Kanab, Utah - February 27, 2006 (Re-run)

 Kanab is another small, charming town that makes an excellent base camp for enjoying almost unlimited outdoor activities.  Located in southern Utah, this town of about 5000 residents dates back to 1870, when ten Mormon families settled there.  It became popular as a movie making area in the 1930s, and so many movies have now been produced within the immediate area it claims the title of "Little Hollywood".

One of my favorite places in Kanab is Best Friends, the largest animal sanctuary in the U.S.  The sanctuary was started in 1984 by several good friends who bought land near Kanab, renamed it Angel Canyon, and began the no kill policy that has now become wide spread.  A model for similar operations around the country, Best Friends rescues animals rendered homeless by natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Ian.   They also adopted twenty-two dogs in the Michael Vick dog fighting incident.  I make a visit to Angel Canyon every time I'm in Kanab, and it's always touching to walk through the cemetery called Angel's Rest.

Kanab is close enough to make day trips to Zion National Park.  On this day, we limited our visit to the east side of the park, which is probably the least visited area, but which has plenty of scenery and hiking opportunities.