Nau speak: Road Tripping: Historic Downtown Shopping District St. George, Utah

Satisfied with our walk of the Historic Downtown area we hopped in Vanticore and prepared to move out, but we hadn't gotten more than a block before Antho shouted in excitement "A velociraptor!"

I don't know about you guys, but the sight of a wild, life-sized dinosaur is exciting enough to make us stop and find a place to park... the parking became a bit of an endeavor, though, as we learned the hard way that Vanticore is slightly taller than we'd approximated. After having the van for almost a full year, we finally found a parking structure too short to safely enter! We bumped her noggin in full view of a family, too, who watched with shocked surprise and covered mouths when we had to back away with a "scccccrrrrrrruuuuuuunnnnnn". Yikes. We made it out of the parking structure safely enough, and found a spot outside in no time. No real damage was done to the vehicle, aside from a minor scuffing of paint, and the cement building was certainly fine. We saw scuffs on her ceiling much taller than our own vehicle's clearance, so we weren't the first or the most brazen in our attempts to park there.

Once parked we were able to explore the area, and quickly saw that it was a continuation of the Historic Downtown. Ample art fills the streets, giving local artisans a chance to demonstrate their talents while classing up the place. There were some little cafes and many other shops, but we only really stopped into the one with the velociraptor. We spent a good amount of time admiring their shop, as they sold a lot of gems and minerals that I've been familiarizing myself with of late. My day job has me surrounded by gorgeous amethyst geodes and different stones, so I'm finding myself more excited and curious about them now that I have a bit more knowledge of them. Whether the stones are actually beneficial for your health or spirituality I'll leave up to you to decide on your own. Personally, I imagine it's a bit of a placebo effect- if you believe it works, it likely will. I see no harm in that, so long as you aren't trying to cure stage-4 cancer or something with a pretty amulet. Some things need a more aggressive approach, right?

Whether they're miracles of healing or simply pretty rock formations, there's no denying that they're quite stunning. The prevailing theory for how these gorgeous things are formed is that they're created from pockets in lava or igneous rock, that collect mineral rich liquids that evaporate and leave the crystalline formations behind. Artificial instances of crystal creation can be done at home using sugar and water, but it takes time. Most of the good things in life do, though.