Part 9
I continued on to the next exit, took it and went back the way I came. Eventually I found an exit for I-15 N and away I went. I drove and drove but no Patrick to be seen. Seemed like at least 45 minutes went by before the two-way crackled a bit, so I grabbed it, hit the 'Talk' button and said, "Is that you?" No answer, not quite in range, but finally heard him saying he couldn't see me yet. A few more minutes with my foot hard on the gas, I spotted him up ahead and let him know he was within my sights. Together again, ha ha!
It wasn't much longer and we were into that strip of Arizona where the Virgin River Gorge twists and turns on its way to Utah and is one of the most beautiful places ever. I still have not gotten my own pictures of that breathtaking gorge; I was behind the wheel both times we went through there. Some day I'll get those pics!
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| The Virgin River Gorge via SummitPost.org |
But when we reached the gorge, I knew we were getting close, as it's just south of Saint George. There was road work going on that had traffic slowed to a crawl, but I didn't mind as it gave me more time to gawk at the rock walls towering on either side of me. It wasn't long till I saw the 'Welcome to Utah ~ Life Elevated!' sign. Again I felt that same sensation I felt when we went to Kanab in 2013-- of having arrived in a safe and happy place. We hit the southern city limits of St. George and I got more excited--almost there! Through the city, plus another seven miles and we finally saw the Leeds exit. Hooray!
The park was easy to find and shortly we were checked in and found our site. At last! But it was a few more days before Patrick could summon up the strength to get Georgie leveled. Run-of-the-mill activities really wear him out in a hurry these days. He eventually got it done and we were settled in and not listing to one side!
We had arrived on April 1st; after the heat of Bullhead City, it seemed quite chilly in Leeds! For one thing, we had plenty of shade to our southwest and only around four or five hours of direct sun in late morning to very early afternoon. After the suffocating, baking heat of western Arizona, this was refreshing! We were keeping our fingers crossed that the coming winter would not be a rough one.
We spent the first few weeks exploring the area a bit. If we were young, there would definitely be a lot of hiking going on, but at our age and condition, climbing trails and rocks is a no-go for us. We visited Silver Reef, an old mining town, very near Leeds, that lends its name to the local cafe'. We made day trips to Zion National Park, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Kolob Canyons, all very close by.
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| Wind cave near Red Cliffs as seen from I-15. |
Leeds itself is a tiny village of around 700 people, only around 12 or 15 miles northeast of St. George. There are no convenience stores or gas stations here. There's a small grocery, the aforementioned cafe', a hair salon, a contract post office and what was once a gift shop. There are miscellaneous private businesses run out of homes and garages, such as an engine shop, a roofing contractor, RV repairmen, and the like. One person runs a private free library out of her home. You can get free range eggs or produce in season at the post office, as well as Scentsy products sold by the postmistress! Yep, it's rural in the finest sense of the word! And we love it, particularly since St. George is a short run down the highway when we need a dose of the urban!
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| Leeds, Utah Post Office |
The former gift shop, next door to the post office, is being turned into an studio called Zion Artisans, which is to be part of the Arts To Zion tour. Art and history are greatly valued in Utah. The young man and his wife who are creating the studio have agreed that when things are ready, I can come and make beads to my heart's content. They may trade some percentage of space rental in exchange for my time to talk to customers and possibly teach. My own torch, annealer and other equipment and supplies are already up there waiting for me. I sincerely hope it works out well; I haven't been able to do any lampwork for five years now and I desperately miss it! Living in an RV is not conducive to having a big ol' torch blazing away! As well, I hope to learn some new skills from them, such as flamepainting on copper and maybe even some silversmithing!
Last June, we drove back to Indiana and visited with family and friends for several weeks. On the return trip back to Utah, we went a roundabout way going through Wyoming; Patrick got to revisit Yellowstone at long last, one of his heart's desires. We strongly suspect that was our last big road trip.
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| Steam vents at Yellowstone Lake |
Patrick and I have now been here in Leeds nearly eleven months. We feel spiritually at peace and at home here. The area has everything we love (except family) and enjoy, such as breathtaking landscapes wherever you go, moderate weather and very nice people. The winter was mild and right now, at the end of February, spring is 'busting out all over'! When time comes to renew driver's licenses and plates, we will be doing it in Utah and saying goodbye to our transient life. We've looked at a neighborhood or two and hope to transition into a more normal home and lifestyle one day in the not too distant future.
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| February 2016, mulberries in bloom in the park! |
It's been an adventurous five years! Believe it or not, even after this little travelogue of mine, travel is not my cup of tea! At least not the physical part of it...I'm too much of a nervous Nellie about getting from A to B. (I'd have been perfectly happy to have been 'beamed' there and back, a la Star Trek!) However, I've deeply enjoyed the gift of seeing parts of the country I never would have seen otherwise, thanks to Patrick.
I've found that it is possible for someone like me, thoroughly steeped in having their comforts, with their belongings amassed around them, who forms deep sentimental attachments to said belongings, who needs roots and room to be comfortable, who takes that kind of life entirely for granted, can learn to think differently. I've learned to 'live small', smell the roses again, enjoy the little things in life, realize that material things are vastly unimportant, and that the 'American Dream' is a hoax perpetuated on our flawed culture by big business that wants to line its pockets by exploiting our dreams and desires. Ooh, I better step off that soapbox before this gets too serious!
I hope the Big Road Trip chronicles haven't bored the pants off you. Thanks for going along on the ride with me!
Till next time,
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." ~ Yogi Berra
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