Virgin

The temperatures here in Virgin are soaring over the century mark. So, we're bugging out. Tomorrow we're heading north and up in search of cooler surroundings. Before we make our early departure, we wanted to capture some bits and pieces of our stay. See Paul in the corner of that photo? He's not only shading himself from the hot Southern Utah sun. He's searching for a geocache.

Here's the little thing that was hiding in that sign. Nanos, as they are called, are not our favorite type of cache. We like to look for something bigger than a nut or a bolt. And, that itty bitty paper log is a challenge to sign!

We did quite a bit of geocaching in and around Virgin. This tile, which we found laying in the middle of nowhere off a dirt road, is actually a cache. We logged the find on the back, with the signatures of previous finders.

The cache we found in this spot was aptly named "Shoe Tree". Dozens of pairs of shoes adorn this tree along the road to Zion National Park. We had passed this spot many times without noticing the road side art. But, thanks to geocaching, we didn't miss it.

We found the shoe tree cache on the way to a picnic in the park with friends and fellow travelers Jim and Ellie and Molly and Bob. We enjoyed a tasty lunch in a beautiful setting and caught up on each other's adventures. It was great to spend time together. (Paul was so enamored with Bob's hat, that we stopped and picked one up in Springdale on the way home.)

We also enjoyed the company of Bob and Molly and friends Keith and Donna at a most memorable dinner in nearby Hurricane. The experience at Barista's was unforgettable, but we cannot recommend the place at all. Our group of six consumed over $50 worth of iced tea! Needless to say, the refills weren't free. But, the company was priceless.

The six of us did enjoy a delightful breakfast on the patio of our favorite eatery in Hurricane: Main Street Cafe. We highly recommend this lovely little place. We had so much fun at breakfast we forgot to take any pictures!

We're not ones to photograph our food, but we present this photo as evidence to our friends that we did go back to Main Street Cafe for lunch and try the burgers. They were excellent! Thanks so much to Jim and Ellie, Keith and Donna, and Bob and Molly for making time to connect with us. We wish you safe travels and look forward to seeing you down the road.

While we were in Hurricane, we also enjoyed a visit with friends Gail and Dave, whom we hadn't seen in more years than we care to count. Gail and Dave hosted a wonderful lunch at their home where we had so much fun catching up that I forgot to get a picture. We had hoped to get together again, but our early departure curtailed those plans. Thanks, Gail and Dave for your warm hospitality. We look forward to seeing you again on our next visit.

Rocky had a great time in and around Virgin. There's just so much for him to do here! We especially enjoyed our off-road adventures along Kolob Terrace Road.

The views on that outing were so spectacular. We didn't make it all the way to Kolob Reservoir, or to Kolob Canyons. But, we will...next time!

Our park has provided a great deal of cheap entertainment over the last few weeks. The place is quite busy, and fills up every night with folks staying for a night or two or three. The parade of "newbies" was fun to watch. Our fellow RVing friends will be able to tell that this guy got himself into one really messy situation. (When you're spraying water from a distance toward your sewer connection, that's never good.)

The park has also hosted many European visitors each night. We are so happy these good travelers are enjoying our country and spending their money here. But, with one look at these recent neighbors, we do wish they'd put more clothes on. Of course, it's dreadfully hot here. So, really, who can blame them?

Despite the extreme heat, we have had an enjoyable and memorable stay here along the Virgin River. We've met wonderful people and seen some of Mother Nature's most amazing handiwork. We have lots left to do here, so we will most definitely return. We look forward to that, when it's much, much cooler.