Nelson: “Oh, my God! A rattlesnake!”
We are just entering Peek-a-Boo slot canyon after a four-mile drive through deep, dry sand. Already we were amazed that our guide Nelson had just let air out of his Dodge Ram Durango’s tires and plowed on through the hubcap high sand. Now there’s a rattler at the opening of the canyon, neck level, in a pocket shelf of the rock. The opening to the slot canyon is like a tall hallway and less than four feet across. There waits the snake.
Nelson: “Don’t look at it! Stay to the side.”
Margaret, Les, and Judy exchange looks as Nelson slips past the snake. Their eyes have a conversation.
Judy: “We’re scared!”
Nelson: “Don’t look at it. Just walk by.”
Les’s blue eyes are big. Facing the opposite rock wall, he passes by with Judy holding his shirttail.
Margaret: “It’s sticking out its tongue!”
Judy: “Don’t look at it!”
Nelson: “Put on your big girl panties!”
Well, I’m here to write about it. We even passed back through the slot canyon and didn’t hear a single rattle. Of course, I didn’t look!
Next Nelson took us to the visitor center of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. We looked at artifacts, studied the rocks laid down over eons, and saw a film about the research opportunities offered by this monument. If you drive out of Kanab to the south, you can see the Grand Staircase, color layered upon color of rock, stepping up to Bryce Canyon on top.
In the evening, we watched a storm pass us by complete with double rainbows, and after dinner viewed a documentary on Butch Cassidy. Margaret’s quilts add such warmth and color to their home, complimenting the turned vases and photographs by Nelson. She served delicious meals, too, adding to our feeling of being special guests.
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