Coming Home...again (a.k.a. yet another S. UT trip)

Moody

Needs to get out more
"A few days ago I rode into the red rocks and sandy desert again and it was like coming home again."

-Everett Ruess

There are times when things are just right. ‘The stars aligned' some like to say, some call it fate; some call it nothing at all. I found myself drowning in the mess of a graduate program, a house remodel, an injured knee, and all the other realities of the daily grind. I needed to get away…to come home again.

The Grafton Ghost town and cemetery:
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My 91 year old grandmother and my father…
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Moody

Needs to get out more
From Grafton, we went south over the Smithsonian Butte Road, which offers fantastic views of Zion Canyon and the surrounding area. The cactus were all in bloom. It is a nicely graded dirt road that takes you into Apple Valley Utah.

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A little sidenote…add this gas station/eatery as one of those ‘greasy spoons’ on the road. I had a philly cheese steak hamburger and the most golden of fries there...I think I lost at least 6 months off of my life, but it was worth every bite.
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Moody

Needs to get out more
After lunch, we cut through St. George to Santa Clara, where we drove north to the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Essentially, a group traveling from Arkansas (The Baker-Fancher Party) to California was killed by a group of Mormons from the area. It has been known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre ever since.
It is interesting as my kids were both fairly squirrelly in the car until we arrived there. It is as if they sensed that it is a quiet place, such as a cemetery or a church.

As we arrived, there was a church group from Arizona coming down from the upper viewpoint and memorial...we first thought they were missionaries:
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The view from above, and the memorial:

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The lower memorial, where there are people buried, as well as a view up towards the upper memorial and viewpoint:
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A timely article on the subject:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12471924
 

Moody

Needs to get out more
Thanks for the kind words guys...I appreciate it.

I too am looking forward to having -you- as a part of my next trip KC. :ylsmoke:
 

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