I was a bit disappointed with the Monument Valley experience yesterday but today was a whole different ballgame. We planned to drive from Page, Arizona to St George, Utah via Zion National Park but this did not go exactly as planned. As we left Page we got a fantastic view of Lake Powell and we now understand why Page motels get booked out. As well as heaps of vehicles towing very expensive boats we also saw so many expensive motor homes towing equally expensive boats heading to Page. I am assuming it was because it was Saturday morning and they were heading there for the weekend. The are longer than a semi on the road and fly along. We also spotted some old motor homes that looked like they were straight out of Breaking Bad and heading to the desert to cook some ice. 100k down the road we arrived at Kanab, Utah which is a very pretty, neat town compared to some of the desolate communities we have seen so far. We had no intention of stopping but spotted a sign for Hollywood of the West Museum so had to call in. I didn't realise that famous movies and shows such as Gunsmoke and The Outlaw Josie Wales were made in Kanab and surrounding areas. The museum was free and was interesting as they had props from quite a few movies. A lot of the props look really authentic but are made from fiberglass or foam. There was a shop attached (there always is) and the cowboy boots were a brand called Dingo. Was going to buy a pair but would probably never wear them, see http://wikitravel.org/en/Kanab. From Kanab to St George Utah we decided to take the route through Zion National Park. As you head out of Kanab towards the park you can understand why they used it for movies, sweeping plains with very high reddish mountains in the background. I can picture in my head some of the movie shots with this type of scenery. As you get through the entrance to the park you are also entering the canyon. The drive through Zion is breathtaking, winding roads right up against steep cliffs, massive tunnels and sweeping rivers. If anyone asks for a recommendation between Zion and Monument Valley, I would definitely recommend Zion. A lot of people were heading off hiking as there are plenty of tracks, fantastic views and pleasant temperatures (about 25c) . Just out of the St George side of Zion is the town called Springdale Utah. We spotted Wildcat Willies Ranch Grill and Saloon and had to call in for the name alone. It was very well set up and had wild west cartoon characters carved in timber spread throughout the place (Yosemite Sam, Wily E Coyote, Roadrunner etc). The softdrinks come in a big old jar (I should have had a beer to see if that comes in a jar too). I was expecting to be disappointed with the food but the burger was fantastic, probably the nicest burger I have had in a long time. In the attached shop you can purchase different jars labelled Redneck Jars, You have red wine or white wine jars which are on a glass stem. We decide not to buy any as we have enough glasses at home and they would just gather dust. Stomachs replenished we hit the road towards St George, the next small town is Rockville, Utah which looks to be a very patriotic town with American flags on both sides of the road spread about 10m apart, hundreds of them fluttering in the breeze. It actually looked really good. We got to St George about 4pm and went straight to the visitor centre. Hmmm the recommended tours for this place were some bloody LDS history tours (LDS = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)), probably fine if you are into Mormon stuff but I think we will skip it. I should note here that not too far from St George is a town called Colorado City, Arizona . It is not on a road to anywhere, we were thinking of visiting as I thought I had heard of it before but once I read about it we decided to skip it. Apparently it was founded when some bloke decided to split from the Mormons in Salt Lake City because he wanted to continue with polygamy. More on Colorado City here http://wikitravel.org/en/Colorado_City. Deciding to skip St George we headed down the highway towards Mesquite Nevada as we had seen signs for the Eureka Casino and thougt we would give that a try. The Nevada Casino's (outside of Vegas) normally have very reasonably priced accommodation and are pleasant places to stay. Mesquite is about 60km from St George and we got there in no time as the speed limit on the highway is 75mph but most drivers were doing 80mph +. The casino is a decent size and the rooms were really nice. The price for a room at the casino is $80 + tax whereas The Holiday Inn Express in Page, Arizona was $199 + tax for a pretty average room. Got settled in and strolled over to the casino, order two beers from the bar, nearly fell over when two stubbies from the bar cost $5. If you are having a game on the tables or playing the pokies the drinks are complimentary with a tip for the cocktail waitress. After a few very cheap drinks we had dinner at the casino grill. It was OK but nothing to write home about. Off to Vegas tomorrow