September 24, 2013

Red Ledge RV Park, Kanarraville, UT

And St. George, UT

The first thing I did this morning was take four loads of dirty clothes, towels and sheets to the laundry room.  At only $1.00 a load to wash and $1.00 to dry it was a real bargain.

 

 

 

 

Just after lunch we took a ride to St. George (40 mile drive) stopping first at Camping World.  Monte was looking for a special type of adhesive cleaner. (We had an issue with our slide last September. 

 

 

After having work done on the slide at Guarantee RV in Junction City, OR we thought the issue was resolved but the slide is still not coming in and going out evenly causing damage to one side.  So Monte has to remove the tape that bunched at the corner and to do that he needed the adhesive cleaner.

Camping World did not have the adhesive cleaner.  Just as I thought we were going to ESCAPE the store without spending any money, Monte spotted a ladder rack he has been looking for.  Our bike carrier only has room for two bikes.  Monte purchased a new bike in Moab and plans on selling his old bike but until we do so he has to mount it on the back ladder of the rig.  He has been using a rope to attach the bike but now that he found the ladder rack it will be easier getting the bike off and putting it back on.

Our next stop was the Chamber of Commerce.  I need to find a route for when we are ready to leave the area from Kanarraville to Kanab.  Looking at the map it appeared that our options are to head toward Las Vegas or go north on I-15, east on 20 and then south on 89.    Our ultimate destination is Apache Junction, AZ where we plan to stay for a week visiting my daughter and granddaughters. 

There is a road that goes across toKanab (State route 9)but there is a tunnel that, because of the size of the rig, would require a fee because traffic has to be stopped on one side to allow larger vehicles to pass through.  It just sounds like such a hassle we eliminated Route 9 as an option. 

The people at the Chamber were very helpful.  They showed us on the map that we could take Highway 59 from the town of Hurricane to Arizona State Route 389.   At Fredonia we have the option of going north to Kanab and then to 89 to the Vermilion Cliff National Monument, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powel OR south to Jacob Lake and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  Decisions, decisions, decisions! 

While at the Chamber we also received “A Stroll Through History” brochure.  It contained a map and information for the Historic St. George Downtown Walking Tour.  We left our car at the Chamber parking lot and walked a portion of the tour. 

  

When we came across a consignment store we couldn’t resist taking a walk through. 

They had some unique items.   

 

 

The city has many sculptures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and a really cute park (the Historic Town Square-known as the “Parade Grounds”, where soldiers returning from war were honored for their service.  The park includes picnic benches and several water fountains for kids (of all ages) to romp in and around to cool off.   It was very hot and I was tempted to get wet but I settled for sitting near one of the fountains enjoying the slight spray of water blowing my way.

Located directly next door to the Historic Square is the St. George Tabernacle.  There was sign indicating free tours were available so between having a love of history(churches and cemeteries in particular) and (wanting to cool off in air conditioning) we entered the Tabernacle. 

 

We only had to wait a few minutes for the next tour to begin. 
According to Wikipedia, settlement of St. George, UT Territory was seen to be an important site for the future of the LDS church.  It was intended to be a cotton growing town to allow the Mormons to be self-sufficient.  The arid climate of Utah's Dixie resulted in poor harvests, resulting in economic hardship.
LDS leader Brigham Young then commissioned the construction of public works buildings in the area to assist the farmers.
 The tabernacle was intended to work as a church and a courthouse.  Funds for the building were raised by diverting all tithes from Beaver and all communities southward.  Construction began on June 1, 1863.  The building was opened on May 14, 1876, with a dedication ceremony featuring Brigham Young, JR.

An interesting fact we learned on the tour-When Brigham Young came to the first service and sat in the rear balcony he saw that the pulpit was blocked by the chandelier.  He instructed that the balcony be lowered.  100 men held up the balcony while the columns were cut down to size.

Miles Romney, (ancestor of Mitt Romney) a relative of noted English portrait artist George Romney, created the plans for the building.  The main clock and bell tower stands 140 feet tall.  Basement walls were 3 feet thick and the above-ground walls are 2.5 feet thick.  The red sandstone bricks used to construct the building were intended to match the surrounding cliffs.  Inside, ceilings rise 29 feet high with a plaster cornice, supported by twenty columns.  A gallery was built ten feet off the ground on the north, south, and east walls, with two circular staircases serving the east end.
An organ was added in 1878.  All materials were local, except for windows, shipped from Wilmington, California.  When completed, the church could seat 1,200 people.  The clock tower was originally used by the city residents to tell time.

The tabernacle earned the nickname, "jewel of the desert".  It underwent restoration in 1993 to help it resemble its original state.  I found the Tabernacle quite beautiful especially the chandeliers that are replicas of the original chandeliers that were candle lit.  A pulley system enabled the caretaker to lower the assembly to light and extinguish the candles.
When we finished the tour of the Tabernacle we headed back to the car because my feet were starting to burn because I had worn sandals.  As we were headed towards Lowe’s Monte spotted an RV supplier.  They didn’t have the adhesive cleaner he was looking for but they suggested he try Ideal Solutions, just a block away.  Luckily they had the cleaner.

I had Monte drop me off at Dollar Tree next to Lowe’s.  We were finished shopping at the same time. 
For anyone who has an interest in history, St. George is a town to be explored.