Thursday, January 6, 2011

America's Coolest Small Town!

Have you heard the news? Bluff is in the running for America's Coolest Small Town! Uh-huh! Thats what I'm talkin' about. Sister Cindy dialed me up the other day and informed me that Budget Travel magazine was holding a competition to decipher which small town, in this great nation, had the most "Cool" emanating from its pores. Someone was on the ball, in the know, when they nominated Bluff City, Utah. Now to be sure, our family members are forever throwing out abstractions for anecdotal missives. Mostly, Steve and I look down our wrinkled noses at such suggestions and shrug them off as undignified and/or disturbing but Cindy had something here. Bluff is way cool, she is near and dear to our hearts and always on our minds. The town of Bluff really is chic when it comes to a higher quality of life, space to breath, time to relax and enjoy, proximity to the natural world and the local services are, well, "small town" but packed to the cliff tops with customer service and attention to indulgent detail.


Balloons over Bluff

I mean to say, where else can one find such a wide and delicious variety of sustenance, from the quick and convenient K&C to sit down and entertaining Cottonwood Steaks, a Faybelle Burger, an organic minded River Kitchen, Comb Ridge Coffee and, wait for it.... Navajo Pizza and local ethnic feasting under the mighty Twin Rocks. Comfort food at its best! And, if you did not bring a bed roll you might sleep Inn with Kokopelli, Recapture the good old days at the lodge, Motel it with a Mokee, or forsake a cactus by settling down under a delightful Desert Rose. Too comfortable? How about ganging up at the old Decker House, parking under a Cottonwood or sequestering your Cadillac and Airstream at the Ranch. For a restful night's sleep come to where crickets are the night sound of choice and the stars, night lights worth warming up too. I read in the write-up that the magazine was looking for towns with an edge. Seriously? Have you ever stood on the edge of a 400' sandstone abutment overlooking Canyon Country? Now that will give you a tingle in your groin, I mean to tell ya'.

I understand a "Coolest Small Town" retains a population under 10,000 inhabitants. Bluff accounts for 250 people, in permanent residence, on our best day. But, the stand-out personalities living amongst the red rock houses and Sage Brush bungalows makes us appear much more robust denizens of the high desert wise that is. Character traits run deep and formidable in our fair community, thus the attraction to outside, habitual, interests. In Bluff you will not find quaint country retail venues, you will discover a Twin Rocks Trading Post owned by an unmanageable gang of Bluffoons and stocked with world class Native American art, an Yanito Gallery managed by the artist himself displaying personal works of wonder, a Dairy Cafe gift shop run by a dear disciple of self motivation and inspiration, supplied with an amazing variety of art and craft from local artisans of creative composition and a Cloudwatcher bent on exhibiting the magic and wonder of this region. All of which, as I understand the prerequisites, are essential to the moniker of "Cool".

One of the coolest of the cool aspects of Bluff is the great, great, great outdoors that surrounds us. High adventure awaits those fit and furious frontiers-people who dare to venture into our rugged back country. Whether it be on foot or in the clean comfort of a 4x4 the scenery is amazing and the atmosphere intoxicating. If you need a Far Out Expedition you might look-up Vaughan or take a trip down the mighty San Juan with Wild Rivers. High adventure is assured when you trip through our tulips....or cactus flowers as it were. If you want to access our self-assured village from a heavenly perspective you should stop in on our annual Balloon Festival in January. Drift over the endearing Bluff Fort and accompanying church house or the spires of Father Baxter Leibler's Episcopal Church up-valley. The cliff tops and side canyons are inspiring from on high. Serenity and tranquility abound in and over Bluff. Our town was first populated by ancient peoples as early as 650 AD and founded by exhausted Mormon pioneers on April 6th 1880. So if you are in favor of letting others in on our great little secret add your comment to America's Coolest Small Towns @ http://tinyurl.com/ptiscool . Give Budget Travel a heads up so we can let the world know of Bluff's coolness. Vote before the poll closes on February 11th; the top winners will be featured in the September 2011 issue of Budget Travel magazine. "We be Cool!"

With Warm Regards,
Barry, Steve and the Team.

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