Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Southern Utah Visit









Don't let the word "southern" in the title fool you- this is the West. No sultry, humid air like the real South. Just arid western desert heat. Bring your sunscreen. Need further proof this is the West? How about the tee pees you can camp in. Thank goodness hubby knows there's not enough Cherokee blood in me to make that worthwhile. Back down the highway you can visit Dan's Buffalo Farm and Cafe. They're serving Buffalo Burgers and chili. Seems to be lots of places where you can get chili around here. Or you can go to a rodeo right across the street. We stayed at Ruby's Inn-established 1916. Reuben and his wife Minnie came to Utah with their son Carl to farm. When they started homesteading someone asked them if they'd seen the canyon just up the road. After Ruby got a look at Bryce Canyon, he knew he was sitting on a goldmine and opened an inn with daily tours. His grandchildren still run the inn today. Okay-back to the tours. That's code for long hike with boots and water bottles. The elevation here is between 8000 and 9000 feet so you may also need an oxygen tank. Don't get me wrong- the landscape is fantastic, but like everything in life, good things don't come cheap. So be sure you have blister bandages in your suitcase. The crowds here are a fraction of the number that visit the Grand Canyon. If you get an early start you only have to share the place with a few deer and some chipmunks. You also will find the company of people from France, Germany, England, and Japan. We were at a loss to figure out how they found out about this place, but they are here by the busload. Ruby's was ready for them with quadralingual signs everywhere and servers who spoke their language. Maybe it's true that they have a fascination with the Old West. It must be, 'cause that's who was filling up those tee pees.


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