On the 18th just after our grandkids Valentine's Party, Rick and I headed off to Kanab. We were going down to the Balloons and Tunes Festival. It felt like quite a long drive to get there (about 5 hours) so just after arriving and checking in at the Comfort Suites we found a fun little Mexican Restaurant for dinner. We were excited to see the lantern launch that evening even though it was SUPER cold outside. Neither of us have ever been to a lantern launch before and were excited to be a part of it. Unfortunately the wind was blowing a little too much so it was canceled until the next night. We were leaving the next morning so we missed it.
So we enjoyed walking around the festival and checking out the different booths and their goods. We could hear a band playing and some singing so we ventured up toward the stage. The music wasn't our favorite and I was just so cold with the wind chill and all so we walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the warmth of the cozy bed.
After the launch we got some breakfast at the old Parry Lodge. It was fun looking at all of the old pictures from the early film making years from the area. A lot of the actors (from mostly western films) would stay in the lodge during the filming. There was even a picture of guys dressed up as Indians sitting around the pool waiting for their time on the set. There have been A LOT of famous people stay in that hotel. Even the great John Wayne:)
After lunch we headed into St. George and went right over to Red Rock Bicycle to rent a couple of bikes for the afternoon. We love the St. George biking trails and had a great time riding around for a couple of hours.
We love riding around the Temple district. Our beloved St. George Temple is still in the remodeling process but hopefully will be opened up later this year. I'm wondering if they are going to leave those steps brown or if they will paint them white like before. I vote for painting them white!
Sunday was nice. We attended church in the Bloomington area and enjoyed our meetings.
Afterward we had a little lunch in our room and then took a Sunday drive. I had never seen the sight for the Mountain Meadows Massacre and wanted to drive to it. It was quite snowy in the area so we weren't able to hike to see the monument but we got to be at the trailhead and read about the account of the massacre. It is a really sad story and caused me to look further into the account and those affected by it.
Afterwards we drove into Pine Valley. I hadn't been there since I was a child. I remember when I was really young my sister, MaryEllen and I went on an overnighter with our grandparents. (on my mom's side...David and Nelda Houston) They had just bought a new Winnebago and we went to Pine Valley with them. We got to sleep in the bunk just over the driver's seat and I remember waking up in the night and being scared. Another memory blip is of me catching a fish in the reservoir. (The only fish I have ever caught) I am sure with a lot of help from my grandpa!
Here is a picture of the old Pine Valley church house. It is still in use today. It sure is pretty!
After driving through Pine Valley we drove on over to Gunlock. I don't remember ever visiting there but I've known that my grandpa Houston was born there. We stopped at the cemetery to look around and one thing I did NOT know was that my third great grandmother was buried there. She is not from my grandfathers side but actually comes from my mom's dad's line and my dad's dad's side. It's confusing but through polygamous marriage my mom and dad both have the same great grandfather, through different wives.
Anyhow, Sarah Sturdevant Leavitt was a faithful member of the church from pretty much the beginnings of the restoration. She was living in Canada when a family member had told her of the church and given her a Book of Mormon. Most of the family was converted (she had many grown sons) and they left strait away for Kirtland, where the Saints were gathering at the time. She has an amazing history and story. I was happy to accidentally find her grave sight.
On Monday and Tuesday our time in St. George was spent visiting the different homes in the Parade of Homes. They were all very nice! We enjoyed our time together eating out and sitting in the hot tub at the hotel and basking in the spring like weather. We had planned to drive back home on Wednesday but there was a huge storm hitting most of Utah so we decided to wait until the next day to travel It was the right decision. We arrived home a day late but with lots of fun memories!
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