My Adventure "Off the Grid"

Starlyn always talks about her trips to "The Ranch" and her visits with family in Panguitch. We've often talked of my desire to join her there. Well, it happened this week! Starlyn parked her camp trailer in her cousin's driveway for the month and it was the perfect time for me to go there for a couple of days. Panguitch DID NOT disappoint! It was a blast!

I left Wednesday night, right after our awesome combined youth activity in the park. The kids got wet, played games, ate ice cream and had a ball. I left at 8:00 pm, dropped some modest-length skirts to Mel at SOAR, and got on the road. I got to Panguitch around 11:30. Shortly after midnight, we texted the picture below to wish my sister Jenny a happy 50th birthday.

Thursday: We got up and had some breakfast. I began meeting the family. We stayed at Randy and Debbie's place. We used their bathroom and hung out in their house, but slept in the camp trailer. It was great. Randy is retired and still farms/ranches. He was waiting for his hay to be dry enough to bale. Debbie works at the building license office. They also run the only screen printing/embroidery operation around. So, it's from one job to the next.

We first went to "The Ranch." I saw where the whole Hatch gang camps on July 24 every year. They feast on mutton and potatoes and hang out. We went to Tom's cabin. He and his wife returned recently from a public relations mission in Africa. The cabin is beautiful. No phones, but TV. There was peaceful music playing and I could see how someone would just love it there. We took their 4 wheeler to visit other family and get even better views. The meadow with the creek running through is absolutely gorgeous!

The meadow

The creek where they all camp

Houston drives us around

"I don't want to be in a picture" -Houston

My chauffeur

You can see Tom's cabin in the meadow

How's that for gorgeous!? The meadow!

My vacation buddies

We then went on a hike to Cascade Falls. I can't get over how beautiful the scenery is. It makes me want to explore more of Utah. God certainly created an amazing earth for us. On our way back to Randy and Debbie's, we stopped for dinner in Hatch. I got an amazing chicken sandwich.

Hike to Cascade Falls

Just resting at the falls

Just look at that!!!!!!

And the day wasn't over. I then got to meet other family members. Paul and Nicol and Ron and Cathy. Paul and Nicol moved their home from town to the spot where it lies now. Nicol described how they did it. Amazing. Nicol is a champion barrel racer and wears the belt buckle to prove it. She is absolutely beautiful. A long braid, wrinkles and tan from being in the sun. She makes and repairs horse saddles and is going to start making cowboy boots. She was invited to a special course to learn how to do it. This is a life I know nothing about. It was so interesting. Paul was anticipating the auction the next day. He was auctioning off about 200 calves. It would be make it or break it for him financially for the year. Ron and Cathy have a beautiful house right next to Randy's. Ron is retired from running the lab at the hospital for YEARS. Cathy is from Arkansas. It was fun to visit with them about her mom's 60 years of working at Timex, to Obamacare, to night scope rifles (why would you want that unless you were going to become a hitman?). This family is great. I loved every minute visiting with them. I see why Starlyn and family loves visiting them all. And, they are technically Lee's 2nd cousins. For Hatches that doesn't matter. They are all close family...no matter what. Debbie had a cute saying in her home that I loved. "Grandma's house...where cousins become friends."

Friday: We had to rest from all the stuff we did Thursday. First we watched the calves being auctioned off. It was broadcast on some random channel on TV. Paul did well. I imagine when my grandpa Hunter was selling cattle, it was quite different from videotaping your cattle and having people bid from the footage they watch on a computer or TV screen.

We did go up the road to find Butch Cassidy's boyhood home. He's an infamous outlaw. History says he died in a shootout in Bolivia (of all places). However, Star's family says a relative remembers all of his family stopping in on their way to Wyoming, then coming back a couple of days later. Just enough time to attend a funeral for Butch. They think Butch died in Wyoming and the family attended his funeral. While at the house, it poured rain. We even got hailed on. You can just drive up to the little house and even walk in. So we did.

Saw this in town. I like to call it the "Wall of Shame." Butch, Sundance, Etta, the whole gang.

We then went into town to get burgers at Henrie's, where Lacey is working for the summer. That was some yummy food. Cheeseburger, onion rings and a brownie shake. We walked around antique shops downtown. We went back "home" where I took a nap and so did Star. Then we went to the Senior rodeo around 6:00. That was fun. Nicol and more family were there. Nicol wanted to see some old friends that were participating. Senior is for over 40. It was fun to watch the old guys tie down calves. There were only 2 that were brave enough for the bull riding, though, and neither made it the 7 seconds. One came close. It was a fun, relaxing and educational trip. I love meeting new friends and learning about different ways of living. Farming is hard work. These guys know how to work.

At the rodeo. Isn't Nicol beautiful!?

I left after the rodeo. Got on the road around 8:00 pm. I wanted to get back for Dave Chalk's memorial service in the morning at AF cemetery. On the way home, I stopped in Holden. Now that is a story on its own. I thought I'd stop in Fillmore and buy flowers at the grocery store. I got there at 9:25 pm and it closes at 9:00. You gotta get your groceries early on a Friday night in Fillmore. So I stopped to get gas and see if there was something I could buy in the gas station. Nothing. I guess I could have settled for a cigarette lighter or bottle of soda. I decided to head across the parking lot to the "Garden of Eat'n" (no lie. I've eaten there with grandma and grandpa Hunter when it was the ONLY place around). They had a tiny gift shop. I settled on a $1.80 American flag. So, in the dark and with the help of my cell phone flashlight, I found grandma and grandpa's grave and left the flag there. I was surprised and happy to find the shell lei's still there that we had taken a year ago. It was a nice drive home. I got in shortly around 11:45.

Should have found a better place for my keys. Oops.