Pink Coral Sand Dunes

(Originally Published 17 Feb 2013)

It was a windy morning in Southern Utah. After doing my required chores for the morning, I noticed the sky was angry looking to the east.  I had been thinking of heading that way to see Lake Powell, but I decided not to tempt fate by taking my poor little two wheel drive into a snow flurry.  New as the car was, I didn’t want to be the one to put it through its winter trials.

A local recommended that I check out the Pink Coral Sand Dunes, a state park.  It was a short drive to the park and paved the whole way.  It was also to the north and west, opposite the menacing clouds.

It was a pleasant drive down the highway, then down a chip sealed road, winding my way to the park.  To the left, I kept getting glimpses of sandy dunes, fleeting between the scruffy trees and high banks near the road. I reached the gateway, a small station with an information center (closed that day), a pay station, soda machine and restrooms.  After paying my fee I made my way down a narrow road to a small rest area, with a view platform. There was also another set of restrooms, some picnic tables and even a nice BBQ grill in place for public use.  I parked in the lot and made my way to the view platform.

It was a metal structure with seats, information boards, and a wind screen.  On this day the wind was running down the valley, chilling exposed skin and whipping the fine red sands across the whole visa.  In the distance I could see several prominent sand dunes.  The late morning sun was peeking through clouds just right to illuminate them and to show the sand blowing over the peaks of the dunes.

Pink Coral Sand Dunes 10I walked around, feet sinking into the dense sand, wind whipping it around me.  I wandered from information placards to the fence of the dunes themselves, all the time snapping shots of the ever changing light and landscape.  The fine grains were dry but stuck to clothes, holding on till b eing shook away.  Kneeling to get better angles revealed  the sand to be a collection of multicolored fragments; reds, whites, pinks, browns, and constantly shifting around whatever obstacle was put in its path. A barring or a hold, the wind driven sand didn’t care.  Like a determined soul, the sand continued round ever obstruction, every hardship, to ends unknown.

After exploring the majority of the area, and feeling my fingers turn to icicles, I decided to head home.  The drive back took the same route, but in the evening light, now fading towards dusk, it seemed like a totally new area.  The meandering road cut through red sandstone canyons and cliffs, leads back to town and the end of a quiet day exploring the beautiful dunes of  Southern Utah. Check out the website ( www.tysworldtrek.com ) to view the pictures of this adventure, and others!

Southern Utah

(Originally Published 7 Feb 2013)

I rolled into Kanab having just spent over a month in Las Vegas.  The terrain had changed from tans and browns and desert scrub to red soils and towers of red sandstone, etching clouds in the sky.  The weather was still chilled, but the sun shone through the cold winds and warmed one from the inside.

I have a few tasks to do while I’m here, but very minimal so most of my time has been left to exploring the back roads in my small rental car.  This is a beautiful area, with amazing cliffs of red sandstone and open fields of desert scrub and small trees.  There are also the occasional herd of horses or cows meandering about.

In town, I was told I might like a small restaurant called “The Rocking V”.  It’s a rustic little space in southwest decor.  The walls are stucco painted vibrant colors of tan-orange, reds and purples, staples of southwest.  In areas the stucco has been removed in a torn out, aged fashion revealing the old brickwork of the building behind it.  The adobe fireplace uses propane now, but it still radiates heat during these cold winter months.   The tables and chairs have a handmade feel to them, and there are seat cushions and upholstery done in the styles of southwestern Native American art.  Above the dining area is a small art gallery with local artists work in photography, paintings, stone art, carving, metal art, jewelry and ceramics.  The Pieces are interesting and show different aspects of life in the southwest and the lives of the local residents.  Most of the pieces are also for sale.

For me, being sick with UC (See home page), food has always been something I both loved and feared.  I had to fear certain foods that I knew would cause flare ups, and had to worry about what foods that I hadn’t tried might do.  I loved the flavors of food though, and seeing it displayed on a plate with a full palette of colors and flavors was always something that I enjoyed.  As time went on, though, and my sickness progressed, I found myself liking food less each passing meal.  I also began to fall into habits, eating the same things day in and day out.  At restaurants, the wait staff knew what I would order before coming to my table.  I generally ate “the usual” at each place I frequented.  When I was in a flare up it became much worse. I couldn’t eat normal food. A bland diet for me consisted of toast, crackers and baby food.  Anything else would cause extreme pain and suffering for the day.  So for me, a big part of these adventures will be to experience new foods and find that love of it all again.  For that reason I wanted to tell you about two dished I had while eating at the Rocking V so far.Rocking V 1

As of writing this I have eaten there twice and enjoyed it both times.  The first time I had a Kanab-a-dab-a-doo burger.  An silly name, but a serious burger. The ½ pound patty was perfectly cooked and seasoned. On top was avocados and tomato, beneath was thick slices of ham, flame broiled like the burger.  The whole thing was juicy and delicious.  For sides there was seasoned fries and one of the best home-style macaroni and cheese dishes I’ve ever had.  I used to never care for much fanfare on my burgers, but I have discovered that I absolutely love avocado on my burgers and sandwiches.  I wish I’d found this out earlier in life but I am glad that I know it now.

Pioneer ChickenThe next time, I went in for lunch and had the Pioneer Chicken.  It was a chicken fried chicken breast served on top of a big slice of Texas toast.  The whole thing was smothered in a cream sauce that had bacon onions and a secret blend of spices.  It was just spicy enough to give it a pop and a kick, but not upset my sensitive system.  On top was diced green and red pepper and corn.  The chicken was perfectly cooked, and the sauce gave just enough flavor to warm it up, but not over power it.  The toast soaked up the sauce and was another meal unto itself. This is an example of something that I would never have tried while I was still sick.  The description on the menu is well written but it was still vague as to what made it the “pioneer” chicken, something that would have made me, before my surgery and recovery, shied away for fear of something that was too spicy or that had corn on it (As this did) which was my number one arch nemesis while I was still sick.  Luckily now I can and do try to branch out when I can and in this case the limited spicy pop this sauce had was just what I needed and wasn’t enough to cause me any issues, as spice is really my only major food concern any more.

They also have an assortment of desert items, like this banana bread-pudding with a caramel and Kahlua sauce drizzled over it and a daub of whipped cream on top.  It was delicious without being too rich or decadent, and would be amazing a la mode, as the hot drizzled sauce would counter well to the coldness of a big scoop of vanilla.Banana bread

I thoroughly enjoyed dining at the Rocking V.  The staff were friendly and helpful, the atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, and it seems like a perfect place to have a take in a quiet evening dining out.

My adventures in Southern Utah / Northern Arizona continue for another 10 days!  I will be visiting a few places around the area and reporting back.  Please enjoy these pictures and take care!  Please feel free to contact me if you are in the area and want to meet up for coffee and talk or play music or shoot some photos!  Media.rettke@Gmail.com  Also please tell your friends about the website and follow me on Facebook.com/tysworldtrek and on Twitter: #VERAQURETTKE

Viva Las Vegas!

(Originally Published 25 Jan 2013)

Hello everyone, from fantastic Las Vegas!   I arrived here just before Christmas, to visit my parents who live here now.  I agreed to stay here with them to enjoy the holiday season, but about the time I was planning on moving on, I noticed that my middle finger on my right hand had an infected hang nail.  I didn’t think much of it, hoping that it would clear itself out, but soon it was obvious that it needed more attention than I could give it, so I went to an urgent care clinic here and the doctor I saw determined I needed to have it lanced and take a round of antibiotics.

 

I say lanced in a lighthearted tone, but in reality lancing with a cauterizing needle (a small battery powered pain pen) was much more painful and uncomfortable and damaging than if I’d let my father just cut the end of my finger off, like he kept offering to do.  The doctor more or less dug around there with the white hot tip of this devilish device until he reached his goal, which I can only assume was to fill some unseen pain-o-meter up to full.  He had said beforehand that they couldn’t do much pain wise pre-procedure because of its location and the minor nature of the procedure, and he spoke very nonchalantly about it, so I didn’t worry too much. A quick poke and we were to be done.  Well after he had finished shoveling around the end of my finger with that most evil tool, he offered me, as a condolence a few pain killers to go with the round of antibiotics.

 

On a happier note, the antibiotics did their job perfectly and my finger is now fully healed and feels much better.  I have arranged for the next leg of my journey, and it will take me to Kanab, Utah, a town near the border with Arizona.  I will be house sitting there for a spell, as well as watching after a small group of ducks.  While I am there, I will be exploring the areas scenic offerings, which are said to be quite beautiful.  I also hope to continue my quest to meet new and interesting people, play music, and to spread information about Ulcerative Colitis and Rotary Internationals programs.

 

If you are from Kanab or know anyone in that area, feel free to send them my way and email me at media.rettke@gmail.com.  I am always open to meeting up for interesting conversations, jam sessions, or setting up speaking engagements for clubs or groups.  I will be heading that way, tentatively, around the 1st of February.  I will keep the website and facebook.com/tysworldtrek updated to let you know the exact time that I go that way.  Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @VeraquRettke