July 14, 2007

It was time to leave Ruby's and fabulous Bryce Canyon. After breakfast at Ruby's we headed back to St George. We retraced our path until we got to Mt. Carmel Jct. then took US 89 south to Kanab, along the Kanab River. We didn't actually go into the "Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument" which was a disappointment, but we did stop at it's visitor's center in Kanab to browse the museum and listed to two interns talk about paleontology and it's relation to the Grand Staircase. The staircase refers to the layers of the various stone formations throughout millions of years that can be views in stunning colors of the various layers. The best part of the Kanab stop was going to the Fossil Laboratory to see the recent finds in S.W. Utah. One man was quite happy to have found a half of the largest crocodile type animal's skull. He is just preparing it for research. Of course the temperature was too hot to think about, but the bus trip back to St George was very comfortable. We went on Hwy 89-Alt through the Kaibab Tribal Lands in the "Arizona Strip" north of the Colorado River. We went from Fredonia, Arizona looping down near Moccasin and going back NW to pass infamous Colorado City, Arizona.

Colorado City, founded in 1913, is home to over four thousand people that practices polygamy against the law. It's said that over 400 young men were expelled to create a gender imbalance to benefit polygamy and leader Warren Jeffs was arrested last year after being on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. According to Wikipedia, at least half of the Colorado City and adjoining Hilsdale's 8,000 inhabitants are descendants of one or both founders of the towns. Many carry a extremely rare genetic defect leading to mental retardation due to cousins marrying cousins. Many of the homes in this dry high desert town are three story, to accommodate all the wife and children. In the past I hear that no one would talk to outsiders. It's just over the border from Utah.

Back at College Inn at St. George, Utah, we unloaded our stuff then went to another great dinner at "Chuck-A-Rama" There is something for everyone there. Then back to the Inn for a late swim and packing for departure tomorrow.