I really think this place is where that song is about…
These guys were on the side of the road the other day. I took this pic out the window of the Jeep I was driving. There must have been about 50 of them out there. Click on the picture to make it bigger and get the full effect of it.
On our last days off we decided to go to Mesquite, Nevada to spend the night. The main reason we decided to spend the night is because FabGrandpa had an appointment with a chiropractor in St. George at 9:30 a.m, and that is 125 miles from our trailer. The reason we went to Mesquite is because the Oasis Casino there only charges $32 per night for a room and they give you $10 for gas and $5 for playing the games. What a deal!
It was a beautiful day:
So, off we went . We had to drive through the Virgin River Gorge between St. George, Utah and Mesquite. It is difficult to describe this area. There are huge rock mountains on both sides of the interstate, so big that they dwarf semi’s on the road. But even that does not convey the enormity of it.
If you look at the picture below, you will see the curve in the road, and the semi trucks on the other side, but it still does not show the 6 and 7 percent grades, the winding curves, the sheer drops off the side of the road into the gorge below, and the Virgin River winding through the bottom of it all. It is so spectacular, that I wonder sometimes why people even bother to come to the Grand Canyon after they have driven through this gorge for free. (well, almost, I would still come here…).
We arrived at the Oasis around 4:30 p.m., checked in, took our luggage to the room, and went straight to the casino. I sat down at one penny slot machine and played it for four and a half hours on the free $5.00 they gave me. I was up to about $85 at one point, but you know me, I don’t know when to say when, so when I finally walked away from there I was broke, but I still had fun.
We got up early the next morning. The sky was overcast again, outside of the casino, and it did make it look like an Oasis:
We drove over to Dr. Allen’s office in St. George, well, really in Washington City, which is right next door to St. George, to the east. The office was about one block off the main drag of Telegraph Road. I dropped FabGrandpa off and went to find a place to park. 
When I came into the room, Dr. Allen had FabGrandpa standing behind a screen of sorts that measured how much he was out of alignment. (I love that term, ‘out of alignment’, it makes me think that his tires are wobbling…) This episode all started because the light bulb blew out in the vent hood over my stove. I need plenty of light to be able to see to cook, so I nagged him long enough until he finally was bent over sideways trying to figure out where to put the new light in. Next thing I know he can barely walk, so off we go on this chiro adventure.
After FabGrandpa was measured and the problem determined, he was taken to the torture chamber, I mean other room down the hall, where Dr. Allen commenced the adjustment procedure. He didn’t exactly crack the bones, but he punched and probed, and used a little instrument all over his back and hips, and pretty soon it was all over.
FabGrandpa had a couple of days of soreness and discomfort, but now he is back to his old self, good as new. Thank you, Dr. Allen, you did a great job! Oh, and if you all need a chiropractor while you are in this area, you really should give him a call, he is a very nice guy and a good sport, putting up with me taking pictures and asking tons of questions while I was there.
On the road to St. George, Utah from North Rim, Arizona on Sunday, July 20, 2008.
FabGrandpa moved in with me on Halloween in 1991. We were carrying a dresser up the front steps to the house when these little children came running up, holding out their bags and yelling “Trick or Treat?”. FabGrandpa asked them if they wanted a pair of socks!
Life with him has not always been that fun, but it has been more fun than not. Today is our wedding anniversary. We have made it through 16 years of marriage, which for us is record breaking. Each of us has been married twice before, with none of those previous ones lasting more than 7 years. We had four children between us, and had three teenage girls living with us when our marriage began. It is a wonder he survived all that teen angst and PMS.
So, tonight we have reservations for dinner at the North Rim Lodge. After dinner we are going to drive up to Point Imperial to watch the sun set and the moon rise. What more could a girl want?
Over the weekend we drove the 150 miles to Page, Arizona. we had to get some work done on our truck, and we wanted to be there when the Ford dealership opened, so we went on Sunday afternoon and spent the night at Motel 6.
On Monday morning we walked across the street to the service department, and made an appointment for 1:00 p.m. That left us with the morning to do some sightseeing.
We drove over to Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. What an amazing sight! Even though the lake is 67 feet below full pool, it is still a beautiful oasis in the desert. 
We took a 45 minuted guided tour of the dam. Construction on the dam began in 1956 when President Eisenhower pushed a button in the Oval Office that triggered the switch by telegraph to ignite the first dynamite blast of the cliffs above the Colorado River. The construction work continued 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, until the dam was completed in 1963. 
The photo below was taken from the bottom of the dam , looking up at the visitors center at the top of the cliff. 
On the way home, we took highway 89 north through southern Utah and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The visitors center there had great displays of dinosaur bones that have been discovered in Utah. I asked FabGrandpa to put his hand on this dinosaur foot to show you just how big it is! I ‘m glad these guys aren’t walking the earth these days.
We found a really good restaurant in Page, you can read about our dining experiences at Fiesta Mexicana by clicking here. Although we came to this area because the Grand Canyon is here, there is so much more to see and do here, it is unbelievable.
This lake is on the road to Cape Royal, at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I always amazes me that people who are otherwise intelligent, think that Arizona is all desert and dry, barren land. So, this post is for them. This place is less than 2o miles from my trailer. Isn’t it beautiful?
A post on the “I Can’t Eat That” Group on Ravelry asked what you miss the most since you found out you can’t eat whatever it is that you can’t eat. Well, for me, one thing I really miss is Rice Crispy Treats. I can’t eat Rice Crispies because that have that pesky barley malt in it, and as we all know, barley malt contains GLUTEN. Rice anything should not have that additive in it, so we who are gluten intolerant can eat it without fear.
Anyway, after I read that post, I got to thinking, “Hey! I have a box of the newly gluten free Rice Chex, AND I have a bag of marshmallows!” I can make Rice Chex Treats. And you know what? They taste pretty dang good.
Rice Chex Treats
8 cups Rice Chex
1 bag marshmallows
1/3 cup butter or margarine
Butter or spray with olive oil a 13″ X 9″ casserole dish. Crush up the Rice Chex a little bit so that you have 6 cups of crushed cereal from the 8 cups you started with. Melt the butter or margarine on low heat in a large non-stick pot. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they are completely melted. Add the cereal to the melted marshmallows and stir until all the cereal is coated. Using a buttered or oiled spatula or waxed paper, spread the mix into the casserole dish. Eat and enjoy! mmmmmmm
Ok, I promise, this is the last time I will bore you all to tears with my telephone company nightmare. But, I had to let you know that I received a reply to my email to the Arizona State President of Qwest:
“… I apologize for the issues you have encountered with your phone
services. One of my peers from the Denver Office has been working your
initial complaint and issued a credit today of $320.18. Please be
assured an investigation will be done on your account to locate Aaron,
as this is unacceptable behaviour from our employees. If you have any
additional information pertaining to him it would be greatly
appreciated.
Once again, I apologize for the unpleasantness you experienced with
QWEST. Please feel free to contact me…”
IF they can find Aaron, they will probably smack his hand and say, “Oh, Aaron, we know you were having a bad day, and it WAS after all late on a Friday afternoon, and we know that you wanted to get out of here on time so you wouldn’t miss the first Jager-bomb with your buds, so we just wanted you to know you shouldn’t talk to the customers like that next time, Ok?”
