I have heard about Mystery Escape Rooms and always have wanted to try one.  They can be found all around the world, but we have one right here in Ancestor Square in St. George, Utah.  I invited my family and we started investigating the three rooms available in St. George.

King Arthur’s Quest for Knighthood

In this room participants solve clues, puzzles and challenges to be able to pull King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, from the stone.  Participants who are brave and honorable become Knights of King Arthur.  Those who are unable to pull the sword from the stone, in one hour, will be locked in the gallery for the rest of their lives.  This room has a 38% success rate.

Private Eye – A Murder Mystery

Participants of this mystery room arrive at…

1359 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

I have been driving by the Bella Marie's Pizzeria ,right off of Dixie Drive at 1487 South Silicon Way in St. George, Utah, for several years.  I have always wanted to try the pizza there because I have heard it is delicious.  The website boasts “homemade, made from scratch and cooked to order fresh Italian food!”  They also state that they have the “most authentic, original, New York think crust, brick oven pizza in St. George, Utah.”  I would agree with this statement after eating pizza from Bella Marie's Pizzeria last night!

We ordered a “to go” regular Pepperoni Pizza and a gourmet Grilled Chicken Alfredo Pizza.  The pizzas cost a little more than we would usually spend for a pizza, but they were well worth it.  The pizza dough is hand made…

1308 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

I have never been to Veyo, Utah, even though I have heard about it from several people.  My brother told me I needed to go to the Veyo Pool, several people told me about the volcano there and I heard numerous St. George residents mention the delicious pies you can buy in Veyo.  Veyo is located in Washington County.  The 2016 census showed a population of 515 for Veyo.  I couldn’t find much factual information about Veyo, Utah or the Veyo Volcano, but Wikipedia says that some in the community say that Veyo stands for the acronym of “Virtue, Enterprise, Youth and Order,” while others say the town got its name from a town in Spain referred to as La Pena which means “rocky outcrop.” 

I set out to visit Veyo for myself by way of Gunlock Reservoir.…

5100 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Trail Tuesday took me back to beautiful Snow Canyon again this week.   There are so many trails in the area, I don’t think anyone could ever be able to find and complete all of the hikes that are available in Snow Canyon.  I hiked the Pioneer Names Trail, a very easy, short .4 mile out and back trail, just outside of St. George, Utah.

This was one of my favorite hikes in Snow Canyon.  The trail passes by pioneer names, written in axle grease, high on the cliff walls.  The earliest date I could see was 1881.  This hike took me back to a time when my ancestors, pioneers, came west to Utah and passed through the incredible red cliffs of St. George.  I pictured young pioneers climbing these cliffs to write their names for all to see and remember…

2057 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The St. George Spectrum announced that a direct flight from St. George, Utah to Los Angeles, California may be coming this fall.  The article published on June 7, 2017, talks about how St. George and Washington City officials just agreed to “split the costs on an interlocal agreement promising to cover up to $450,000 in startup-cost losses if SkyWest Airlines gives the new destination at try.”  St. George Mayor Jon Pike was quoted in the article saying “We think that’s a good, responsible use of funds.” 

Thea article goes on to tell about how a similar move in Phoenix last year helped attract a new flight to that area.  The government funds in the Phoenix agreement helped “mitigate the risk for the airline.”

Right now several major airlines fly…

1401 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

As a retired member of the St. George community and an avid reader, I used to carefully write down the titles of the books I read in a notebook.  I would file these notebooks away never to really be looked at again.  Then I came upon a website called Goodreads.  Goodreads is an incredible, free website for book lovers.  It is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations.  You can use the website from your computer or you can download the app and use it from your device.   You can sign up for an account by simply entering your name, email and a password.

The mission of Goodreads is “to help people find and share books they love.” To begin using Goodreads you select books that you have read, that you are currently reading or that…

1408 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

I have been enjoying Mexican food all over St. George.  Today I had the chance to eat at the Green Iguana, in the Red Lion Hotel on Bluff Street, in St. George.  It was delicious!  I didn’t know what to expect because I have loved eating at the Red Iguana and the Blue Iguana in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

I was very excited to find a genuine Mexican restaurant with all the things I love:

  •          Appetizers:  Cheese nachos, quesadillas, guacamole and chips, flautitas and poppers
  •          Main Dishes:  Burritos, chimichangas, ensaladas, fajitas, tacos, seafood, steak, and combination plates
  •          Kids Selections:  Burritos, enchiladas, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, quesadillas and tacos
  •          Desserts:  Fried ice cream, flan,…

2479 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Trail Tuesday took me on a unique adventure this week to Kayenta, in Ivins, Utah.  I had heard about a peace garden in the area and I set out to find it.  I found what I was looking for, but it actually is the Desert Rose Labyrinth, located just off the main highway, in the Kayenta Area.  Kayenta is about 12 miles from St. George.  I drove from St. George out through Santa Clara on Old Highway 91, but you can also take Pioneer Parkway to this beautiful community. .  

I found out that the Desert Rose Labyrinth was built by the residents of the Kayenta community in the spirit of peace and unity.  It opened in the fall of 2004 and visitors are welcome to walk the labyrinth from dawn to dusk, daily.  The Desert Rose Labyrinth is an eleven-circuit…

2359 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

I am always looking for new places to paddleboard around St. George, which is my favorite thing to do in the entire world.   I have gone paddleboarding in several places in Southern Utah, but have always wondered about Lake Mead.  I talked my daughter Samantha into going on a road trip down south to Lake Mead.  We piled our rafts and our floating cooler into the car and drove about an hour and a half to the lake.   I was hoping that Lake Mead would be just as beautiful as Lake Tahoe, one of my favorite places in the world.  Lake Mead is not like Lake Tahoe at all, but it is beautiful, serene, peaceful and uncrowded.  We blazed our own trail and took a dirt road to the lake.  We pumped up our rafts, attached our floating cooler and pushed off the…

1418 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

According to the Salt Lake Tribune (June 1, 2017), St. George enjoyed the third-fastest growth rate for jobs among the nation’s 388 metro areas over a one-year period that ended in April.  The data was released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.   According to the statistics, the number of jobs in St. George grew by 5.2 percent in that period, up by 3,200.   Other information about the state of Utah talks about how the growth rate was 3.3 percent, adding 46,700 jobs statewide.  Also, the unemployment rate in Utah in April was 3.2 percent – down from 3.5 percent a year earlier.  Click here to read the entire article. 

In March, The Spectrum, published an article (March 23, 2107) that talks about how St. George is among the fastest growing…

1364 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post