I have said it before and I will say it again, “Utah is one of the most beautiful states in this oh-so gorgeous nation.” It truly is a spectacle of natural beauty and inspiration. If the landscape isn't enough for you to enjoy this place, then the people will put you over the top. I had nothing but great encounters with caring people who loved their community and according to the government's national service website, has the highest percentage of volunteers in the nation (many years running), which showed.

 

When I left Nevada, I headed for St. George, Utah. Located directly on the Arizona/Utah border, my drive from Las Vegas lasted only a few hours. I was familiar with the area and knew it would be a great place to get some much needed prep done for the weeks ahead. I camped overnight in Snow Canyon State Park just to the west of the city and spent Sunday evening and the majority of Monday doing “office work” at a local Starbucks.

 

After enjoying a restful night under the stars, I gathered up my belongings, packed the car and drove two hours to Kanab, Utah. Kanab is located in the southernmost part of the state in the center of America's greatest natural markers. With the Grand Canyon to the south, Lake Powell to the east, Bryce Canyon to the north, and Zion National Park to the west, Kanab is the gateway to America's wonders. It is also known as “Little Hollywood” since there have been over a hundred movies (mostly Westerns) filmed in the vicinity. The only thing missing is a good coffee shop with super fast wi-fi, otherwise, it is a very quaint little touristy town.

 

The reason for my travels to this wilderness location was to volunteer at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the nearby Angel Canyon. Best Friends is one of the United State's largest no-kill animal sanctuary where they are “home on any given day to about 2,000 dogs, cats, and other animals, who come from shelters and rescue groups around the country for special care.... Most of the animals who find their way to Best Friends have special physical or behavioral needs, and our expert staff of veterinarians, trainers and caregivers offer them all the help they require. Most of them are ready to go to good new homes after just a few weeks.... A few, who are too old or too sick, or who have suffered extra trauma, find a home and haven at the sanctuary, and are given loving care for the rest of their lives.”

 

I arrived at the visitor's center around nine to fill out the needed paperwork, watch the video overview, and to take the tour. You learn so much about where they came from, what they are doing, and how they changing the future for animals across the country. Recently, they have gained a lot of national attention through their successful legislation lobbying against puppy mills and their care for the displaced animals during the months to follow Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, they took in all twenty-two of Michael Vic's dogs after his arrest for dog fighting. Also, National Geographic's “DogTown” is filmed there which is already in its third season and is decorated with many awards. Best Friends is an incredible place to be and worthy of the accolades it receives.

 

After going through the required training, I went to the HQ building of Dogtown to get my assignments. I told them I would do whatever was most pressing so I was handed a pooper scooper and was told where the buckets were. I went out and cleaned a good-sized trail where the dogs are walked and I came away with none on my shoes but two and a half buckets full of feces. I won't go into the details but you can catch some of the highlights by clicking here. I still had some time left in the day so I headed over to one of the dog run buildings were I helped the caretaker with the evening meal.

 

The next morning, I was back at eight with bells on. I couldn't wait to meet more of the dogs and to take as many as I could out for a stroll. Before I could do that, I was offered the option of taking the puppy training class. I couldn't turn that down! So, for an hour, I was able to work with two puppies to train and condition them for adoption. After the workshop, I was assigned to a one of the dog run areas and worked my way through one building after another, taking all sorts of different dogs for a stroll through the wilderness. As excited as the dogs may have been, this was a very refreshing activity for my soul as well. If you didn't know, I'm kind of a dog person and get bouts of homesickness for my beagle Elli. Walking, petting, and playing with these other dogs help fill the void (just a little bit).

 

After a long goodbye with the dogs and staff of Best Friends, I fixed myself a peanut butter sandwich and headed north to the Salt Lake City area. I didn't have a place to stay and was planning on camping in another one of the State Parks around the area. Unfortunately, my directions were a little off and the place I thought I was going stay turned out to be a marina. So, I found the nearest truck stop and toughed it out for the next few nights. The sleeping bag I brought with me was given to me when I was in junior high school and was not equipped to handle the temperatures dipping into the teens, so after waking up to a frozen face and near numb toes, I bought a zero-degree bag. WOW! What a difference

 

The reason I was in the Salt Lake City area was because of a great recommendation by an acquaintance of mine in the Phoenix, Arizona area. She strongly recommended that I spend some of my time in Utah helping out at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. The Treehouse is a unique children's museum geared toward literacy and writing. Each of the exhibits a beautifully designed by their in-house artists and cover a variety of themes to interest children of all ages. I was placed in the Arts Garden, an activity center that provides an arena for the kids (and adults) to create crafts centered around the different themes.

 

On Friday, I spent the latter morning and afternoon prepping art materials for other areas of the museum and then assisted with two kindergarten classes. The kids were so clever and creative! I am a little partial since they called me teacher and even a genius! I later found out that they called everything genius since it was a word they just learned. On Saturday, I came in the afternoon and worked alongside of some other great volunteers hosting the families who came through the Art Garden. We made magic scepters for the Harry Potter afternoon theme and then monster puppets later on to celebrate the book Where the Wild Things Are.

 

I was invited back later that evening as the Treehouse was putting on a children's production of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. I was delighted to stay for it and thoroughly enjoyed myself as the version they wrote added depth and a lot of humor to the traditional tale. I love it that the actors came out after the play and answered the children's questions. Great idea for anyone doing children's theatre.

 

Even though my week was up, it was hard to leave the great state of Utah. Right before crossing the border, I recorded a short video of the scenery and a few other comments. Even now, I have a strange feeling that makes me believe I will be a resident of that state sometime in my life. It's good to know I have a jump on good contacts and charities to give my time to. If you're there now, check out either one of these charities and get involved. You'll be glad you did.

 

Yo ho, yo ho...I'm off to Idaho!