The 198-mile trip to St. George, Utah was easy and we were so used to the area we didn't even need to use our GPS. We are staying at the St. George RV Resort (it has a Hurricane address, but is actually in Harrisburg---almost a ghost town just outside Hurricane).
We've been here several times so it was familiar to us. It's only a little better than so-so, but it's conveniently located near the Quail Lake Reservoir and across the highway from Red Cliffs Recreation Area. Since it was a travel day, we didn't do much after setting up.
Tuesday was the first day of our hitting the Utah parks. Our primary goal was Bryce Canyon, but we started with Zion (which we didn’t need to go to since Becky already had her passport stamped there some time ago), but we went there for old time’s sake. It turned out to be a bonanza of seeing old friends---Daisy,
Kent, Kelly, Kirsten, Larry & Claudette, Matt, Jim, and Ron. And the scenery was as magnificent as ever. We exited through the tunnel on the East side and headed to Bryce. The park is open but the lodge is closed until March 31, so we mainly just went to the Visitor Center.
We also stopped at Ruby’s Inn to replace a few pieces of winter clothing. We came home via Highway 20 (picked up North of Panguitch) and I-15 (through Cedar City). I had never gone that way; great scenery. We got home at 6:00 PM, after a 254-mile roundtrip. It was a long day, but the dogs were great travelers so it was not difficult.
Wednesday morning we went to our audiologist, Kimball Forbes, to have our hearing devices tuned up and to see if our hearing had deteriorated in the past 15 months. It hadn't.
We celebrated by going to Walmart. Yippee! We also rented "J. Edgar" at the Red Box.
On Thursday, we met Larry and Claudette Van Dusen at the Red Lobster in St. George. They had just finished their season working at the Zion Lodge and were getting some work done on their RV before heading out on a two-month tour before landing at Yellowstone National Park for a new season.
We also got around to watching J. Edgar. The film was definitely not one of Clint Eastwood’s best. It was (or at least seemed) too long, the flashbacks were confusing, there was little reason given to care about the characters, and some of the makeup (other than Leo DiCaprio’s) was terrible.
Friday (the 30th anniversary of the day I quit smoking, by the way) started out as a normal day---we had blood drawn in anticipation of our regular doctors’ visits next week and saw our dermatologist
for our regular checkups---and ended up being very sad. We had to take Daisy to the vet for what turned out to be her last time.
Becky’s tribute:
Full Circle
Eight years ago --- March 2004 --- we adopted five year old “Darling Daisy” from the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. We enjoyed that adorable Dalmatian so very much. Daisy used to run like the wind. She loved to massage her face in the grass. She would roll on her back and wiggle in the grass or in the snow. She enjoyed digging in the soft ground at Zion. She would chase lizards. When off leash, she would run after rabbits. Daisy was intrigued by the Zion wild turkeys. At the North Rim, she spent the night in the woods (and rain) with Becky and Pat Wheeler, and she listened attentively to the howling coyotes. At the South Rim, she would sometimes get out and play hide-and-seek in the RV park. She loved chasing cats! Our darling Daisy was such a joy. Even until the end, she was always curious and attentive.
She opened her heart, and ours, to Ramsey, her new brother, in October, 2010. He was seven years younger than she, so he challenged and stimulated her. Daisy was determined to be involved whenever Ramsey was around. She was stubborn this way. More than a year ago, Daisy’s kidneys began to weaken. So did her hind legs. She was put on various medications to make things more comfortable. When Ramsey went on a walk, she was determined to go on the walk. Her back legs began to collapse. She would be propped up and would continue the walk. Last September, we thought we would lose her. The veterinarian painted a bleak picture, but she was not ready. She hung on another six months. We have now come full circle. On March 26, we returned to Southern Utah. Three days ago, we all visited Zion Lodge and the Anasazi Plateau.
This is where it all began. She was able to experience again the sights, sounds, and smells of her first home with us. Our darling Daisy is now gone. Once again, she is running like the wind --- this time in heaven. She is rubbing her face in the clouds. She will be chasing lizards, turkeys, and kitty cats forever. We miss her dearly, and will love her always.
On Saturday, Becky got a 1 1/2-hour massage, after which we saw Act of Valor in an actual theater!!! It was a good movie. Sunday it rained on and off all day, so we didn't do much. Monday started out with short (for me) and slightly longer (for Becky and Ramsey) hikes in the Red Cliffs National Recreation Area
(the entrance is across the street from our RV park). The scenery is very reminiscent of that at Zion NP, and, therefore, magnificent. After the hike, we stopped at Silver Reefs (a couple of miles up the road) a historical site that was a booming silver mining area around the time of the Civil War. There's an interesting museum there, in what was the Wells Fargo wagon stop back when the town was hot.
On Tuesday, we had our sort-of-annual medical appointments with Dr. Joshus Frame in St. George. All was well, notwithstanding our advanced ages and strange lifestyle.
On Wednesday, we both got pedicures at Wal-Mart (and Becky got a manicure, as well), and we finally got to Samurai 21,
the sushi restaurant we used to frequent whenever we were in St. George. (I was clever enough to leave my American Express card there, which I didn't realize until the next day---200 miles away).
The rest of the time involved a little hiking in the nearby mountains, a little shopping, and a little relaxing.
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