Utah Vacation–Getting to Kanab

At 4:00 AM, we got out of bed and started our final preparations for our two week dream vacation to southern Utah. By 6:30, we were on the road. We parked the Honda at The Parking Spot and took the shuttle to Orlando International Airport. Inside, I ordered a big breakfast from McDonalds while we waited for boarding to begin. To my surprise, I saw a former co-worker and his wife sitting at a table near us. I said “Hi” and we spent a few minutes catching up.

A half hour before departure, we headed for the gate and got in line. With the reduction of travel these days, we were lucky enough to be in the ‘A’ group. We boarded quickly and found seats behind the wing. The flight was not full and we actually pushed back before our scheduled departure time. After takeoff, we turned West and flew just south of Walt Disney World. During descent, we flew along the south side of the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead. Hoover Dam was on the opposite side of the plane.

Flying over Lake Mead

Two hours after departure (clock time), we arrived in Las Vegas. On our way to the baggage claim, we passed many slot machines and other gambling devices. Soon, we arrived at the Tram station. We got in line for the Tram. The sign above said, “Next Tram arriving soon.” We stood and waited, and waited, and waited some more. Meanwhile, we could see the Tram from the other terminal coming and going. Finally, an airport representative came along and told us that the Tram was out of service and that we would have to walk to the main terminal. By the time we arrived at the baggage claim, our bags were circling the carousel.

With bags in hand, we headed for the rental car building, located off site. A short bus ride later, we arrived. We got off the bus and stepped out in the sun for the first time. Whoa, it felt like stepping into a sauna. Now we knew what to expect for the next two weeks.

After picking up our “Jeep”, which turned out to be a Mazda SUV, we headed for the Las Vegas Strip. I wanted to get a picture of the classic Las Vegas sign, but it was on the other side of the road and there was a line of people waiting to get a picture. We continued north, past such landmarks as Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York, MGM Grand, The Bellagio (fountains were not on), Paris, Caesar’s Palace, Harrah’s, The Mirage, and Treasure Island.

Once on the highway, we headed towards the Hoover Dam. Along the way, I asked Andrew if there were any burger places along the route and he told me there was an In N Out at the next exit. I got in the right lane and took the exit. I mentioned how there was always a line of people waiting, especially at lunch time. As we came the the shopping center, there was a line of cars blocking the entrance. I was a bit surprised and drove around the back of the shopping center to enter from the opposite side. As we approached In N Out, I realized that the line of traffic was for the drive through! I decided we would eat there some other time.

Back on the highway, we continued towards Hoover Dam. We took the exit and followed the signs. When we got close, we were stopped by a Park Ranger and informed that the dam was closed. What? I can understand closing the tours, but closing the viewing area? That’s ridiculous! We got back on the highway with hopes of seeing the dam from the bridge, but the bridge had high concrete walls blocking any view. We took the next exit and headed for Lake Mead. Hoover Dam turned out to be a complete disappointment.

We continued our journey by driving along Lake Mead. We had to pay a toll to the enter the National Park, but were told we could upgrade the one-time pass to an annual pass within the next week. I was still hungry, so we stopped at the Harbor House Café at the Lake Mead Marina. The restaurant was out on the docks, so we walked out over the water. Looking down we saw hundreds of fish swimming below and asking for a handout.

After lunch, we continued along the lake toward Valley of Fire State Park. We stopped at the Visitor Center and paid to enter the park. We followed the road up into a valley full of red rocks. At one of the stops, we saw our first of hopefully many arches. We eventually ended up at the White Domes trail. We got out of the car and hiked a little ways along the trail. I was astonished by the complete lack of sound. It was absolutely quiet.

The first of hopefully many arches, at Valley of Fire State Park

On the way back out of the park, Andrew said he saw something. Andrew normally misses things that I point out along the road, so I was quite surprised and curious what he saw. I turned around and went back to the spot and sure enough, up on the hill was a Bighorn Sheep.

Bighorn Sheep at Valley of Fire State Park

Back on the road again, we continued on the back roads until we met up with I-15. We headed north for a few miles until we reached the exit that headed from Kanab. Along the route, we passed through the town of Hurricane, Utah. We all thought that was pretty funny and wondered how that name came to be. I’ll leave it to you to look it up. We stopped at Lonny’s BBQ for dinner.

By now it was getting late and we continued the rest of the drive in the dark. As expected, the night sky was full of stars and we saw a brilliant, orange moon rise over the mountain. Finally, we arrived in Kanab and found our condo. So far, this vacation is off to a good start.

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