VACATIONING IN VIRTUALVILLE.

Byline: Tim Grobaty Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Today, we're going to pack up, get in the car and drive to Panguitch, Utah, for a little vacation.

``Really?'' you ask excitedly, already heading out to the garage for your steamer trunk. No, not really. This is a Web column, not a travel column. We don't ``really'' do anything. It's all ``virtual'' around here.

But, with spring vacation in the air, we at least can dream about heading back to that little-known mountain resort (elevation: 6,666 feet) where our granddad took us several times when we were but a lad. And it's more than a mere exercise in reverie; you actually can put this stuff to use if you have more time and money than we do.

First, we checked out Panguitch's offerings at a Web site called Panguitch Historic District - ``Hub of the Scenic West.'' Here, we were painted a grandiose picture of the area, suspiciously light on particulars. We found that the area is rich in fishing, hiking, boating and that it was near Bryce Canyon, a beautiful national park.

The Bryce Canyon Web site is a feature-filled section, with info on adventure trips, restaurants, plants and animals of the region, a photo gallery and in-depth detail on all of the towns around the park, including Panguitch, which, we found, has eight gas stations, seven restaurants, three churches (Mormon, Catholic, Baptist), a park and a hospital. The Bryce site also listed all of the places to stay in Panguitch, with links to those places that had Web sites. We settled, in theory, on the Bryce Way Motel; 20 units, with new, sparkling clean rooms, indoor heated pool and HBO.

To do a little more of a background check on Panguitch (which means Big Fish in the language of the Pauite Indians), we checked out HotWired magazine's hip tour site, the Rough Guide, which gives you a mess of facts, written with style, about any region in the United States (and beyond) that you're thinking of visiting. Here, we learned that there won't be much to do in Panguitch, which it refers to as a ``squeaky clean Mormon farming town,'' and tells us, once again about the eight gas stations. Hope there's something good on HBO. Still, we weren't expecting much. When Granddad and I went to Panguitch, we stayed in a one-room log hut with no plumbing. All we did was go fishing and buy gas.

To bone up on the trout that are caught in Lake Panguitch (about 18 miles out of town, on Highway 12, one of the 10 most scenic drives, as determined by Car & Driver magazine), we checked out Field & Stream magazine's Web site, which gives information on about 70 different schools of fish, from amberjack to yellow perch. We bagged a limit of trout lore, plus a kreel full of fishin' tips, and flitted over to the Travel Kiosk to learn how to pack for our trip.

The Travel Kiosk is a one-stop trip-planner's guide, with way more information than we needed for our little motoring excursion - stuff about international diseases, passports, etc. All we wanted was a refresher course in packing, which it has in great detail: Don't forget a needle and thread, plastic baggies in two sizes, gifts for the locals and clothes. There are also photography hints here, but who doesn't know how to take snapshots?

Finally, getting there is half the fun, even if, as in our case, you're not even going.

For directions, we turned to Maps On Us, one of several handy and remarkable map sites on the Web. With this, you type in your starting point - it can be your exact home address, or just your city - and destination point. Click on the button, wait about five seconds and you're presented with a map showing you the quickest route to wherever it is you want to go. Scroll down, and you get text instructions on how to get there. Also, you can get detailed maps of each turn you need to make in your trip.

From our house to the Bryce Way Motel in Panguitch, the navigation guide tells us, it's 503.6 miles, and, driving safely, we should arrive in 10 hours and 12 minutes.

Your postcard is in the mail.

Where to find them:

Panguitch Historic District: http://www.infowest.com/panguitch

Bryce Canyon: http://www.xpressweb.com/attractions/brycecanyon

HotWired's Rough Guide: http://www.hotwired.com/rough

Field & Stream: http://www.fieldandstream.com

The Travel Kiosk: http://www.afn.org/afn11300

Maps On Us: http://www.mapsonus.com