UT Seal, our 46th state On Friday, September 21, we entered Utah, our 46th state, and journeyed to the Old West town of Kanab. That evening, we were treated to a very special dinner. The staff of the Holiday Inn Express arranged for our tour group to be transported by horse-grawn covered wagons to a picnic area at the base of a red rock mountain. There we enjoyed a dinner of salad, beef brisket, chicken, potatoes, and cowboy beans. With the meal, we drank lemonade from glass canning jars. For desert, we enjoyed hot peach cobbler and coffee. While we were eating, we were entertained by the local western duo "Side by side". The duo are husband and wife who entertain at local activities. The husband played guitar and sang while the wife sang and worked the audience with special fun numbers.

After we returned to our hotel, we were treated to a cowboy exhibition given by Hamilton Teichert, who goes by the nickname "The Wyoming Cowboy". Mr. Teichert was raised in Wyoming on a cattle ranch and raised some of the finest beef cattle found in the west. After surviving some health problems, Mr. Teichert retired from ranching and devoted his time to cowboy demonstrations and teaching children about the world of the American cowboy. Mr. Teichert owned and trained a trick horse "Skeeter" who would perform during the shows, and was the subject to a pictorial/poetry book written by Mr. Teichert. The exhibition that was shared with us included old cowboy and Native American artifacts. Mr. Teichert also shared some of his poetry with us. This was a special treat.

Kanab is the home base for many western movies, which gave this small city the nickname "Little Hollywood". Between 1924 and 1995, no fewer Kanab, UT Welcome than 82 released movies and 12 television shows were filmed in Kanab or the surrounding area. Notable actors included Tom Mix, John Wayne, Loretta Young, Don Ameche, Chief Thundercloud, Henry Fonda, Ward Bond, Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Tyrone Power, Vincent Price, Robert Taylor, Roddy McDowall, Anthony Quinn, Lloyd Bridges, Yvonne DeCarlo, Burl Ives, Howard Duff, Ann Blyth, Forest Tucker, Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Rod Steiger, Jack Elam, Chuck Conners, Ava Gardner, Rory Calhoun, Peggie Castle, Rita Moreno, Peter Graves, Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels, Frank Sanatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Charlton Heston, Angela Landsbury, Sidney Poitier, Shelly Winters, Telly Salavas, James Garner, Jack Nicholson, J ames Stewart, Raquel Welch, Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, James Arness, Richard Burton, Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Margo Kidder, Jodi Foster, Mel Gibson, John Travolta, and Christian Slater. This is a patrial list. For a complete list, please click here.


After leaving Kanab, we traveled to Bryce Canyon where we stopped for lunch. Sunrise in Zion National Park This area was the highest in elevation that we experienced (over 8,500 feet) and the coldest (37°F and light snow covering). After lunch, we left Bryce Canyon and traveled to Zion National Park where we spent our last night together as a group.

Zion National Park is located in Springdale, UT and covers 229 square miles. The park includes spectacular cliff-and-canyon landscape and wilderness full of the unexpected including the world's largest arch - Kolob Arch - with a span that measures 310 feet. Wildlife is bountiful including mule deer (we saw many), golden eagles, and mountain lions.

Following our adventure in Zion National Park, it was time to depart for our final destination - Las Vegas. The week was nearly over, but we had not seen all that we would see. Between Springdale and Las Vegas is the southwestern Utah city of St. Georges. With the Mormon Church being so prominent in Utah, their presence is noted everywhere. St. Georges was instrumental in the settlement of the State of Utah. The Mormons felt that it was appropriate to build their second tabernacle here. The beautiful white building sits prominently back from the street and is surrounded by finely manicured lawn and gardens.

Following a fine buffet lunch, we headed southwest back into Arizona, then into Nevada. A little way past the border, we made a rest stop at a small restaurant along the highway. This was out first exposure to Nevada gaming. We were warned not to play the slot machines, but that did not stop us. Like telling a small child not to do something, that is exactly what we did. Fortunately, since we had little time, no one could spend much time there. Some lost what they had put in the machines, but others came out with more in their pockets than when they went in. On the bus ride to Las Vegas, the group was sharing stories of their recent conquests, or losses, enhanced with past experiences at other gaming adventures. By 5:00 p.m., we had arrived at our final destination: Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas.

After all of our belongings were transferred from the bus to the hotel, Carl hopped back into the bus and made the 5 hour drive back to Phoenix so that he could pick up the next tour the following morning. After we got settled in, Tauck Tours treated us to a farwell cocktail party and dinner. After dinner, we all said our good-byes and went our separate ways. Charlie had an early morning flight back to Phoenix where he would join with the next tour. Most of us headed for the bright lights of "The Strip" and took in the excitement that only Las Vegas can offer. Gail and I visited new casinos that had been built since we were in Las Vegas 3 years ago and visited others that we missed before. As a change in luck for us, we ended our whole day richer than we started it - not a lot mind you, but still richer.

The last morning consisted of getting a good breakfast, the final meal paid for by Tauck, packing our bags, and traveling to the airport for our trip home. The Canyonlands Adventure became a fond memory.

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