The Vortex

The Vortex

There are certain places in our lives, which we pass through regularly and which have special meaning to us. For me, one such place is the area between Las Vegas and Torrey, Utah. The highlights of that region go from Mesquite Nevada to the Virgin Valley Gorge, which is actually a part of Arizona, St. George, Utah, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks and the entire area surrounding Torrey, with its red rock canyons and alpine mountain forests.

I first passed through this area on motorcycle in 1994 so 30 years ago. Since then, I have probably come through here a total of 50 times for one reason or another half of those times have been on a motorcycle and the other half in a car, regardless of the mode of transportation, this has to be one of my favorite places on earth. I could spend a week visiting all the highlights of the area, but I rarely take more than a day to make the passage. On the Nevada side there is Lake Mead and the Valley of the Gods as well as the flat, quiet desert surrounding Mesquite that leads up to the almost secretive northwest corner of Arizona, which the Virgin River runs through, creating the magnificent Virgin Valley Gorge.

Once you come through the gorge, there’s an almost palpable sense of relief and you find yourself in the lovely city of St. George Utah. Like Mesquite on the other side of the gorge, St. George has become very much a retirement town generally speaking, that makes a quiet, pleasant place to pass through. From that spot, you have your choice of ways to go. Directly due east is Colorado City, the home of some of the most obvious polygamy compounds in this Mormon dominated state. If you go through Hurricane and on to Springdale, you are on the path to Zion. This southern entrance to the park is less spectacular than the Eastern entrance but once you’re in Zion Canyon, everything around you is spectacular. Following the road out the east entrance you will have a choice at route 89. You can either go south to Kanab, which is, the entry point to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon or you can head north towards the Cedar Breaks wilderness and eventually the Escalante area where Bryce Canyon is located. You would think that nothing could get more spectacular than Zion, but Bryce Canyon comes close. And then just to remind you that nature never stops creating wonders, if you go past Bryce into the Escalante wilderness, you will ride on Rt,. 12, which is one of the most inspiring roads in America as it goes up what is called the Escalante Staircase. This was one of the last areas of the United States to be electrified after World War II. That means it’s pretty remote, but I’ve passed through it at least 50 times because the roads are so special and the scenery so breathtaking.

The funny thing is that there are so many special places like Zion, Bryce and Escalante that it understates how magnificent every inch of road in this part of the country really is. There’s nowhere along these roads that you cannot stop and marvel at the diverse and natural beauty around you. If you’ve gone through Escalante, you will be coming over Boulder Mountain, and down into the valley where Torrey, Teasdale and Bicknell are located. This is the home of The Lodge at Red River Ranch. The lodge is owned by Charlene and Dave Van Dyke. We have known them for over 20 years. We cannot pass through this vortex of personal history without stopping and spending the night at the lodge. I think it’s safe to say it’s one of my favorite places of all time. I don’t fancy myself a cowboy or fly fisherman, or even a naturalist who loves seeing Buffalo roaming in the front yard, but there’s something so magical about this place that I will come back here over and over again just to feel that special feeling one gets when passing through such a personal vortex. Having introduced the lodge to my extended family last year it will be particularly fun to enjoy the familiarity of place with them again later today.

From this spot, I have gone in many directions, but since I’m most often approaching it from the east, I usually head south, west or north. This time we will head to the east and drive across Southern Utah on the Bicentennial Highway, which is a peaceful and straight road Through the canyonlands of southern Utah stretching from Hanksville and Glen Canyon past Natural Bridges National Park and ending in the appropriately named Blanding. We will pass by the infamous Bears Ears wilderness, which has gone back-and-forth from one political administration to another as national park land.

If we headed north from Blanding, we would go through Monticello and then on to Moab, a vortex of a different kind. If we headed south, we would go to Mexican Hat and to Monument Valley. But we are heading east to Durango and we will stop at the Forrest Gump Spot to view the monuments and then Four Corners Monument on the way. This is where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet and where the Navajo Nation controls access allowing visitors in for a small fee to come and set foot on all four states at one time. In some ways, four corners is another vortex altogether. In fact, I’ve spent so much time traveling the Southwest across all four of these states that I should probably declare the entirety of the region, one big vortex of my soul.

It’s good to remind ourselves about what a big beautiful country we have and how evocative visiting it can be. I know a good old fashioned road trip isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I have nothing but fondness for the highways and byways of America. 2024 is a good year to head to these soulful places to remind us of what we’re fighting for in the election in November. These grand places bring patriotic songs to mind. God bless America.