We travel what some call the loneliest road in America. I like a sign that informs me there will be no services for the next 136 miles. The landscape may seem desolate to some, but it is the vastness I crave, with views of an endless landscape of desert —snowcapped peaks in the distance, little water, and miles and miles before you see another car or truck—long stretches between small towns and ranches far from grocery stores and amenities-a land filled with National Parks, and the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument.
Sitting in a local pub, Linda, the barkeep, tells us Ely benefits from becoming a recreational destination and a hub for visiting National Parks and public land. It has become a four-season town."
Only the desert has a fascination -to ride alone-in the sun, in the forever unpossessed country-away from man.
-D.H. Lawrence
Nature' manifests herself as she is, in all her prodigal and indifferent magnificence which is outrageous but noble.
It is a lovely and terrible wilderness... harshly and beautifully colored, broken and worn until its bones are exposed... and in hidden corners and pockets under its cliffs, the sudden poetry of springs.
Joette-Marie Rex was our fabulous host at her Slot Canyons Inn B&B. Built-in 1983, we sat in Joette's kitchen, talking, eating breakfast, and listening to Joette's stories, heartbreaking and joyful celebrations of life with family and friends. At the end of our stay, Joette gave us a copy of her book, Slot Canyons Inn: Memories and Recipes.
Perhaps it is like our lives: we come to earth, live our lives, and travel on.
-a friend of Joette
The casita at Slot Canyons Inn.
Thanks to my travel partner Karen.
David Gallipoli