Indescribable Utah: Nature’s Munificent Masterpiece
by: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com
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by Philip Yaffe
I live in
native of
fun to watch the reaction of people here when I told them this. Their eyes
would almost glaze over and they would sigh, “If I ever visit the
be
It used to be fun to watch this reaction. It isn’t any more, because I
now feel like a traitor to my heritage. “If you ever visit the
is better than
Certainly, Joshua Tree, King’s Canyon, Sequoia,
splendors in
seeing. And
cities. However, what you will see in
blow your mind.
bit of
I didn’t come to this conclusion lightly. I was led to it several years
by a Belgian friend who had recently returned from a vacation in the
me his photos, particularly of
blindingly beautiful. With a smile of knowing superiority, I chuckled a bit and
said, “Look, I know something about photography. I know how such pictures can
be arranged.”
“I didn’t arrange them,” he replied. “In
do is close your eyes, point your camera anywhere. And this is what you get!”
I took him up on the challenge. A few months later, I went to visit
family in
car and headed north into
driving through the barren
green, even exceedingly beautiful, but not exactly what I would call
spectacular. Two hours further on, I saw
believe my eyes. “This just can’t be!” I gasped. I spent the whole day
exploring the place, still gasping and still not believing my eyes,
I have now seen
with the same unalloyed amazement. I admit to having a particular weakness for
the park’s indescribably tangerine-orange symphonies in stone, thousands of
them—literally. But my reaction to Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, and Natural
Bridges national parks, all in
close.
If there is truly an enchanted land anywhere on earth,
Now knowing the region reasonably well, I would like to propose an easy
itinerary for first-time visitors, with some personal tips you probably won’t
find in guidebooks. This will not be a fixed itinerary, except for the first
few stops. Everyone has different interests, and time and money to spend on
them. So beyond the absolutely key things to see and do, you will be on your
own.
How to Win
In
Vegas
Start your vacation in
never been there before, it is well worth seeing. If you have been there
before, you will probably want to see it again, because it is constantly
changing.
Since it has become such a popular tourist attraction (just under 40
million visitors a year),
unbelievably cheap oasis it used to be. However, it is still very good value.
Plan to arrive on a weekday (Monday - Thursday). On the weekend, hotel
prices can zoom to double and often triple what they are during the week
(Friday, Saturday, and for some hotels, Sunday).
You can take full advantage at any time (weekdays and weekends) of
for practically nothing. The different hotels ferociously compete with each
other to put on the best possible spreads at the lowest possible prices. Why?
The theory is, when you come into a hotel to eat, whatever they may lose by
lavishly feeding you, they will more than recuperate by what you drop in the
casino.
Avoid the trap. Enjoy the bargain in the buffet and keep you hands in
your pockets as you pass through the casino. In most hotels, they only way to
get to the buffet is through the casino, specifically to tempt you!
If you are going to gamble and think you can win, play poker. Avoid
black jack, roulette, baccarat, and certainly the one-armed bandits (slot
machines).
What’s the difference?
When you play poker, you are pitting your skill only against the others
at the table. If you are sufficiently good, you can walk away with a bundle; the
casino simply rents the space and couldn’t care less who wins and loses. However,
if you play any these other games, you are playing “against the house”. The
casino cares very much who wins and loses, you or them. So they fix things so
that the loser will always be you. Always.
Don’t believe it? There is no secret about it. Virtually every casino
has signs shouting something like “We give you the best odds in town: 98%!” This
is
98 times you win, we win 100 times.”
Saying that the games are fixed doesn’t mean that the dice on the craps
table are loaded or that the croupier has a secret button to control the spinning
of the roulette wheel. It’s the rules that are fixed.
In black jack, for example, the dealer first distributes two cards to
each player, including himself. Anyone whose cards add up to 21 automatically
wins; otherwise the winner is the person (or persons) who come closest to the
magic number 21 without going over it. Imagine that your first two cards add up
to 14, so you ask for another card. It is a 10, bringing your total to 24. You
have gone over 21 (you have gone bust), so the dealer collects your bet. The
dealer is always the last to play. Suppose he also goes bust. What happens?
Nothing. He still keeps your bet. So even though the dealer loses, the casino
still wins!
It is like this with all the other games where you play against the
house. The rules are fixed to guarantee that sooner or later the casino will take
your money.
Knowing that you are going to lose—get
it firmly into your head that you are going to lose—the only reason for gambling
is to have fun. If you enjoy playing black jack, craps, roulette, etc., go
right ahead. But choose the lowest possible bet. You can have just as much fun losing
$10 as you can $100, probably a lot more.
If your objective is to win at these games, stay as far away from Vegas
as you possible can. As the joke goes: How can you leave
in your pocket? Easy. Arrive with $5 million.
First Stop:
To get back to the real world, it’s time to move north to
Foreign visitors should know that the American highway system is divided
between federally financed highways and state financed highways. Both classes
are usually high quality and easy to drive, with federal highways tending to be
wider with more lanes.
Federal highways are shown on signs in the shape of a shield. There are
two categories of federal highways, designated “Interstate” or “
In conversation, the names are often abbreviated, so that Interstate 1 becomes I-1,
Interstate 2 becomes I-2, etc.
U.S. 1, U.S. 2, etc.
State highways are identified by the state’s name plus a number, and
shown on signs depicting the state emblem.
known as the “beehive state”, so its highways are show on signs in the form of
a beehive. Within a state (because you know where you are), it is common
practice to drop the state name and simply say Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 3,
etc.
You will leave
(I-15). Once in
9. Your first stop will be
from
want to spend the night.
How to Find
Comfortable, Inexpensive Lodging
Should you book motels ahead before you leave
One of the best things about touring the western national parks is the
sense of freedom and spontaneity it can give you. You never know what is going
to impress you the most, so you never know how long you may wish to stay
anywhere. Booking ahead regiments you.
So how can you be certain of finding a convenient and reasonably priced
place to spend the night? Actually, it’s not that difficult.
Throughout the West there are motels galore, even in fairly remote
areas. You can usually find a place to stay even in high season. The trick is
to begin looking about
still to be plentiful and checking in no later than
p.m.
eat around
the motel about
night’s sleep.
However, don’t become blasé about finding a room. In
not follow the late May - early September convention when children are not in
school. In many places the high season extends into mid-October.
Don’t insist on being right at the entrance to the national parks. For
example, the town of
to
motels. But prices are high and in high season you may struggle to find a room.
Hurricane, a pleasant 35-minute drive from
motels, with prices about half those in
broader selection of restaurants.
Also, don’t automatically head for a brand-name motel. As the major
motel chains continue to spread their tentacles across the country (Motel 6,
Super 8, Ramada, Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc.), locally owned motels are
fighting for their lives. You can benefit from this.
For example, my wife and I rolled into a village looking for a place to
stay. We were particularly eager to go for a swim. The first sight we saw was a
name-brand motel. It had a pool, but it wasn’t heated. We were in the late
autumn, so the water temperature was tolerable but not really inviting. I asked
the price of a double room. It was $79. “That’s a bit beyond our budget,” I
said. “Oh, that’s on the ground floor. If you go up a floor, it’s $59.” That
was more to our budget, but since it was just after
p.m.
About 2 kilometers down the road, we saw a local motel. It was less
spiffy because it was not brand new, but it appeared to be well-kempt. I asked
the price: $42. The room was more than acceptable, but the best part was that
it had a heated indoor pool! After luxuriating for an hour or so in the
caressingly warm water, we went out for a delicious meal in a nearby restaurant
recommended by the motel owner. All in all a delightful—and
money-saving—experience.
For foreigners not familiar with the traveling in the
that most motels do not serve breakfast. This is why a number of local
restaurants (called coffee shops) will be open, often from 6 a.m., where you
can chose whatever you want to start the day—eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes,
steak, oatmeal, etc. You may not wish such a lavish breakfast every day, but
you should not disdain the idea. A hearty coffee shop breakfast is very much a
part of the American travel experience.
On to
About 1½ hours away from
then turn north on U.S. 89. Where U.S. 89 intersects with Highway 12, you must
turn right for about 35 minutes to the park’s entrance.
For lodging you have two choices. All along Highway 12 you will find
motels, whose prices rise the closer you get to the park. They have another
disadvantage. They are rather isolated, so you are almost obliged to eat where
you decide to sleep.
The other possibility will cost less and give you greater freedom. About
5 minutes beyond the junction of U.S. 89 and Highway12, you will find Panguitch.
This town has a plentiful supply of motels, a number of restaurants, a
supermarket and other shopping opportunities.
Count on spending two days in
three if you simply can't tear yourself away, before going on to your next
destination. So book your motel accordingly.
When you decide to move on, resist the temptation to return to the
interstate for a quick trip to Canyonlands and Arches in eastern
4-5 hour drive from Panguitch along a comfortable, high-speed superhighway. The
problem is, you see practically nothing of interest along the way.
Rather, take Highway 12 back past
of the most scenic routes in the
sights as remarkable as any you will see in the parks themselves. The
temptation to stop frequently to take pictures will be overwhelming.
Stopping at
Capital Reef: A Capital Question
Should you actually stop at Capital Reef?
Everything depends on how much time you have available. Like all the
national parks, Capital Reef is splendid. But to my mind, it is one of the
least spectacular (there are there degrees of spectacular).
The best thing is to follow Highway12 to Torrey, which is just outside
of Capital Reef, and check in some place. There are plenty of motels and some
local restaurants. By leaving Panguitch by
in Torrey in plenty of time to see part of Capital Reef that day. The next day
you return for a second look, then in the afternoon move on towards Arches and
Canyonlands.
Highway 24, which leads from Capital Reef towards Arches and
Canyonlands, has many attractive sights along the way. So keep your camera
ready and don’t hurry.
Highway 24 joins the I-70 at a place called
be about an hour’s drive from
metropole and the so-called “Gateway to Arches and Canyonlands”. However, unless
you have a particular reason for going to
Considerably smaller than
selection of motels and four or five restaurants. On average, you will find the
motels about 20 - 25% cheaper in
have little trouble finding one, whereas in
season and the time you get there, you may have to look around a bit. Both
Island in the Sky”) and Arches are only about an hour’s drive from
Before you read any further,
I should warn you this itinerary does not include the world famous
much like the
will not need to spend two precious days to go see the real thing!
Your next stop will be South Canyonlands (also known as “The Needles”),
which is about a two-hour drive from Green River and a one-hour drive from
Moab. But don’t hurry. The road that leads from
of photo opportunities.
You will probably want to stay in
much smaller than
reasonable assortment of motels and restaurants. Be certain to ask directions
to the
off the main road but well worth the detour.
If you leave
before you arrive in
want to spend a few hours in the park first. This way, you can then decide
whether or not you want to return the park the next morning or immediately move
on.
When you leave
191 towards Blanding and the junction with Highway 95, then turn west. Here you
will find two sights seldom mentioned in travel guides. The first is
Monument
some other attractions, but well worth the visit.
A few kilometers from Natural Bridges, turn south on Highway 261 to one
of the most awesome sights you will ever see. The road seems to abruptly end at
a sheer cliff that drops several hundred meters towards
impression of diving straight to the centre of the Earth.
The road does not actually end here, but descends the cliff to the plain
below. You may be reluctant to make this apparently perilous journey on a
gravel road. However, there are long, slow switchbacks all the way down, making
the descent easier than it may look.
But what about getting back up again? Don’t worry. Once at the bottom
you can drive along Highway 163 back to U.S. 191 and a gentle rise back towards
Blanding.
This will be a decision point. You can now head east about 130 kilometers
to Mesa Verde, with spectacular scenery and the remains of Indian cliff
dwellings. Or you can head south into
However, if you are now beginning to doubt that what you saw at
seen it seven time and I still have doubts), you can take Highway 95 beck
towards Capital Reef. Highway 95 is every bit as interesting and photogenic as is
Highway 24 between Capital Reef and
After leaving
time, you may be looking for an interesting, inexpensive place for R & R
(rest and relaxation). Stop in
gambling oasis in
into
town (but rapidly growing), Mesquite has only a handful of big casino hotels,
which in their own way rival many in Las Vegas at about half the price.
As you head down the I-15 back towards
2-3 hours in The Valley of Fire, a
worth the detour.
Another possibility. If time permits, take the I-15 straight through
about 1½ hours south. Laughlin is the last gambling oasis on
There are several advantages to spending a couple of days there.
1. To get to
Laughlin, you must pass by
look-see.
2. Laughlin is on the
water sports, you will be very much in your element.
3. The river is the border with
never been to
setting foot in the
minutes away.
4. Because Laughlin, like
publicized tourist attraction, its hotels are very much less expensive than
those
especially appreciate the difference on the weekend, when a $60 hotel in
$140-170, whereas an equivalent hotel in Laughlin at $35 may move up to $70-85.
Final Tips for Foreign Visitors
The
to a different drummer”. Things there are done differently. You have already
noticed that rooms in hotels and motels generally do not include breakfast,
which is quite different from the practice in many other countries. Here are a
few other things to watch out for.
Posted vs. Final Prices
Local and state taxes are almost never shown in posted prices,
About the Author
Philip Yaffe is a former
writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication
consultant. He now teaches courses in persuasive communication in
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