From the Beginning
The only way to tell about the trip is to start at the beginning. The views as we drove south through Utah's beautiful rural landscape were made more exceptional by the sky drama.
Our first day ended in Kanab, a small town that sits on the border with Arizona. Kanab is called "Little Hollywood" because many movies, mostly Westerns, have been filmed in the red rock desert of the Grand Staircase-Escalante. The motel we stayed in, Bob-Bon had a ton of movie memorabilia on the walls of the office. Many a movie star (such as John Wayne) has slept in the Perry Lodge (below) and reminders of the era are everywhere. Plaques, which have pictures and bios of the cowboy stars, line the streets. We had fun walking from one to the other and looking for our favorites. We huge fans of the Western genre and found Film Buff(alo) rather charming.
Our favorite spot is a coffee shop/bookstore/gear clothing/meeting spot, Willow Canyon. It's the type of spot that draws us in each time we pass through and, if you're in town, you mustn't miss a chance to stop by. They serve the best coffee, we found none better on our whole trip, plus they have a fabulous selection of music and books that will prove companionable to your visit of the area.
At the end of the day we enjoyed a quiet evening sitting on the deck outside our hotel room. I knit on a third pair Monkey Socks while Smith read aloud from local paper. The article was about the all-woman town council of 1911 (perhaps the only all-woman town council anywhere). You can read the article here and judge for yourselves if they would have approved of my toasting them all with a glass of good whiskey.
The Monkey socks were finished just as the sun set, but they spent the rest of the trip tucked safely in the trunk of the car. They were the only thing finished on the trip, but much more knitting was accomplished. Stay tuned for Grand Canyon and Jóhö debut tomorrow.
Please stop by and wish my friend Birdsong a very Happy Birthday!!
Gorgeous socks, gorgeous sky! Auspicious beginning, indeed.
Posted by: bellamoden | October 11, 2007 at 04:33 AM
Gorgeous photos! And I love your new monkeys.
Posted by: Carole | October 11, 2007 at 04:40 AM
I have to say that I really enjoyed your Utah sky. Hard to describe to my husband other than it is RIGHT there...LOL. Love, love, love the color of those monkeys!!
Give Smith a big hello from me :-)
Posted by: Kim | October 11, 2007 at 05:29 AM
Looks like a lovely trip. :)
Posted by: kathleen | October 11, 2007 at 06:29 AM
I love the Monkey Socks. I definitely want to make a pair with the picot edging. Gorgeous pics!
Posted by: Rosa | October 11, 2007 at 06:33 AM
Wonderful skies, and great time when even the getting there is filled with wonder.
Posted by: Laurie | October 11, 2007 at 06:40 AM
Great trip so far...can't wait to see what's coming next!
Posted by: Marcia Cooke | October 11, 2007 at 07:06 AM
What fun, this series of posts is likely to be a travelogue for a future adventure. I would like to see Kanab, though the cloud pictures are the greatest! Thanks for the happy wishes:)
Posted by: Birdsong | October 11, 2007 at 07:12 AM
Love the scenic views!
Posted by: Wool Winder | October 11, 2007 at 07:36 AM
I visited Escalante and Capitol Reef National Park about 10 years ago. It was great. We had the best Huevos Rancheros in Mexican Hat and camped near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Hope you had a lovely time.
Posted by: Kathode Ray Tube | October 11, 2007 at 07:38 AM
Sounds great - I've always wanted to stop in Kanab and check it out.
Posted by: Cheryl S. | October 11, 2007 at 07:58 AM
The socks and the photos today are fantastic. But, I keep waiting for Joho :)
Posted by: Danielle | October 11, 2007 at 08:05 AM
Delighted you are back and equally delighted you have a new pair of hand-knit socks for your tootsies!
Posted by: Anne | October 11, 2007 at 08:07 AM
What a great beginning to your trip! I've got a vacation to the southwest in less than 3 weeks.... can't wait!
Posted by: Zarah | October 11, 2007 at 08:07 AM
Sigh. We are on our way south this weekend, to visit the red rock country. Your pictures make me anxious to go. The monkeys are GRReat, and the perfect color for you.
Posted by: Lark | October 11, 2007 at 08:15 AM
What a wonderful trip! It sounds so relaxing.
I love your purple Monkeys. I just finished my first pair in blue and find the pattern quite addictive!
Posted by: Leah | October 11, 2007 at 08:38 AM
The start of your trip looks almost as good as the end :) Waiting patiently for your post of the Joho before I show any of it on mine, as if :)
Posted by: Rachel | October 11, 2007 at 09:28 AM
Wow, what gorgeous sky shots!
I love the buffalo, and your monkeys are perfect - I've got to remember to make a pair with the picot cuff.
Posted by: Loribird | October 11, 2007 at 09:56 AM
Oooh, pretty Monkeys! What yarn?
Your vistas are amazing.
Posted by: Lucia | October 11, 2007 at 10:16 AM
hehehe Film Buff(alo) hehehe
Posted by: marie in florida | October 11, 2007 at 10:39 AM
I love the socks, M! and the sky pictures are perfect ;)
Posted by: Lolly | October 11, 2007 at 12:09 PM
Stunning scenery! Thanks for sharing. Lovely new Monkeys too and we'll all be uttering a drumroll for Joho!
Posted by: Carol | October 11, 2007 at 02:03 PM
The photos are lovely. I like the new socks too, very lovely color. Monkeys are such a great pattern.
Posted by: Wanda | October 11, 2007 at 06:19 PM
Staggeringly fabulous socks! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip, too.
Posted by: Jane | October 11, 2007 at 10:23 PM
missed you at S'nB and glad you're back home safe.
Posted by: Alarming Female | October 11, 2007 at 10:33 PM
Well the beginning of the trip was lovely. Excited to see how the rest of it went.
Posted by: Tonia | October 12, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Willow Canyon sounds like my kind of store. Gorgeous socks!
Posted by: Chris | October 13, 2007 at 04:36 PM
Very nice socks. And reading about historical happenings can be really interesting. Wouldn't it be fun to go back in time??
Posted by: Pat K | October 14, 2007 at 08:26 PM