On the Way Back Home: Calgary, Alberta to Phoenix, Arizona

 

It took us three days and two nights to drive home to Phoenix from Calgary. Usually, this is pretty straightforward, driving eight hours a day and resting well at night but this time, it was as if we had not had enough sightseeing despite six weeks of road trips. We kept stopping at landmarks we chanced upon before ending each day. The result is that we added two more national monuments to our list, revisited one city and discovered another, came across an outstanding private landmark that only cost me the purchase of a Native American souvenir, and took photos of lots of interesting passing scenes.

Dillon, Montana

We first stopped at Dillon on the way up from Boise, Idaho to Essex, Montana to visit friends (please see my previous post). On the way back home from the border crossing at Sweetgrass, Montana, we spent the night here to have dinner at the “other” recommended restaurant, Max Clast, the watering hole of the younger generation; we’d gone to the older folks’ favorite the last time. And we were pleasantly surprised to find the Visitor Center in front of the restaurant with a quaint Gazebo Park beside it and a Museum with a pioneer wagon outside.  

Cedar Breaks National Monument

We spent the next night at Cedar City in Utah. And since we’d started the day early, leaving Dillon at 7 am, we got there at 4 pm. When I noticed a sign for Cedar Breaks National Monument, I googled how long it would take to get there. It would just be 30 minutes so we decided to make a quick visit. And we were rewarded by finding a hidden gem up in the mountains, smaller than Bryce Canyon National Park but the hoodoos were bigger! We made it to the Visitor Center in time to buy some souvenir ball caps and to visit and photograph Sunset View and Chessmen Ridge Overlooks. It was so pretty that we promised to return to the other three overlooks, two of which you have to hike to.

Cedar City

Before dinner we still had time to go around Cedar City, taking pictures of a few points of interest: the Shakespeare Theater, the Festival Grounds, and the Mormon Church on a hillside. We then noticed that the Cedar Breaks Lodge and Spa, located between the city and the national monument, is the main lodging option. I knew it was included in our timeshare directory; as a result, we have booked it for July 2-9 next year for a family reunion and a more immersive visit.

A Private Landmark

The next day was the final trek home. We also had an early start leaving Cedar City at 7 am, and found that a road going to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the only one I had not explored, was some way ahead. However, I also found out that it would take us about an hour to drive there, which meant it would add two hours of drive time and at least an hour of visit time to our itinerary. We decided it would be too taxing to really enjoy one of the best sections of one of the best national parks in the country. We will have to make it a separate trip.

Opting out of this chance, we continued to drive I-15 south. Soon we came upon a fantastic sight: three Native American souvenir vendors grouped around sweeping red rocks, including an iconic “ice cream” rock in front and a rebuilt Native American dwelling to one side. The vendors were gracious enough to take our photos, so I selected one of their souvenirs for the display shelves in our living room. And we learned that this landmark is privately owned by a civic-minded lady. What a find!

Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

Soon, still on I-15, we began to see more sweeping red rock cliff sides. And they continued for quite some time; I could not put my camera down. Then we noticed a small sign that said Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, with an arrow pointing to them. That was it! We were seeing the western boundary of another national monument! It was quite a sight. I can just imagine what more awesome sights there would be if we went inside, but we didn’t see any roads in. We made a note to schedule a real visit. On the other side of the interstate, there were horses grazing and just traipsing around. I wondered—were they part of the wild herd being rounded up?

Passing Scenes

It then occurred to us that we had been driving only on I-15 since leaving the Canadian border. And there were tons of varied photographable scenes along the way. I include some of them here. It was definitely not a straightforward way back home this time. It was still an exploration, although a speedy one. From now on, we will carefully choose what roads we take on our trips. I-15 is certainly one we can recommend.

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