Life On The Road ~ Part 6

From Meteor Crater in Arizona, we went west, then north, heading for Kanab, Utah. Originally, we'd planned to head to western Colorado somewhere near Montrose. But our new pals we'd met in Camp Verde told us about an inexpensive park in  Kanab and the town sounded really interesting. Kanab is centered a few miles above the middle of the Utah/Arizona border about 237 miles from Meteor Crater. We stopped overnight in Page, Arizona which is right next to Lake Powell.

The dam at Lake Powell outside Page, AZ

Bright and early the next morning, we were off to Utah. My only experience with Utah previously was our short stay at Arches National Park in 2011 and driving south along the eastern border heading for Arizona . For whatever reason, shortly after we crossed the Arizona border back into Utah, I felt an almost tangible change in the...air, atmosphere, aura, ambience? Call me crazy but it felt less dangerous, kinder, more welcoming. I had a vague sense of coming home. When I told Patrick how I felt, he agreed and he's not the metaphysical type at all. His feet are firmly on the ground!

We had a lot of fun during our stay in Kanab. At the risk of sounding like a tour guide, there are just so many places to see in Utah. So many national and state parks! National Parks are definitely Patrick's main gig and without him, I'd never have seen these wonders! (Here's a link to a short video about the top 10 things to see in the state. Since we were in the southern part of the state, we didn't see all these, maybe half, but it gives you an idea of the diverse landscapes to be found here.) And if you're not into the natural wonders of the place, Salt Lake City and Saint George are chock full of history and art. The entire state has a deep reverence for history, art, education, family values, etc.

Kanab itself is a fascinating little town. It's possibly the first community in the U.S. to be run by women! Read about that here. With a population of around 4000, this small burg was once called Little Hollywood because so many western TV shows and movies were filmed near here and the stars were put up at The Parry Lodge, known locally as The Parry. Sadly, westerns faded out of vogue and Kanab now caters to tourists who want to see where the stars once filmed or visit the nearby parks or Best Friends. Zion National Park is only 30 miles away. Bryce Canyon, 70 miles to the north and the Grand Canyon, 70 miles to the south make nice daytrips. There are others too: Grand Staircase Escalante, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and many more. Coincidentally, the two closest Walmarts are also 70 miles away; one to the southeast in Page, AZ and the other to the west in Hurricane, UT. (In Utah, it's pronounced 'Hurra-kin'.) I guess Kanab is 70 miles from anything!

Rainbow over the Vermillion Cliffs; view is from our doorway.

Utah is also an animal loving state. Near Kanab is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country, with locations in New York and Los Angeles as well. Located in Angel Canyon just outside Kanab, this huge sanctuary features special separate residences for cats, dogs (including separate buildings for special needs dogs and one for older dogs), pigs, horses, rabbits, birds and more.  If an animal doesn't get adopted, it will live out its life right there getting the best possible care and then be laid to rest in Angels' Rest cemetery. Our tour of Best Friends was the most moving day-trip we've had in Utah.

Something else that made the Best Friends trip extra special was that my sister had come out to see us in Kanab and took the tour with us. While she was there, we attended the Kanab Writers Conference, which we both got a lot out of. At least I hope I did!☺

While we'd made the decision to forego pets after our last cat died, we have no problem at all with adopting neighboring critters on a temporary basis. Thus I got into a habit of keeping a bag of dog treats onboard. While in Kanab, I met a sweet girl across the road from us. She and her husband had a Japanese Shiba Inu named Bo. Bo was allowed to come across and visit us, but only when he was given permission. When he wanted to come over, he'd stand and look at his mom intently. When she finally would say, "Well, go ahead, go on over!" Bo would come trotting over to get his Milk Bone and then trot away. After a couple months, we learned that Bo 'buried' most of those treats all over their site, under leaves, under chairs, under blankets. Wherever he thought his goodie would be safe, Bo stashed it for future enjoyment. That dog had so much personality!

Bo

The very evening of the day we arrived at the park in Kanab, we had a visitor. A beautiful cat with Siamese type markings, silver beige and chocolate, that we came to call Lonesome Cowgirl. She was super-skinny. But I hated to feed her because you know how cats are--once you feed them, they're yours. And we didn't want to get all attached and feel responsible. Besides, she had a collar on; she belonged to someone. But apparently someone was not feeding her as she seemed to grow thinner by the day. She came to visit us everytime she saw us outside. She'd look at us so plaintively as if she was saying, "Feed me? Feed me!" I couldn't take it any longer and ran over to one of Kanab's two tiny grocery stores and bought a bag of cat food and some treats. Soon she was waiting outside for me every morning by her new food and water bowls. I'm such a sucker sometimes but I just can't help it. I mean, look at this sweet face!

Lonesome Cowgirl

Lonesome Cowgirl started putting on some weight and her fur turned glossier. We taught her to give us a high five! "Gimme five!" showing her the palm of a hand. She'd reach up a paw and give us a pat. We thought it hilarious, but we're easily entertained! Eventually a fellow down on the end site walked over and informed us that Lonesome was his cat. We weren't going to dispute it as we certainly couldn't take her with us when we left. But I've always worried if she was getting a square meal. Another time, another place, I'd have kept her.

One other thing of note was Western Legends Roundup Days, a film festival, celebration and street fair held every August. My favorite part was attending the Paiute dances being held at the old school grounds. These various dances were performed by young women and girls, with an announcer explaining each dance and its significance. At the end of the show, they began a Friendship Dance. I was surprised but pleased when a little girl ran over to me, caught my hand and pulled me into the circle of dance.

A young dancer getting a last minute touch up before the show.

The weather grew gradually colder as we moved into fall--colder than we expected; time to look for warmer weather! So we left Kanab on October 31st, and headed for Bullhead City, AZ. We got up that morning to a big surprise---a coating of snow! As we reached the lower elevations of southwestern Utah (St. George/Hurricane area), it grew gradually warmer and the snow disappeared. Into the lower desert we descended.

Till next time,

"Native American isn't blood. It is what is in the heart. The love for the land, the respect for it, those who inhabit it, and the respect and acknowledgement for the spirits and elders. That is what it is to be Indian." ~ Unknown