I had the best of times meeting so many wonderful people on my journey thus far. I think Ava is directing me in their direction. I don’t go into a shop unless I’m “pulled” into it. I don’t talk to strangers unless I’m drawn to them. Most of them, so far, I have to admit have been other southerners. I seem to have radar for that. But, tonight, as I walked up to the Hostess desk at the local Cracker Barrel in St. George, Utah, for seating, a young woman ran up behind me and said, “Excuse me but we were first!” I laughed and said to please go ahead! I thought she was a southerner! She was from Arizona and I told her that was okay and I wouldn’t hold it against her for not being southern! We kept talking as I waited and she was guided to her table with her party. She now has my card and, I hope, she’s going to follow me on my 2017 Great Adventure and create some of her own!

Yes, I digress, but it’s all good. As for the wonderful people? They range in age from three months to my age; vary culturally from Taiwan to Native American; but all with the resounding common thread of being amazing communicators who actually connect with their eyes when in a conversation! They turn off the ringers on their phones; they don’t stay connected to the news or the TV; they are independent thinkers; very well educated (even if self-taught) and appear to know exactly who they are and where they are going! This gives me great joy. I’ve been worried. Now I’m not so much…on this level, anyway.

Okay. Now for Utah! We made it to St. George Utah because my daughter-by-another-mother, Jenni, just had to see it, Zion, Bryce, Flaming Gorge, western Wyoming and Montana (mostly Glacier National Park). It was a must for me to show her my other most favorite places to go. Plus, I needed to check out how the cowboys are doing in that area since last year. I think there might be a round-up in Montana! Yeehaw!

If you didn’t know this about me before, you’ll know it about me after this trip with Jenni. I LOVE ROCKS! Being out West is like a fix I can’t get enough of! There are so many rock formations out here which photos just pale in comparison to the real experience. It’s like I’ve always said, telepathic communication is the whole package and verbal is archaic and leaves out so much. Kinda like the difference between the old silent movies and the new 3-D ones of today…or those crazy multi-dimensional game thingies kids are hooked on. Night and day, baby, but this is where the blood either starts pumping to get more or I lose you. It’s all good and really all about timing.

This is what it looks like leaving Las Vegas going North on I-15 headed for St. George, Utah.

Pretty exciting rock formations, huh? But wait for it! 

Especially when you think about this whole area of our country was under the ocean millions of years ago!

Just as you enter Utah, you drive through the Virgin River Gorge. I always want to be in a convertible with the top down and let my head spin around like an owl’s! It’s mind-blowing. The driving is so precarious, there’s no way to get photos, so you’ll just have to drive it yourself to see what I’m talking about!

Then comes Snow Canyon State Park! WOW! It consists of 183 million years of wind and water influences to shape what is called Navajo sandstone and what is the remains of the ancient desert sand sea which created petrified sand dunes. Cinder Cones erupted causing lava to flow down into these canyons filling them with basalt which redirected ancient waterways which carved the canyons. As we drove through, you can see the black lava rock “walls” sitting on top of the ridges which were once canyon bottoms. (paraphrased from the Snow Canyon State Park brochure)

Upon entering the park, you’ll first see some of the most realistic cast sculptures you’ll probably ever see in the “wild” on the round-about. Take your time and go around several times to get a good picture. Everyone is supposed to drive slowly (operative word is “slowly”) throughout the park.

Then comes the good stuff. Lava flows (black rock), Navajo Sandstone (red rock), petrified sand dunes (both red and whitish), look outs and more!

For a quick trip, I highly recommend driving north on the park access road (ask for a map of the park at booth when you pay your $6.00) absorbing its magnificence. At the end of the park road, turn right onto Hwy. 18. Don’t go speeding off because you’ll totally miss the best part! Watch closely for a fairly quick turn to the right onto a poorly marked “overlook” sign which takes you down a narrow dirt road. Pull off to the left, park, turn off the engine and take a deep breath!

Snow Canyon…see that black rock?

That’s ancient lava flow!

Wind carvings in sandstone

The overlook! Can’t tell that this is a serious drop down from where Jenni is sitting at the edge, can you? See that pick up truck on the Park Road directly in from of Jenni?

I had dreams of being an eagle soaring over this exact terrain up until I was in my early thirties when my life went kerfluey! I stood from this perspective, spread my arms and felt like I was soaring, once again, as the “Warrior Eagle Donna Mama” that Jenni calls me! I still am.

Still standing at a guarded distance from the edge, but amazing nonetheless.

Please turn left out of the overlook back onto Hwy. 18 and drive back down the same Park Road. I love, love, love driving the same road back as the way I came to see it from a totally different perspective. It’s why I keep coming back from different directions to the same places and at different times to grasp the light changes on the surfaces of these magnificent reminders that we don’t even have a clue about all that we think we know…and that’s really okay. But what we should have a clue about is how precious this beautiful country of ours is and fragile Mother Nature, even with all her terror and forces, is really a delicate little flower which we have pilfered and damaged.

Please reuse, recycle and reclaim! This planet might just be one of a kind!

Tomorrow? Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and giddy-up time toward Flaming Gorge, Wyoming! YEAH, baby! Yeehaw!

HAPPY TAILS, TALES OR TRAILS…YOUR PICK!