Pangrilah

After St. George, we drove up to Panguitch via scenic route 9 and highway 89. Little did we know that we would end up paying a $25 "toll" to the folks at Zion National Park because they wouldn't let us just "get to the other side" on our way to Bryce Canyon. We may have offended one of the Zion park rangers by saying it was a shame we couldn't drive around the park instead of going through it.

When we got to Bryce, there was another $25 fee to get into the park. Thinking that it wouldn't be worth $25 to see the canyon from the parking lot, we asked the park ranger whether the trails were hikeable. He said that if we weren't a bunch of wusses, we could certainly hike the trails as he hikes them all the time. Well, then. Tell us how you really feel about tourists that ask you whether they'll survive a snow and ice covered hike through the canyon.

As it turns out, the trails were covered with mostly hard-packed snow with only one muddy spot that we had to ford by throwing a few stepping stones down in the muck. I've never hiked in the snow before at a national park and it was breathtaking. We went from the Queen's Garden trail that features the HooDoos Bryce is famous for to the Navajo Trail that wound through a snow covered forest. Definitely a way better return on our $25 investment than driving through Zion.

After hiking Bryce, we went to visit friends and family in Panguitch which is a little town in Southern Utah about 21 miles from Bryce with a population of 1,500 soaking wet. I can't really express how great it was to see friends and family I hadn't seen for as long as 4 years in some cases. Amir was his usual outgoing, fun self and I'm pretty sure made one or two BFFs while there.

We spent Saturday exploring downtown Panguitch which consists of approximately one block of the best shops in the West. Cowboy Collectibles and Bronco Bobbi's are not only the best shops in the town, but also happen to be owned and operated by Panguitch's finest. (Of course it goes without saying that we liked the liquor store, too.) I happen to be a popcorn connoisseur so I have to tell you that Leland's Chevron on the main intersection in Panguitch has the absolute best plain buttered popcorn that I have ever tasted. There is nothing better than grabbing a bag of Leland's popcorn and spending time in the shops of Panguitch on a Saturday afternoon surrounded by snow covered mountains.

Saturday night, our friends Becky and Randy hosted a get together of so many of our friends and family in Panguitch at their gorgeous, self-built, cowboy themed home. We played games all night long and ate like kings (everyone in Panguitch cooks only gourmet food). My aunt Janine brought this habanero chocolate fondue that we started dipping in everything from the dried bananas and pretzels she brought to accompany it to the bacon wrapped cocktail weenies we couldn't resist experimenting with.

Next stop was Vegas but I've been so verbose over the fun we had in Panguitch that you'll have to wait to hear about the three days of fun, friends and epic beer pong battles we experienced there. Pictures to follow...