Kanab Stay: Mar 19, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Our Story

Long story short, we sold almost all of our possessions including our home, dropped our youngest off at college, and are now wandering the country. We're staying at Airbnb's about a month at a time while working remotely. Turns out, there is a significant discount if you book an Airbnb for a month or more! See our first post "How the heck did we pull this off?" for more details on how we got started. If you have any questions, post them in the comments or contact us directly and we'll be happy to answer them!

Disclaimer

While we are definitely having an amazing experience, life comes along with us. Our blog is about the wonderful things and great times we're having, but the frustrations, unexpected setbacks, and stresses life brings us all are still very much a part of our lives. We don't want to give the impression that this journey is always great and stress free. Most of the time it is, but we still have the "normal" ups and downs of everyday life.

Please Comment!

We love to read your comments and answer your questions. You can also comment on individual photos in the linked photo albums as well.

Travel Stats

14 States Visited or Driven Through

Where are we now?

After one week in Phoenix to visit with family. we're now in L.A. and we're thrilled that Caroline is with us for the summer! That's our nephew Steven in the back ... he lives in L.A. and is acting as our tour guide. We'll be here until June 24th and would love to see you if you're in the area! If you're nearby, we'd love to get together! The Phoenix/L.A. post will be coming sometime in July.

Why Kanab?

Kanab is somewhat centrally located among Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef) and the Grand Canyon. We stayed in Kanab for two months so we would have the time to see all of them. It's a friendly and spectacularly beautiful small town.

The Kanab Airbnb

Our Airbnb Non-Negotiables

Just like a home, there will never be a perfect Airbnb. As long as our non-negotiables are met, we'll book it.
Within Budget  Room for our kids Good Reviews Safe Area Reliable WiFi	Areas for us to work Washer & Dryer Functional Kitchen Room for Kim to get away from Dave

Link to Kanab Airbnb  Another great Airbnb. The house is over 100 years old but is in great condition and has all the modern amenities. It is on a corner lot and there are beautiful views of red rocks out all of the windows. Everything was within walking distance ... grocery store, barber shop, coffee shop, drug store, several restaurants, and even the dentist. Dave was due for his cleaning.

Kanab Top 10-ish

Kanab Itself

We had now idea how beautiful Kanab would be.  It's a small town of roughly 5,000 people and we felt very welcomed there. It's surrounded by beautiful large red rocks and there's lots to explore in and around the town. Absolutely loved it! Below is a picture taken in downtown Kanab. It's about a 5 minute walk from our home.

So, we purchased a dashcam! So our first attempt at editing the videos include drives around Kanab and various drives around Southern Utah.

Let us know what you think!

90 seconds (or so) around Kanab - Part 1

90 seconds (or so) around Kanab - Part 2

90 seconds (or so) around Kanab - Part 3

90 seconds (or so) around Southern Utah

Link to More Videos & Pics 

The Drive from Santa Fe to Kanab

Link to More Videos & Pics We haven't ever driven out west so we have loved seeing the wide open spaces. The views and vistas from Santa Fe to Kanab were indescribably beautiful. The formation in the picture above is called Shiprock and is sacred to the Navajo. It was a short detour off of our route and well worth the time. Other pics from the drive are below.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Bryce is famous for its unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful calcium-rich mudstone of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos."" The hype is real. Breathtaking. Spectacular. All them adjectives. Bucket-list worthy. Bryce Canyon was the first of the four famous national parks we visited and it didn't disappoint, including the incredible views on the drive there. One of many highlights was the two beautiful rock arches you get to drive through on your way to the park entrance.

Antelope Slot Canyon

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Shaped by millions of years of water and wind erosion, the magnificent canyon was named for the herds of pronghorn antelope that once roamed the area." Kimmers couldn't stop taking pictures. Around every corner was something beautiful and new.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Video of Drive in Glen Canyon NL Rec Area  Link to More Videos & Pics  "Encompassing over 1.25 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation. The recreation area stretches for hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a vast panorama of human history." There is definitely a LOT to see. It's about an hour drive from Kanab, and like most drives we've had, the scenery is stunningly beautiful. The Glen Canyon Dam is in the area too.

The Grand Canyon

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Grand Canyon National Park, in Northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from the rim." It's the freaking Grand Canyon. All the adjectives. All of them. The South Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon is about 3 1/2 hours from Kanab so we decided to take a weekend to visit it. We stayed in Flagstaff which is between Sedona and the South Rim entrance. So, we were able to see Sedona as well.

Sedona

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Picture this: glowing red rocks, clear blue skies, and the most eye-popping sunsets you’ve ever seen. That’s Sedona. An outdoor lover’s paradise with more than 200 trails, Sedona was made for biking, hiking, and rock-climbing—just be sure to check the difficulty level before lacing up your boots." Sedona is a picturesque city encircled by their famous red rock formations. We hiked a bit, drove the Red Rock Scenic Byway, and went to the Airport Mesa for a panoramic view of the city. All of this in an afternoon. Along the scenic byway, we were able to stop and see Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross which are all must sees in Sedona. There is much more to see, but time didn't allow as our main reason to be in the area was to go to the Grand Canyon.

Zion National Park

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Utah's First National Park Follow the paths where native people and pioneers walked. Gaze up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. Experience wilderness in a narrow slot canyon. Zion’s unique array of plants and animals will enchant you as you absorb the rich history of the past and enjoy the excitement of present day adventures." We're out of adjectives. So .... all of them. Again. A great thing about the national parks is that they all have a different feel and look. Zion's views are from the ground up. The Grand Canyon and Bryce are from the top down.

Arches National Park

Link to More Videos & Pics  "A Red-Rock Wonderland Discover a landscape of contrasting colors, land forms, and textures unlike any other. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks. This red-rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations, refresh you with its trails, and inspire you with its sunsets." All the adjectives. All of them. The national parks take your breath away. Arches is more of a wide-open park compared to Zion and the Grand Canyon. It's spread out with a variety of rock formations. And of course, arches. Lots of arches.

Canyonlands National Park

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Canyonlands invites you to explore a wilderness of countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Rivers divide the park into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves. These areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, but each offers different opportunities for sightseeing and adventure." Canyonlands has several vistas where you can look out at large expanses of canyons and mesas. It's as stunning, breathtaking, and beautiful as all the others even though it doesn't get the same hype.

Capitol Reef National Park

Link to More Videos & Pics  "Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles." Capitol Reef has lots of sheer cliffs rising up all around you as you drive through the park. Like Canyonlands, it's as stunning, breathtaking, and beautiful as all the others even though it doesn't get the same hype.

Cottonwood Trail

Link to More Videos & Pics Cottonwood trail is about 5 minutes from our house. We took a short hike and were able to see beautiful views over Kanab.

St. George

Link to More Videos & Pics  St. George is a town about 90 minutes west of Kanab. The video was shot just outside of St. George. It is a much larger town than Kanab and is beautiful, of course. It's another great option for a place to stay to be able to explore the national parks.

Johnson Canyon Road

Link to More Videos & Pics  About ten minutes outside of Kanab is Johnson Canyon Road, a picturesque drive well worth the time.

Leftovers

Utah be flexing at its border!

Welcome to Utah, indeed. Let's go!

Flounder's favorite grocery store.

Dave's still not sure what he said.

We had a friend nesting just outside our kitchen window!

We hear it's good to cut back on carbs. However, if school cafeteria rolls are brought to your table, unsolicited, cutting back on carbs is NOT a viable option.

We had to travel all the way to Kanab, Utah to find a grocery store that would do the right thing. Your move Publix.

So this is where all the missing ballots went!

Unexpectedly, funny smelling smoke emanated from these vehicles.

We knew we'd experience a lot of cool things on our journey, but we never thought The Edge would cook our breakfast.

We can do better people.
You know who you are.

Horseheads are available for purchase at the Kanab hardware store.

A whole team of psychiatrists is working around the clock on him. No improvement to report.

Beautiful view during dinner in Page, Utah.

Refreshing to see a bit of honesty in our society.

You never know what you'll see outside your
window in Kanab. Yep, legit pack mules
are part of the convoy.
Watch this video to see them.