The temp is about 91 degrees. Elevation around 3,000 feet. Cedar City, a little north, is 5,000 feet.  Cooler.  Its 41 miles driving distance SW to Mesquite NV, and its elevation is 1600 feet.  Hotter.  But here, the sky is blue, the warmth is perfect.  There is a slight breeze.  We have arrived. Yeah.  The house seemed too cool so we turned up the settings so it would be a bit warmer in the house.  We were there for heat after all!  :)

Front of rental house

Backyard of rental house

Living room

Kitchen

Eating area

Front room

Dining room

Office part of the large master bedroom

From master bedroom looking at entrance to master bath

Master Bath (double sinks, jetted tub, shower, water closet)

Master walk-in closet

Monday May 17th

Made up some scrambled eggs and set them in a tortilla wrap for breakfast. Today is Zone Out and Recharge Day. Didn’t do much. Finished off chicken and potato salad. Drifted around in pool on air mattress things with a mesh center.  Then we relaxed on the patio in the pool side lounge chairs and listened to St. George radio on the outdoor stereo.  Later, while Teri cruised  the web on the laptop, Dave went for a walk up the nearby hill.  There were a lot of houses for sale.  He was amazed at how many were perched on the bare edge of nothing. There were plenty of big square stones making a huge retaining walls to keep the bluffs from collapsing.  Dave thought, "one good rain and the whole area would slide away."  Apparently around these parts, it was an accepted building practice.

It was a good walk and at the top was an excellent view of all the red cliffs and rocks of Snow Canyon and then the Pine Valley mountains beyond that. Lots of little golf greens and cement  paths for the golf carts. There was a white smothering high cloud cover above which almost put a damper on things, but it’s not like a Pacific Northwest cloud cover. There is no rain. And it’s plenty warm.

  Back at the house, Dave made up a tuna/ham/cheese/green onion/celery spread that we put in tortilla wraps for lunch.  Then it was off to hang out in the pool.  :)

For dinner it was the spread on toast with a green salad and Tuscan Italian salad dressing.  Watched some tv, thought about the next day, and went to bed early. 


Tuesday May 18th
Our 5th Anniversary

The sun blasted through the thin white curtain covering the glass of the door that led from the master bathroom to the patio and pool. No sleeping late here I reckon. Up at 6:30am. Coffee. At 7am there were still 30 minutes to go before the stock market opened because we were now on Mountain  time. That means we were up at 05:30 Pacific Time? Welcome to Utah. Dave’s organic raisin bran for breakfast. Teri had her Kashi cereal. We left the pups guarding the house and jetted off to the mall near Texas Roadhouse where there is an organic store called Natural Grocers. It was similar to the Food Co-op in Bellingham. We picked up some Milk, Bread and…a bar of Chocolate. Then a few more supplies at Albertsons – postcards and tp.

Went back to the house to pick up the pups then it was off to explore the housing of St George. First we went up to the red rim overlook view so we could look southwest over St. George.

Then off North on Highway 18 to Winchester Hills. It had a kind of an unkept look, and they had horses in their back yards.  Teri is highly allergic!  South we went to do the ridge road to the North of St.George that overlooks the city. Looked at some other housing developments North of I-15 above Washington. Then it was time to head back. Dropped off the pups and had an anniversary lunch at Ernesto’s Mexican Restaurant.

Relaxed back at the house then jumped back in the truck and checked out Hurricane and turned South on 700 to look at the residential area between the two runways. Adobe cliff dweller stuff. Not really for us. We drove through the construction of Hurricane and looked at La Verkin. Drove up the road and saw where the turn off at Virgin was for the Kolob Reservoir.  Wouldn't do that drive today, but now we know where it is for another day.  Then it was back to the ranch and the pool.

Wednesday May 19th
 
Alright. Pancakes for breakfast.  Life is good.  Today was sightseeing day. We checked out houses in Coral Canyon and found a nice one with unobstructed views in the back. 

Saw a Road Runner bird in the development chugging along a sidewalk. 

We saw this sign and had to take a picture of course.  A merging of our two state names!  Although in this case, the town is called Washington, in the state of Utah.  Just outside of St. George.

We have an easy schedule. Drive up the back road out of Hurricane to check out the Apple Valley, then take a primitive connector road to Highway 9 at Rockville. Retracing back to Virgin, hang a right and drive up the back way into Kolob Canyon. Simple.

Hurricane still had construction, we made it to Highway 59 which if you follow it all the way goes to Colorado City. Very spectacular views on the way to Apple Valley which …was similar to Winchester Hills. Not exactly a high end neighborhood. Horses, unkept around the homes, flat. Nice valley though. 

Teri, the Navigator, found the connector road. It was a red dirt road and went straight off into la-la land. Intrepid travelers, we charged on and got up to 30 mph at times. There were occasional cows on both sides contained with unique homemade fencing. There were some really cool views and you could really see the natural land.  The road went through a pass of sorts and then began a decent. There were now absolutely outstanding views ahead as Zion proper came into view. 

The road began to degrade a bit as the angle of decent increased. We met a couple cars coming toward us. We saw some very cool natural desert garden displays right next to the road. Very cool.  There was a slightly wider turn around area just ahead and just beyond that the road continued down down down down at, what I thought was, an alarmingly steep angle on a no longer flat road.  Instead it was full of bumps, large rocks and big holes.  Dave's hands immediately began to sweat on the steering wheel while Teri commented with a smile, oh boy, you have 4 wheel drive don’t cha? ?  And so….Dave let off the brake a little, we rolled forward and now we were committed.
 

Well, we made it down to the flats where the road turned back into pavement and we found some people camping by the Virgin River.  We should have stopped there and taken a picture of the grade we had just traveled but those things never come out right on film. Yep, the places we've been.  The truck did well.

Now we were back to Highway 9. To the right and East was Springdale and Zion, to the left and West was the town of Virgin and the road to Kolob Reservoir. 

Again, it appears that we seem to find these ‘roads’. I’m not sure how it happens but we are getting quite a collection. This particular road was not that bad. Paved all the way although some sections required attention. The views once again were nearly beyond description. The Zion rock masses in all their splendor. We traveled up and up through forests that had been torched by fire and now were pale white sticks, black volcanic boulders, ridges, great monoliths, hairpin turns, sections of road with no guardrail, no shoulders which dropped off to a sheer vertical drop.
The temp began to drop from the 90’s to the 70’s and then when we started seeing snow on the side of the road, the 50’s. Eventually we arrived at the reservoir. It was covered with ice and snow and was just now beginning to thaw. 

Kolob Terrace

Kolob Reservoir

Great drive. We returned the same way we came and after a time arrived back at Highway 9. We went North this time to I-15 just before LaVerkin and at Torqueville caught I-15 South. Drove through Leeds. They had just oiled some of the roads and the main road was fresh gravel with a water truck in front of us. Then back to the house and the pool.

High time for lunch. We walked to Don Pedro’s which was about a block away - once we walked down our street to the main road. It was pretty darn hot for a walk but we made it ok. The prices were slightly higher than Ernesto’s but the quality was very good. Teri had the Polo a la Crema special, Dave had a cheese enchilada and a chili relleno. It was superb but way too much to put away at a single sitting. We got the house lime margarita with triple sec and sweet and sour. It was ok, but they could have left out the sweet and sour. (we are so critical huh...)

Back at the ranch it was time to hit the pool and relax.  Dave had his leftovers for dinner and watched Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl, while Teri got caught up on the computer.


Thursday May 20^th

Teri made us some steel cut oats for breakfast, along with fruit, toast and vegetable juice.

Drove up Highway 18 through the town of Veyo and through the Pine Valley Mountains as far as Enterprise. Took a left for a while after that heading for Panaca until the road turned to gravel. According to the map it was still quite a ways to go so we flipped a U-Turn and once more back at Enterprise, topped off the gas tank. Decided to head North at least as far as Beryl Junction.

There wasn’t much happening in Beryl. Headed back to Veyo and pulled over at the Veyo Pies & Bakery to pick up a slice each of Blueberry and Chocolate Cream pies. Yummers. 

Hung a right there and drove down a steep grade to follow the Santa Clara River to the Gunlock Reservoir. There was a state park there. $7 per day. We continued on stopping every now and then to take another bite of pie. After a time we passed into the Paiute Indian Reservation. Outstanding red cliffs there. 

Exiting sometime later we entered Santa Clara and after a time arrived back at the house.

Margarita for Teri, Dave had a beer. We munched on an appetizer plate of taco chips n salsa, ham n cheese cubes and celery sticks. 

For dinner that night we split Teri’s Don Pedro’s dinner leftovers.  Teri watched Grey’s Anatomy - a 2 hr finale. It was very scary and much suspense.  Dave watched Pirates of the Caribbean part II, Dead Man’s Chest.

Friday May 21

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with ham and toast. Coffee for Dave, Hot Chocolate for Teri.  

Drove around to look at St. George.

St. George Temple

Historic District

Saw the St. George Temple, Dixie State College, drove through different sections of town including the historic district, and then walked around in a K-Mart looking for postcards and souvenirs. Then headed to the liquor store near Ernesto’s to pick up some Utah and California beer and a Hornito’s Tequila.

Then it was back to the house to pick up the pups and take a drive to Mesquite in Nevada. We drove through the awesome Virgin River Canyon then popped out the other side to the flats and dusty haze. Welcome to Arizona. Welcome to Nevada. Yep, it was about that fast going through Arizona.  Mesquite has a lot of nice casino’s with huge ponds and fountains. Took the business loop and then headed back.

Driving through the canyon

Casablanca Resort Casino in Mesquite NV

Late lunch at the Texas Roadhouse.  Loud country music and line dancing by the staff.  Fun place!  We had the pulled pork with bbq sauce and a couple of 10 oz Hefeweizen draft beers. Mighty tasty fair for our tired and hungry travelers.

Back to the house and it was time to hit the pool and test out the Utah beer. The wind got brisk in the late afternoon. Stupid green pollen things kept blowing off the neighbor’s tree and into the pool and on the grass where the dogs go. What a bother. After the sun went down Dave brought the log up to date while Teri read. The wind had some moments with some pretty good gusts.

Saturday May 22nd

Awoke and had breakfast of scrambled ham and eggs with cheese and green onion plus toast. Today is our last day. Spent the morning cleaning up. Teri did all the counter tops, kitchen and bathrooms. Dave vacuumed and swept and did the patio. Then it was pool time for Dave. After that it was time for Teri to take a break and we all jumped in the truck to do some stop action photo shoots. Hawaiian Grill karaoke place, the old airport. Cruised up Highway 18 to take some shots of the red rocks. “Pie? Did someone say pie?” Next stop, back out Highway 18 to Veyo Pies for a slice of banana cream as well as a slice of blackberry pie. Then South again to take some shots from the Snow Canyon overlook just before Winchester. Awesome. The longer we stay the more we are discovering!

St. George Temple in the background

Back to the ranch and then to Don Pedro’s for a cheese enchilada + tamale for Dave and a chicken enchilada and shredded beef taco for Teri. We had their ‘hummer’ margarita with patron silver and double triple sec for $5.75. With no sweet and sour. Very good eats. After that we retired to the pool. The wind was up and it was a little cooler (only in the upper 70’s…oh brrr.) But the sky was clear and the sun, our central heating system, was still putting out.
Didn’t get the rest we needed that night as Joey was restless (and snoring) and Sadie got Teri up in the wee hours, but dawn came anyway at the usual time whether we were ready or not.

Sunday, May 23 – The last day

Up early for showers and house cleaning. Teri ripped the bed apart and threw the bedding in the washer and dryer, and the towels we used came next. Dave did a vacuum and sweep on the patio and interior. Loaded up the truck and then made a quick run to fill up the truck with gas and bring back breakfast from McDonald’s.

Then it was final systems check and we packed ourselves in the truck and drove off into another wonderful St. George, Utah morning. We were born lucky.  Motored to the post office and mailed postcards. Then headed out on I-15. Did a brief look of a New Harmony housing development then on to Highway 20, a ways past Cedar City. It was a nice drive up and up and down and down and into Bear Valley where Eric Dodge’s grandfather has a ranch. We shot some pics and video and then decided to continue on to Highway 89 northwards, rather than retrace our route back west to I-15.

Eric's grandfather's ranch

Well worth the extra effort. We followed the Sevier River down and down through some great canyons. Drove through Paiute and other settlements. Always there were the massive rock formations which were ever changing as the sun tracked across the sky. Fascinating and mostly too much to absorb. Eventually we arrived at I-70 and continued east on that until we turned off to take Hwy 50 northwest and meet up once again with I-15 at Scipio. Sad to say with our altered route we bypassed Fillmore. ;)

I-15 and 75 mph. Actually 80 mph for a while. We made good time. What was happening to the weather?  The sky ahead was getting dark and depressing. At Salt Lake City we were definitely tired campers, but there was more driving to do. A rain/snow mix hit for a brief time then we arrived at our destination in Ogden, The Comfort Inn. Whew.

All checked in and secure, all we wanted to do was fade away. Fed the pups, ate our Mexican and Texas Roadhouse leftovers and crashed. Good day. We always manage to get some epic adventures in.


Monday, May 24

This morning the weather was exactly the reason we ran away to St. George. To get away from the wet, rainy, windy, cold, overcast…well you get the picture. The pups didn’t waste any time getting their business done when we pulled over for puppy stops in those conditions.

Got the breakfast – scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, sausages, milk, OJ, Coffee and hot chocolate, and brought it back to the room. Pretty good eats.

Northbound on I-15 by Willard UT

Loaded the truck up, got gas (20 gallons) nearby and we were out of there heading North for a long drive to our overnight stop in Pendleton, Oregon. The weather was crappy with rain and overcast skies, but eventually it began to clear and the rain was replaced with white puffy clouds and blue sky. Made good time and stopped at Twin Falls for a break. Shoshone Falls wanted a $3 per vehicle entry fee. I think it’s sad. Will there someday be a charge to see Bellingham Bay or Mount Baker?
We skipped the Falls. Got some eats in the longest slowest drive thru at Jack in the Box then went to University of Idaho campus to let the pups run in real grass.

Then it was back on the road.  Eventually left Idaho, entered Oregon. Saw some really nice views, like the early morning sun on the Sawtooth Mountains and when we were on a high plateau where you could see almost forever, it seemed like the white puffy clouds rode an arc matching the curve of the earth to float overhead and then descend on the horizon. Very cool. Arrived at Oxford Suites about 5:30pm Pacific Time which was really 6:30pm Mountain Time. Tired and buzzed we checked in. Dave snared a couple complimentary beers and a plate of appetizers and brought them back to the room where we watched the day come to a close and relaxed with the pups.

This may be our last day of sun. Tomorrow we do the last leg.


Tuesday, May 25

Had breakfast at the hotel and hit the road at 9am Pacific Time.  Felt nice to sleep in!  Made it home shortly after 3pm, unpacked, started laundry, and settling quickly back into a routine.  Once the cat was back home the next day we'd all be back together and ready for another adventure!  :)