Kanab, Utah dining: living high without the hog

I'll close up this chapter by telling you where you should eat while in Kanab.

• Angel Village, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. We ate here almost every day (they're closed Sunday). Nicolas is the chef and manager of the café, and hospitality is his strength. All items on the buffet are vegetarian, and if you prefer a vegan option, grab a plate and head to the kitchen for an animal-free delight. Enjoy all-you-can-eat salad, entree, dessert, tea and/or coffee - $5.

Thanks, Nicolas! It was hard to leave you... I mean Best Friends.

View from the terrace

• Laid Back Larry's Vegetarian Eatery and Market. Val makes some tasty vegan food, mostly grilled sandwiches. We ate here several times. My favorite was the tempeh reuben. You can also get a smoothie, or just stop in for a cup of coffee. Everything on the menu is vegan, so relax. If you're an omnivore, I suspect you won't miss meat this time around. Check out the small-but-densely-packed vegetarian market in back.

I can't recommend Spurs; they do boast "VEGAN" on their sign, but there are three lackluster items on that menu. Service is the pits. I can't imagine your service will be much better even if you order a steak.

We ate at Houston's Trail's End, where the service was very good and the veggie burgers (and fries) tasted great. They have plenty of meaty choices, too.

It's not dining, but I do recommend a couple of local thrift stores. Kanab's Hospital Auxiliary thrift store is pretty good, and we really liked Fredonia's ARC thrift shop right on 89. Their proceeds go right to local animal rescues who aren't as well-endowed as Best Friends.

We're enjoying wonderful temps in Flagstaff, and thinking ahead to fall and winter. Can you suggest boondocking areas we might want to try as weather gets cooler? 

Where to boondock in Kanab, Utah

Here are a couple of ideas:


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The BLM site where we stayed was great. We could hear (but not see) occasional traffic on 89 during the day, but traffic stopped altogether at night. It was peaceful, and there was very little traffic on BLM 106, where we parked. Beautiful views during the day, and no artificial light at night.

The Peekaboo Trailhead is a big, open space with one shady spot and picnic tables. It gets more day use, though, and is popular with ATVers. ATVs weren't a problem for us further up the road.

We're not there, so first-come, first-served! Temperatures are still really good at that elevation.

Best Friends: how to find your perfect cat

Annie and I split up today. We each saw other people.
Fear the Cute

Annie and Luke at Cat HQ

 

Chica

Annie socialized with the cats and kittens at HQ. 

Tyler

Tyler and Tanner

I went to Quincy's House (sometimes called "Kitty Motel"). They offered me the choice to socialize or to help with the work. The staff works so hard I couldn't say "no" to helping out. The caregiver told me that, literally, Best Friends couldn't function without volunteers. In the old days, with so many animals and so few humans, they would go into Kanab with $20 bills and ask people if they wanted to help. "Now," she said "you come to us!"

Knox is in a FIV+ room. He could not get enough of my shoes.

You can't take FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) home to your cats by working with them. FIV+ cats can live a long life, and don't necessarily convert to feline-AIDS. You can't get FIV.

These guys are kept separate from the other cats to prevent infection through fights and bites. 

Quincy's House is also home to the famous Incontinental Suite. A large number of the incontinent kitties have Manx syndrome, and are "rumpies." If you're imagining a big stink here, it's okay to stop. This place is clean. 

There are also several resident cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) cats here. They're sometimes called "wobbly cats," although no one here called them that.

Bug

Bug looked right at me, then staggered to the left. He overcorrected and flopped over to the right. I second-guessed him and put him on my lap - that was the right call. We snuggled for a long time.

These fellows eat out of soft silicone bowls, because they could hurt their faces on the stainless steel bowls the other cats use. This is a favorite spot of Bug's, so they wrap it in soft things to cushion him.

Bug-eyed

Duke

Annie and I got back together at 4PM. We're willing to separate again, for a good cause.

I'm planning to become more spontaneous, but I still need to know a little of what to expect from new experiences. If you'd like to know how to go about volunteering at Best Friends, I'll talk more about that soon.

Old friends, Best Friends

I'm so tired I barely put can two together words. If my job on Saturday was plush, today was a blanket on a cement floor. Annie and I both chose Old Friends, the houses (Homer and Dolores) with elderly dogs. Elderly. Aren't they supposed to be mellow? You elderly people are mellow, aren't you?

There were six of us, including the staff caregiver, and all of us flat-out busted tail feathers all afternoon. How does she do it when there are no volunteers? I ask no one in particular. If you want to feel appreciated and useful, I recommend it.




I gave Tango the "special scritch," and at the midway point of her spine, she threw herself down on the ground and kicked. Then I did it to a dog.



I love how dogs are never embarrassed, unless they're caught pooping.


 Pluto found our attention uncomfortable, and kept leaving the room. He also found our company irrestible, so he kept returning.

The caregiver, Cherie, told us about Reuben, who lived at Best Friends for ten years. At twelve years of age, he was adopted by a family who built a ramp on their house for him. They loaded up his meds, and away went Reuben on a late-life adventure. It's never too late.

  Hughes and Judy are a bonded pair, and must be adopted together. They are personable, friendly, and well-behaved in public.

 The buffet was crowded, and everyone wanted to sit on the deck. Why not - the temperature was a perfect 80° F! Judy and Hughes shared our table and they were excellent company. We're hoping we run into them again around the salad bar this week. They are also travelers, much of the distance by RV, so check out their blog. They disclaim that it's only interesting to family, but they lie. Look how cute they are! You can forgive them.

Visiting Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab Utah

You refused to be satisfied until we agreed to go tear up and snot at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, in Kanab. We're dehydrated now - I hope you're happy.

Just the visitor's center

Best Friends started with a couple dozen animal lovers who rescued animals from shelters and kept them in their homes. Twenty-eight years ago, they found this 3000-acre tract, pooled their monies, and made a down-payment. Today, they have a $45 million annual budget, all private donations.

L to R: Raven, Celine

This was Celine's first approach to be petted since her arrival. She's a quick learner; she twined around our legs throughout our visit. The cat was friendly, too.

It's a lovely place, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

The staff prefers you not stick your hand into the fence, but, since Liz was extruding out through the fence, this seemed legal. Please notice the "feral" kitty.

Holly is half domesticated, half community pig.

No matter what Judy says, this is NOT the end.

Teddy got so fat in his previous situation that he was mechanically blind - his fat squeezed his eyes shut. Think about that when you're reaching for the Krispy Kremes.

Timmy the Goat has been adopted, but deferred his relocation until his friend's broken leg is healed. She gets very bored hanging around in her body splint all day. Pooping and peeing on yourself is fun - ask any vulture - but a horse needs a goat.

  I AM TOUCHING A HORSE!!! Her name is Montana, and I know other stuff about her, but this is a half-hour show, Wilbur.

Lunch at Angel Village was super-duper! It's strictly vegetarian, and vegans can find plenty to eat, too. Food is free, the view is $5. All-you-can-eat, and coffee and teas. Eat there. 11:30 AM - 1 PM.

They look a little like scary avenging angels to me, but they're still bloggable. 


















Sit around on the porch and enjoy the hummingbirds. Very peaceful.

We loved it a lot, and we signed up to volunteer tomorrow. We asked about pigs, and learned they are the fortunate sons, so there is rarely an opening. We'll see what's open tomorrow and choose something then.

No, it's still not the end.

We strolled downtown and saw this store:

Mary Lee is the owner of Coral Canyon Nature Center, and she runs educational workshops about desert animals.

Taxi catching a ride on Annie. I touched him, too, and that felt sufficient.

Mary intends to have facilities that are more spacious for the animals, and that's why she opened this store. She sells handmade gifts and crafts to raise money. I learned a lot about Taxi, the carpet python, Annie asked what he eats (rats), and I asked where his anus is (there). It's a cute shop, and a place to find locally-made souvenirs and gifts for the people back home who resent you for visiting Kanab without them.

4 reasons to love Kanab, Utah

We didn't expect to hang around, but then, we didn't expect to like Kanab so hard. While we left the Duck in the mechanics' hands, we put ourselves into the town's hands and went exploring.

Sometimes I'll say that a town has a "good vibe," or that it "feels good." It's not just all vibrational, however, as though I'm Being Earnest. I'll give you good reasons to love Kanab:

• Laid-Back Larry's Vegetarian Market and Eatery.

Smoothies, coffee, and hot vegan sandwiches. We hot vegans enjoyed our vegan tempeh reubens there. You can also browse their tiny market for hard-to-find delights like Tofutti Cuties. What made me love the town more is that the place was doing a slamming business. 

• Kane County Office of Tourism.

We were afraid it would be one of those cheesy tour-selling places, but we met a man who gave us great hiking tips for seeing petroglyphs and other cool things. Off-the-record places that he discovered on his own and wanted to share. No selling, but we were sold.

• Kane County Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop.

We stuffed our new wardrobe into a sack and paid $5. That's thrift!

• Tanglewood Bookstore.

Owner Jacqueline (jack LEEN) engaged us in conversation right away. I confessed that I was crushed out on Kanab, and she told me I wasn't the first. Kanab has had others.

 

Everyone we met asked us first where we were visiting from. I guess the place is small enough that if they don't know you already, you're new in town.

There are probably more than four reasons to love this town, and we'll go find you some more tomorrow.