Utah

We are in La Verkin, Utah, where climate and altitude are dramatically different than during our stay in Sun Valley. Days here are about the same 90's temperatures as in Sun Valley but lows at night are around 70 compared to 50 degrees or cooler many mornings in Idaho. Humidity is higher here and the sun is less fierce. While our house near Hailey was at 6,000 feet above sea level, here we are close to 3,000 feet. 

We are staying at The Dwellings, a series of small cabins that overlook the Virgin River. We are close to the town of Virgin, Zion National Park, and the town of Hurricane. Just to save the curious time Googling, here's the history of the names: Virgin is named for the Virgin River which was called Rio de la Virgen or something like that by the Spanish, after the Virgin Mary, and the town of Hurricane was supposedly named by Mormon leader Erastus Snow who had the top blown off his carriage one day here and said "That was a hurricane. Let's call this Hurricane Hill."

There's only one way to get out of Virgin Jail

 We drove from Hailey to Salt Lake City Saturday and on to La Verkin Sunday, about four hours each day plus dog and people stops. We chose this area to visit Zion National Park, which we toured by E-bike yesterday. It was rainy, but we got in a ride through part of the park, and had lunch at the Zion Lodge. The only way visitors can see the park is by shuttle buses, bikes, or walking, so the E-bikes were ideal.

We sheltered under this rock for a while during the rain

Today we drove over to visit the Quail Creek and Snow Canyon State Parks where we walked dogs and let them have a swim. The scenery in this area is just spectacular. Tomorrow we move just a short distance to Kanab, Utah to position us to visit the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon Thursday. Friday we plan to move on to Winslow Arizona.

While we are glad to be on the move and seeing new sights, I must say it was bittersweet to leave Saturday. Our month in Sun Valley was just perfect. The rental house was great and Hailey, just 10 miles south of Ketchum, is a quiet and uncrowded place to stay. We enjoyed three evenings at Sun Valley Music Festival concerts with our good friends Harry and Vanita Morgan. Laura Lee went fly fishing with guides (and Harry) four or five times and learned a lot. We got to have dinner with the Morgans and our Seattle friends the Kecks during our final week. And the visit by my son Daniel, his wife Jackie, and their three children could not have been better.

After the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we will head for Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, and then we shall take the southern route home. We plan to be back home by the end of the month.

The latest pictures will be added to the photos section of the blog by tomorrow.