We loosed the bounds of casinos and headed east. We visited Pipe Spring National Monument. The springs have been used since 300 B.C. Mormons claimed the springs to watter their cattle and crops. They sent cheese and butter to St. George, UT, 3 days wagon ride to the east. John Wesley Powell visited the springs in 1870, before his second trip down the Colorado River.

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When we left Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, our next destination was Zion National Park, which would take us right through Grand Staircase Escalante.   More of a region, really, than a monument...Grand Staircase is close to two million acres of southern Utah that was given national monument status by President Clinton in 1996.  This beautiful, scenic drive took us to the Escalante visitor center, which we were more than happy to check out.   One of the larger, and yet lesser known national monuments, we were the only ones in the visitor center, and the lady there was more than happy to tell us all about the area!  They had several dinosaur fossils on display, including one found in the area that was the first of its kind found anywhere! She told us that sharks teeth were also plentiful in this area, leftover from the ancient sea that once covered this whole place. She said if we just walked out into the desert, there was a good chance we might find one ourselves! (I was willing to try it, but Dawn felt it was a little too hot to hike in the desert today!)  Tyler was also happy to get a National Parks Passport Stamp there as well.   I wish we had more time to explore around here, but Zion awaits! 

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The cottages are set up like duplexes; they are very spacious and quiet. I stayed in cottage #2, it overlooked the horse pasture. My dog loved watching the horses and deer during feeding time. The cottage is set up with double beds, a large bathroom, living room, and kitchenette. The living room also has a pull out bed. Oh, the best part is you can bring your pet with you to stay in the room, or you can have a "sleep over friend". Not only is it a great way to socialize the animals, it is also a rare opportunity to spend the night with a dog you are considering adding to your family. For $85 a night, I think it was a good deal- I really enjoyed it!

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We had a second day at B.F. and that morning had the same routine. Puppy class first thing, walking dogs until lunch. We walked several dogs, some of which we walked the day before. We met a couple of new ones though and got to play with them as a couple wanted to play in their run as opposed to taking a walk. Andy got to meet Buddha who quickly became his favorite.  Martha was up there too. I really liked Pandora and Dalila, who jumped in my lap for some kisses. We were again at the lodges and today there are NO ONE there. If anyone goes out there, volunteer at the lodges. They need the help.

At lunch, we ended up meeting Denise, who was working in the rabbit house.  She told us there were being clicker trained and were learning to jump hurdles and do an obstacle course. However, again the rabbit house was closed. We also ate with Virgil who was another one of the founders. We again had a good lunch and learned a lot about the place.

In the afternoon we were to the horse headquarters and got the work with pigs, goats, and sheep. They have a lot of horses and donkeys too. We met Belle, a pigmy goat who likes to go on walks with you, and Sara my sponsor goat. We played with the pigs and made them mud baths and also helped socialize some new goats to the program. They were willing to eat out of our hands, however, they didn’t like us so much when the food was gone!

Ate at Amici’s that night.  It was just soso. Nothing to write home about.

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Went to Best Friends, and it was great. When we first got there we had our orientation with a volunteer coordinator. She was very nice. Went straight to Dogtown to walk dogs. When we got there we were asked if we wanted to do the puppy class, like that was even a question??? Then we found out why. National Geographic was there filming the puppy class for a Best Friends special they will be airing. So watch for us on the boob tube.

After puppy class we went back to headquarters to sign in and watch the video. After that we went to the Lodges to walk dogs. We each walked 5 dogs and had fun taking them up the trails. It was a good work out as it was a ½ mile trail and all sand. When we were talking with one of the employees they told us that no one ever comes to the Lodges to walk dogs. She called it the “Hood”, most people go to the other places with the “better” dogs. We had no problems with our dogs. They also seemed surprised how many dogs we walked. I guess that they don’t have volunteers who can last that long.

After dogs we went to lunch at the vegetarian buffet they have there. It was only $4 a person. Sat with an older couple, who turned out to be Mr. and Mrs. Fripp who were founders of Best Friends. Mr. Fripp is still the treasurer. They’re brits and were fun to talk to. We learned a lot about the place and how it started.

We took a tour at 1:30 which was fun, stopped at dogs and cats. Saw the whole canyon. When we finished we stopped at the gift shop (of course), then went to the cats. Cats were pretty mellow by the time we got there, so it was a slow afternoon after the tour.

Just so you know it was very dirty! All that sand gets in your shoes and on your clothes, I had to come right home and take a shower!

Ate at the Rewind Café. It was pretty good. Had a burger, with a wonderful bun. If Kim is reading, they had “fry sauce” which was a mix of ketchup and mayo. You would have been happy. Also had a chocolate malt which was pretty good. I would go back.

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Went back to the Paris for breakfast and it was great, again. After we ate we went back to the MGM and got our bags. Easy check-out, in fact it was so fast we didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to the couples we were with. A taxi took us right to the rental car pick-up at the airport.

Got our car, an Impala, pretty easy too, although the car was crap. The drive to Kanab, Utah, from Vegas is pretty easy and seemed faster than the 4 hours it was. However, a caution, the best way to get there is through the Zion National Park. It was a $25 fee. We did get the “carry the baton” through the big tunnel through the mountain though. The ranger on one end asked us to take it to the ranger on the other end. It was a system to limit the number of people in the tunnel at one time. We like to think that we did our park to save the tunnel. HEHE.

Kanab is alright, small, but a total resort town. We stayed at the BobBon Inn. When we got here we got less than a friendly reception by who I assume is Bob. Other people have told me that Bon isn’t any better. The room was TINY, air worked well though, and it was pretty clean. However, I would not stay here again. Not very comfortable, and as I said the service was not friendly. The entire image on the internet add made it seem like a different place. That’s just my opinion though, others may really like the place. Ate at a place called “The Rocking V Café”, it was very good. A little pricey, but well worth the price. They have a great vegetarian menu, which I ordered off of. Also great desserts.

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Back to Kanab for another evening.  Tonight we get to visit a place recommended highly by the staff at the motel.  Escobar’s Mexican restaurant had sounded good to us when we asked yesterday about good family dining in Kanab.  Unfortunately they were closed yesterday.  But tonight they are open and we get to give them a try.  As you can see from our review, it was well worth the wait.  Don’t get me wrong, the Rewind Café was excellent too.  I like to eat where the locals do.  They usually steer you in the right direction.

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Kanab is a good spot to end the day today and tomorrow as well. Tomorrow we will drive south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to spend the day and the following day head east to Page, Arizona and beyond.  We’ve taken lots of pictures and I am anxious to get some of them up along with my blog updates but I find that I need to go to the lobby to get a connection with my laptop.  Wireless connections are just not quite up to what I’d wish.

Again we are fortunate to find a fun diner for our dinner.  The Rewind Café was just down the street from our motel and served up a nice dinner.

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This is a fairly well maintained two story motel that has probably been there for at least ten years. The rooms are good-sized and well equipped with the normal items, cable TV, refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, ironing board and iron, hair dryer, etc. We happened to be out at the very end of the main building and the wireless internet did not reach that far. We were told that we could either use their lobby PC or bring our own laptop to the lobby to use. There is a nice outdoor pool and spa. Motel staff was helpful and the breakfast served in the morning was an expanded continental breakfast and included waffles, cereals, fruits, juices, coffee, tea and milk. I felt that it was a good place to stay for the money.

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     We only hiked 5 miles today and it was relatively level (about time!).  The first of  the 3 places we went was another slot canyon  8 miles down a single lane dirt road and then hiking down a dry wash for 2 more miles into a canyon only 2 feet wide.  This was spectacular even though we arrived a little before the sun was straight overhead.  As we left we passed several groups hiking in for the peak time.

     Second stop was walking down another dry wash to some bizarre rock formations called toadstools.  Interesting but it was getting hot and hiking thru a flat desert is not the way to spend the afternoon.

     The third stop was driving to an abandoned movie set and a nearby ghost town.  Very picturesque.  All in all a fun day with very different scenery.  Tomorrow we’ll drive to Salt Lake City and we may not have internet access there.  If not I’ll catch up on the photos when we get to Yellowstone.

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Brown vinyl booths line the turquoise-and-pink walls of this family-owned diner, which hums with the conversation of locals who flock here for the chili verde and steak ranchero. Cool the warm flavors with a cold bottle of beer, but don't touch the plates -- they arrive piping hot. Chicken enchiladas and Chili Relleno were our choices, served with rice and beans, and a soft drink.  You could tell the minute you walked in that this was a "local" hangout.  Nothing fancy, just down to earth food, served quickly and without extra fanfare (or cost). It was nothing special, but good enough to get my 3 stars. One thing to note: It is closed on Saturday.

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If you are into the old 1950's look, Coca-Cola escpecially, and like good food, this will make you feel really comfortable.  Turn the clock back, turn on the juke box, even get a 6 ounce coke in a bottle (yeah, that's really old) cold and ready to drink from an even older Coke dispenser. The menu is more than just burgers and sodas, and from what I could tell all seemed to be pretty good.  And the place although fairly small was pretty busy, and locals seemed to enjoy it too (always a good sign). The service was handled by young waitresses who were friendly and eager to please. We had a full meal and a special dessert which was quite good.

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      I’ve run out of superlatives and if the scenery continues to be so stupendous, I will probably be incoherent by Sunday.  (My husband says he can cope with that.)  Today we went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which is even more spectacular than the South Rim and much less crowded.  We went to various vantage points and also hiked a few miles along the rim.

    However, the surprise of the day was the drive to the Canyon.  We went through pine forests and grass meadows with occasional stands of aspen.  The aspen were golden, with sun shining through leaves fluttering in the wind.  Did you know that aspen leaves rattle in the wind?  They sounded like a soft rain stick (you know, those things you see at craft shows.)  The sight of gold leaves against the dark pines, , , ,well, 2 photos today; one from the Canyon rim and one of the trees.

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