Happy in Hurricane

November 8-19, 2022

As we travel around the United States, we're always looking for a place we'd consider once we buy a "sticks and bricks" house. We're going to keep driving as long as we can -- until we're a menace on the roads. But we have to be realistic.

It's cold where we're from in Denver. It's snowy. We're not really about that anymore. But it seems like we'll be trading cold winters for hot summers. We knew we liked the southwest, and Tucson has been on our short list of possible places. But when we saw Hurricane, Utah we knew we'd found our Number One Spot (so far).

It's very, very hot there in the summer. But the winters are mild. Hurricane (pronounced like Hurriken) is a small town just down the road from busy, urban St. George, Utah. But it's got a much more relaxed vibe. We'd be able to stay out of the hustle and bustle, with the opportunity to drive to a city when needed or wanted. Las Vegas is nearby, along with lots of other places we love. The location is perfect.

But the best part is the scenery. It's just outside Zion National Park, and those beautiful hills and mesas are everywhere you look. Our campground had big trees, with leaves it left on our roof that we're still depositing everywhere we go. The people were awesome, and the town had everything we needed -- including two lakes that were basically in town. We drove to both of them but didn't end up having time to actually put the boat on them. Which was strange, because that's usually our priority.

We visited Zion National Park as soon as we could. It's a bit of a production, and we were stuck in traffic for well over an hour just to get where we could park. Then we got on the mandatory shuttle to get to the end of the canyon. We walked in a parade of people to the end of the cement trail where the Narrows hike goes into the water, had a snack, and then turned around and walked back. We took the shuttle back and then left.

It was gorgeous, of course, and we were very glad we went. But hanging out with tons of other people isn't really our thing. We'd have a much different experience in another national park nearby, at Pipe Spring.

That park was practically empty. It had a helpful visitor center, and we were able to tour an old building and museum at the spring where a park ranger was there to answer questions. Then, we went on a wonderful hike up and around the mesa there, where we had the trail to ourselves. We loved it!

Zion has two sections, and we went to the northern section next at Kolob Canyons. There were very few people there. We hiked up to the top of a hill where the mud turned to ice. There was a bit of snow on the ground, and it was cold. But it was a great time. We like this part of Zion much better!

We got lucky, and Sue and Toni swung by for an overnight stay and visit on their way back home to the Salt Lake City area. They have Lacey's half-sister, Mollie, and the two of them always have fun. We went to a dog park, and pickleball was played at the Hurricane courts. After a fantastic dinner out, we played card games and had a few laughs. It was a great visit.