Utah – Sues Wanderings

Nevada roads off the beaten path.

April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 by Sue, posted in nevada, Utah

This fall I had the opportunity to drive thru Nevada a few times on my way to and from Utah. Some of the roads in Nevada are very quiet . Highway 50 is one of those. Also Highway 93 and 375. There is not a lot to see on these highways. However if you love old ghost towns, small out of the way towns, and just exploring along empty roads then you may enjoy some of the drives across the state of Nevada. Some of Highway 50 I have already covered here in this posting:

https://sueswanderings.com/2018/11/13/small-towns-in-nevada-and-graveyard-musings/.

The International . The only place in town for dinner on a Sunday in Austin , Nevada on highway 50.

In March I once again went to Utah to house sit and you can read a little about Southern Utah here https://sueswanderings.com/2018/11/30/housesitting-in-st-george-utah-and-visit-to-snow-canyon-state-park/

and here https://sueswanderings.com/2018/11/10/best-friends-animal-society-utah/

It Is a long drive across Nevada to get to Utah so I always try to find someplace new to explore. This time I went along the extraterrestrial Highway. Or as it is also called Area 51

The Unusual Is Our Usual on Route 375

ALIEN HIGHWAY

In the belly of Nevada, surrounded by miles of undeveloped desert, lies a mystery that involves the alleged home of recovered alien spacecraft, extraterrestrial technology, and maybe even a few little green men on the federal payroll.

On this Extraterrestrial Highway road trip, you’ll run adjacent to Area 51 and a secret military base within Nellis Test and Training Range — so secret the government did not acknowledge its existence until 2013. As part of an active military base, it is patrolled and guarded by some of the heaviest security on Earth or anywhere else. That means what it’s NOT is a tourist attraction. Be sure to obey all posted signs and don’t even think about trespassing. You will be caught and you will be prosecuted. And let’s be real, no selfie is worth that kind of headache.

However it is an interesting drive that starts at the junction of NV 93 and 375. First stop is small shop welcoming you to the alien highway with alien beef jerky, nuts , drinks and other treats to stock up on for the drive.

Stock up for the drive on jerky and drinks.

From here there is not much else till you get to the Little ALE Inn. I found this to be a worthy stop for a beer and a veggie burger. The bartender has lived here for quite a few years. He was passing thru and decided to stay so he has some great alien stories. Not much here but a hotel , bar and restaurant. I think about 50 people live here. And lots of cows. Don’t drive this highway at night for fear of cows on the road or even Aliens.

One of the things I realy love about driving thru Nevada is the quietness of many of the highways and the views ! Here are some scenes from Nevada Highway 50 and 93 and 6 .

If you like quite highways with not much except some beautiful views here and there and a small town or 2 then you may also enjoy some of the highways of Nevada. Lots to explore here !!

Housesitting in St. George Utah and visit to Snow Canyon state park.

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 by Sue, posted in Utah

I recently had a 10 day house sit in St. George , Utah. Well, actually the house was about 20 – 25 miles out of St. George closer to a town called Vejo. Vejo is very small and known for its pie store !

The house that I house sat at was out in the country and in a very beautiful location. The setting was so nice with a big back yard complete with lounge chairs and a hot tub overlooking the river. I took care of 3 very quirky dogs. Why do I say quirky?? All elderly and deaf. 4 cats live here as well although I did not see much of one who is feral. The dogs are Scooter who is lying next to the cats, Reese the herding mix and Mr Bean , the little black one. Mr Bean was very demanding and would bark when he wanted something such as outside, inside, on couch , off couch, on bed, off bed and especially when he wanted his breakfast at around 5:00 a.m !!! If he weren’t so incredibly cute, he could be a royal pain. However, his cuteness won me over. Reese was the only one who I could take on walks. He and I walked several times to the reservoir which was a 3 mile round trip walk and around the neighborhood . The setting here was so lovely, I never felt the need to go into town (St. George) except for once to pick up my groceries for the stay. I did however, go to Snow Canyon State park twice and what a treat that place is !!!

Image 11-29-18 at 5.52 PM — Scooter with 2 of the 4 cats , Reese, Mr Bean

Image 11-29-18 at 5.37 PM — Beautiful home in the country

P1050206 — wild turkeys come thru the yard most every day.

Photo Editor-20181104_205157 — walking to the reservoir with Reese

Snow Canyon State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, featuring a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone in the Red Mountains. The park is located near Ivins, Utah and St. George in Washington.

Snow canyon state park was just a few miles from the house and a beautiful place to hike. I went there twice and spent all day wandering around its colorful rocks.

P1050126 — one hike I went on in a canyon was tough walking due to a sand floor much like walking on the beach only not firm from the water.

P1050104 — Lots of lava rocks as well as sandstone.

All in all , I really enjoyed this house sit , the area, the house and the quirky pets.

Best Friends animal society. Utah

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 by Sue, posted in Utah

While taking some time off in between house sits I went to Kanab , Utah to visit my friend Joni. Her and I met thru the animal rescue world . She was living in Nevada and I in California. We made several trips together to Kanab, Utah to volunteer at Best friends animal society. Please click on this link to learn more about Best friends. This is an amazing place to go and to volunteer. You do not have to volunteer. You can take the tour which is about 2 hours. The tour will tell you much about Best friends and take you thru the property with a stop in cats and a stop in dogs. If you want to know more about how this place came about , I would suggest reading this. Book about how Best friends came about. Or just go to the website and read about Best friends and their story. Fascinating !! I bought the book at an auction at a wine tasting event in Lake Tahoe back in 1997. After reading it I just knew I had to go there. I believe my first visit was in 1999. Here are some photos of the lovely Angles canyon that is the home to Best Friends.

45073621_10215824290033269_2896832733936353280_n — Cats and dogs at best friends.

I went back several times to volunteer. I also bought a piece of property in Kanab, Utah, thinking maybe one day of trying to work at Best friends and live in Kanab. I never did go to work there although my friend Joni did and this is why I am here again. Have not been for about 6 years. Came back to visit Joni, and to check out my lot. Here is is in the beautiful Vermillion cliffs.

Even if you do not volunteer or do the tour , you can go there and get a wonderful $5 vegan buffet lunch at Best Friends cafeteria and just drive thru the lovely location which is Angle’s Canyon and stop in for lunch. You may want to stop at the visitor center first for a map and to buy some fun stuff. The property is huge and beautiful with lovely spots to take a hike and to visit.

If you volunteer you can help clean, walk dogs, and even walk a cat.

If you don’t volunteer and are just touring the property then be sure to stop at Angels landing which is the pet cemetery. Best friends animals who have passed are buried here as well as members pets. I believe anyone can purchase a grave site here. It is full of wind chimes and special tokens. I love to just sit there and listen to the wind chimes. I can feel the spirits of the animals.

So if you are touring Utah, I highly recommend a stop at Best Friends !!

Also, Kanab is a good location if you plan to go to Zion , Bryce and North rim Grand Canyon national parks. They are all within a hour or so drive from Kanab. My next post will feature some hiking trails (not in the parks because we had dogs !) near Kanab. Lots of beauty in the area.