Touring America 2023

Many of you have asked about some of the campgrounds/resorts we have stayed in. I am looking into starting a blog about those sites with a little history of each. Since our coach is 45' long, some sites are simply too short for our rig. Those of you who own big rigs are always looking for enjoyable places to stay, so I'm hoping a short description of places we've stayed might help someone. If this is something you might be interested in, please drop me a line or post a comment and let me know...Thanks.

Today's post will feature St. George, Utah and the surrounding area. I hope you enjoy it.......Dennis

The Federal Government owns a whopping 84.5% of all Nevada lands ! Compare that with the miniscule 0.4% of Connecticut. That's why there is so much open space between cities. This was taken just outside Las Vegas traveling toward the Arizona State Line.

As many of you know, we prefer two lane highways to the Interstates. You simply don't have the traffic on the back roads but you still have the views. We have just entered Arizona and are headed north toward Utah.

Once inside Utah State lines, you begin to see the colored cliffs that adorn National Parks such as Zion, Bryce and Grand Escalante-Staircase. Here we see one of the small towns in the foreground with the towering cliffs in the back. Many large firms are locating their warehouses in Utah because of good weather, cheap land and easy access to the Interstates.

As we approach the St. George area we noticed flat plateaus or mesas dotting the horizon. We also noticed varied coloring along the ridges. Many of the highways are built above the residential areas giving you an unobstructed view of the mountains and the plains below them.

St. George, Utah sits in the middle of what's referred to as Utah's Dixie. This region was first settled around 1854 by members of the Mormon Church. (Latter Day Saints) At the outbreak of the civil war, LDS president Brigham Young felt it was necessary to grow cotton in this region. Since many of the settlers were from the south, they possessed the necessary skills to grow cotton and established communities. In honor of their southern traditions, they referred to this region as Utah's Dixie. That name has stuck and is an honored tradition in this area. The home pictured in the two pictures to the right was the winter home of Brigham Young. The plants you see in the top picture are grape vines although a complete garden containing vegetables was directly behind the vines. The home is on Utah's Places of Historical Interest and is open for tours daily.

Our first night at St. George and we were treated to a very beautiful sunset over the mountain ranges surrounding the campground.

The second night's sunset was even more spectacular than the previous one. Lots of blues, reds, oranges and purple.....simply beautiful.

St. George RV Resort is an Encore park and sits just north of the Quail Creek Reservoir. Lots of great fishing at this reservoir. There is a non hookup campground right on the reservoir itself. We did see lots of fishermen and several water skiers on the lake.

In keeping with the tradition of the Church of Latter Day Saints, many of the cities throughout Utah have a central religious teaching spot called temples. This is a picture of the temple in St. George.

I've included this picture simply because I like it. The colors of the rock formations with the blue sky as a backdrop and the desert landscape in the foreground are indicative of the daily show Mother Nature puts on in this area daily.

Now for some fun stuff...You know how we prefer back roads..well, this is a portion of old Hwy 91 leading up to the resort seen on the right. We came down this road three days ago.

Here is that same stretch of road as photographed tonight. No, I didn't photoshop it ! The day after we arrived, they dozed the pavement, removed it, leveled the roadway and paved it today. That's the complete job, less painting done in four days..!! Now that's unbelievable...

If you're a college kid and have way too much time on your hands, what do you do? Why, start a shoe tree, of course..! There are all kinds of shoes here, take your pick. We've seen similar trees in California but this was a first in Utah. If you ever need a pair and are in this area, help yourself....

GPS coordinates: N  37.197320

                           W 113.163350

Not to be outdone, the ladies decided to make a lasting tree of their own. Five miles east of the shoe tree we found the "bra tree". I've heard of burning your bra, but simply hanging them in a tree? All sizes and colors are available......

GPS coordinates: N  37.17181

                           W 113.08862

Tomorrow is a travel day. We are meeting up with some friends from Phoenix near Page Arizona in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Should be four days of touring, dining and enjoying the company of friends. This is what RVing is all about....Dennis