St George, Utah

Onward we go leaving the glitz and glitter of the Las Vegas Strip behind to move approximately 120 miles northeast to St George, Utah. It was a short days drive to our destination of Temple View RV Resort in St George. The reason for choosing this campground was it's near proximity to Zion National Park and the mild winter climate. We are still in March so snow is always a possibility when this far north. However, the day we arrived was sunny, warm, and 70 degrees. As we checked in the people were wonderful made us feel like part of their family. The park itself is half fulltime residents and half transits. We were escorted to our site and noted that it's like a sardine can, nice, neat, but everyone is crammed into a small space. Oh well, we just sleep here.

The view from our site

St George lies in the northeastern part of the Mohave Desert at an elevation just below 3000 feet. It was founded in 1861 as a cotton mission by Brigham Young, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Today cotton is no longer grown but is dubbed Utah's Dixie. The population has grown significantly in recent years. In 2012 the US census bureau indicted there were 75,561 people in the city. Religion is the driving force behind the increase in population with 92.5% of the above population being Mormon. The LDS temple sits atop a hill and is visible from everywhere in the city.

The Mormon Temple circa 1871

The downtown area has a combination of beautiful buildings, parks, and art culture.

The courthouse

School erected in 1901

Strategically placed around the downtown area are a collection of 20 sculptures by renowned artists from around the country. The purpose was to support the arts but also enrich the community by bringing fine art to historic St George.

The Dandelion

When we arrived at the campground they informed us that the 29th Annual Temple View Resort Parade started at 11 am followed by a barbeque all for $3. Count us in. We got there early to get a good seats as I didn't want to miss this one. They reassured us it was worth a few laughs and they didn't disappoint.

Good seats right in front

Every parade has to have a Grand Marshall

Now you have to realize that most of these people are in their 70's and 80s so the parade can't be that long. What's a parade if you don't have a horse and pooper scooper.

The costume was fabulous

The park biker gang... these two crashed into each other during the parade...no one was hurt just don't let them drive a car

During the parade the guys were grilling and after the parade it was like a mad dash for food. Susan and I just sat back and snickered.

Food choice.. grilled hamburger, hot dog and/or taco salad with all the fixings

Condiment table

The line up

All in all it was a lot of fun, worth a thousand laughs, and the taco salad which both Susan and I had was wonderful. We went home with full bellies from the food and sore bellies from so much laughter.