SOUTHERN UTAH, A LAND OF STARK BEAUTY: Part 1

I've always wanted to travel to Utah, the land where movie-star cowboys made many of the shoot 'em up movies I watched as a child, so in June, hubby Ron and I flew west. Getting there wasn't easy. First, we boarded a puddle-jumper in Lynchburg, changed planes in Charlotte, flew to Phoenix where we waited on the plane for an hour before continuing our flight to Las Vegas. At the airport, we joined Ron's brother Bob and his wife Nita, rented a car and drove three hours to the condo in Washington, Utah. Remember to click on the pictures to enlarge.

We stopped in Mesquite, Nevada, which isn't far from the Arizona line, for a very late lunch. I rubber-necked my way through the maze of slot machines, crap tables, and other gambling games as we walked through the building to reach the restaurant. The food was bountiful and delicious and inexpensive. The establishments in Nevada don't make their money peddling food; they make the big bucks when people belly up to the gambling tables.

 I loved the wide open spaces, the changing topography, the mountains.

Sister-in-law Nita in front of our condo, which had 

three bedrooms, two and a half baths, an 

attached garage, and a view of the resort's pond.

 

 A view of the great room from the hall.

We stretched our legs and visited the resort's pond. I took tons of pictures of the ducks that live there, visited the pond at least once a day.

  

 I named the male mallard (foreground) Curly because 
of the curl in his tail feathers. Of course, I had to name 
his mate Curlette. Also in the picture are four 
of their 17 ducklings.

 Close-ups of two of the babies.

I loved watching Curly dive. Note his curly tail.

The next day, we packed eight bottles of cold water in a cooler and headed out to Snow Canyon State Park, not far from Washington and St. George. The outdoor temperature sizzled at 107 degrees. 

We passed these life-size bronze statues on the way 
to Snow Canyon. I snapped this picture from the
 back seat of the moving car.

Petrified dunes in Snow Canyon State Park. I  

waved to the folks on top; they didn't wave back.

Lava beds from long-ago volcanic eruptions contrasted 

with the red and white rocks and the green plants.

Petrified dunes in the back, lava in the front.

 Deep sand dunes at the foot of the petrified rocks.

 Ron, Bob and Nita outside IN-N-OUT.

We lunched at IN-N-OUT fast food restaurant. I was so impressed with the cleanliness, the food, and the employees who were actually smiling at each other and the customers that when I returned to Virginia I called IN-N-OUT's corporate headquarters and told them what a great place it was. They told me a plaque would be made up and sent to this IN-N-OUT. If you are in Washington, Utah, and want a quick but nice lunch experience, I recommend this place.

Inside IN-N-Out.

The day before we left Utah, we stopped in IN-N-OUT again for a milk shake. Yum.

We went to bed exhausted, but happy. Snow Canyon State Park was great, and I knew that the next day would be fun, too. Would Zion National Park be as nice as Snow Canyon?