Day Trips

We made some day trips today to see some of the other sights in the area. First we went to Kodachrome Basin State Park. Why, you might say, does the park have that commercial name? Here's what the website says: "The color and beauty found here prompted a 1948 National Geographic Society expedition to name the area Kodachrome after the popular color film." The discontinuation of Kodak film inspired one cartoonist:

We drove through the campground and found several sites that we could fit into. All of them have impressive views of the spires and other rock formations for which the park is famous. Then we went to the picnic area to eat our lunch, again with views in all directions. The park is known for its tall spires, aka "sedimentary pipes."

After a stop back at Ruby's to fill up with gas, we headed west and stopped at the Red Canyon Visitor Center in the Dixie National Forest. There we found friendly helpful people and great photos and displays. We took a short hike to get up close and personal with some of the red rock formations, including this pair referred to as "Salt and Pepper."

Next we drove to Panguitch, where the annual Quilt Walk Festival is in progress. We went to the high school to visit the quilt show. The festival is called a "Quilt Walk" in honor of a historic event in which seven men of the community walked out in the snow to get food to save their starving families. Here's the story:

“The first attempt to settle Panguitch, Utah was in 1864. The winter was brutal, food was scarce and the settlers were starving to death. A group of seven men, with a wagon pulled by two oxen, set out to get food from Parowan, forty miles away. In their weakened state, the men struggled with every foot step, sinking in snow up to their hips. Eventually they abandoned their wagon and oxen and continued by foot. As they held a prayer circle kneeling on quilts they discovered that they did not sink in the snow. The men completed their journey by laying quilts over the deep snow and walking across them, retrieving their quilts and repeating the process over and over again. This little bit of history came to be known as the “Quilt Walk” and is treasured in the annals of Panguitch’s history.” Golden Nuggets of Pioneer Days, A History of Garfield County. (1949). Panguitch, UT: Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

Dennis views a tribute quilt made from Harley tee-shirts. Several quilts we saw were tribute/memorial quilts.

This quilt caught our eye. Horses are among Dennis and Cheryl's favorite subjects, and the unusual overlap of the horses' bodies beyond the "frame" of the quilt border made them stand out.

Cheryl suggested that root beer floats would be refreshing, so we set out to find some. Panguitch is very small. No A & W, no ice cream parlor. After cruising the two main streets, we finally settled on Henrie's Drive Inn. The floats were made with soft serve, but it was some of the firmest, tastiest soft serve we have encountered. We consumed them with relish at a nice picnic table behind the restaurant.

After a quick stop at the largest grocery in town, Joe's Main Street Market, we headed back to camp. Ken and I did a few more loads of laundry, and then I made some really delicious mushroom potato soup--haven't had that in years. The hot soup hit the spot, because the weather is getting chilly and clouds are moving in. I decided not to go to the astronomy talk at the park--I was tired, and the stargazing wouldn't have been worthwhile.