This is the third time we've been out to Utah. And much like all the Europeans arriving in new territory before us, we've been following the same process.
The first time, Discovery. In the autumn of '02 we did the Grand Tour of Utah Nat'l Parks: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, & Zion. Although not mentioned much in the guide books, we fell in love with the area around Escalante & Boulder -- the Grand Staircase - Escalante Nat'l Monument (GSENM).
The second trip, Exploration. We had fond memories, but did we really like it all that much? And what towns in particular did we like? We made a mad dash over a long weekend to the area. Turns out, yes, we really did like it. And we narrowed the towns we liked down to Boulder, Escalante, Torrey, & Teasdale.
An on this third visit, Exploitation. How can we personally own or invest in this area. So we're thinking of buying something (what exactly tbd) in Escalante (with Boulder a close second). Escalante, although small, has a bit of a buzz to it with the GSENM gaining in popularity. It'll never be a Moab, but I think there's definitely an investment potential there. Not that the main purpose is to make money -- we really just want a foothold in the area to give us an excuse to visit more frequently. And it would be great if we could set it up to pay for itself.
Of course, the next step in the European discovery process would be Smallpox. We're hoping to avoid that one.
