Anyone here with any experience traveling in Southern Utah?

I would love some opinions on various sites (must sees, what's overrated/underrated, what should be a "stop" and what should be a "stopover", etc.). I'm trying to plan a trip for October with someone that loves the idea of hiking canyon country, but doesn't really like road trips. So I'm trying to limit myself to three places to stay over 7-8 nights. And the places to stay would be nice lodges/spa-type places.

I'm thinking of flying into Las Vegas and out of Moab (Actually I would add a couple of days and drive back to LV with the car, stopping in Monument Valley and the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon on my way back) but my friends would leave from Moab or Grand Junction, CO.

Basic impressions from my readings:
--All the parks sound cool, but if we were only going to do two areas, I would do Arches/Canyonlands and Bryce, although the Capitol Reef petroglyphs and Mesa Verde pueblo cliff homes sound like they are worth seeing (Mesa Verde I might see on my own when heading back).
--Zion seems less interesting somehow. The scenic drive has been closed to traffic except for a free shuttle and Zion seems to be something that can be done relatively quickly (as opposed to Bryce Canyon where the lodge seems a bit nicer and sunrise photos the thing to do). Is this right?
--There's a great lodge and restaurant in Boulder (b/w Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase), but does it make sense to stay there for a couple of days at the expense of staying in either Bryce or Zion?

Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm trying to get the route down now so we can reserve lodges in the park if we want.

ETA: line breaks

Okay, so videos of full Gareth songs downloadable here: [link] by londinensa in torchwoodcoffee. (Mannish Boy, Just Dropped In, Glory Box, Death Letter Blues, Roadhouse Blues).

She's got more, including the Marsters stuff here: [link] at torch_wood. (When I Was a Baby, Don't Do It, The Truth Is (A Heavy Stone), London City, Don't Worry Son, Not a Millionaire, Katie, Up On Me) which I haven't got yet, what with the download bandwidth limits and all.

They're handheld videos, so they're not the best quality, but they're pretty good considering.

And for those of you wondering what the heck we're squeeing about, there's youtube clips, too:

Gareth: [link] James: [link]

what does DO after a DR. name stand for, as opposed to MD?

Doctor of Osteopathy. They have training in both Western and Eastern treatment.

Bah, humbug, all you people with the day off.

It was 27 out when we went to the car. Seattle is not supposed to get that cold. Our mud in the parking area was frozen over.

Five things for John Winchester.

Whoo!!!

Still v. depressed about football. Sigh.

megan, definitely go to Bryce. It is all kinds of awesome, apparently. So said my outdoorsy ex-boyfriend, at least.

Oh, Megan, that'll be a great trip.

The only thing is there will be a lot a lot of driving. Those places are not close to each other.

The SO & I really love Moab. It's a great little spot, the park is easy to access and you can choose how much exertion you want to spend. We got a great photo of Double Arch there just in the golden light of sunset. Remember if you're taking sunrise or sunset pictures, don't forget to turn around and take pictures of what's lit by the sun, not just the sun itself.

On reflection, I have not been to most of those parks although the SO and our photography buddy iamdave.com have been, extensively. I know that he really loves Zion, and thinks it worthwhile.

Lodging is a bit difficult as many of the towns neighboring the parks are not large. Allot enough time for driving for meals, or pack a lunch. The SO & iamdave.com recently did Mesa Verde and really enjoyed it. I'll ask them for more feedback tonight.

Okay, so videos of full Gareth songs downloadable here

I swear, the awesome is going to kill me. If you guys don't hear from me again, know that I died happy.

Hee.

I'm glad I asked.

The only thing is there will be a lot a lot of driving. Those places are not close to each other.

The real problem is Bryce and Zion, which are only two hours apart, too far to use one as a base. I can't see any way around two nights here, drive a few hours, two nights at the next place, etc. I don't mind changing places like that, but it might be too much moving around for my friends. I love driving. And my father made us do crazy road trips when I was younger (like SLC to SLC in 2 weeks via Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria!) so I'm used to that.

None of us have seen any of these places except the Grand Canyon.

Doctor of Osteopathy. They have training in both Western and Eastern treatment.

huh, so now to decide if I want that or an MD at the same practice.