WHAT?! Alligators In The Virgin River!
Growing up in St. George, I spent A LOT of time in the Virgin River. But, did you ever hear the rumor about Alligators in the river? I did... and it scared me every time. BUT WAS IT TRUE?!
It appears the rumor is... TRUE! More than once!
According to United Press International, in 2008 a 3-foot long alligator was found in the Virgin River, near Hurricane and euthanized. It was euthanized after failing to find a good home for the alligator, considering that it would grow to be over 10 feet long!
The next case of Alligators found in the Virgin River was a gator named Clem. He had made his way almost to Mesquite before being found. It was estimated that Clem spent around 20 years in the river before being taken to Phoenix Herpetological Society in Arizona.
A third story has a 6-foot long alligator that was released into the river in 1959. Experts believed that alligators would NOT be able to survive the winters... BUT IT DID! In 1970, someone from the Bloomington Country Club Golf Course made a call about an alligator at the course. People believed it was a hoax. It wasn't.
This has been only THREE stories of Alligators found in the Virgin River here in Southern Utah. The average lifespan of an alligator is 30-50 years, so there's a GREAT CHANCE there is STILL gators in our Virgin River. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel the next time you decide to go swimming or tubing down the river!
Southern Utah's Parking Lots From HELL!
COSTCO:
Costco is in a league of it's own when it comes to BAD PARKING LOTS! I don't even know of a good time to go to Costco. But it's DEFINITELY NOT on a Saturday between the hours of 12:00pm - 3:00pm.
WASHINGTON WALMART:
Washington Walmart is WILD. It's always SO PACKED, there's shopping carts EVERYWHERE, and I never know which side the groceries are on! It drives me bananas!
ANGELICA'S MEXICAN GRILL:
OH MAN! This one is rough! Angelica's is always so packed, but the parking lot is tiny! I usually have to park on the street a ways away, just to go enjoy some glorious tacos!
RED ROCK COMMONS:
WOW! This one is bad. Especially over by Chick-Fil-A. People are just merging left and right without looking... There's GOT to be accidents regularly over there!
TARGET:
Once again... Tons of people going in and out of Target, and I feel like the lanes aren't wide enough. People are always backing up without looking, people are coming in to the parking lot at 40 mph. Say your prayers before and after entering that parking lot!
MCDONALD'S ON BLUFF (AFTER SUNSET):
This one is REALLY NARROW, and they've got a ONE-WAY there as well. But once the sun goes down, and it get's later... This parking lot is TRULY where nightmares come from. Once I sat in that drive-thru at midnight for over a half hour, and I couldn't even back up and leave because of how narrow it was. I was a prisoner on McDonald's Island!
FIZZ (RIVER ROAD):
This Fizz ALWAYS has cars spilling out onto River Road, it's just SO BUSY! But with the line reaching River Road, it gets totally unsafe!
TEXAS ROADHOUSE:
Texas Roadhouse's parking lot is always MAD PACKED, and pretty narrow... Any time I'm in there, old people are just backing out without looking. Keep your head on a swivel in that parking lot!
ALFREDO'S A:
I love this place so much, but I get SWEATY in this parking lot! Once you're in the drive thru line, you're committed! You can't back out, you can't leave. It's bad. Plus... the food is made fresh, so you're going to be in line for a good while!
ST. GEORGE SHUTTLE:
The St. George Shuttle is doing really well apparently, because there's NEVER anywhere to ever park there. People are just parked out on the street now! It's a mess trying to get in there!
No Way! Tuacahn's Next Play Is WHAT?!
Tuacahn is Broadway in the Desert! It's always a ton of fun going to a play at Tuacahn. It's beautiful, it's fun, great snacks! This season, Tuacahn is doing THESE musicals:
- Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
- Tarzan
- The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
A pretty solid set, right? Well... here are my ideas for Tuacahn to do NEXT YEAR!
1. 50 Shades Of Grey:
Imagine the seats packed for this one. 90% women, 10% men. Screw it... I'll even play Christian Grey! Tuacahn needs a little bit of edge for next season!
2. Weekend at Bernie's:
This is one of the greatest movies ever made... and every time I watch it, I have more questions. Like this... HOW HAS RIGOR MORTIS NOT SET IN?! If you don't know, Weekend At Bernie's is about a guy that is dead and they throw sunglasses on him, and NOBODY at the party can tell he's actually dead. Even more shocking: They SOMEHOW got a sequel!
3. Mrs. Doubtfire:
This would be fun to see! Especially the end scene where Mrs. Doubtfire is going back and forth between Doubtfire and Daniel. Full makeup to no makeup! Let's make it happen, Tuacahn!
4: The Hangover:
Another play for the adults! Give it to us! It's funny, it's fun, it's lighthearted, it's a mystery. WE WANT IT!
5. Find Josh: The Musical:
This is the one that would SELL OUT day one. How a man named Josh stole the hearts of Southern Utah for a week in June. We're all on the hunt to find him in this thrilling romantic comedy.
If Southern Utah Towns Were Schitt's Creek Characters!
Hurricane:
Rowland Schitt. A LOTTA BIT redneck, but everyone loves him. Very funny, very innocent. VERY HURRICANE!
Cedar City:
If ANYBODY on the show SCREAMS Cedar City... It's Bob. I don't know what it is about him, but I wouldn't be shocked AT ALL if he was actually from Color Country!
Sun River:
Sun River, absolutely is Johnny Rose! Very classy, older guy, always wears a suit... Probably not a swinger like SO MANY of the Sun River residents!
Little Valley:
Little Valley. David Rose. The Few, The Proud, The Little Valleyians. They know they're the best, they know they're better than all of us. That's ALL DAVID ROSE!
Kayenta:
Kayenta is where ALL THAT MONEY IS AT! Like... Millions! That's Moira, baby!
Washington:
Jocelyn Schitt is Washington City! A little bit country, a little bit redneck, but SO MUCH HEART. So much love. She's like a nice warm hug.
Desert Color:
Desert Color is the new development out by BigShots Golf. If you've ever been out there, the residents ALL want to be influencers, and they want EVERYONE to know that they are living in Desert Color. Alexis Rose!
Enterprise:
Enterprise is Twyla! A sweetheart, a little bit country, just nice! That's ALL ENTERPRISE... minus the corn!
Gif Credit: Giphy.com
LOOK OUT! Utah Ranks #1in Nation At THIS Deadly Act!
According to a new study done by Forbes, Utah has ranked #1 in the entire United States for one deadly thing... ROAD RAGE!
Utah was most likely in the nation to be report being honked at in frustration (76%). While 58% of people in Utah report being flipped off by someone else behind the wheel.
Utah drivers were also 2nd in the nation in saying they've been tailgated while driving (73%). Shockingly, only 47% of people surveyed admitted to having someone speed up to block them from changing lanes! I feel like we've all had that happen to us!
Of all the Utahn's surveyed, about 1/4 people admit to knowing someone that was injured or killed due to road rage.
The states coming in after Utah were...
2. Missouri
3. Colorado
4. Oklahoma
5. New Mexico
6. Nevada
7. Maryland
8. Indiana
9. Washington
10. Delaware
Of everyone in the nation surveyed, over 22% of people reported to witnessing an actual accident at the hands of road rage!
Ranking The HOTTEST Mayors In St. George History
Look... I appreciate history. Especially the history of my hometown, St. George, Utah. Another thing I can appreciate... HOTTNESS! I will now be ranking the Hottest Mayors in the history of St. George, Utah.
If you also appreciate history and hottness, this list is for YOU!
(In no particular order)
1. Thomas Judd
He's a virgo, a father of 10, and a Bugle player in the Navajo Indian War. As if that's not enough to get him on this list... he also had a sexy British accent! Thomas was born in Chestershire, England, before making his way to St. George when he was 19 years old. You may recognize his name from his VERY St. George Famous store/restaurant that's still around today! Thomas Judd's Store Co., known simply as "Judd's".
#2. Karl Brooks
Karl was a REAL St. Georgian! Born here, passed here. But what gets him on the list of HOTTNESS is a couple things. 1. THOSE BABY BLUES! Check out those peepers, man! I'm a sucker for blue eyes, and he had great ones! 2. What's hotter than helping our community? Not much. Karl was Mayor for 12 years (1982-1994) and the city EXPLODED with him at the helm! St. George went from 7-square miles to 60-square miles and 10,000 in population to 50,000 in population!
#3. Bill Barlocker
What puts Bill on this list? Don't ask stupid questions! LOOK AT THOSE TEETH! This photo was taken in what? the 60's? Teeth in the 60's were usually like the Spice Girls: They're all different colors, and doing their own thing! Also... That hairline! I'm actually jealous of it. Guaranteed this dude never went bald. The teeth and hairline get Bill on this list with zero questions asked!
#4. Joseph Young
Did his photo give you a jump-scare? Me too. And that's HOT! He looks like he just hid a body somewhere on Pine Valley, but those eyes are piercing! Another great hairline, great eyes, full-on Amish beard, and those cheekbones? COME ON JOSEPH! Save some scary but sexy features for the rest of us. If you see Joseph in your dreams, it's either the best dream you've ever had, or the worst nightmare you've ever had, and there's no in-between.
#5. Anthony Ivins
Before ANYTHING else... The dude is just hot. I'm jealous of the beard. I'm jealous of his hairline, and i'm jealous of his overall swag. He was born in New Jersey, made the trek across the plains as a 1-year old baby! That's SHOCKING that he even survived. That's HOT. Seven years later, he and his family made the trek to St. George to be one of the first families to ever live here. Plus... The city of Ivins is named after him! 100% HOT!
#6. Current Mayor: Michele Randall
She's the FIRST female Mayor in St. George history. THAT'S HOT! I'm a sucker for firsts, and that's a big one! Plus... the obvious! She's a babe and we all know it. But the biggest reason she's on this list has been her fight with cancer. She had her own battle with Breast Cancer and she's come out on top! My own mother had her battle in 2020, and Michele was there for her. It was VERY COOL and I've loved her ever since. She's also used her platform to encourage women to get their annual mammograms! And that's definitely HOT!
Photo cred:
Washington County Historical Society. https://wchsutah.org/towns/st-george-mayors.php
Google Earth: Earth.Google.com