We awoke to another torrid, miserable, cloudless day in Lost Wages. Offering no respite from yesterday, the temperature was again 106 today. We don’t know how the locals can stand the ferocious heat. I did note that most of those spotted outside buildings had heads that look like lumpy tomatoes.
We cowered bravely for most of the day inside our air conditioned trailer although Peggy made a few trips to the RV park’s laundry facility to do our wash and I thought she was very brave. I made airline reservations for an upcoming trip on Alaska Airlines’ website. They like you to use the website to purchase tickets but it is the most circuitous, negative progress site known to man and getting two bulkhead seats on a round-trip flight requires dogged determination and an ability to take setbacks without spitting fury. I hate their website. Maybe I can get some school child to do it for us next time.

It is difficult to explain why we have come to Las Vegas at this time of year. I figured, wrongly, that since it was technically autumn, maybe the temperatures would be suitable for humans. What a dope I was. Today we got a reprieve from the 106 degrees of yesterday. It was merely 105 today.
We took showers without needing the water heater because our water supply hoses pass through the outdoors on the way to our trailer and that alone was enough to provide nice, warm showers without being required to crack the hot water valve. Before the temperatures got up to the inferno stage, we hopped in the truck and went to a place called Hash House a Go Go where they served us very tasty and amply-sized breakfasts. Their strawberry jam was shitty but everything else was great. Without drinks, the bill came to around $35 so it ain’t cheap but we ended up taking some breakfast home with us for consumption when we are less likely to pop.
Peggy also shot into the local Costco for coffee and Irish Cream while I circled the parking lot avoiding the terrible drivers and parking space trolls who had the entire lot in gridlock. Peggy has a notification on the phone that dings when she spends more than $50 so I know exactly when to start making my way to the store exit to collect my spouse and her loot. Since we have a terrific air conditioning system in the truck, I only felt compelled to scream at a few of the tangle-inducing trolls and didn’t feel like killing any of them.

Today was a travel day. We have been camped in Overton, NV, the last few days and the temperatures have been torrid. We topped out at a bit over 110 degrees yesterday so we figured we would get up early, dump the tanks, hook up the truck and depart before the sun could barbecue us. We were out of the RV park by about 0900 which is very early for us.
We wandered through Overton and Logandale, two bleak desert communities with absolutely nobody outdoors, on our way back to I-15 where we again turned south. Nevada is mostly desert and the stretch of I-15 between Logandale and Las Vegas is no exception. If they want to run one of those survival reality shows and really want to challenge the contestants, they could plop them down in the middle of Nevada awarding the prize to any one of the suckers that makes it to a road or water. We spotted some coal-fired power plants and some massive photovoltaic solar arrays but not much else on our way toward Lost Wages.
We skirted the downtown area of Vegas on I-515 until turning off onto Boulder Blvd. A few blocks and a U-turn further and we pulled into the Las Vegas Thousand Trails which is located behind some auto parts stores and the Boulder Station casino complex. This TT facility is very tight but seemingly always full. There must be lots of RV types who are fervent gamblers because, despite there being a couple hundred RV spots within the park, there are rarely any vacant ones. We were assigned a site that the folks in the entry kiosk insisted was ample for our 34′ fifth wheel trailer and our F-250 pickup. I expressed some reservations about their assessment of adequacy and headed off into the park. When I got to the site, it turns out I was correct. Our trailer fills the entire space and our truck is squeezed in next to the trailer, only encroaching on the neighboring space enough to make it difficult to access.
The weather is about 4 degrees cooler than Overton but that still means it is 106 outside. Our air conditioner was running continuously until 11:00 PM when the temperature finally dropped below 90 degrees.

Overton, where I weirdly suspected we may want to go, is quite toasty despite today being the first full day of autumn. It was 110 degrees outside. We had a day of trailer maintenance activities scheduled for today but as of now (5:30 PM) those activities may just have to bugger off due to the exterior barbecue-like temperatures. We are delighted our fifth wheel has suitable air conditioning and it is becoming more likely we will enjoy it right up to bedtime.
Check out today’s photo of our weather station. Click the asterisk *

We awoke in brilliant, hot sunshine this morning. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised since our RV park is located in Overton, a broiling enclave about 60 miles from Las Vegas. Happily, Overton is also only about 10 miles from Valley of Fire State Park which is a colorful break from the otherwise gray-appearing desert surrounding it.
Due to some interesting geologic action in the last couple million years, Valley of Fire is an expanse of pastel-colored gigantic rock formations. The predominant color is brick red but large sections of beige, white, yellow and purple are spread around. It is gorgeous here.
We did not expect to see any large mammals in this section of desert but were happily surprised with multiple sightings of desert Bighorn sheep. We were able to pretty easily spot more than two dozen of these normally reclusive critters in the fabulous park landscape. Most were grazing but we also spotted some massive males calmly resting in the holes and shaded sections of the park. The males are big hombres – I would guess they weigh in excess of 200 pounds.
It was 108 degrees when we got back to our trailer. I’m glad we don’t live around here although the scenery is pretty nice.
Check out today’s pix. Click the asterisk *

Today was a travel day. We left the St. George KOA, not actually in St. George, and jumped onto I-15 southbound. I-15 passes out of Utah and crosses a tiny portion of Arizona before plunging into Nevada. For the few miles in Arizona, the interstate closely follows the Virgin River which has carved a massive gorge alongside the Grand Canyon – Parashant National Monument. Although the road is curvy and grades steep, the gorgeous scenery more than makes up for the driving challenges. Cliffs in excess of 1000′ border the road for about 15 miles. At the bottom of the hill, the grade flattens out into the mostly flat desert of eastern Nevada.
About 100 miles from Hurricane we pulled off I-15 and wandered about 20 miles across desert until we arrived in Overton which is a small community at the northern end of Lake Mead, held back by Hoover Dam about 65 miles away. We pulled into the Robbin’s Nest RV Park which is dirt cheap this time of year because it ain’t winter and this town is apparently a Mecca for snowbirds. It is even hotter here than in Hurricane. It was 107 degrees outside this afternoon. Thank God for air conditioning.
See today’s drive pix. Click the asterisk *

We didn’t get much done today other than shopping and fueling up at Costco. It wasn’t nearly as expensive as I thought it would be.
It is hotter than Hell here. Today it hovered right around 102.

I was doing the dishes from breakfast this morning when I noted a large cloud of smoke that was coming from the southbound lanes of I-15 which is clearly visible from our RV space in the St. George KOA. The St. George KOA is not anywhere close to St. George, actually being located closer to Hurricane. The cloud of smoke I could see initially started out as white smoke but soon turned into a black, angry funnel extending into the clear Utah sky. Peggy couldn’t resist getting a better view so she hopped in the pickup and drove to a better vantage point where she could plainly see a semi trailer ablaze in the slow lane. The operator was able to disconnect his tractor but the trailer tires caught fire and they melted the back of the trailer into the flimsy, gray, lacy material similar to a campfire-incinerated beer can.
Peggy came back to the KOA to pick me up and soon we decided to mosey over to Zion National Park about 30 miles from our RV park. We have been there a few times previously and knew that the truly magnificent portion of Zion required parking in the nearby town of Springdale and catching a shuttle bus into Zion Canyon. It was over 100 degrees today so we figured we would drive through those portions of the park where we could remain in our air conditioned truck and skip the Canyon.
Zion is a place with geological features that truly make the Park exceptional. The road through the Park offers stunning scenery around every bend and there are lots of bends. There are also two tunnels through the pastel stone, one of them better than a mile long. Once through the tunnels, the road breaks out into the high altitude terrain of the Park. There, the massive rock formations can plainly be identified as prehistoric sea or lake shore all jumbled up and rearranged by tectonic forces. It is a wonderland but today it was hotter than Hell so we stayed pretty close to the truck and its ample air conditioning system.
We reversed course and passed through the Park again on our way back to Hurricane. We must have gone at the proper time because, as we left the Park, we could see a double line of vehicles maybe 50 cars deep stacked up at the entry gate awaiting the opportunity to pay $35 per vehicle to access the furnace. When we had entered a couple hours earlier we got right in and we got in free because of our geezer access card. We passed again through the tourist impoverishing Springdale before heading into St. George to eat at a place called the Village Inn suggested by our RV park operator. She was right – the food was very good and the cost seemed quite reasonable. When I got to the cashier to pay at the end of our dinner, she quoted a price that was even lower than that shown on our bill. When I inquired about this, she indicated we got a reduced price for being “homies” but finally came clean and said it was a senior discount. Maybe having a lousy memory system and being broken and crippled and smelly ain’t so bad, after all.
We took a few pictures you can see if you click the asterisk *

Today was another travel day. We regretted leaving Red Canyon Village RV Park, Cabins and Campground since it had pretty good wifi, full hookups, was relatively quiet at night despite its proximity to Scenic Highway 12 and we had great views out our windows. We could have easily spent another few days there. The only drawback was the 7000 feet of elevation where the park is located. The noises my respiratory system made while living here resembled the gasping and hissing noises that usually emanate from steam engines. I just don’t seem to do well at elevated altitudes anymore. Being old sucks.
We left the park, drove a bit west to US-89 where we went north for about 20 miles until getting to UT-20 over the mountains and down to I-15. We headed south on I-15 for about 75 miles eventually pulling off near Hurricane, UT. Based on the appearance of the colorful but parched landscape here, it seems plain they have never had a hurricane anywhere near here. We checked into the St. George KOA. We normally avoid KOA campgrounds because they always turn out to be shit. This one is no exception; the wifi is shaky, the individual RV spaces are puny and nearly as level as the Himalayas and I-15 is clearly within view and definitely within earshot. We got our reservation here through RPI, one of our campground services, so we get to stay here for $14 a night which is dirt cheap. My inherent cheapness overcame my common sense and we are scheduled for 3 nights. Unfortunately, the temperatures here today hung right between 98 and 102 until the sun went down.

Today was our last day in this area so we had to whittle down the options to a couple. Our first selection was to return to Bryce Canyon National Park so we could check out an overlook named Inspiration Point. We again avoided paying the $35 per car entry fee by showing the little curmudgeon wearing a ranger hat our geezer access card and he said, “move along.”
Soon we pulled into the parking lot near Inspiration Point and, after a short walk, realized the name of the place was appropriate. There is an expansive, gorgeous view of Bryce’s wonders from this 8000’+ elevation observation area. The concentration of cliffs and hoodoos suggest many imagined and fantastic shapes, lots of them which look like rows of really big humans. Beyond Bryce’s spectacular assets are multi-hued mountains extending to the horizon. This is a bucket list destination.
On the way out of Bryce, Peggy made a short visit to the visitor info center and bookstore but escaped with some of our money still intact. Just outside the park, we made another foray out to the canyon edge at Fairyland Point, another appropriately named overlook. On the way there, Peggy spotted a big mule deer grazing among the pines. On the way out, we also spotted a herd of pronghorn. We pulled off the road to admire them but the long line of cars behind us were driven by folks in a bigger hurry than we were and none of the maybe 40 passengers noticed any wildlife anywhere.
Directly across from the access road to Bryce off Scenic Byway 12 is a plain two-lane blacktop that extends north across high prairie. Twice in the past we have driven down this road a few miles but then turned around because the first part of the road was uninteresting. We were stupid. Today we went all the way to a town called Antimony at the end of UT-22 and were pleasantly surprised at the spectacular scenery.
The road passes down the Black Canyon which is bordered by massive cliffs of a mix of volcanic and sedimentary rock formations. The east fork of the Sevier River has carved a serpentine gorge through this magnificent country and the results are staggering. We took a road that we had no idea was so beautiful and were again dazzled by about 45 miles of scenery that probably is not available anywhere but Utah. About halfway to Antimony, we came across the abandoned mining community of Widtsoe (pronunciation unclear) where we saw one of the very few signs of previous human habitation.
Soon we rolled into Antimony which is a small farming enclave in a meadow between the spectacular canyon walls. It would be a nice place to live in the summer, especially if you want to be left alone. Winters here are brutal and any needed help would be a long way away. Not too much further north of Antimony, UT-22 crapped out and became UT-62 which we followed until turning south on US-89. US-89 is also very scenic as it passes along next to the main stem of the Sevier River. We also drove past the house of one Robert Leroy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy. His house was tiny.
We took some photos of Bryce and Black Canyon today. To see some of them, click the asterisk *