Calgary, Alberta to Phoenix, Arizona

July 16, 2022

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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.