Day 15 - Best Friends Animal Shelter

We left the campground early so we could make our 9:00 a.m. tour.  When we arrived, we discovered we take a tour of the entire place or DogTown, which is really what we came to see.   We had a few minutes before the tour started, so we waited outside before the movie started.  They have a beautiful pond there with goldfish and koi.

Gold Fish don't have whiskers, koi do!

We watched a quick movie and it was time to head out.

 We were introduced to many of the dogs for adoption.  Some live in the Old Friends community.  They probably will not be adopted and will live out there lives there.

This is Queen Ann.  She rode on the van with us back to the visitor center.  She would be spending the day there greeting guests.  She was a bit shy, but very well behaved.

Caught three hummingbirds in flight!

 Horses, pigs, rabbits, pigs, etc. all make their home in this no kill shelter

 Beautiful flowers were everywhere.

 There was even a turkey taking a stroll.

After the tour we were free to have lunch in the cafeteria for $5.00 for all you could eat.  The fare was all vegetarian, but was excellent!  A HUGE salad bar, mac and cheese, veggies, and dessert were part of the luncheon.

On the tour, we passed Angel's Rest.  It's the cemetery for the animal who pass away there or for animals sent there to be buried.  You can send your pets there.  Quite expensive, but very beautiful.

 Each animal buried here has a marker, a stone, and other objects left on the graves.

 There are niches for those pets who have been cremated.  Sometimes you can see a picture of the pet, a collar, or a favorite toy.

There are hundreds of wind chimes which are also memorials.  The gentle desert wind keeps them in motion and it's beautiful to hear.

Look closely at the horses.  They are wearing screens to protect them from flies.  They can see through the screens and can eat and drink with them on.  The barn was used in a Disney film.

With the tour finished, we headed back to the campground to check on Chrissy.  She was quite comfy!

Zion Canyon is tomorrow!

There's a better day down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 14 - Church and Best Friends Animal Shelter (Dogtown)

It's Sunday morning and we've checked the GPS for a church to attend.  We found New Hope Bible Church.  We didn't want to try another Conservative Baptist.  Church started at 10:30 a.m.  This time I wore a dress and I was probably the only one in a dress!  LOL

Pastor Ron and his wife Debbie made us feel at home.  Everyone came up to meet us before church.  It was easy to figure out we were visitors as the rest all knew each other.

The pastor played the keyboard, ran the PowerPoint and preached.  Multi-talented man!  The service was great as was the music.  Felt right at home here.  Debbie asked us where we were headed in Kanab.  We told her we were taking a tour at the shelter.  She very quietly whispered they were a cult.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/best-friends-of-utah-the-process-church-of-the-final-judgment-to-animal-society

We've been long-time fans of the show "Dogtown" on NatGeo and wanted to visit the place.  After church I did a little research and they are a splinter group of the Scientologists.  We still wanted to see the place, so we made plans to visit on Monday morning.  We did ride out there to get a seat on the tour.  We'll check it out tomorrow.  David's doing laundry and I'm doing nothing!  LOL

There's a better day down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 13 - Kanab, UT

We'll be here three days and have plans for two of them, so it's a take it easy, get settle kind of day.  We road into town and bought a few groceries.  They have two stores here.  Still no phone service.  Sometimes I can get wireless service on the phone.

We stopped for lunch at a great Mexican restaurant, Nedras Too.  I spotted a NASCAR wall and asked if I could sit under the pictures of my favorite driver, Tony Stewart.  We got to sit there!  Turns out the owner (a Tony fan) and the staff are big fans of NASCAR!  Had a great conversation!  Food was excellent.

This gave me an idea what to do with some of my NASCAR items.

Back to the RV to do a lot of nothing.  We've brought movies and we have limited TV viewing.  It's Saturday and we're a little road weary.  Naps help that, too!

Tomorrow we'll find another church and make the first of our trips!

There's a better day down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 12 - Horseshoe Bend, AZ

I've seen a lot of pictures of Horseshoe Bend and always wanted to try taking pictures there.  It's a short drive outside Page, AZ.  We pulled out early and drove about 10 minutes.  It's cool outside and a good day to take photos. 

Oh, but wait....there's a hike over a BIG hill.  To make matters worse, it's sand.  More vertigo?  I hope not.  David and Chrissy decided to wait for me.  It is a 3/4 mile hike up one big hill and down a big hill.  You cannot see Horseshoe Bend until you are right on it!  I took one bottle of water with me sure it would be enough.  I'm carrying three cameras.  I am going to make the best of this!

Due to the altitude and not being able to breathe, it took me a bit to reach the top of the hill.  Gorgeous views of the cliffs and mountains.  Once I could breathe again, I headed down the trail.  It didn't take too long and I was entertained by all the rabbits running through the low vegetation.

Finally, Horseshoe Bend.  Only problem, it's a long way to look down.  I joined a young lady named Francine and she told me the best places to take photos.  We sat and talked and took pictures.  I knew I couldn't wait two hours for the light to reach the bottom and had no way to let David know where I was at that point.

Here is me at Horseshoe Bend:

And here is Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River!

Now my biggest problem is going back up that hill.  I think the whole 3/4 mile trail was uphill.  I stopped often to drink water (wished I'd had two bottles!) and to take in air.  Air is good!

I got to the top of the hill and noticed a familiar person halfway up the hill.  It was David who had come looking for me.  I was very glad to see him as he had another bottle of water for me.  The desert is really dry!

Back at the campground we had chores to do....lunch, laundry, etc.  Not a very exciting day after the first part, but things have to be done.

Next day is Kanab, UT!

There's something better down the road!

Jenny :)

Day 11 - Page, AZ and Antelope Canyon

I told you I'd tell you more about the strange RV.  Here's a picture of it opened.

It was a Rotel Tours bus and is quite popular in Europe.  There were 26 windows in it.  Not sure how many slept in it.  It had three levels in the sleeping area and you had to crawl into it to sleep.

Here is a picture of it from their website:

Not sure I'd want to try this!

Anyway, on to Page, AZ and Antelope Canyon.  This will be my third time to photograph Antelope Canyon.  It's located on the Navajo reservation.  You ride in a big open truck on the pavement for about 10 minutes and on sand on the reservation for about 10 minutes.  The last 10 minutes reminded me of "Rat Patrol."  If you don't remember the show, look it up.  You'll see what I mean.

We had a great tour guide named Doreen.  Normally I like to go at noon when the best light hits the canyon.  Unfortunately, it was sold out, so I chose to go at 3:30 p.m.  I was a bit disappointed at first with the lack of light, but the guide made up for it.  She should us different formations we hadn't seen before using a flashlight and a laser pointer.  The colors of the canyon also differ at this time of day.  Below are some of the ones taken in the slot canyon:

The mummy

I'll stop here....tooo many more to post!  LOL!

There's something better down the road!

Jenny :)