Floral Abundance

in Vernal, Utah

Many cities decorate their business districts during the summer with hanging plants or planters filled with colorful blossoms but never have I seen a display like the one in Vernal, Utah. Petunias spill to the sidewalk from waist-high planters, drape over walls and cascade from large baskets hanging from every lamppost.

I learned that the program started by the Chamber of Commerce, and now coordinated by the city, is in its 27th year. Depending on sources, I heard that there were either 900 or 1500 containers involved. I would believe the latter for how many blocks through Main Street are adorned. Citizens sign up in the fall to be part of the planting brigade each spring. As we were leaving town we saw watering trucks on both sides of the streets working their magic.

Thank you Vernal for beautifying your town and sharing the floral abundance each summer.

Lake Powell Boat Tours

To see Lake Powell one needs to get out on the water. Many who arrive without their own boat plan to rent – anything from a 75-foot houseboat to a SUP (stand up paddleboard). If time is limited or you want someone else to be in charge take one of the guided scenic tours available from Wahweap Marina at Lake Powell Resort (near Page, Arizona).

Choose from four options:

• Antelope Canyon Boat Tour – 1.5 hour trip into perhaps Lake Powell’s best know canyon. The Navajo Sandstone walls squeeze closer and closer together as the boat goes deeper into the canyon – to the point you feel like you could reach out and touch the towering walls.

• Canyon Adventures Boat Tour – 2.5 hour tour exploring Antelope Canyon and Navajo Canyon known for sheer walls ladened with "Navajo Tapestry".

• Rainbow Bridge Boat Tour – 6-hour, 50-mile trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. After two hours of travel time the boat docks so that passengers can make the 1.25-mile (round trip) hike to view Rainbow Bridge. The natural sandstone span is the world’s largest known bridge, standing 290′ tall and stretching 275′ across Rainbow Canyon. Neighboring Indian tribes believe Rainbow Bridge to be a sacred religious site, saying special prayers before passing beneath the Bridge. Failing to say the appropriate prayers is believed to bring misfortune or hardship. Say your prayers!

• Canyon Princess Dinner Cruise – 2 hours, relax with a glass of wine and dinner as evening creeps across the lake. With luck a colorful Arizona sunset will cap the cruise evening.

For additional information, schedules, costs and reservations check out www.lakepowell.com.

Rain, Snow, Wind

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Guess what’s in that cloud! Yes, the date is May 26 but at Cedar Breaks National Monument near Cedar City, Utah the clouds rolling in brought snow and wind. The car thermometer went as low as 26 degrees and a ranger said the wind was gusting up to 60 mph, averaging 30-40 mph. Even with four layers – shirt, hoodie, fleece, coat – fleece headband and gloves I could only tolerate being outside for a few minutes at a time. Can’t image what the chill temp was – COLD.

We started the day with a light rain at Bryce Canyon National Park, and wind. All of southern Utah seems to be on high wind alert. After the rainy beginning we were happy to see increasingly bluer skies as we headed through Red Canyon and the Dixie National Forest on our way to Cedar Breaks. The monument’s visitor center just opened for the season yesterday. One of the rangers said, “I’ve been here five years and it seems to be a law that we have snow on opening weekend.” A toasty fire in the Visitors Center provided a warm up before heading back to the car. While the weather limited our activities the views are enticement to return on a better weather day.

Grosvenor Arch

I wouldn’t say Grosvenor Arch was on my bucket list but it’s certainly been on my Utah To Do list for many years. Photos of the double arch are frequently seen in articles, videos and guidebooks and it’s had a certain appeal for me. One reason probably is because it is in the backcountry, not near a highway viewpoint.

The arch stands 19 miles south of Cannonville, Utah, down Cottonwood Creek Road. The road is paved the first nine miles to Kodachrome Basin State Park, from there it’s 10 miles of rock and dirt. I enquired about road conditions at the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Visitor Center and was given very actuate details. In fair weather a high-clearance,  two-wheel drive car would have no trouble. There is some washboard but not the entire length. The road dips in one location that usually holds standing water, with a choice of two crossings I was advised to take the one to the right which is less steep. One mile before the arch a forest service sign marks a left turn. At the  parking area we find an information sign, pit toliet and paved walkway making it wheelchair accessible.

We were the only visitors all of the time we scrambled around taking photos from different angles. Grosvenor Arch was named after a former president of the National Geographic Society, Gilbert Grosvenor. It stands 152 feet tall with a 92-foot span. The remote setting adds to the drama, I was not disappointed and thought the 40 mile round-trip worth it. Check!

Too Pooped To Pump

So says a sign hung on an old gas pump in Cannonville, Utah. It expresses my sentiments exactly after spending hours walking and taking pictures in 40+ mph winds at Bryce Canyon National Park. I may be too pooped to pump but not for a night of cowboying, off to a Western dinner and music show.