Kanab seems very nice, but it’s seriously Mormon. It was founded by Mormon pioneer Levi Stewart (1812-1878), a guy with no sense of humor whatsoever. To give you a sense of the town and its politics, consider this: in 2006, the town’s mayor and city council passed the following resolution:
"We envision a local culture that upholds the marriage of a man to a woman, and a woman to a man, as ordained of God... We see our homes as open to a full quiver of children, the source of family continuity and social growth. We envision young women growing into wives, homemakers, and mothers; and we see young men growing into husbands, home-builders, and fathers.”
Oh well, no town’s perfect.
Nearby is tiny Colorado City (Arizona), a notorious haven for polygamists. Drove through there last night.
You remember Colorado City:
Funny how the Lord speak with so many different people and says so many different things. For some reason, He never tells me squat. Hey, I'm all ears!
In January 2004, the local religious leader, Warren Jeffs, expelled a group of twenty men, including the mayor, and gave their wives and children to other men. Jeffs stated he was acting on the orders of God, while the men expelled claimed they were penalized for disagreeing with Jeffs. (Wikipedia)
Funny how the Lord speak with so many different people and says so many different things. For some reason, He never tells me squat. Hey, I'm all ears!
Well, I'm here about the geology (photographic opportunities) and the animals, not the Fundamentalist Mormons. But I may stay for the Mormons.
The Best Friends Sanctuary is famous for two reasons, I suppose: first, the BF Network had an official role in post-Hurricane Katrina animal rescue. Second, BFS became the refuge of 22 of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs.
Oh yeah, and then there's the TV show Dogtown. It's set in the Sanctuary.
Things are slow around here. The pace of driving is glacial. A friend warned that, in some of these towns, cops just love to give speeding tickets, and the speed limits are very low, so people really do drive very slowly. It was weird driving through these town last night. It was only 9 or 10 and things were pretty well shut down. Even the parked cars seemed very parked, as if they'd been sitting still for years.
Last night, we were headed to a friend’s house, and so we called ahead just before arriving. Should we bring beer?
Can’t get beer in this town, she said. Luckily, you can drink it, if you’re careful, and so she had driven off somewhere earlier yesterday for a six-pack.
Today, we may head down to the Grand Canyon. We might start volunteer work at the Sanctuary. Dunno.
Oh yeah, and then there's the TV show Dogtown. It's set in the Sanctuary.
Things are slow around here. The pace of driving is glacial. A friend warned that, in some of these towns, cops just love to give speeding tickets, and the speed limits are very low, so people really do drive very slowly. It was weird driving through these town last night. It was only 9 or 10 and things were pretty well shut down. Even the parked cars seemed very parked, as if they'd been sitting still for years.
Last night, we were headed to a friend’s house, and so we called ahead just before arriving. Should we bring beer?
Can’t get beer in this town, she said. Luckily, you can drink it, if you’re careful, and so she had driven off somewhere earlier yesterday for a six-pack.
Today, we may head down to the Grand Canyon. We might start volunteer work at the Sanctuary. Dunno.
One more thing. Among the little towns we passed through last night to get here is Fredonia, another Mormon settlement. I talked to someone there.
"Fredonia?"
"Yeah, Fredonia. It's about freedom."
"Interesting."
"Technically, what with the 'ia' ending, the name refers to freedom for women."
"Oh."
