Slots Jackpot

I was fortunate to take a quick trip to southern Utah last week. While I was able to revisit some old favorites (Zion National Park and Red Canyon)......I also got a quick, albeit impressive introduction to the massive Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Spanning nearly 1.9 million acres (3% of the state of Utah), the monument is the second largest in the lower 48 states (Death Valley being the largest.)

The half day hike through Lower Calf Creek to the falls was just about everything you could ask for in a hike. Perfect weather, geological wonders, cool wildlife (red-tail hawks, many canyon-country unique lizards & insects), petroglyphs and a big payoff with thundering falls that you can hear for a bit but don't see until the end. But since this blog is about what I dream of doing, I would love to go back & do a hike through Escalante's famous slot canyons (lead photo above.) Because of the dangers of flash floods rolling through (sometimes resulting from storms many, many miles away), those who aren't familiar with the landscape should go with a local guide. With no more than eight people at a time, Utah Canyons seems like a good and reasonably priced choice.

About a six hour drive from Las Vegas, this slots jackpot brings a natural and far more rewarding cha-ching.


photo credits: photo 1 is americansouthwest.net, other two are wen360

In Bruges

I recently caught "In Bruges" at the local multiplex -- not because Colin Farrell has ever done much for me, but because I'm a sucker for the postcard film. Being a born travel daydreamer, I will more often than not go to any movie that showcases a foreign locale on the big screen. I was pleasantly surprised about not only the gorgeous, well-preserved medieval European town of Bruges, but also that the film itself was quite good.

Bruges, located in the northwest corner of Belgium, is thought to be Europe's best remaining example of a medieval town. Complete with canals and stunning architecture, it seems to be a wonderfully interesting cultural stop even without the chocolate (but what a bonus!)

Postcard films are not a new idea. The Bond films (and now also the Bourne films) do a great job of totting you around the globe in a couple of hours -- giving you postcard snapshots of places to add to your daydreaming list. Out of Africa, arguably my favorite film of all time, is a fantastic film for many reasons, but not the least of which is the cinematography of a land I hope to visit one day. And the hope that the landscape still resembles that same breathtaking natural vastness once I arrive.