TRAVEL: A LITTLE SOJOURN TO THE DESERT UTAH/NEVADA
Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 10:48AM 
The view of Zion National Park from Bonnie's house
Every summer Ted makes a trip to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer trade show to view the world's coolest outdoor gear and acquire some to sell in the Mountain Shop in Yosemite. Last couple of years I've tagged along, but this year though my presence was required in Utah, my attention was directed to a loftier goal: emptying the storage unit we'd been keeping in Utah since I'd moved away in the spring of 2010. The best part of this plan was that we would be able to visit with our friend Bonnie in Springdale. After some tricky logistics got me, Ted, and our cargo trailer to Utah via Las Vegas, we were able to spend a weekend with Bonnie and various members of the Suerig clan, including her dog Scooby Doo (a mixed breed rescue dog, Ted referred to Scooby's pedigree as "Desert Husky").
We stayed with Bonnie in her home just yards from the entrance to Zion National Park amidst her hollyhock garden and flocks of hummingbirds. We ate pizza from the Flying Monkey (the excellent Pizza Lasagna involving fennel sausage - yum!), went tubing on the Virgin River and cooked up some Mexican food for Bonnie and her daughter Tiffany (seafood tostadas, grilled parmesan corn and watermelon salad). Bonnie's granddaughter Ginger (Tiffany's daughter) had just turned nine years old, so I also attended Ginger's birthday party involving a giant water slide and many sugar-laden treats. We took a spin through Rockville, trying to see our ex-landlords (and friends) Dan and Aleen, but we only caught a glimpse of our old pal Cactus the Burro who seemed to have a new friend in his reconfigured pasture.
Photo from www.foodzings.com
After all the weekend fun, we made our way to Hurricane and our storage unit (Parker Storage - a highly recommended great deal for my Utah friends) and not too many snafus later had loaded up our cargo trailer (mysteriously less full than when we unloaded initially in a bending-the-laws-of-physics kind of way). Those snafus? Ted didn't bring the padlock key, Michelle didn't bring the padlock key, bought bolt cutters to cut the lock, lock is the type that can't be cut by bolt cutters, needed a locksmith, called Beth in California to look up Hurricane locksmiths on the web, left messages for various locksmiths, found a locksmith that showed up in 20 minutes and cut the lock off with something high tech for $60 (NOT a snafu!), returned the bolt cutters unused. Whew! After uploading our stuff, we decided to drive to Vegas that evening to cut some time off the long trailer-towing trip ahead of us. The only way our Springdale sojourn could have been better is if our friend Hans had been there. Bonnie's husband, and our dear friend, had passed away earlier this year and we miss him. We thanked Bonnie for her wonderful hospitality and headed into Nevada to stay at our old stand-by: the Las Vegas Super 8 at Ellis Island Casino. We drank the tasty $1.75 micro-brewed beer and lost some money at blackjack. The hotel is being remodeled and the casino is still the best casual hangout in town. They were having a Hatch Chile Roast on August 20th that I was sorry to miss.
From the Ellis Island Casino facebook pageBright and early the next morning we headed for Yosemite. Driving across Nevada is one of my very favorite things to do. Why? Because I am the Road Trip Queen and the Nevada highways are always empty, and because the scenery in Nevada is ever entertaining. The road signs in Nevada never fail to get you thinking.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Beatty, a gateway town for Death Valley National Park where brothels abide that's geographically and perhaps uncomfortably close to where they used to test atomic bombs in the Nevada desert. I wanted to check out the Happy Burro Chili & Beer since I had bypassed it so many times traveling through Beatty, and anything with beer is good for Ted. The Happy Burro is the kind of place you hope to find on a road trip boasting an outdoor deck where the friendly locals hang out, an unfriendly dog and the most disgustingly delicious road food ever: chili dogs, chili burgers and PBR served in a Mason jar. Road trip bliss.
We passed through Fish Lake Valley and the tiny hamlet of Dyer, NV before entering California. The Esmeralda Market in Dyer holds a special place in my heart as it saved me from running out of gas in the true middle of nowhere on a previous road trip. Curiously, we noticed an abundance of tomato juice drinks in the cooler at the market (at least 6 different kinds) and I surmised that they must like their Bloody Marys in Dyer. The market is another road trip classic: well-stocked with drinks and food, two gas pumps out front and a snack bar. You're lucky to find this place as you pass through the Nevada desert.
Junket Ratings:
The Flying Monkey Wood Fire Kitchen: Junk in the Trunk!
Las Vegas Super 8: Junk-O-Rama
Ellis Island Casino and Brewery: Junk in the Trunk!
Happy Burro Chili & Beer: Junk in the Trunk!
Esmeralda Market: Junk-O-Rama
Reader Comments (5)
Thank you for this article. That's all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you've covered so many bases.Thanks!North Face Jackets For Women
Thanks a ton for being my personal instructor on this theme. We enjoyed your own article quite definitely and most of all enjoyed reading the way you handled the issues I thought to be controversial. You are always quite kind to readers really like me and assist me in my living. Thank you.canada goose outlet
-burberry replica watches
People are all love pandas.They are only live in China.The pandas are black ang white.They look like the bear.They are nice.They eat bamboo and bamboo shoot.-People catch them for their coat.So there are no pandas in the world.
Do you want to be a fashion man? Do you want to be a charming girl? It not need too much money, you just need a Cheap Snapbacks. It will be spent only $9.9 from you. A exciting purchasing is ready to go! Just pay attention to. There is a company who are specializing in providing Cheap Snapback Hats For Sale, Cheap New Era Hats, one industries hats, rockstar energy hats, Monster Energy Hats which would be your final choice. Just do what you want aligning with your active heart. Our website is persisting on best customer service. Please come and enjoy it!
Kurt Warner Jersey
Larry Fitzgerald Jersey
Brett Favre Jersey
Deion Sanders Jersey
Matt Ryan Jersey
Roddy White Jersey
Ed Reed Jersey
Joe Flacco Jersey
Michael Oher Jersey
Ray Lewis Jersey
Ray Rice Jersey
Terrell Owens Jersey
Julius Peppers Jersey
Brian Urlacher Jersey
Devin Hester Jersey
Jay Cutler Jersey
Johnny Knox Jersey
Julius Peppers Jersey
Walter Payton Jersey
Terrell Owens Jersey
Deion Sanders Jersey
DeMarcus Ware Jersey
Dez Bryant Jersey
Emmitt Smith Jersey
Jason Witten Jersey
Miles Austin Jersey
Terrell Owens Jersey
Tony Romo Jersey
Troy Aikman Jersey
Brandon Marshall Jersey
Jay Cutler Jersey
John Elway Jersey
Tim Tebow Jersey
Barry Sanders Jersey
Ndamukong Suh Jersey
Aaron Rodgers Jersey
B.J. Raji Jersey
Brett Favre Jersey
Charles Woodson Jersey
Clay Matthews Jersey
Donald Driver Jersey
Reggie White Jersey
Andre Johnson Jersey
Arian Foster Jersey
Austin Collie Jersey
Peyton Manning Jersey
Jamaal Charles Jersey
Joe Montana Jersey
Brandon Marshall Jersey
Dan Marino Jersey
Adrian Peterson Jersey
Brett Favre Jersey
Jared Allen Jersey
Percy Harvin Jersey
Randy Moss Jersey
Danny Woodhead Jersey
Randy Moss Jersey
Tom Brady Jersey
Wes Welker Jersey
Drew Brees Jersey
Reggie Bush Jersey
Eli Manning Jersey
Hakeem Nicks Jersey
Lawrence Taylor Jersey
Brett Favre Jersey
Darrelle Revis Jersey
Joe Namath Jersey
LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey
Mark Sanchez Jersey
Bo Jackson Jersey
Nnamdi Asomugha Jersey
Wes Welker Jersey
DeSean Jackson Jersey
LeSean McCoy Jersey
Michael Vick Jersey
Reggie White Jersey
Ben Roethlisberger Jersey
Hines Ward Jersey
Jack Ham Jersey
Jack Lambert Jersey
James Harrison Jersey
Jerome Bettis Jersey
Mike Wallace Jersey
Santonio Holmes Jersey
Terry Bradshaw Jersey
Troy Polamalu Jersey
LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey
Philip Rivers Jersey
Deion Sanders Jersey
Jerry Rice Jersey
Joe Montana Jersey
Patrick Willis Jersey
Sam Bradford Jersey
Chris Johnson Jersey
Randy Moss Jersey
Vince Young Jersey
Donovan McNabb Jersey
Sean Taylor Jersey