Kanab, Utah: Happy Birthday Kasey Lynn!

First of all, Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter Kasey Lynn who turned 23 today. We are incredibly proud of her and love her so much.

We have been using Kanab, Utah as our base of operations while exploring Cedar Heights National Monument, Dixie National Forest, Coral Sands State Park and Zion National Park which has worked perfectly. Just like Page, Arizona, (home of Lake Powell's Glen Canyon Dam), there are a ton of things to do in & around Kanab. 

Yesterday we had lunch at the Perry Lodge, which is the home of the stars when they are in town making movies. Over 30 films have been made here using the spectacular scenery and in some cases the Perry Lodge itself. The walls were covered with over a hundred autographed photo's of the stars who stayed here while making movies.

There were lots of great comments the stars had written to the Perry family and staff however my favorite was from Tim Conway, who wrote "I know we'll being staying 

in touch for a long time, I'm not paying my bill!".

Perry Lodge is truly incredible, a step back in time. This is an old time travel lodge with a row of small rooms, with parking out front, just off of the small (make that very small) pool. However the service here is great, as is the food 

in the dining room. Each of the small bungalows are named for one of the stars: John Wayne of course, Walter Brennan, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr, Telly Salvalis, --- there were dozens more that anyone past a certain age would remember...

Across the street is Denny's Wigwam, an old fashioned trading post which has managed to keep up with the times. Inside this old building, crammed with every possible item, both tacky and cool, from clothes to sandstone art to polished stones/gems, it's a step back in time. 

Mary Lynn and I are in this big old trading post, wondering how on earth they stay in business, when four staff members streamed onto the floor from different parts of the building, one of them yelling " We got a bus coming in!". 

It was as if the Captain of a ship sounded the battle stations alarm. People flowed to different locations, made sure their equipment was in order, checked their uniform/clothing, and strapped on a big smile. "Battle stations! Battle stations! We got a bus coming in!".

This place may have looked old fashioned but they had a modern day video alert system.

Later we drove up to Cedar Heights, which was still mostly covered in snow. Beautiful Ponderosa Pine forests, great scenery in every direction, lots of wildlife however there was still snow that was several feet deep in some places. The main road was open however most of the side roads were still impassable.

Today we went to Zion National Park, one of the most beautiful and popular National Parks in the country. Truly one of the most spectacular places on earth. Another time I'll tell you about my experience a couple of years ago where two friends and I hiked to the top of Angel's Landing one evening and the next day hiked through the Narrows to a side canyon. One of my most memorable hiking accomplishments/adventure & one I'll never forget.

The temperatures will be dropping by 10-15 degree this weekend. We still plan to go to Bryce Canyon on Saturday. 

See Ya!