St George, UT (10/16/2018)

Since its opening three years ago, the Red Hills Desert Garden has become a true showcase for the city of St George and surrounding towns.  In addition to displaying a large number and variety of plants, the garden is meant to encourage residents to landscape with low-water-usage plants rather than turf.  For every square foot, they claim, Xeriscape uses 55 gallons less water per year compared to grass.  That is especially important in an arid region such as this.  And the garden is very attractive.  While there might be more blooming plants earlier in the year, that did not seem to be an issue.

Characteristic of this region, the garden features faux sandstone formed into a slot canyon and an arch, along with a meandering stream with waterfalls and fish native to the Virgin River.

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With assistance from local businesses and community groups, the garden decorates for various holidays.  Since Halloween is coming soon, costumed characters "hang out" at every turn.

The five acre garden is adjacent to Pioneer Park, which is part of the 62,000 acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve with miles of hiking/biking trails.  The reserve was established to protect the endangered Mojave Desert Tortoise and other rare plants and animals.

Later that day, I decided to visit Pine Valley, just because I had never been there.  This community is only about 35 miles from St George, but at much higher elevation.  It was discovered by Mormons who were driving cattle as part of the original settlement brigade to Dixie.  (The area was the only part of Utah suitable for growing cotton, so Brigham Young referred to it as "Dixie", and the name stuck.) 

Pine Valley was named for its large growth of pine trees,  not readily available anywhere else in that part of the country.  A sawmill was soon established and played a vital role in the construction of homes and shops for the nearby towns.  Later, pine logs from the valley were hauled several hundred miles by wagon to Salt Lake City and used to make the pipes for the Mormon Tabernacle organ.

The road to Pine Valley runs along the rim of Snow Canyon State Park, providing nice views into the colorful canyon.  This area is known locally as "volcano country" since numerous volcanoes at one time spewed forth rock and lava to mingle with all the existing red and white sandstone.  There is even a cinder cone remaining from that period.

Pine Valley proved to be a nice little community, somewhat cooler than St George, but without much to distinguish it.  The main attraction, as it turns out, is an old chapel built in 1868.  After years of using a temporary place of worship, the good people of Pine Valley determined to build a permanent chapel.  They had the materials and willing workers, but no one had knowledge of construction.  They enlisted a shipbuilder from Scotland to oversee the project.  He built it much like a ship, even forming the ceiling in the shape of a ship's hull upside down.  The man was Ebeneezer Bryce, who later discovered a beautiful canyon and settled there.  Of course, Bryce Canyon is now one of Utah's five national parks, and the chapel Bryce built still holds Sunday services and hosts parties, dances and other community gatherings.