We started by visiting the Moqui cave which is privately owned. It used to be a bar and dance hall during the days when western film stars frequented the place. The people who owned it gave tours and a history of the area and Mormon settlers. They were very nice and informative but I got the feeling their ultimate mission was to educate the public about the Mormon faith. This man's grandfather had 6 wives and 55 kids in his family. They no longer practice that lifestyle and make it known that they disapprove. We spoke briefly about the show Sister Wives on TLC which features modern day polygamists (or pluralists as they like to be called). That family must have lived in the vicinity but their lifestyle angers many Mormons and the cave owner wouldn't speak about them in particular. Interesting.
Next we visited the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where they claim to be the world's largest no-kill animal shelter. They focus on taking in animals with medical problems who might be otherwise unadoptable, rehabilitate them and aim to ultimately place them in their "forever home." the operation was truly amazing. It's situated in Angel Canyon which was as pretty as Zion Natl Park. The next day we went back to volunteer with the dogs at the shelter. We walked a couple of big ones who nearly took my arm off chasing lizards. My first dog also dug a hole to China chasing something. They were so happy to get out of their runs but were very hot and ready to return home afterwards. Each dog there has an indoor/outdoor pen with lots of toys, air conditioning, and outdoor running space. It still is a doggy jail and ironically enough was designed by a guy who designed prisons. Reminds me of my college dorm which was also designed by someone who designed prisons. By the end of the day we were hot and tired. We left with good memories of the animals' environment and will remember one dog in particular. Alfie survived parvovirus and distemper but was left with residual nerve damage. He has tremors and ticks like a Parkinson patient and his front legs do not hold his weight. It was one of the most pathetic cases I have ever seen. They are attempting to rehabilitate him and say he might be as to walk someday. I hated to see him hit his head against the cage involuntarily. We will also remember the 25 companion pigs they rescued, the horses and the movie set barn they lived in, and "ambush pass" which is a stretch of road that appeared in countless western movies showing stagecoach ambushes and is on their property.
Another highlight was wandering around town and running into people we had met earlier. This town only has two stop lights and two main streets. It's hard to miss eachother. This was a popular area to film the western movies like the Lone Ranger and One Little Indian and they saved the movie sets in the Little Hollywood museum. We even could have stayed for a free show put on for Japanese tourists but elected not to.
We continued to check on the rv progress and learned it was supposed to be finished Friday afternoon. That left us with enough time to venture through Zion National Park. Similarly to the Grand Canyon park they limited transportation to their shuttle busses. We had time to visit Zion lodge, take a short mile long hike to the Emerald Pools and grab some ice cream before heading back to our car and drive to pick up the rv (wishful thinking).
Upon arriving back at the shop we learned the insurance adjuster never returned their calls and we would have to wait until Monday before they make a decision about settling the claim. After much fighting with the insurance managers we gave up and decided to head to Vegas for some more R&R and fun. We will deal with the RV again on Monday and hope the claim gets resolved quickly so I don't have to return to this desolate yet gorgeous part of the country for the third time! Vegas here we come!
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