A visit to St. George, UT. August 14-20, 2021

John, Jonathan and I spent a week in St. George right across the street from our former home. Here are some pictures-

Jon relaxing in the condo
John preparing what Jonathan has dubbed the drink of St. George, a Negroni Sbagliato
We played a lot of tennis, Jon hitting a forehand
Follow-through
John running for a shot
We did a lot of cooking too. Jon is preparing a special dinner for us.
Jon in the kitchen
Our fabulous Oak City scallops with mashed potatoes, braised leeks, mushrooms, asparagus, and a beurre blanc sauce
Our last night we had dinner out at the club. It’s a beautiful setting with mediocre food.
Celebrating a wonderful week together

Memorial Day celebration 5/30/21

At last we are all vaccinated and can get together again. Lots of hugs were exchanged and John grilled a boneless leg of lamb to make our day even more festive.

Ales and Sam
Rose and John
Jon and Sarah
Ryan and Alex
San on tiptoes trying to be taller than me
Pilats
Hendersons and Pilats
Food for the day – Grilled boneless leg of lamb, lemony potato salad, tzaziki, cucumber, onion, and tomato salad

Road trip – St. George, UT 4/30/21

We spend the last few days of our vacation in St. George at the Inn at Entrada.  I do not take any pictures since we mostly just relaxed, played tennis, went food shopping, and cooked our own meals.

We arrive home on May 1. We spend an overnight in Bakersfield, CA on the way. It is getting so that driving 10+ hours is just too much.  Maybe next time we go we will at least fly to Las Vegas. Now that we are vaccinated it seems like a doable option.

Road trip – to St. George, UT via Bryce Canyon NP. 4/26/21

We travel along UT 12, probably the scariest road ever. At several points the land drops into canyons on either side of the road with just us and the car on a tiny spine of land. I do not take pictures because first of all, I do not want to look and second, because I have tried to take pictures before and there is no way for the camera to capture the depth of the canyons.

The rock along much of UT 12 is white and honey colored

We finally make it to Escalante, UT and find a place to eat some breakfast. The Escalante Outfitters is part serious hiking place and part eco-driven and hippie snack bar. We opt for a crustless egg and vegetable soufflé which turns out to be quite delicious.

Egg soufflé breakfast

As we get nearer to Bryce Canyon we can see the Aquarius Plateau in the distance.

Aquarius Plateau

It is our plan to just make one stop in Bryce, at Fairyland Point. We figure with it being the weekend the park will be overrun with tourists. Plus the sky is looking pretty ominous.

Hoodoos and bad weather impending
Fairyland Point
Fairyland point with Aquarius Plateau in the background
John at Bryce Canyon
Mary looking wind blown and cold
After departing Bryce we head through Red Canyon

We change drivers when we get to I-15 and I end up driving through some of the worst rain I have ever experienced. It is coming down in sheets and the road is hard to see with all the spray from the other cars and trucks. Plus the speed limit is 80 mph!!  When we reach St. George the weather miraculously clears up and we stop at a favorite of ours for lunch, Mad Pita Express.

Great lunch at Mad Pita Express.

We check into the Inn at Entrada, get ourselves settled, and go shopping at Harmon’s for sushi and lentils for dinner.

Our one bedroom suite has a very attractive living room
A small but well-laid out kitchen (but poorly equipped)
An big round table for all our guests (no guests)
A king size bedroom
Nice bathroom with two sinks and separate potty room

After having our sushi hors d’oeuvres we make a lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, and chicken sausage.

Lentil stew

 

Road trip – to Boulder, UT. 4/25/21

Today we are driving to Boulder, Utah with a stop for a picnic lunch in Capitol Reef National Park. As we drive along the rocks change color and formation. Here is what we saw along the road.

This area is near the San Rafael Swell
Strange columns striped with dark brown
Towering cliffs along the road
Interesting formation
Getting closer to Capitol Reef N.P.
In the lower elevations trees have started to leaf out
Striated rocks topped by hoodoos 
Once in the park we find a picnic table under the towering cliffs
Our delicious lunch!
Even after leaving the park the scenery is beautiful
Cocoa colored columns
Interesting layers of rock
Two very good reasons for not building your home underneath a cliff

We finally reach our hotel in Boulder, UT. The wind has really picked up and is howling. Our room is not quite ready so we spend some time in the hotel’s common area. Later we go out for a very fine dinner in the only place open in this tiny town.

At the Burr Trail Grill John and I both have the trout with rice and beans. I also get a beet, greens, and goat cheese salad while John gets fried green tomatoes