Humility, hedonism, heat, height

Before leaving St George, UT we visited the winter home of Brigham Young (founder of the Mormon Church), a graceful and relatively simple house in a pretty setting, used now as a museum.  An interesting character who tried very hard to help people in need and do the right thing.  When they first arrived in St George, he left 309 families there to start a community, they dealt well with the Paiute Indians and created a large town for the times, out of very little in an unforgiving landscape, having to travel 30 miles (a day's journey) just for wood.

Drove to Las Vegas -what a contrast!! Neither of us felt particularly comfortable there and although we took the bus tour down "The Strip" to admire the lights and the glitz, we were glad to leave it behind.

Went from LV to Fresno, CA via Death Valley, which was a mere 85F - after experiencing 103F a few days ago we found that quite cool!  It has interesting geology including salt pans, sand dunes and we had our lunch under palm trees at a small oasis.  Leaving Death Valley behind we travelled alongside the Sierra Nevada in order to get to Fresno, CA - 503 miles in one day - a slight glitch in the planning process there!

The Sequoia national park is spectacular - neither of us realised that it is on top of a mountain (approximately 7000 feet above sea level).  It was a blissful 73F so almost jacket weather.  The trees are so beautiful, but sadly the 4 year drought is taking its toll on the forest, the King's Canyon, the surrounding countryside and the farmland down in the valley.  It must be heartbreaking to be a farmer here at the moment - having to choose which fields to water and which to leave to die.





Peter: Happened on Exeter, California today, in the middle of the St Joaquin valley, the central valley that grows most of the nation's fruit and nuts. (Appropriate, you might think, as I was born in Exeter, Devon). Actually a very nice bit of "small town, USA". Interesting murals about the history of the town, founded by two chaps / guys from Exeter, UK in 1911. Serendipity rules!