Anniversary Get-away

 A couple of months ago, my friend and neighbor, Elizabeth Cutler, sent me a text about a bed and breakfast she and Jim own in Springdale, just outside of Zion. They had received a grant that would allow people to stay for $40 a night, or $80 for a week. That was a deal that was too good to pass up, and I suggested to Kent that we have an anniversary get-away, just the two of us. He agreed that would be great, and as we wanted to really take advantage of the deal, we decided to stay for three nights. 

Three nights! This might not seem like such a big deal, but it has been ten years since Kent and I went away together without the children for more than one night. Ten years! My mother graciously agreed to mind the children and house in our absence, and on Monday, we headed south.

I have been to Springdale only once, two years ago. We drove through after hiking the Narrows. It was dark, I was exhausted, I saw nothing. It didn't really count. The town is a pleasant place, geared to travelers coming to enjoy the grandeur of Zion. I had hoped we would do some hiking, that there would be snow, that the magic of Zion in winter would abound. Instead, I torqued my knee in December and couldn't hike, there was no snow to speak of, and Zion was beautiful, as always, but without the winter magic. 

Tuesday was our anniversary, and we spent the day in the park. Normally, we go to the temple on our anniversary. As the temple is closed, we opted instead to walk to the Temple of Sinawava, along the Virgin River. It wasn't too cold in the sun, the towering red rock walls were stunning, and it was nice to be together. We talked and walked. We took a short "hike" to Lower Emerald Pool which had very little emerald colored water. The Virgin River was much more emerald colored than the pool. We drove through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, a 1.1 mile tunnel completed in 1930. The fact that we could drive in the park at all was terrific; during the busy season, you have to take a shuttle. We had no real agenda, so we took our time, enjoyed the scenery, and just being together. 

We found very few open restaurants, so our dining options were limited. We ate at a sports bar sort of place for our anniversary. It was something of a let-down. Oh well. 

A little tiny bit of emerald water in the Lower Emerald Pool

Kent was getting ready for the selfie

The much greener Virgin River

We spent most of Wednesday in St. George. I had a job interview at 9:00am, which I did via Zoom, but then we headed out. We called Craig and Monica and asked if we could stop by for a visit, socially distanced of course. We picked up a couple of things for them at Costco, then picked up lunch, and then went to their house. We enjoyed lunch, a long walk about their neighborhood, and a short visit with Monica's mom. It was so nice to see them, to catch up and connect. We miss them. 

My mom had suggested we drive out of Kayenta, an artists community west of St. George near Snow Canyon. We did that, drove past the temple under renovation, and then stopped for a frozen custard. As dinner Tuesday night was such a disappointment, we picked up Indian food before heading back to Springdale. We enjoyed chicken tikka masala, vegetable coconut korma, naan, and variety snacks, which is much more in keeping with wedding anniversary tradition. 

We intended to get up this morning and drive home first thing, but then I had another job interview. It was with a non-profit foundation I would love to work with, so we delayed our departure. The interview went well and I'm hopeful. 

On the way home, we stopped in Cedar City to have lunch with Charlie and Tess. We met at the French Spot and enjoyed wonderful company and delicious food. The kids are so much fun, interesting and lively. It really was a treat to be with them. We should have taken a picture. We began reading The Talented Mr. Varg on our way down, and continued as we drove around southern Utah and on the way home. It's good reading.

We found all well at home, and though not really part of our anniversary get-away, we all had dinner with Michelle and Jace who are in town to drop off Jace at USU. It was wonderful to see four out of seven Brinkerhoffs in one day!