Kanab: My Desert Oasis

Kanab, Utah from south end of Jackson Flat Resevoir

For me, Kanab was always a special place. Coming back now 5 years removed, driving through town, I spot the conflicting elements a little more easily. As I approach the outskirts, I see farmers dumping water on crops unevolved for desert life and the reservoir, for now. I pass the cattle, grazing, oblivious to their fate, and I see the largest companion animal sanctuary in the country, devoted to saving pigs and goats as well as cats and dogs. They serve a vegan buffet lunch daily for $5.00. Too many hotels line the streets for this three-stop-light town. The Parry Lodge stands stalwart, still fighting since its pinnacle as the shooting site for “The Girl in Black Stockings,” a 1957 film noir. But most of the new additions are clearly built with money from other places, according to standardized blueprints, perhaps by people who might not find Kanab on a map without help. So too the restaurants, too many and too good for a town so small, each finding its own distinctive edge to capture the elusive tourist, some with familiarity and consistency, McDonald’s, Subway and Pizza Hut, and some with great food and drink, Wild Thyme, Rocking V, Peekaboo Canyon Fire roasted Pizza, Vermillion 45, now sadly closed, its chef allegedly returned to France. The main street plaques and dilapidated Hollywood museum reminisce about Kanab’s past role in producing westerns, but the Best Friends Sanctuary seemingly props up its economy now. And though Kanab features many great hiking trails, its road signs all point to somewhere else, somewhere close enough to stay at least one night on the way. To the west? Vegas. To the East, Lake Powell. Monument Valley. To the North, Zion Canyon. Bryce Canyon. Capital Reef. To the South, the Grand Canyon. Kanab’s a tourist town, relying on tourist dollars, which shuts down on Sundays. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to stay another night and go the other direction tomorrow.

Kanab occupies a middle, suspended in tension. Blue water and yellow sun. Red rock and green trees. To an outsider like me, all its inconsistencies and eccentricities are actually what make it special, a kaleidoscope of interesting colors like the turquoise and purples that shine from the red rocks at sunrise, which safeguard it against being too much of one thing or too much of another. After all, I’m human and what makes me happy need not be logical or consistent. I hike the canyons, but I want a shower and a bed at the end of the day. I volunteer with animals, but I like a good steak. I love Zion, but it’s so crowded. I like quiet towns, but I love eating out. I love this place. For me, Kanab is an oasis.