Gambling – Utah Style

Sunday morning, Kate, Peter and I flew to Las Vegas. It was one of those “O Dark Thirty” flights. We were at the airport by 5:30 a.m. (this hard on the hills of “springing forward” for daylight savings time). So we arrived in Las Vegas by mid-morning. Did we head straight to a casino for some high stakes gambling? No way. There was no need. We were on our way to Utah!

You may not think of Utah as a bastion of gambling. I didn’t either. Straight-laced people who don’t go for gambling or that sort of thing. Lunch in St. George was a drawing to an inside straight. A town that looked like it was all built in the last 10 years. Franchises everywhere. But we found a good place – the Bear Paw Cafe if I remember right. And had a great lunch. Then it was on to Zion National Park for some hiking.

An incredibly beautiful place is Zion. It was late afternoon by the time we arrived, but we still made it to the park for an early evening hike to the Emerald Pools that was really nice. Then we found a really fun dinner place – compete with a Polygamy Porter (why have just one? Take a six pack home to the wives). It was looking like a Royal Flush. Then my right eye started bothering me. I decided to wash my contact. A losing gamble, as it turned out. All we can figure is that someone with lots of hot sauce on his hand had used the sink before me. I washed my hands, turned off the faucet, reinserted the contact and immediately felt an amazing amount of pain. Hot poker in the eye. And the worst part of it was my eye slammed shut and I couldn’t get the contact out. I returned to our hotel room and extracted the contact but my eye watered all night and didn’t stop hurting. Nose running. Eye burning. I was shocked when Kate and Peter accused me of snoring until I remembered the eye event.

Monday we had an amazing hike up Angel’s Landing in Zion – a strenuous hike that begins with a few thousand feet uphill and then arrives at a narrow stretch with a big dropoff on either side and chains to help climbers. At that point, Kate decided quite rationally to rest on a rock. Peter and I crossed the shoulder and came to the final climb, across a ledge and then rapidly up to the top of Angel’s Landing. Peter was all systems go, but it seemed like too much of a gamble for me. Not due to the climb up so much as concern about the climb back down. So I sat and watched Peter climb on from a place that was magnificent itself. The spine you see in the background of this photo is the Angel’s Landing hike.



In retrospect, a very poor choice. I could rationalize that I wanted Peter to have the pleasure of going beyond where his father could go, but that would be simple rationalization. Gamblers should know when to roll them, and I folded them. After Peter returned safely with memories that will last forever, we climbed a couple of miles on the West Rim which was also amazing (and we were the only 3 up there – somewhat of a change from the popular Angel’s Landing hike). Lots more truly amazing sights there as well, and then the long climb back down to our hotel.



It was time for beer and wine – which can’t be purchased at anyplace other than Utah licensed stores. And that’s when the gambling really began. Because the first Monday in the month, according to the person behind the counter, is when the Beehive State rolls the dice and adjusts the wine prices. The young woman before us had drawn a losing hand – a $5 bottle that had magically transformed itself into a $9 bottle overnight. It was our turn to play “slot wine buying.” The DeLoach chardonnay must have been last month’s bargain. It shot from $10 to $15. But our Kenwood Zin (Lodi) made only a small move – from $9 to $10. Our Clos du Bois Pinot stayed the course at $12. And then we hit 7’s across the board as our Renwood Creek Pinot Noir went from $14 to a stunning $5.95! Kate went back for another bottle, taking the young woman with her. We left feeling like lottery winners.

Which, with the beauty of the day and the beauty of the place and the joy of being together, are.



Hoodoo We Think We Are?

On Tuesday the forecast was for less nice weather. So we decided to head to Bryce Canyon to see the hoodoos for which the area was justifiably famous. Bryce is at a higher elevation – and like true Minnesotans, we thought that it would be preferable walking in the snow than the rain.



In fact, the weather cooperated just fine. Peter, not so much. Complaining – well, perhaps not complaining but at least strongly noting – the poor night’s sleep due to snoring blamed primarily on Kate(!), Peter opted to remain in the car and sleep while Kate and I hiked for a couple of hours. To me at least, Zion is magnificent and breathtaking, whereas Bryce has a sort of fairyland quality. It’s kind of otherworldly, in the best sense of the word. Kate and I enjoyed the slide down to the bottom of the canyon and the “stroll” once we got there.



Kilroy joined us, since Peter didn’t. Peter did make a couple of quick forays from the car to the viewing platforms in the rain.



And he was pleasant all along – which is all you can ask of a high school senior. And we didn’t bug him too much to do this or that. Which is all you can ask of the parents of a high school senior.



This morning (Wednesday) it is raining “cats and dogs” (do they call it raining “mule deer and wild turkeys” here? – those are the only animals we have seen here), as I am pinned down in a nice coffee shop called the Mean Bean listening to the patter of the twentysomething local folks enjoying one another’s company. They are having a long discussion of mattresses. We are really not all that different.

Kate and Peter are probably pinned down in bed in the hotel room. I could use the modern technology of the cell phone to call them – but waking them in this weather might be a mistake. When I came in I could see the sunrise on the mountains for thirty seconds or so. Then darker and darker clouds obscured that view. I can now see the mountains again. Soon I’ll start declaring this the “quitting shower” as my mom has done for many years. But I think it’s all good. Today we plan on walking along the river. It should be wild after this rain.

Springdale has internet access only in the library from the hours of 10 – 6. Today should be the first day that we will be in the town during those hours. So I’ll post this and check my email. Kate just walked in with foggy glasses and a very wet raincoat. Cheers!



Hey, while I was sitting here getting this posted, the skies have turned blue. We're off!