Out West; Nevada and Utah — July 8-12, 2015

Our first destination on our return to the States was Las Vegas, where Barb’s dad Cliff and sister Audrey live.  We stayed in one of the many hotels associated with a gambling casino, but did essentially no gambling. Instead we focused on visiting our relatives and on looking for a camper.  By coincidence, cruising friends Janice & Steve (nee Sailacious, and now owners of the camper they’ve named Sloth) were temporarily staying in a campground at Lake Mead, so we drove out for a short reunion and to get their advice about campers.  (More about the camper in another post, but I will say here that we were so impressed with their choices that we upgraded our own desires.)  After a fruitless search in Vegas, we learned of a private offering to the south.  We spoke with them on the phone, and ultimately met at a “half-way” point in Searchlight, NV.

And then we drove north into Utah to visit Barb’s brother Mike, who lives in Parowan but has a cabin high above Brian Head near Cedar Breaks at an altitude in excess of 10,000 feet.  Audrey came too. Barb’s son Jeff subsequently joined us in Mike’s commodious cabin.  We had a number of enjoyable walks and drives in the area.  But all was not peaches and cream, since Barb and Audrey suffered from altitude sickness and had to return down to Parowan for some spells until they could get acclimated.  But the landscape and wildlife and the visit were great.

One thought on “Out West; Nevada and Utah — July 8-12, 2015

  1. Curtiss DuRand

    some years ago I met my life friend, Duane Anderson [who also grew up on fourth avenue southeast in Jamestown], in Las Vegas. We spent a week or so camping and driving around that part of the southwest, including a wonderful time near Cedar Breaks. And that famous road of highway 12 between Torey, Utah and Zion National Park. [the drive also took us through Capital Reef NP].

    From Zion we returned to I 15 to head back to Las Vegas. Not far from the border with Nevada, was an incredible Hot Springs Resort [hot springs comes right out of the Virgin River, which in turn, flowed through Zion NP upstream of the hot springs]. We stayed there for 1-2 nights. Had a delightful time. It is worth looking for, though it was closed for repairs for several years. Unless one simply hates hot springs resorts. You can keep Davis, California, and Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY, in your minds in case you are coming through either area. We have long wanted to return your hospitality.

Comments are closed.