Red Rock, Black Rock by Mark Edenburn

Memories of the St. George “Go-Away”-September 17-24, 2016

Getting to St. George, Utah, from anywhere in the west means several interesting options.

People can fly over the Colorado Plateau and drop into the St. George airport. Another method

is to drive US Highway 89 north alongside Grand Canyon National Park and approach

St. George from the east through Zion National Park. Coming from the Southern California area

one can make the drive on US Highway 15 northeast through Las Vegas and Mesquite, Nevada,

before entering the breathtaking Virgin River Canyon separating Arizona and Utah. Any way

you get there, once in St. George you know the trek was worth the time spent travelling. Nestled

among the red sandstone and volcanic mesas of southwestern Utah, the city of St. George sits

like a populated island amid a sea of natural splendor.

A diverse party of thirty-three travellers found their way to the one-week “go-away” in

St. George which was held from Saturday, September 17 through the following Saturday,

September 24. LADWP Golf Club Members and non-Members, golfers and non-golfers all

made the first evening’s get together at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites St. George North-

Zion. The rigors of the day’s travels were mitigated by good food and some surreptitious

libations. (It was Utah after all!). Golfers prepared for the Sunday, September 18 round of golf

at the nearby Coral Canyon Golf Course while the non-golfers looked to explore the

entertainment options in St. George.

Sunday, September 18-Coral Canyon

The Coral Canyon Golf Course is just a short hop from the hotel. From the highway above one

can see the golf course as it serpentines around the development encompassing the hotel. The

proximity of the course allowed all golfers to arrive easily in time for the early morning shotgun

start.

Teeing Off (L to R): Karl Weingartner, Rod Kurimoto, Kurt Weingartner

Mary Falso, Rex Deweese, Cheryl LaMotta, Mark Edenburn, John Barton

Coral Canyon Golf Course featured challenging forced carries over areas of desert scrub. Errant

shots, of which there were many, were difficult to retrieve and lost balls were commonplace.

Standard stroke play was the format for the round and low scores were at a premium. Making a

return to the group after enjoying last season’s Coeur d’Alene adventure, Mary Falso posted a

Low Gross score of 88, while also capturing one Closest-to-the-Pin and Women’s Long Drive.

Mary’s golf buddy and Club travel agent, Paula Mullins-Worster, posted the Low Net Score for

the day with a 73.

Because of the strong Mormon influence and the extent of missionary travels, Utah’s larger cities

boast a wide variety of differing cuisine. St. George being no exception, a group of travellers

sampled one of its highly recommended restaurants, the “Painted Pony.” This higher end eatery

offered an impressive range of dishes all prepared in sumptuous fashion.

Marsha Edenburn, Kim and Rex Deweese French Onion Soup baked into carved out onion!

Monday, September 19-Sand Hollow Resort

And, yes, that little white spot hovering over the red rock butte on the right is the moon. Sand

Hollow Resort lies about half an hour east of Coral Canyon Golf Course and our hotel in the

town of Hurricane. (Locals insist on the pronunciation “Her-a-cun.”) However one says it, the

approach to Sand Hollow Resort is stunning. Escaping the traffic circle at the entrance, one

drives a short distance to the golf course which is laid out like a large green carpet over the

desert scape. However, closer examination of the Championship Course that the group played

revealed it to be another challenging experience. Carved into the surrounding mesas, the course

dares golfers to skirt barrancas and sandstone formations.

The format for the second day of golf was a modified “Shamble” and partners’ best ball. The

best drive by any member of each grouping of golfers was the drive all golfers used on every

hole. (OK, don’t ask!) Anyway, the format proved to be fun and very popular with almost all.

Posting an astounding Low Net Team score of 50 was the only 3-person team of Wayne Frost,

Doug Brown and Rod Kurimoto. The Lynda Kenworthy and John Krolak team combined for a

score of 58 to take second place.

Beside a host of restaurant choices, St. George offers local historical and cultural activities, some

of which were attended by members of our group. One popular attraction is the outdoor Tuacahn

Center for the Arts offering live stage productions. Over the one-week in St. George several

travellers attended these evening performances. On this particular Monday night, your reporter

returned to the hotel to rest up for the next day, a “free” day for all, no golf, no scheduled

activities.

Tuesday, September 20-A Day to Explore

For our free day, Kim and Rex Deweese joined my wife, Marsha, and I in a day exploring some

of the natural wonders of southern Utah. Driving east from the hotel, we passed through Zion

National Park and the lovely Dixie National Forest towards our ultimate destination, Bryce

Canyon National Park.

“Checkerboard Mesa” in Zion

The weather was taking a turn for the worst as we approached Bryce Canyon National Park. A

storm front had hovered over us most of the day, but it was not until we drove to the top of Bryce

Canyon that we found ourselves in actual rainfall and a heavy cloud layer. However, upon

entering Bryce Canyon we found that at the lower elevations visibility was still fine. The free

shuttle provided by the National Park Service within the park took us to the main lookout points

for the large amphitheater that dominates Bryce Canyon. The amphitheater is composed of

“hoodoos,” free-standing sandstone monoliths carved by nature through the centuries. Layers of

natural history, shaped by rain, wind and snow are there for study.

The drive on the single road to the top of the park brings one to lookout points at over 9,000 feet

elevation. Unfortunately, the cloud layer was very heavy at the elevation and California tourists

were not dressed for the sudden wet and cold. However, the views available were still

impressive despite the conditions. A few photos cannot do justice to the grandeur of the park.

“Natural Bridge” in the mist “Fairyland Canyon” just before main entrance into Bryce Canyon

For the return drive back to St. George we took a slight detour through Cedar City to stop at a

local pizza parlor recommended in Marsha’s Fodor’s travel guide called “Centro Woodfired

Pizzeria.” As has been our experience with Fodor’s, the recommendation was excellent and we

enjoyed warming up beside the large brick pizza ovens.

Wednesday, September 21-The Ledges

Under threatening skies we all made the 20 minute drive from the hotel up into the foothills of

one of the western mesas above St. George to the southwestern motif development, The Ledges

of St. George, and The Ledges Golf Club. The format this day was a best ball, team “Scramble.”

This format suited the long and tricky course, putting the emphasis on strategy and letting lesser

skilled players get a feeling of contributing to the team effort. Team Net Scores were close, but

rising to the top with a score of 71 was the team of Geri and John McEneaney, playing with Karl

and Kurt Weingartner.

L to R: Terry Hunter, Mary Nolan, Carnell Powell

Rod Kurimoto, Lynda and John Kenworthy, Rex Deweese

That evening, we travellers adjourned to the “Gun Barrel Steak and Game” restaurant for dinner

and a heart-warming birthday celebration. We had to marvel at the efforts of our hard working

wait staff, serving all thirty-one of us quickly and efficiently. The food was hearty and tasty, and

all had a great time. Afterwards, everyone was invited back to our hotel room to share in some

birthday cake and good times. Space being limited, those in the room were invited to pull up a

piece of bed.

Thursday, September 22-Entrada

The rain that had tracked us most of the previous two days hit on Wednesday night and lingered

into early Thursday morning threatening to wash away our round of golf at Entrada at Snow

Canyon Country Club. Our travel agent, Paula Mullins-Worster, had negotiated with this private

country club to get our group access and we are so lucky to have had the opportunity. The

course and grounds are magnificent. Framed by majestic mesas and pocked with fields of black

lava, the course offered challenges galore. A ball hit into the lava, and again there were several,

was usually never to be seen again.

Stroke play was again the format for the day. Taming the course best was Andrew Mancini who

had the Low Gross Score of 89, while Wayne Frost put up one of the best net scores of the week

with a 75. Welcome newcomer Cheryl LaMotta had a triple play with a Net Score of 76

accompanying a Closest-to-the-Pin and Women’s Long Drive. On the male side of the ledger,

Carnell Powell captured the other Closest-to-the-Pin on the course as well as Men’s Long Drive.

Friday, September 23-Free Time and Closing Banquet

The storms that had kicked up fierce winds and dampened the ground in St. George had resulted

in snowfall at higher elevations. So, it was with great excitement and surprise when we

encountered a winter wonderland as we drove up to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Having

a few free hours before the closing banquet later that evening, Kim, Rex, Marsha and I made the

hour drive to this national treasure near the ski resort town of Brian Head, Utah. The chill was a

little more than exhilarating and Rex and I both luckily survived violent slips and falls on some

black ice at one of the overlooks. However, it total, the park was an unforgettable sight.

We returned to the hotel with time to gussy up and prepare for the closing banquet later that

evening. The banquet was held at the “Fish Rock Grille” at The Ledges. Performance awards

for all four days of golf were made with everyone coming away a winner. With most making a

Saturday departure for home, goodbyes were said and all were told to look forward to the 2017

season one-week “go-away” to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The St. George Travellers

Back row (L to R): Jerry Berg, John McEneaney, John Krolak, Kurt Weingartner, John Barton, Wayne Frost,

Sandee Frost, Andrew Mancini

Middle row: Susan Shirakawa, Debbie Berg, Geri McEneaney, Leslie Naines-Brown, Marsha Edenburn, Karl

Weingartner, JoLinda Wilson, James Wilson, Cheryl LaMotta, Lynda Kenworthy, Ollie Powell, Kim Deweese,

Mary Falso, Bruce Yochim, Mary Nolan, Terry Hunter, John Kenworthy

Front row: Betty Krolak, Doug Brown, Paula Mullins-Worster, Carnell Powell, Rex Deweese, Mark Edenburn

Absent: Marilyn and Rod Kurimoto due to grandparent duties!