Scenes from southern Utah...

[westcoastas]

We had a couple weeks to explore the Snow Canyon State Park/Zion National Park area in southern Utah before settling in with our camp host gig at Snow Canyon. We purchased an annual pass to National Parks and it's been worth it; it's great to be able to pop in at Zion whenever one feels like it. I think one of the better feelings one experiences while full-timing is when you get to stay after the vacationers leave on Sundays, and you seemingly get the whole campground/park to yourself!

It's been wonderful getting to learn the lie of the land and new faces: campground hosts, grocery store personnel, gas station attendants, food preparers... all the local people that one gets to see repeatedly now that we've set up home for a few months. When one gets inundated with bad news over the media, it's no wonder some people get to thinking the rest of the world, especially the USA, has gone mad and is full of rude, crazy, or criminally bent people, when the reality is that America is still a heckuva great place to live and people in general are friendly, often generous, and live by the golden rule. We don't have a lot of money but it's definitely the small things in life lately that have made us happy: a guided moonlight walk through the canyon, a shared dinner with new friends from Wisconsin and true Wisconsin garlic bratwurst, clear blue skies, a local pie shop in a one intersection town, TWO ceramic space heaters for the front and back, early morning quail running away into the brush, blinking glowing eyeballs of nocturnal four-legged creatures that stare back at your headlamps, and taking a drive on some forgotten road off the main highway to see what's over the hill. I think if we had won the Lottery, we'd still be doing the same thing - experiences over material things. I figure I'll be taking those with me at the end.

(Photos: Quail Creek reservoir, Kolob Canyon in Zion, a short slot in Jenny's Canyon at Snow Canyon, and the sand dunes of Snow Canyon)

[AnnArborBob]

Amen!

[EarlM]

Thanks for sharing your pic and you feelings of America I agree 100 % if the TV and news focused on the good not the bad America would be better yet

God Bless America and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

[westcoastas]

Oh, and adding to the list of the good things in life...

free wi-fi at a decent, clean laundromat;
price per gallon of gas below $3.00;
a hot cup of joe to take that first step outside into the morning;
free dvd rentals at the local library;
small mom-and-pop owned grocery stores;
stone-fire pizza wagons;
campground solar-heated showers;
hiking trails that begin within walking distance;
a wife who is also a great cook;
acting like little kids in front of the camera because no one's around to see;
the soft gurgle of a stream and sunlit trees overhead;
the shadow of a fantastic fan onto our bedcover from a full moon;
having a hot shower at your disposal;
still being able to enjoy ice cream inside even though it's 30 degrees outside;
washing dishes after every meal because you can't afford clutter.

(Photos: pumpkin pie and Poirot; The Pizza Wagon in Hurricane (best pizza west of NYC), UT; the Virgin River below Weeping Rock in Zion National Park; and running away from German tourists (no offense to the Germans) at Three Ponds, Snow Canyon.)

[Tincampers]

You're killing me...stop! Ive got to sell this house and get out there...:-)

[westcoastas]

More power to you mrprez!!! I hope it happens sooner rather than later!

[moosetags]

Great pictures. Super story.

Brian

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by westcoastas

More power to you mrprez!!! I hope it happens sooner rather than later!

I hope so, we are starting on our second 6 month listing period. Maybe after the holidays are over.

In the meantime, keep posting those pictures. I can live vicariously through you.

[Ampman]

Good times for sure. Great pictures. Can't wait to pull the plug on work and throw away my alarm clock.


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[Photobum]

From a quiet beach in Mexico I am enjoying your posts....I am literally less than fifty feet from high tide....and my food is fish tacos and carnitas and papaya, and cold beer....

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by Photobum

From a quiet beach in Mexico I am enjoying your posts....I am literally less than fifty feet from high tide....and my food is fish tacos and carnitas and papaya, and cold beer....

Now, cut that out!

[TwoSporks]

If you happened to be staying in the Watchman campground a few weeks ago, I think we might have seen you outside your trailer. We spent three weeks in Zion this fall and it was wonderful to take an easy pace and enjoy some places off the beaten path. I agree with your sentiments and enjoyed seeing your photos!

[Doc Foster]

Thanks for the story and accompanying photos - keep em coming.
I will be out in that area this coming spring or summer to check out the petroglyphs along the Tempi’po’op Trail and all the other rock art in that area.

[danjoe91]

Love your post! We love all of southern Utah. We traveled into Zion a couple of months ago and stayed at the Zion River Rv Resort. Love the idea of doing what you are doing as host's, and getting to go hiking around there when ever you want to. I'm jealous!

[westcoastas]

Sarah, we did stay at Watchman for two days a few weeks ago. I remember seeing an AS too but can't remember if it was your 25-footer. We were sandwiched between two other trailers and so didn't like that spot as some of the others but we didn't make reservations until the last minute. There were still a lot of campers that week but made a point to go back after Thanksgiving.

I wish we could have met you. We haven't been able to converse with any other AS owners since we hit the road. Who knows? Maybe next year!

[Syr1pss]

Nice pictures and keep the stories coming. God Bless America! Can't wait to get my Airstream!

[Kevin245]

This is beautiful country. We spent a week in Brianhead, UT last April and ventured out to Zion and Bryce Canyon NP's. Escalante Stairscase, Kodachrome Basin, and Red Canyon State Parks were also fantastic, but the highlight was an early morning ascent up Angel's Landing in Zion.

[KJRitchie]

I'm heading to your neck of the woods next June to visit my daughter who lives and works in St George. We're meeting first at North Rim Campground, Grand Canyon Natl Park, then will head to Zion and then on to Bryce.

Kelvin

[TwoSporks]

We were probably in Zion at the same time. We went to Death Valley after we left Zion and there were 6 Airstreams in the campground at the same time, which seemed quite surprising. Anyway, we will be on the road a lot next year and may see you along the way. We love Utah and the southern deserts, so we just might need to stop by Snow Canyon soon. Cheers!

[ratfarker]

I snapped a pic of your rig and posted on "sightings" when I was in snow canyon Thursday! Welcome!


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